Reimagining Alternative Futures – A Look at Community-Controlled Funding

In this free, 90-minute webinar, hear from Equitable Food Oriented Development (EFOD) leaders Camryn Smith of Communities in Partnership (Durham, NC) and Nicole Anand of Inclusive Action for the City (Los Angeles, CA), in conversation with Mariela Cedeño of Manzanita Capital Collective on how Black, Indigenous, and other practitioners of color are working to fill critical funding gaps for under-invested food systems innovators and projects through alternatives to conventional community development finance.

Despite efforts toward poverty alleviation and social justice, many large institutional CDFIs, credit unions, and foundations often shift resources away from BIPOC-led enterprises and organizations, to less “risky” or more “investment-ready” projects owned by community outsiders. The history, community assets, expertise and lived experience of BIPOC communities are undervalued and undercapitalized. The additional financial hardships created by the pandemic further highlight the need for community-led solutions to capital access.

The EFOD Collaborative exists to challenge these barriers and lead a shift to a community-driven framework for equitable finance. Now is the time for community-based practitioners of color to change the conversation on how private capital can be deployed in ways that really meet the needs of communities.