The power of people being resourced and nourished cannot be overstated. The power of the Castanea Fellowship is found in creating spaces where deep solidarity is built and delicious visions of the future are born. This is the space where the world is being built anew.
To grow this work, we’re excited to launch two new fundraising campaigns:
- a Core Funder campaign, and
- a Fellowship Spot Sponsorship Campaign.
Our Core Funder campaign is aimed at funders who are ready to partner with Castanea because they believe deeply in building the field. Giving from our Core Funders has ranged from $25,000 to $500,000 + yearly – what they have in common is their commitment to investing in the movement infrastructure Castanea provides.
And for the first time ever, we’re offering the option to partner with us to sponsor a fellowship spot. Whether your funding is focused on a specific sector or region, fellowship sponsorship deepens the work of leaders and allows them to grow their impact exponentially.
Here’s what it means when you partner with Castanea: your dollars go directly to frontline leaders — not just as individual support, but to people who were explicitly selected through a liberatory framing process, who start new projects or grow existing ones with direct impact on their communities, and who take the lessons, tools, and models they gain and disperse them outward, creating ripple effects far beyond any one farm or organization.
Leah Hong at our core funder partner, Angell Foundation, says, “We are proud to support the urgent work of Castanea Fellowship. At Angell Foundation, we believe that investing in the development and well-being of leaders advancing social change is critical to sustaining organizational effectiveness and sustainability. Castanea Fellowship not only offers space for restoration and learning; it also breaks down silos between organizations and people to build a collective movement of values-aligned, food systems leaders nationwide.
As food systems leaders face compounding stresses amid multi-pronged crises—including climate catastrophe impacting agricultural production and practices—Castanea remains a steady anchor for the field, harnessing the power of human connection and leadership. We encourage funders who care about the longevity of our sector and our leaders to fund Castanea’s work, and amplify the importance of investing in the development and well-being of our community.”
Joy, restoration, and space for deep relationship building & solidarity for leaders are what create the collective tissue our movements need to win. If you’d like to be part of this work, reach out to krysten@castaneafellowship.org today to find a time to talk more.
Download: Core Funder one-pager
Download: Fellowship Spot Sponsorship one-pager