” Honor and respect to our ancestral grandmothers who braided seeds and promise into their hair before being forced onto transatlantic slave ships. They believed, against odds, that we, their descendents would exist to inherit, plant, and pass on that seed.
The Braiding Seeds Fellowship, a project of Soul Fire Farm Institute in collaboration with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, carries on the legacy of the braided seeds by providing beginning farmers with resources, professional development, and mentorship to support their livelihood on land.
The inaugural cohort was drawn from the southeast and northeast, along certain corridors of the Underground Railroad and the Great Migration. We are working to bridge north-south and legacy-returning generations of farmers. “
Opportunities:
18 month program beginning in July and ending in December the following year
“ Braiding Seeds fellows receive a $50,000 stipend; a menu of professional development opportunities including 1:1 mentorship, workshops, farm finance and business plan support; cohort gatherings; and individualized coaching.”
Mini grants are also awarded to runners up
Website: https://www.soulfirefarm.org/food-sovereignty-education/immersion/fellowship/