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In an NPR (Nonprofit Quarterly) essay based on a talk delivered to the 2018 fellowship class of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) at Penn Center in St. Helena Island, South Carolina last month, Dr. Shirley Sherrod discusses the struggle in the South for civil rights and the ups, downs, and rebirth of New Communities.
Dr. Sherrod is the cofounder of the New Communities Inc., the nation's first community land trust. She shared her stories as a civil rights activist, her experience as a a former USDA Rural Development director for the state of Georgia, and her founding of New Communities.
In 1999, Shirley and her husband, Charles Sherrod, joined the class action plaintiffs in the lawsuit Pigford v. Glickman. In 2010, Sherrod was wrongfully dismissed from USDA. In 2012, in collaboration with Catherine Whitney, she authored a biography of her life, The Courage to Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear.
To date, Sherrod and New Communities are still organizing farmers and doing training, with a focus on women. They have developed a worker-owned sewing co-op and developed other organizations with a commercial kitchen.
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
Google is teaming up with Rice University to create a Houston-area startup accelerator, the Houston Chronicle reports. The accelerator will focus on the "Internet of Things," with a particular...more
"We want homes that last longer than eight to 10 years," says Avra van der Zee, COO of Hawaii-based nonprofit Elemental Excelerator, which has teamed up with New Orleans' Finance New Orleans to...more
When Jude Chinedu heard Chisimdi Okoh talk about how he wanted to change the world, he thought it would be a good idea to do something about it. And so he founded the Power of One Initiative, a...more
Foundation: Boston Foundation, Cambridge Community Foundation
Geeta Pradhan is the president of the Cambridge Community Foundation in Massachusetts, and in 2024 she'll become the state's outstanding woman of the year. That's thanks to her work to fight...more
"We are seeing positive, tangible outcomes for grant recipients working to boost their capacity and impact for programs and services that are vital to those in need." Those are the words of the...more
"Small businesses are the heart of our communities, and when we invest in their success, we're investing in a stronger economy and quality of life, benefiting people across the region." So says...more
Foundation: Lilly Endowment
An Indiana community foundation is getting a big boost from the Lilly Endowment thanks to a hefty donation from Eli Lilly and Co., the Indianapolis Star reports. The Community Foundation of Noble...more
Foundation: Cleveland Foundation, George Gund Foundation
If you're in Cleveland and can't afford to live near the Cleveland Clinic, you may want to consider moving to Aura at Innovation Square, a new $26 million apartment complex that's set to open in...more
"The city of Spokane is a leading example for how communities can respond to the housing crisis," says Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in praising the city for its efforts to create more affordable...more
When it comes to affordable housing, Dallas has a problemand two former NFL players are working to fix it. Kwame Ellis and Khalid Shabazz, both of whom played for the Tennessee Titans, moved to...more
Community Building News from...
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New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
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Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Hugh Jackman: Fair Trade Entrepreneur
Renowned actor, Hugh Jackman, talks about how he started becoming a fair trade entrepreneur. Jackman is constantly building up ideas and solutions to help small coffee growers get good prices outside the massive coffee industry. His business, Laughing Man Worldwide, reinvests 100% of its profits in its partnerships with farmers.
