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FOUNDATION

The CCOF Foundation Endowment

The CCOF Foundation is undertaking a bold $10 million Endowment campaign to raise funds for programs that provide:

  • scholarships for future organic farmers 
  • disaster relief for organic farmers suffering from hardship 
  • wrap-around services for farmers transitioning land to organic 
  • unrestricted funds to enhance the CCOF Foundation’s ability to support famers as they go and stay organic 

An endowed fund is a permanent source of funding that supports the CCOF Foundation’s vision of creating a world where organic is the norm. The fund’s principal is invested and preserved while a portion of the earnings are paid out each year to ensure ongoing support of organic agriculture. Essentially, the CCOF Endowment will enable us to support organic farmers, ranchers, and producers, forever. 

CCOF Foundation grantee Yadira Mendiola, owner of The Queen of Vegetables Organic Farm

Learn more about the endowment

Contact CCOF Development Director Willow Aray

Your endowed donation helps maintain a steady level of funding to ensure that the CCOF Foundation can support organic farmers in perpetuity.

Gifts can be made through: 

 

  • Donor Advised Funds  
  • Gifts of Stock 
  • Launching a fundraising effort at your store or online 
  • Check or cash  
  • Bequests 
  • Multi-year commitments 

Legacy Giving

Legacy Giving, also known as planned giving, is a type of charitable donation where donors leave gifts to nonprofits through their estate plans. A legacy donation to our endowment is your chance to ensure that your gift has lasting impact.  

Please consider our endowment in your legacy giving or by making your contribution to the CCOF Endowment today. 

Contact CCOF Development Director Willow Aray

Our Grantees Say:

Angie Oliva

"When I look at the needs of our nation, and I notice how we’re connected to food, it’s those things that really drive me to be a part of organic farming.”

Finley Tevlin

"I have found purpose in farming, and I want to do it for the rest of my life."

Ismael Perez

"There’s not a lot of diversity when it comes to owners of big businesses, and changing that is one of my goals."

Yadira Mendiola

"I think about how many families will be fed by my product."

Discover the CCOF Foundation 

The CCOF Foundation advances organic by supporting the people and communities who care for the land. 

Guided by the wisdom of our farming roots, the CCOF Foundation unites the organic community to advance organic agriculture. We offer intentional education, financial support, and growth opportunities for organic professionals. Our vision is a world where organic is the norm. 

Since its inception, the CCOF Foundation has: 

  • Awarded over $5M in grants to support future organic farmers, farmers transitioning from conventional to organic agriculture, and farmers experiencing hardship; 
  • Provided nearly 19,350 organic producers with education and training through professional development opportunities including workshops, conferences and field days; 
  • Supported the transition of nearly 170,000 acres of farmland from conventional to organic; 
  • Been tapped by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) to lead the West/Southwest Regional Center for Organic Transition in seven states (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, New Mexico, and Hawaii); and 
  • Been selected by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) as one lead for their Organic Transition Pilot Program. 

CCOF’s work has been rooted in community from the beginning, when in 1973 the founding members gathered around a kitchen table and a shared cause: healthy, organic food. CCOF’s community has grown into a network of thousands of organic producers across North America, dedicated CCOF staff who are passionate about making a difference, and a 501c(3) nonprofit the CCOF Foundation, which provides ongoing support for the people who grow our food. 

Becky Blythe, one of the most tenured staff at CCOF, chose to carry forward CCOF’s passion in her will when she bequeathed a $100,000 gift to the CCOF Foundation. 

After careful consideration on how to utilize this gift in a way that best honors Becky’s legacy while advancing a world where organic is the norm, the CCOF Foundation has launched the CCOF Endowment, of which the Becky Blythe Endowed Fund is the inaugural gift. 

Email CCOF Foundation’s Development Director waray@ccof.org for more information. 

 

Meet Our Grantees

The CCOF Foundation Endowment will fund our 501c(3) nonprofit programs, which support current and future organic producers. Meet some previous grantees in the videos below.

For CCOF Foundation grantee Lehia Apana, organic farming is an act of cultural reverence. Lehia approaches farming her land at Polipoli Farms from a Native perspective, following the generations of Native Hawaiians before her who were master agriculturalists feeding themselves and their communities with island resources.
CCOF Foundation grantee Adelio Coronel has inspiring ambitions to have to a well-established farming operation and be an environmental caretaker. Hear Adelio's story of how he got the education and support he needed.
Learn more about CCOF Foundation grantee Jared Siverling, Siverling Centennial Farm, and the family behind it.
Learn more about CCOF Foundation grantee Yadira Mendiola, owner of The Queen of Vegetables Organic Farm in Royal Oaks, California.
CCOF Foundation grantee Shannon Good was forced to envision a new way to raise dairy cows when her family’s farmland was sold out from under them. Today, her passion for organic dairy farming has influenced an entire community.
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