Organically Grown Co. gives over $200,000 through grant program

Portland, Ore.-based Organically Grown Co. says more than $200,000 in grants will be awarded to organizations that align with its mission to grow the organic agriculture movement.

The grants also support groups leading the charge to protect the planet, create an equitable food system and more, according to a news release.

OGC co-workers participate in selecting Mission Fund grant recipients, with a record 84 organizations receiving financial support this year, according to the release. Organic farms, nonprofits and customers from San Francisco, Calif., to Fairbanks, Alaska, will benefit from OGC’s commitment to giving back, the release said.

“The spirit of giving brings coworkers together and is part of the company’s inclusive culture,” Brian Keogh, OGC buyer and chair of OGC’s Stakeholder Giving Committee, said in the release. “Co-workers have built lasting connections with many of this year’s grant recipients, and we’re proud to provide unrestricted donations that help sustain their operations and make an impact. We’re grateful to these groups for their passion and work to make the world a better place.”

Launched in 2020, OGC’s Mission Fund invests in stakeholder initiatives, matches coworker contributions and covers in-kind organic produce donations to charitable groups, according to the release.

Giving focuses on small and medium organic farm viability, increasing the resiliency of farmers and customers, preserving farmland, educating youth about organic agriculture and connecting them to organic food, increasing access to organic food for underserved or underrepresented communities, building equity in regional farms and food systems, addressing and mitigating the impacts of climate change, and improving access to organic seed and varietals, the release said. 

2023 Mission Fund grant recipients

OGC’s founders were grassroots, social movement advocates who wanted to transform food and agriculture with a bold and ambitious goal to save the world, the release said.

This year’s 84 grant recipients are diverse in their work and reach, expanding OGC’s positive impact beyond its core business.

• OGC farmer/suppliers — Boldly Grown Farm, Camas Swale Farm, Commonplace Farm, Eloisa Organic Farm, Gathering Together Farm, Liepold Farms, Little Garden Organic Farm, Misty Mountain Mushrooms, Riverland Family Farm, Sunrise Organic Farm, White Forest Mushroom and Yakama Nation Farms.
• OGC customers — Co-Op Market Grocery & Deli, First Alternative Natural Foods Co-Op, Friendly Street Market, Main Street Market, Market of Choice, Nature’s Pantry, Oceana Natural Food Cooperative, Oliver Lemons, Organics to You, Sundance Natural Foods, Treebird Market and The Food Co-Op.
• Nonprofit allies — 1000 Friends of Oregon, Backyard Harvest, Beyond Toxins, Black Farmers Collective, Black Food Fund, Black Oregon Land Trust, Boise Urban Garden School, CAPACES Leadership Institute, Corvallis Environmental Center, Craig Law Center, Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, Ecotrust, Farm2People, Farmer Veteran Coalition, Food for Lane County, Food for Lane County Youth Farm, Food Corps, Friends of Family Farmers, Gallatin County Food Bank, Good Rain Farm, Gorge Grown, Growing Gardens, Huerto de la Familia , Kiss the Ground, Kitchen Table Advisors, Long Tom Watershed Council, Marion County Food Bank, McKenzie River Trust, NW Center for Alternatives to Pesticides, National Young Farmers Coalition, Northwest Harvest, Oregon Agricultural Trust, Oregon Climate & Agriculture Network, Oregon Food Bank, Oregon Wild, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Organic Seed Alliance, Oregon State University’s Center for Small Farms, Outgrowing Hunger, Provender Alliance, Rogue Farm Corps, Rogue Farm Corps Future Farmers Fund, School Garden Project of Lane County, South King County Food Coalition, The Elderberry Wisdom Farm, The Organic Farm School, The People’s Land Fund, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Tilth Alliance, Unete Oregon, Vilicus Institute, Viva Farms, Wakulima USA, Washington Farmland Trust, West Seattle Food Bank, Western Environmental Law Center, Willamette Farm & Food Coalition and Willamette Riverkeeper.