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2021 – present
Agricultural Connections Cooperative’s veggie van dropping off produce at the Central Oregon Community College bookstore. Photo credit: Amanda Photographic
The Community Asset Development (CAD) program works to close the racial wealth divide and transform our economic system through the strategic redistribution of resources into community-led projects that build and restore shared wealth, self-determination, and climate resilience. CAD provides technical assistance (e.g., business and operations planning) and integrated capital strategy (e.g., how to think about using loans, grants, and PRIs together) designed in response to the requirements, needs, and invitations to join in the work of community partners.
We know community-driven solutions already exist, and it is our shared work to shift the power, capital, and support necessary where our partners’ projects succeed and we all thrive.
Partners
Our partner list is growing! With a focus on supporting food systems and land justice, our partners’ projects range from farming, food hubs, building and preserving traditional ecological knowledge, and food distribution.
Featured partner
Agricultural Connections Cooperative is a multi-stakeholder, cooperatively owned company. Member-owners are farmers, ranchers, wholesale buyers, and workers who are collaboratively creating a resilient regional food system. CAD’s goal in supporting this partner’s project was to enable democratic governance that shares wealth and power. CAD services included business strategy, financial forecasting, and a low-interest loan.
(At left, the Agricultural Connections Cooperative Team: Jake Fabrey, Marisa Funk, Miguel Mendoza, Erin Bellomy Maher, Leslie O’Neil, Josh Whitaker, and Alex Mayer. Photo credit: Amanda Photographic)
Ecotrust Project Team & Services
Want to learn more? Check out the full Ecotrust Staff & Board and all of our Tools for Building Collective Change.
We cultivate leaders and assist with funding sources.
We contribute tools, analyses, and frameworks that move projects forward.
Interested in collaborating with the Community Asset Development program? Please review the project eligibility criteria below.
Project Eligibility for Community Asset Development
View full project eligibility criteria here.
Our Team’s Capacity
We are a small team with the goal of delivering tailored technical assistance grounded in trust-based relationships. Annually, we collaborate with 3-5 projects. If your project aligns with all the criteria above, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us through the interest form below.
Photo credit: Saxon Richardson
“
Collaboration (with Ecotrust) has been really insightful, grounding, and joyful!
—Sofia Baum,
Anahuac Capital Campaign Manager
Resources
Misc
These eligibility criteria represent intentions of the CAD program to work towards and support communities in self-determination and building intergenerational wealth through the ownership and management of infrastructure, built assets, and businesses.
Misc
The CAD program focuses on supporting community-led projects to acquire assets, and our services are specific to readying a project to receive capital. In many cases, this means supporting preparation of documents that funders, investors, and/or community members will ask for, like a pitch deck or operations budget.
