The Foodshed Alliance of Hope Township received $3,500 in Franklin Parker Community Conservation Grants from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.

The Alliance was among eight nonprofits who received a portion of the $30,000 in grants which are funded by the Victoria Foundation.

According to the Conservation Foundation, the grants will help provide essential resources to nonprofit organizations addressing environmental challenges and improving the quality of life for communities of color in New Jersey.

The Foodshed Alliance will use the money toward shared equipment and tools to facilitate climate-smart conservation methods for small-scale organic growers, many of which are from underserved communities, according to Lisa Kelly, development and communications coordinator for the Foodshed Alliance.

The purpose of the grants is to help provide essential resources to nonprofit organizations addressing environmental challenges and improving the quality of life for communities of color in New Jersey. Since 1989, the program has awarded nearly $2 million to 478 conservation projects throughout the state. In 2020, NJCF added a racial equity lens to the grant program and has since awarded more than $90,000 through 28 grants to benefit communities of color across the state and improve equitable access to quality open space and places to grow food locally.

A Foodshed Alliance farm plot in Andover Township is pictured above. Photo by Jane Primerano.