DONATE
Below are people doing great work that we urge our clients or anyone passing through our website to contribute to:
1. TATAVIAM LAND CONSERVANCY
From the Tataviam Land Conservancy Website:
‘TLC believes that land rematriation is the only way for both the natural and human environments to heal from the effects of colonization. The Tataviam Land Conservancy is a Tribally-operated nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore the unceded ancestral homelands of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians (FTBMI) through protective land management strategies, traditional ecological knowledge, and innovative cultural and educational programming.’
2. TONGVA.LAND based in in Los Angeles, California.
From the Tongva Land website:
“The Tongva people have been in Los Angeles County for thousands of years. However, we have not had access to land since colonization. The Tongva Taraxat Paxaava Conservancy, which roughly translates to “the people’s land” is the very first plot of land returned to the original people of Los Angeles.
For generations we have been pushed out of Los Angeles by high rent, we have had to ask permission to have traditional gathering relationship with our plant relatives, and we have had to pay fees to hold ceremony and space inside of our own ancestral lands. The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Land Conservancy will help begin the healing process we need by giving tribal community members access to affordable housing on their native land, give access to gathering without permission from outsiders, and a space to have community time and ceremonies in privacy.
Our vision is to rematriate the land to California native plants and Tongva people. We are and will continue to be run by Tongva people.”
3. MEZTLI PROJECTS based in Los Angeles, California
From Mezteli Projects Website:
“Meztli Projects is an Indigenous based arts & culture collaborative centering Indigeneity into the creative practice of Los Angeles by using arts-based strategies to support, advocate for, and organize to highlight Native and Indigenous Artists and systems-impacted youth.
Meztli Projects operates out of Apachianga (East Los Angeles) in Tovaangar (Los Angeles County), lands stewarded since time immemorial by families and villages now known as the Acjachemen, Chumash, Tataviam and Tongva Tribal Nations.
Our work requires a constant reinvestigation of our presence as Indigenous Peoples on lands that are not our ancestral homelands so that we may be guests living in kinship, reciprocity and doing our best to center these Tribal Nations.”
4. BLACK SANCTUARY GARDENS [VIA PINE HOUSE EDIBLE GARDEN] based in in Oakland, California.
From the Pine House Edible Gardens website:
“Your donation goes directly to the Pine House // Black Sanctuary Gardens fund and will be used to cover the costs for plants, materials and installation needed to create Black Sanctuary Gardens for Black women and communities. Donations are not tax-deductible.
To keep up with our work and see our latest Black Sanctuary Garden creations, follow along on Instagram at @BLKSANCTUARYGARDENS.
Black Sanctuary Gardens is a series of aesthetic, edible and culturally grounded garden installations that serve as restorative spaces for the peace, self-care and inspiration of the African Diaspora in and around Oakland, CA.
Inspired in part by Alice Walker’s naming of the garden as a site for black women’s spirituality, creativity and artistic work, landscape designer Leslie Bennett and her team work to design, install and care for a series of low to no-cost Black Sanctuary Gardens for Black women and Black communities. Visual curation and photographic documentation of the women and communities in their garden spaces is a secondary, integral part of the project as we create imagery that more accurately and inclusively reflects the relationship of Black women and communities with their gardens.
Starting in 2018, with the creation and photographic documentation of a backyard oasis for a Black woman community leader based in East Oakland, and continuing in 2019, with the creation and photographs of a (self-funded) backyard garden for Leslie Bennett’s own family, the Black Sanctuary Gardens project is currently in planning stages for our 2020 projects.
Awarded the East Bay Fund for Artists matching grant by the East Bay Community Foundation in 2018, Black Sanctuary Garden’s project for Alena Museum, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is also in planning stages and will be our first publicly accessible dedicated green sanctuary space for the African Diaspora in Oakland.
The primary goal of Black Sanctuary Gardens is to create garden spaces for Black women to rest and be restored. This space is so needed, given the racism and sexism that Black women experience as part of daily American life. A further goal is to define, uphold and celebrate Black community spaces, amidst gentrification and displacement of historically Black communities in Oakland.
Black Sanctuary Gardens is an exciting opportunity to develop gardens that are reflective of our brilliant Black community and supportive of our specific cultural experiences, while offering real sanctuary for Black people to commune, converse, collaborate, heal, rest, and be nourished.
Please donate to support our work and help us create more Black Sanctuary Garden space! Thank you!”
5. THEODORE PAYNE FOUNDATION, based in Los Angeles, California
From Theodore Payne Website:
“Theodore Payne Foundation (TPF) is a nonprofit organization that inspires and educates Southern Californians about the beauty and ecological benefits of California native plants. Located on 22 acres of canyon land in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, the TPF headquarters includes a full-service nursery featuring native plants, seeds, and nature-themed books and merchandise, alongside display gardens, wildland hiking trails, an art gallery, indoor and outdoor educational facilities, and extensive plant production areas. Offering a wide range of public classes, garden tours, and a variety of outreach and advocacy initiatives, TPF invites all to explore the role of native plants in local ecology, aiming to make the communities of Southern California more beautiful, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.”
6. CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY, based in Sacramento CA
From California Native Plant Societies Website [CNPS.ORG]:
“Since its beginnings, the California Native Plant Society has been a leading voice in plant science and native plant appreciation, making it one of the foremost native plant organizations in the world. We are a 501(c) 3 non-profit dedicated to conserving California native plants and their natural habitats, while increasing the understanding, enjoyment, and horticultural use of native plants. We work closely with decision-makers, scientists, and local planners to advocate for well-informed and environmental friendly policies, regulations, and land management practices.
California is a global treasure because of its native plants. No other state in the nation has as many species, and of those a third can’t be found anywhere else in the world! That’s why we’re fighting to preserve California’s native plants and places before it’s too late. The Conservation Program at CNPS advocates for maximum legal protection and science-based, ecologically sound land-management. Join us and support our conservation efforts today”
7. ALTADENA SEED LIBRARY based in Los Angele,s CA
From the Altadena seed library website [scroll down on their main page to donate]:
“Altadena Seed Library is a growing constellation of seed education and conservation resources. Our mission is to expand equitable access to shade and green spaces, increase food sovereignty, foster community connection, and rekindle relationships with our nonhuman neighbors. Altadena Seed Library was founded by Nina Raj, with the intention of creating community resources to promote seed equity, education, and distribution. Nina holds certifications as a UC Naturalist, UC Master Gardener, Docent Naturalist at Eaton Canyon, Theodore Payne Native Plant Landscaper, and Grow LA Gardens Trainee”