SUSTAIN OUR FUTURE FOUNDATION INC
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Mission Statement
Transforming sustainable development to maximize equitable community benefits and achieve environmental justice outcomes.
About This Cause
Sustain our Future Foundation (SOFF) is a national, impact organization that works to transform sustainable development to maximize equitable community benefits and achieve environmental justice outcomes. By redistributing profits from the burgeoning sustainability sectors into community impact initiatives, the Foundation works to build free, thriving, and regenerative communities through consulting services and social impact programs. /// The growing green economy necessitates a strong environmental justice analysis. Therefore, SOFF was founded to embed environmental justice and community impact strategies into environmental, social, governance practices. By leaning into a radical imagination for transformative change, the Foundation envisions a health-oriented, equitable, and regenerative economy that bridges sustainable development, community wellness, and ecological preservation. /// SOFF uses a multifaceted approach to achieve environmental justice and positive community impact. The Foundation's programs are organized into the following three program areas: the Sustainable Justice Training Institute, the Regenerative Economy Program, and the Power Shift Grants Program. A detailed explanation of each program area can be read below. /// The Sustainable Justice Training Institute is a holistic workforce development and education program designed to foster a community of environmental justice-oriented practitioners with a deep understanding and desire to create more sustainable, just, and healthy systems of governance and management. By bridging the gaps between theory and practice, the Institute works to promote concrete models of environmental justice practice and equip historically excluded communities with the skills to become critical leaders in the sustainability industry. Featured in this program is the Sustainable Justice HBCU Fellowship, which provides Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students with professional experiences in sustainability and environmental justice, leadership development coaching, and connections with experts in the sustainability and environmental justice industry to pipeline HBCU students into sustainability careers. Also featured in this program is the Sustainable Justice Scholars project, which equips historically underrepresented undergraduate and master's candidates, prioritizing students who attend minority-serving institutions, with scholarships to support the completion of educational programming for environment and sustainability careers. The project also provides endowed professorships at HBCUs for university teaching in environmental justice. Lasting, this program includes the Small Business Accelerator project, which is designed to address the unique challenges faced by sustainability enterprises led by communities underrepresented in the industry. Through a combination of accessible financial resources, mentorship, and business development support, this project empowers budding entrepreneurs to turn their innovative ideas into successful ventures that create positive environmental impact. /// The Regenerative Economy Program is a community transformation and greening strategy that resources, develops, and implements sustainability infrastructures that align with local community ownership, equitable partnership, sovereignty and agency, and reparative justice. An economy that transcends sustainability to become truly regenerative is necessary to healing relationships between our Earth system, more-than-human life, and humanity. To realize a regenerative economy, this program identifies critical levers that exist in our current economy to use as ‘bridges’ to develop a more sustainable, healthy, and equitable society for all. This program features the Reparative Land Collective Project, which resources ecosystem enhancement practices to repair natural ecologies. The Project includes a collective of BIPOC land stewards dedicated to implementing nature recovery strategies such as agro-ecological techniques, vermachar & biochar, and enhanced rock weathering, to actively remove carbon from the atmosphere across their collective agricultural lands. Also featured in this program is the The Regenerative Communities Project, which mobilizes resources for hyperlocal sustainable infrastructure development to ensure it aligns with sovereignty, agency, conviviality, and alimentary design. Rather than create infrastructures that continue perpetuating systems of extraction and exploitation, this project centers community engagement and decision-making to create truly sustainable infrastructure. /// The Power Shift Grants Program is a systems change and power shift strategy. Through this program, general operating grants are disbursed to entities with a focus on fostering self-determination within frontline communities. These grants enable communities to define and pursue their own outcomes, positioning them as the central drivers of innovation and implementation of sustainable development projects. By investing in the capacity building of these communities, the program not only strengthens their ability to address pressing environmental and social challenges but also fosters a paradigm shift towards more equitable and inclusive models of change. Featured in this program is the EcoRise Capital Fund, which aims to foster the growth and development of local sustainability enterprises led by historically underrepresented communities. This fund provides crucial support in the form of general operating grants, enabling these enterprises to navigate the challenges inherent in their early or mid-level stages. Also featured in this program is the Thriving Communities Fund, which provides general operating grants to frontline organizations and climate justice grantmaking entities through a “fund the funder” approach. By bolstering the operational capacities of these vital organizations, the Thriving Communities Fund amplifies their abilities to effect meaningful change within their communities and beyond. These grants not only enable frontline organizations to expand their programs and initiatives but also strengthen their resilience and sustainability in the face of evolving challenges. /// Sustain our Future Foundation is proudly led by a Black Woman, and maintains deep commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our Board of Directors is composed of a diverse array of leaders, with 100% identifying as Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC). Within our Organization, 85% of our staff members identify as BIPOC, with 75% of our senior staff representing the BIPOC community. Our mission is centered around supporting and empowering community members on the frontlines of the climate crisis and those who have historically been excluded from the benefits of sustainable development. We prioritize their voice, experiences, and needs in all of our initiatives and endeavors.