Grant announcements

The Farmer-Veteran Coalition announces grants from the Annenberg Foundation, Goldhirsh Foundation and Lewis Black.

DAVIS, CA March 1, 2010
The Farmer-Veteran Coalition, a project of Community Partners, announces the receipt of three generous grants: $15,000 from Metabolic Studio – a direct charitable project of the Annenberg Foundation, $35,000 from the Goldhirsh Foundation and $50,000 from Lewis Black.

The Metabolic Studio and Goldhirsh Foundation donations will support the production of FVC’s first Food and Farming Veterans’ Career Fair, to be held March 5 in Santa Rosa, California. Through this event, FVC will facilitate the matching of military veterans with jobs, training and other opportunities in the food, farming and agriculture sectors.

The donation from Lewis Black will fund FVC’s media development to better communicate its offerings while expanding its informational resources. This will include updating FVC’s website, producing presentations for fundraising and to document its activities and projects, and improving its use of social media both internally and with its external community.

The Metabolic Studio is a multi-disciplinary study of issues related to culture, sustainability and health. Its founder/director Lauren Bon defines it as the intersection of art and philanthropy. Lauren and the Metabolic Studio are now at work with U.S. veterans in Los Angeles on Strawberry F.L.A.G. (Farm Lab Agricultural Garden).

The Goldhirsh Foundation was established by Bernard A. Goldhirsh in 2000, shortly after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Since his death in 2003, the Board of Directors of the Foundation (which includes his two children) has been shaping a grantmaking program that reflects his values and entrepreneurial spirit.

Lewis Black is a well-known Grammy Award winning comedian, actor, playwright and author. He performs regularly for military audiences through the USO, both stateside and overseas. Lewis has entertained the troops twice in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Farmer-Veteran Coalition is project of the non-profit organization Community Partners. It was founded to simultaneously help young combat veterans find rewarding work in providing food to others while also helping to compensate for the waves of older farmers leaving the profession and their land with no successors to take over.

Community Partners acts as a catalyst for community change, civic action and readiness by offering critical support, guidance and training to a range of nonprofit organizations, initiatives, foundations, government agencies and social entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for building communities.

Press inquiries contact for the Farmer-Veteran Coalition::
Michael O’Gorman
(530) 756-1395
michaelo@farmvetco.org