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Dear Supporters, Partners, and Friends,
On behalf of our Board of Directors, membership, and staff, I would like to thank you for your continued support and commitment to our vision, mission, and work.
2024 was a year of Collective Impact. We are thankful for our engaged membership, growing staff, increased organizational capacity, and continued support from partners and supporters that strengthen this institution and our communities.
Over the past year, FSC/LAF has impacted:
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21,000+ acres through forestry and climate-smart outreach
- 14,000+ acres of heirs' property with technical assistance and estate planning efforts
- 9,500+ Black farmers and landowners with programmatic outreach, education, and direct technical assistance
- 53 cooperatives with various cooperative development support, such as technical assistance with by-laws, direct infrastructure funding, feasibility studies, and business plans.
- 2,000 Black farmers by securing approximately $160,000,000 via USDA's Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP)
- 40 units of affordable housing with $100,000 in sewage system infrastructure upgrades.
We continue to progress but have much more to do to realize our vision of sustainable rural communities supported by a network of farmers, landowners, and cooperatives based on local control and ownership.
Our mission is – and has always been – to be a catalyst for the development of self-supporting communities via cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy. Our renewed focus is on strengthening cooperatively owned infrastructure; board, membership, and staff development; renovating our Rural Training & Research Center; and organizational sustainability.
As we look toward the new year and to continuing our work and partnerships, we want to recognize this moment, say thank you and farewell to 2024!
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