Support 2018 Conference Scholarships for Farmers!

A nonprofit fundraiser supporting

Biodynamic Demeter Alliance

Help us raise $20k to help farmers and others attend the 2018 Biodynamic Conference!

$24,826

raised by 93 people

$20,000 goal

Event participant

Event

Biodynamic Scholarship Crowdfund 2023

$19,015

Story

Updates (3)

WE'VE EXCEEDED OUR GOAL!

Update posted 6 years ago

WE DID IT!!! With the amazing help of over 90 donors and 3 foundations we have EXCEEDED OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL of $20,000 to send more than 100 farmers, apprentices and land stewards to our conference! This was a TRUE GLOBAL COMMUNITY EFFORT, with donations coming from India and Australia, Mexico, Canada, the US, and we are so humbled and grateful for each and every one of you. The 2018 Biodynamic Conference must be attended by as many farmers as possible, and this amazing foundation of scholarship support will make sure that that happens. THANK YOU for supporting this wonderful educational opportunity for farmers and others. We hope to see all of you at the 2018 Biodynamic Conference in Portland, OR!

Help the Biodynamic Association raise $20,000 to give scholarships to 100+ farmers, apprentices, and changemakers to participate in the Biodynamic Conference in Portland, OR, this November!

The North American Biodynamic Conference brings together up to 1,000 farmers, gardeners, educators, researchers, activists, chefs and foodies to teach, learn, connect and share about biodynamics and regenerative agriculture. Each conference is held in a different region of North America, with this year’s event grounded both in the local culture of the Pacific Northwest and the global culture of biodynamics. In addition to the dozens of educational workshops, participants also hear from inspiring keynote speakers, meet in peer-to-peer learning communities, and visit and learn from thriving local farms.

Our Table Cooperative is one of four destinations that pre-conference attendees can choose to visit on Wednesday, November 14th. It is a multi-stakeholder cooperative based on 58 acres of land located about 15 miles south of Portland, raising certified organic vegetables, berries, apples, and pastured chickens and eggs, and working toward Demeter Biodynamic certification.The Biodynamic Scholarship Fund has helped over 650 people to participate in the Biodynamic Conference and many other educational opportunities since 2010. With your support, we can build on this success and open our doors even wider this year!

This year, we have a strong foundation for conference scholarships with several leading gifts to the newly established Christopher Mann Biodynamic Scholarship Fund and a grant from the Seeds, Soil and Culture Fund to help Indigenous and Latin American Earth Stewards to fully participate in our conference. With these funds in hand, we will be able to offer 30 scholarships to the conference, but we have already received more than twice that many scholarship applications, and expect to receive well over a hundred requests before the conference. To fully meet the requests coming towards us, we need your generous support today!

Some stats highlighting our Scholarship Fund's history include:

The BDA began its work in 1938 and is considered to be the oldest sustainable agriculture organization in the United States.
Since 2010, the scholarship fund has awarded over $170,000 to over 650 beginning farmers, experienced farmers, and others to attend workshops and conferences all over the country.
Applications require thoughtful attention and are carefully screened and selected by a volunteer advisory committee.
Past conference scholarship recipients have made life-changing connections at this conference, connections that have allowed them to find the land they now farm or the farming partner they had been seeking, or courage they were lacking to make a start in agriculture or a major change to their existing farm operation.