Big Green’s community-led grantmaking continues in 2025 with four new rounds of unrestricted funding. Grants Rounds 8, 9, and 10 will be rolled out quarterly, in addition to a Greater-Miami grants round. As always, the DAO Community will lead the way in shaping how those funds are distributed. From deciding how much of the treasury to use to determining grant size and eligibility, your voice drives this work.
Before applying, make sure your organization is eligible and prepare the required materials needed. Check your eligibility at biggreen.org/eligibility. To apply you’ll need: proof of 501c3 status or a fiscal sponsor, organization W9, and IRS Letter of Determination.
Our short, streamlined application is designed to get you back to growing food, not stuck in a grant portal. Apply by 11:59pm (PST) on June 30th.
The Big Green DAO periodically opens grant opportunities to nonprofit organizations working to grow food. We've made our application fast and streamlined to cut down the time spent in a grant portal.
When a grant cycle opens, each member of the Community votes on how much of the Treasury will be used, eligibility, and who should receive grants and how much the grant should be. Grants are awarded based on optimized consensus to reflect the majority perspective of the Community.
Successful grantees are awarded an unrestricted grant, Community membership, and a token to participate in future votes. The Community engages in peer-to-peer learning, DAO-facilitated education and professional development, and supports one another in helping more people grow food.
The Big Green grantmaking program is a first-of-its kind project to radically reconceive and restructure grantmaking. Big Green’s grantmaking arm is a network of grassroots nonprofits and donors working together to build a healthier food system in America. By putting nonprofits in the driver's seat and allowing them to make grant awards, we are valuing firsthand experience, subject matter expertise, and local needs. This model allows donors and nonprofits to collaborate and work together as peers, participating in a democratic and entirely decentralized process to fund gardening, farming, and agriculture organizations and projects in the US. Launched in 2021, the Big Green DAO is the first nonprofit-led philanthropic DAO in the world. Inspired by the power of decentralization, transparency and the potential of blockchain technology to scale philanthropy more efficiently, we built our model to create a more equitable way to support organizations growing food.
$3.5MM granted since 2021
Organizations granted
A DAO (decentralized autonomous organization), is a blockchain-based organization governed by code instead of people. It’s community-owned by its members with a built-in treasury that nobody has permission to use without the approval of the group. The Big Green DAO is controlled by grantees and donors, with everyone getting the same vote. While there are many versions of DAOs, the Big Green DAO is not fully autonomous and exists both on-chain and off-chain. It operates under the umbrella of Big Green’s 501c3, following all applicable laws and best practices for nonprofit organizations. We utilize numerous safeguards to protect both our grantee members and our donors’ investments in the project.
The Committee leads in governance and grantmaking. They set the direction each year and ensure that every decision is what’s best for the Community and the cause — changing the face of philanthropy while supporting the grassroots organizations working every day to grow food for their communities.
Founder and CEO, Gardopia Gardens
Stephen Lucke, MA, COF is food systems expert and activist focusing on health and environmental justice, educating and empowering communities on how to lead healthy and sustainable lifestyles through urban agriculture. He became aware of San Antonio’s obesity epidemic and climate crises in his college years, sparking his journey to help find a solution to declining planetary and population wellness that disproportionately impacts BIPOC communities. In 2015 at 25 years old Stephen founded Gardopia Gardens to help solve the challenges facing his community by working with educational and community institutions to ensure current and future generations have the knowledge and skills to cultivate a high quality of life for themselves and society, fighting against malnutrition related diseases and environmental degradation.
Black Seeds Urban Farms
The Healthy Earth Organization
Jamala has earned a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from CSU-Fullerton and is currently pursuing a Master's in Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in nonprofit management and leadership from the University of Southern California's Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Jamala serves as the Senior Reentry Manager for the Insight Garden Program (IGP). IGP designs and installs gardens alongside participants while teaching a one-year environmental curriculum inside nine prisons and twelve facilities across the state of California. IGP offers all of its participants comprehensive reentry services upon release, and Jamala leads these efforts.
Jamala’s journey into the nonprofit sector began during his 31-year incarceration, 15 of those years being served in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison/S.H.U. After his release from solitary to the general population, Jamala joined IGP as a participant in 2015. Five years later, in 2020, Jamala earned his release.
Jamala is also a certified life coach, having completed the rigorous nine-month Coaching for Healing, Justice, and Liberation certification program (CHJL). His coaching approach is deeply rooted in the broader social movement, emphasizing organizational and individual leadership development and cohesion. Recently, he launched a consulting firm called “Amandla,” a Zulu rallying cry meaning “Power,” coined during the apartheid era.
He is a staunch advocate for political causes supporting both current and formerly incarcerated individuals, with a particular focus on the unique reentry needs of women of color, ending the use of solitary confinement, and ending slave labor in prison. His advocacy also highlights the transformative power of nature and education in the lives of those affected by the criminal justice system.
An experienced public speaker and facilitator, Jamala has presented at numerous universities (USC, UCLA, UVA, DOJ, etc.) and institutions. His topics range from reentry and the power of education to incarceration, uplifting the needs of women in reentry, and sharing his personal story.
Big Green
Dianna joined Big Green after nearly two decades working in public education in Wisconsin. She served as a high school teacher, curriculum coordinator, and middle school principal during that time. Dianna's background includes graduate coursework leading to a Master's Degree in Alternative Education, and licensure in Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction. Her passion has been and continues to be working toward ends that help children reach their full potential, often through creative or alternate programming options.
