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What We Do WE MAKE STRATEGIC AND COMMUNITY-LED GRANTS TO NON-PROFITS to fund, strengthen, and connect garden programs.

OverviewSTRATEGIC GRANTMAKING

Big Green is leading a grantmaking movement transforming our food system. Big Green’s grantmaking initiative is a network of grassroots nonprofits and donors working together to build a healthier food system in America. If you believe growing food changes lives, and think we should know about your work, we want to hear from you! Please know that we may not be able to return all inquiries. But if we become engaged in a project in your community, and are able to consider an investment, we will reach out to you!

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Decentralized Grantmaking

The Big Green DAO

The Big Green DAO is a decentralized grantmaking body. It is designed to radically reconceive and restructure grant-making, disrupt embedded power structures, and put nonprofits in the driver’s seat of philanthropy.

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School Garden Grants

Jumpstart

We currently support school garden programs through a flexible mini-grant called Jumpstart! Offered seasonally and regionally, Jumpstart allows schools to invest in their gardens and get more kids growing.

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What is the Big Green DAO?

About the DAO BIG GREEN BELIEVES FUNDAMENTALLY THAT THE PEOPLE AND GROUPS WORKING ON THE FRONTLINES OF THEIR COMMUNITY KNOW WHERE RESOURCES SHOULD GO. PERIOD.

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.

  • $03.05

    $3.5MM granted since 2021

  • 152

    Organizations granted

What is A “DAO”?A DAO (decentralized autonomous organization), is a blockchain-based organization governed by code instead of people.

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.

How does it work? THE WORK OF THIS NETWORK IS FIRST AND FOREMOST, MAKING GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS AND UPLIFTING THE WORK OF NONPROFITS THAT ARE GROWING FOOD.

  • Governance

    The DAO has two bodies. The first is a governing body called the Committee that provides leadership and supports the Community, which is made up of the nonprofit grantees and donors to the DAO. Each member holds a Token that empowers them to vote on DAO governance.

  • Treasury

    The DAO receives donations to its Treasury, which is the fund from which grants are made. It also funds education and events in support of the DAO's nonprofit members.

  • Grantmaking

    When a grant cycle opens, each member of the Community may vote on who should receive grants from the Treasury and how much the grant should be. Grants are awarded based on optimized consensus to reflect the majority perspective of the Community.

  • Grants

    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.

  • Tokens & Voting

    After a year, grantees can burn their token and reapply for funds and membership, or they can keep their token and Community membership without reapplying for funding.

DAO Leadership THE BIG GREEN DAO COMMITTEE IS MADE UP OF LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, EACH OF THEM WORKING TO GROW FOOD IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES

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.

  • James Grevious

  • Stephen Lucke

    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.

  • Derravia Rich

    Black Seeds Urban Farms

  • Falon Tabares

    The Healthy Earth Organization

  • Jamala Taylor

    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.

  • Dianna Zeegers

    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.

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