Regeneration, Equity and Justice 2022-2023 Financial Statement

Robin Greenfield and a group people holding small trees ready to be planted.

The following is the annual report for Regeneration, Equity and Justice and our work with our partner organization, Live Like Ally Foundation for the fiscal years of 2022 and 2023. We have combined the reports for 2022 and 2023 into one report. (January 1st 2022 to December 31st 2023).

Live Like Ally Foundation is a partner nonprofit and fiscal sponsor for Regeneration, Equity and Justice. The partnership began in early 2018. Live Like Ally Foundation provides funding for these projects, some of which is donated to Regeneration, Equity and Justice, but most of which is carried out directly through Live Like Ally Foundation. They also serve as the equivalent of a fiscal sponsor and all funds donated to them are used for our community initiatives. In the fall of 2023 we ended our partnership in good terms. You can learn about the partnership and projects here, which shares what we’ve accomplished in our five years together.

See the Financial Summary on a spreadsheet here or review in the tables below.

Regeneration, Equity and Justice Financial Summary 2022-2023

Programs Spending for each Program (REJ)
Food Forest Starter Bundle & Grow Your Own Toilet Paper $12,000
Trash Me activism campaign $9,619
BIPOC Equity initiatives support $7,716
Nonviolent Communication $4,008
Community Fruit Tree Micronursery $3,388
30 Days of Foraging activism campaign $2,698
Websites for the People $2,322
Childrens books $495
Free Seed Project/Seeds for the People $410 This program was carried out through LLA. See LLA summary below.
Films for the People $272 Expenditures were primarily payroll, through LLA. See LLA summary below.
Barefoot School and Foraging Schools $3,886
Total Program Expenditures $46,814

 

Expenses by Category (REJ)
Programs $46,814
Payroll (except FFSB/GYOTP program management, Barefoot and Foraging Schools $15,809 Payroll for FFSB and GYOTP not included, this is included under programs spending for this category
Payroll: Barefoot and Foraging Schools $9,725
Payroll: FFSB and GYOTP $0 Payroll for Amal Jennings is included under Food Forest Starter Bundle & Grow Your Own Toilet Paper Programs Spending for each Program
Job Training $419
Team Experience $705
Occupancy: Team Housing $3,133
Admin: bank fees, nonprofit legal filing, website costs, fundraising expenses $1,964
Miscellaneous general expenses $934
Loan return $20,000 (two $10,000 loans) (one was from 2021 so expenditures are accounted for in 2021 – the other was returned unused after the micro-loans program was canceled)
Total Expenses (including Total Program Expenditures) $99,503

 

Income (REJ)
Food Forest Starter Bundle and Grow Your Own Toilet Paper $21,079
Barefoot School and Foraging Schools $14,685
General donations $16,317
Grants $11,663
Speaking honorariums $8,978
Food Freedom book pre-sales $8,970
Paid social media collaborations. Transparency here. $4,825
Selling items $1,702
Loans $20,000
Total Income $108,219

 

Totals
Total Income $108,219
Total Expenditurres $99,503
Bank Balance going into 2024 $8,901

 

Live Like Ally Foundation Partnership Financial Summary 2022-2023

Live Like Ally Foundation contributed $68,000 to our Community Programming in 2022-2023.

Expenses by Category (LLA)
Direct program expenses $59,487 (see Programs Spending by Individual Programs below)
Payroll $56,575
Occupancy: team housing and food $25,991
Team experience $3,223
Video production expenses $570 Most of video production is accounted for under Payroll and Direct Program Expenses
Online admin, website $2,533
Donations to organizations $500
Activism campaigns $1,551
Miscellaneous $139
Total Spent: $150,569

 

Programs Spending for each Program (LLA)
Free Seed Project and Free Seed Library $43,540
Community Fruit Trees $14,295
Gardens for the People $900
Community Compost $556
Total: $59,291

 

Money Raised (LLA)
Paid social media collaborations. Transparency here. $42,700
Speaking honorariums $6,000
Donations for seed packs $21,291
Donations from individuals $12,639
Total Raised: $82,630
$67,939 is what LLA contributed to our operations in 2022-2023 (the difference between $150,569 total spent and $82,630 total raised)

A note on expense categories and payroll: As a small, grassroots organization, the vast majority of our “payroll” is what allows us to directly carry out our programs. It takes people working, to carry out our service. While some like to see a certain ratio of funds going to direct program expense vs. payroll, we don’t find those ratios to be relevant to our means of being of service and measuring our effectiveness with usage of funds.  We rent a house where the team lives as part of a service exchange and this is the “occupancy” category.

Summary of Our Service in 2022 – 2023:

 

Seeds for the People

Since 2018 we have provided seed packs to 40,000 people who face financial barriers to access healthy food and seeds to grow their own food. In 2022-2023 we supported 20,000 people with seeds. For the average person to purchase these seed packs of high quality, non-GMO seeds they would typically spend over $80. We provide these seed packs to our recipients absolutely free, mailing them directly to their door.

Our seed packs contain enough seeds to densely plant two 4’x8′ raised beds and can produce over $400 worth of healing greens, hearty veggies, tasty herbs and a mix of pollinator friendly flowers.

We have spent about $40,000 to provide these packs to 20,000 people. If each of the recipients were to purchase these seeds individually, they would have spent over 1.5 million dollars collectively!
That’s how we’ve turned $40,000 into over 1.5 million dollars of seed value for our community!

With the modest estimate that each pack can produce $400 worth of food, if everyone grew the seeds we provided, that’s over 8 million dollars of food potential in these packs!
That’s how we’ve turned $40,000 into over 8 million dollars of potential food value for people with low access to healthy food.
This is the Power of the Seed!

Through growing food we are opening the gateway for people to deepen their love for and connection with Earth. We are providing an alternative to the global, industrial food system that causes so much destruction. We also encourage recipients to share the seeds and the food they grow, to build community resilience.

Along with the seeds we have provided:

Priority for our free seed packs goes to people who:

  • have low access to healthy food or would not otherwise be able to afford quality seeds.
  • grow food to share with others who have low access to healthy food.
  • are first-time gardeners.
  • are using the seeds in an educational setting.

We also built out the Community Pack program to support hundreds of community gardens, school gardens, community food initiatives, and small farms, nonprofit farms and community farms! To buy these seeds at retail, an organization would spend over $200. Used mindfully the pack can grow $10,000 worth of food and the seeds can fill thirty 4’x8’ raised beds planted densely.

One of our main successes of 2022-2023 was developing our Step-by-Step Growing Guide and Demonstration Garden Video Series. This was a task that was years in the making and that will serve as a helpful resource for many years to come. The Grow Your Own Food Video Series for New Gardeners shows recipients of the seed packs exactly how to grow their own food – from planning the garden, to planting the seeds, to tending the garden, to harvesting the food!
We designed this information to be accessible for all no matter their gardening experience or the space they have available. In this garden we used the exact seeds that we provide in the Grow Your Own Food Seed Pack so that recipients could plant their seeds right along with us and use this guide and video series as a reference for their gardening journey.

Community Fruit Trees

Community Fruit Trees are publicly owned and available fruit and nut trees for everyone to enjoy. Access to delicious, nutritious fruit for all! Through Community Fruit Trees we also hope to reduce hunger, improve our natural environment, create a deeper connection to our food, build community, and exercise our independence from the globalized, industrial food system.

In 2022-2023 we provided grants and trees to plant over 1,000 Community Fruit Trees in public spaces for all to enjoy food growing freely and abundantly!

In 2023 we launched the Community Fruit Trees Micronursery initiative. We planted about 2,000 trees from seed in the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024 at our first micronurseries in the Washington D.C area and Asheville, North Carolina. We are working to distribute these trees in fall of 2024 and spring of 2025! Learn more about Community Fruit Trees here.

Films for the People

In 2022-2023 we featured 20 initiatives, organizations, everyday people, and activists around the world working toward a more regenerative, equitable, and just future for all via our Films for the People Program. Since 2019 we have made it a central focus to feature Black, Indigenous, People of Color and women-led initiatives.

 

Food Forest Starter Bundle

We launched the Food Forest Starter Bundle program in 2023 to assist the growing movement of people turning their yards into Food Forests. The Food Forest Starter Bundle is a package of cuttings and seeds of plants that we send in the mail to assist recipients in starting their own food forest gardens. We designed this bundle with the most productive, easy-to-grow foods for Florida from seeds and cuttings. We provide the bundles on a donation basis with the aim to support the community while also creating financial sustainability for our organization. We developed an extensive resource guide and video series that shares step-by-step how to create a food forest in Florida and similar climates. Along with the program we helped to launch the Deuces Food Forest in St. Pete, Florida and provided plants to many people in the community.

Grow Your Own Toilet Paper Initiative

In 2022 we launched the Grow Your Own Toilet Paper Initiative with a mission to support thousands of people in breaking free from toilet paper by switching to homegrown toilet paper! Robin traveled the state of Florida, setting up a compost toilet on the streets of the major cities of Florida, teaching about the issues behind flushing our poop and pee down the drain and sharing sustainable alternatives. We provided cuttings of the Toilet Paper Plant to over 1,000 people along with detailed resources on how to grow the plants and begin the journey of composting humanure.

30 Days of Wearing My Trash Activism Campaign

For one month, Robin lived just like the average person. Eating, shopping, consuming just like so many of us are used to. But with one big exception …. he had no garbage can! Instead, he had to wear every single piece of trash he created.

For most of us, our trash is out of sight, out of mind. We simply throw it in the garbage can and never think about it again. Robin embarked on this month-long immersion in consumerism to take you on a journey, where you get to ask the questions:

“Is that what I would look like if I held onto my trash?” and “Where does my trash actually go?”

This immersive experience took place in Los Angeles, California, April 20 – May 20, 2022, and was met with curiosity and intrigue. Robin’s powerful visual showing the truth behind our consumerism served as a wake up call for millions. His activism catalyzed critical thinking and self reflection with every step he took on the streets of L.A. For many, the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality is no longer an option. A new path of regeneration, equity and justice is being followed.

Media coverage spread across the world, bringing Robin’s message of living in harmony with Earth, humanity and our plant and animal relatives to millions.

30 Days of Foraging 100% of My Food Activism Campaign

In 2022 Robin embarked on a month of foraging 100% of his food, traveling from Wisconsin to New York City, leading educational foraging walks in over a dozen cities including New York City and Washington D.C. As he immersed in this campaign we produced educational content with the aim to help others reconnect to Earth and community through foraging.

Support of BIPOC Initiatives

Throughout 2022 and 2023 we prioritized providing our resources to BIPOC initiatives, organization and individuals. The majority of our Community Fruit Trees and Community Seed Packs were distributed to Black and Indigenous communities. We helped to launch the Deuces Food Forest in St. Pete, Florida. The majority of our Films for the People recipients were BIPOC initiatives. We sent numerous people to Firefly Gathering and worked with the Firefly Equity Fund. We provided scholarships to numerous people to attend Compassion Camp and worked with their equity fund. To the best of our ability we utilized our time, energy, money and resources to support Black and Indigenous communities.

Compassionate Communication

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) / Compassionate Communication is a language that helps us to break free from the dominator structures and build healthy, nourishing, resilient communities. Throughout 2022-2023 we provided scholarships for a 7-week course with facilitator Steve Torma as well as to Compassion Camp. Nearly every member of our organization went through NVC training so that we could embody this in organization, in our service and in our communication with the community.

Websites for the People

Through Websites For The People we support grassroots activists, initiatives and organizations who are working toward a more regenerative, equitable and just future for all. We do this by creating websites for our partners that support and grow their mission. The websites we design clearly share the messages of our partners and serve to amplify their mission. Having a website enhances credibility which in turn helps our partners with raising funds, attracting volunteers and receiving attention from media. We created websites for 3 organizations/activists in 2022-2023.

Be the Change and Zero Waste Kids Books

In 2022 we published two books for children!
Be the Change: Robin Greenfield’s Call to Kids―Making a Difference in a Messed-Up World, was released with Greystone and Zero Waste Kids: Hands-On Projects and Activities to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle was released with Quarry Books. Be the Change includes a companion guide to use the book in schools. 100% of the proceeds from these books are donated to grassroots environmental organizations.

Barefoot School and Foraging School

In 2023 we launched Barefoot School and Foraging School!

Barefoot School is centered around connecting with Earth, foraging, sustainable living, mindfulness in action, simple living and, of course, barefoot living! Through this school attendees return home with the skills, knowledge, motivation and confidence to embody their love for Earth in their every day actions. We hosted Foraging School in Asheville, North Carolina for about 50 attendees. It was our first multi-day event.

Foraging School is an immersive opportunity to learn how to identify, harvest and enjoy this abundance of food and medicine that is growing in our communities! Through foraging attendees learned how to connect more deeply with Earth and to find a community of like-minded people for support in breaking free from the rat race of consumerism. Our first Foraging School was in Maryland in summer 2023 and we hosted another in Ashland and Madison, Wisconsin as well as a couple day long schools.

In the longterm we would like to start an educational center and these schools were utilized to test out our ability to manage the type of events we’d like to host at the center.

Website Update and Technical Issues

Over the last years we’ve had substantial issues with our organization emails being marked as spam. This has made communicating and carrying out our work extremely challenging because many people did not receive our messages and we would rarely know that this was the case. The biggest issue was that it was not uncommon for our emails to go to spam when we were responding to someone who wrote to us or to people we’d had communication with in the past. We also were having issues with email deliverability for our newsletters. We hired someone to try to solve this once and for all. We put a fair bit of time and energy into this and we improved it, but have continued dealing with problems all year.

Our founder returned to Robin from Rob in 2023, and with this name change came updating the website URL, social media, accounts and much of our content. This was a substantial task for us and we utilized some of our funds and time on this task

We put a good amount of effort into improving the SEO and Domain Authority of the website which we had neglected for years due to limited funds and time. With the website domain change, this SEO work was very necessary. We were quite effective with the time and resources we put into this task.  

Team Development

In 2022 we had a team of about five people co-living and co-working together in Asheville. To be effectively of service to the community, we found it to be very important to foster harmony within our team. As anyone who has lived in community can share from experience, it is not easy to accomplish flowing relationships! We put a lot of effort and time into developing as a team and developing as individuals. Each team member took a 7-week Compassionate Communication course with facilitator Steve Torma. Many of us attended Compassion Camp together in the summer of 2022 as well. Compassionate Communication became one our most important internal practices, as well as a resource that we share through our service.