PURPOSE
Honor and respect to our ancestral grandmothers who braided seeds and promise into their hair before being forced onto transatlantic slave ships. They believed, against odds, that we, their descendants would exist to inherit, plant, and pass on that seed.
The Braiding Seeds Fellowship was founded by Soul Fire Farm Institute, in partnership with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, and it carries on the legacy of the braided seeds by providing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, /or People of Color) beginning farmers with resources, professional development, and mentorship to support their livelihood on land.
Fellows in the five prior cohorts are engaged in land-based work across the southeast and northeast, along certain corridors of the Underground Railroad and the Great Migration. We are working to bridge north-south and legacy-returning generations of farmers.
The Braiding Seeds Fellowship is a fiscally sponsored project of Social Good Fund, a California nonprofit corporation and registered 501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID (EIN) 46-1323531.
Applications are open for the
2027-2028 Cohort!
2026 APPLICATION TIMELINE
- Application Open July 31st, 2026!
- Application Information Session: August 13th, 3:00pm-4:30pm EST
- Register here!
- Info Session Recording and Slides (To be added after session)
- Register here!
- Throughout Application Period: 1:1 Application Technical Assistance (signup info below)
- Application Closes: September 25th, 2026 Due by 11:59 PM EST
- Decision Announcements by December 18th
- Cohort 5 Fellowship Start Date: January 15th, 2027
Application Details
How do I apply?
To apply, **complete the online application**. A Spanish-language version is available, simply click the language tab in the upper right corner to change languages. To prepare your responses and review the full application in advance, you can preview a non-fillable english PDF version here and versión en PDF en español aquí. Please read through our Data Sovereignty Statement (en español).
Before beginning the application, we recommend gathering the required supporting materials you will be asked to upload, including:
- A list of three (3) references that includes each reference’s name, contact information (email, phone, and mailing address), and their relationship to you and your project. References can be from collaborators, mentors, family, friends, or contacts from educational or work settings. One of your references can also be the person who wrote your letter of recommendation.
- One (1) photo of yourself
- One (1) photo, diagram, video, or drawing of your farm/land stewardship project
- 1 letter of recommendation
- Detailed Budget. Please see sample budget template, here.
We recommend saving your longer responses in a separate document where you can back them up, edit, and copy/paste into the application form.
If you have any access concerns, if it is a hardship for you to complete a written application, and/or if you have any technical issues with this form, please email braidingseeds@soulfirefarm.org.
1:1 Application Technical Assistance
Applicants can sign up for 1:1 technical assistance for specific application questions. We strongly recommend that you attend and/or review the recording of the 8/13 Application Info Session before booking a 1:1 session. Since there are a limited number of sessions, we ask that each person only book one, 30-min session. You can schedule directly with one of four technical assistants:
All applicants will be notified of final decisions on or before December 18, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do fellows receive as part of the program?
Braiding Seeds fellows receive a $50,000 stipend; a menu of professional development opportunities including 1:1 mentorship, workshops, farm finance and business plan support; cohort gatherings; and individualized coaching.
What are the obligations of fellows as part of the program?
Farming will be the main work of fellows, who will dedicate a minimum average of 20+ hours per week on their farms during the growing season. Fellows will attend online and in-person cohort gatherings for networking and professional development. Fellows will also complete at least 50 hours of professional development over 18 months from the menu provided, including: 1:1 mentorship, workshops, farm finance and business plan support. Fellows are also asked to provide feedback and suggestions to inform future years of the program. Fellows will participate in regular 1:1 check in meetings with fellowship staff as well.
What are the dates of the fellowship program?
Cohort 5 of the fellowship will begin on January 15, 2027 and will end on June 15, 2028. It is an 18-month program.
What if I have questions that aren’t addressed in this FAQ?
We will have extensive time for Q&A during the Application Info Session on 8/13/26, 3pm – 4pm EST. You can also schedule a 1:1 technical assistance session (see signup info above). We are also happy to answer questions at braidingseeds@soulfirefarm.org.
Who qualifies as a farmer?
For the purpose of the fellowship, a farmer is a person whose livelihood entails collaboration with an ecosystem to produce food, forage, seeds, medicine, or other crops. The returns of their labor may afford the farmer wages, sales, and/or community-provisioning and they may be termed a peasant, urban grower, campesino, farmworker, row crop farmer, shepherd, herb grower, schoolyard gardener, nonprofit farmer, ocean farmer, orchardist, fiber farmer, etc. They have in common tending to the earth as their means of ‘securing the necessities of life.’ The fellowship looks to support farmers who are producing at a scale that can support the wider community, and not just a single household and immediate family/friends.
Who is eligible to apply?
Beginning farmers and land stewards, ages 18+, with a minimum of 1 year of farming/land stewardship experience and no more than 3 years of experience running their own farm/land stewardship project, are welcome to apply. The fellowship is for Black, Indigenous, and people of color farmers* based in the northeast and southeast of the United States, in any of the following states: AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MS, NH, NJ, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC, WV, VA, VT. The fellowship is for individuals, though fellows are welcome to share their resources with collaborators in their respective projects. Applicants should be passionate about the flourishing of Black agrarianism, Indigenous sovereignty, and the liberation of all peoples impacted by racial capitalism and settler colonialism.
Can I still apply if I am not based in one of those states and territories?
At this time, the fellowship remains focused on farmers based in the northeast and southeast of the United States, in the following states: AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MS, NH, NJ, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC, WV, VA, VT. Future cohorts may have a different geographic focus. We encourage you to stay tuned for updates in the future.
How are the fellows selected?
The selection committee is drawn from alumni and representatives of Black and Indigenous-centered farming organizations in the northeast and southeast, including Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Land Loss Prevention Project, National Black Food and Justice Alliance, Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance, Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust, New Communities Inc/SW GA Project., Black Church Food Security Network, Southeastern African American Farmers’ Organic Network, Farms to Grow, Black Farmer Fund, Farm School NYC, Sierra Seeds Cooperative, Jubilee Justice, Sipp Culture, and Intertribal Agriculture Council.Each application will have at least 2 reviewers, assigned at random. In addition to reviewing whether an applicant meets the main eligibility criteria, reviewers will score an application using the following questions:
Application Review Rubric
- Does the applicant describe a clear farm/land stewardship project? (Score 1-5)
- Is the applicant showing evidence of commitment or ability to commit to the project? (Score 1-5)
- Is the project’s mission and approach in alignment with the fellowship’s commitment to the flourishing of Black agrarianism, Indigenous sovereignty, and the liberation of all peoples impacted by racial capitalism and settler colonialism? (Score 1-5)
- Does the applicant have a thorough and authentic response for question 20? (Score 1-5)
- Does this project have an intersectional vision and approach to food sovereignty?(Score 1-5)
- Does/will the project show evidence of strong community involvement and impact? (Score 1-5)
- Does the Applicant reference letter speak to their community involvement? (Score 1-5)
- How well is the project set up to continue to have community impact over the long term? (Score 1-5)
- Has the applicant identified clear goals, timeline, and planned next steps? (Select 1-5)
- Are the goals, project timeline and planned next steps realistic and attainable? _____ (Select 1-5)
- Has the applicant demonstrated readiness to undertake and sustain this project? (Select 1-5)
- Does this project have financial and other support needs unlikely to be met without the fellowship? (Select 1-5)
- Does the applicant have a clear plan for land access? (Select 1-5)
- Does applicant have adequate support (collaborations, partners, team members, etc.) to realistically be able to carry out their stated project goals? (Select 1-5)
Why is the fellowship supermajority Black?
At their peak in 1910, Black farmers owned between 16 and 19 million acres of farmland which represented 14% of all US farm operators. Over the course of the 20th century, more than 90% of that land was lost through a combination of state-sanctioned violence, discriminatory lending practices, heirs’ property vulnerabilities, and systematic legal exclusion, leaving Black farmers today owning less than 3 million acres and representing just over 1% of all US farmers. As a project intentionally developed to support the rebuilding of Black agrarianism from this historical dispossession, 7 awards are reserved for Black fellows. In solidarity and active collaboration with Indigenous peoples for their liberation and land sovereign futures, 2-3 awards are reserved for Indigenous fellows. 1 space is usually reserved for other People of Color.
What about Spanish-speaking and other English language learning farmers?
This work engages communities whose experiences of race, gender, immigration status, and class are varied and intersecting. Through this understanding, we celebrate and uplift the diverse languages spoken by applicants. However, The Braiding Seeds Fellowship is conducted primarily in English. We hold awareness that this creates limits for some applicants. We diligently aim to support non-native English speakers as best as we can while acknowledging there may be some gaps in our resources that we learn from.
$2500 Seed Grants
In addition to the 10 fellowship spots, we will also be awarding 12 Seed Grants of $2,500 each.
Receiving a seed grant does not positively or negatively affect the likelihood of receiving the fellowship in the future. Seed grant recipients are required to spend down funds by December 2027 and will be asked to complete a short questionnaire detailing how funds were used. Seed grant funds must be used for charitable and/or educational purposes and relate to farming and/or ecological land stewardship.
2026-2027 Fellows
Braiding Seeds Alumni
Testimonials from Fellows
This sacred fellowship is definitely going to change your life. You probably won’t be able to figure out how, but it will make you expand into your fullest potential in ways that you might not have remembered that you were able to do. When we are making plans and visioning in alignment with the soil, this soil that encompasses this entire universe, these plans are energized by the energy/frequency in the soil, and your vision capacity becomes larger than you could ever imagine! Being a recipient of the fellowship is the beginning of this journey. Being awarded the resources to dream in this way, especially for people of color, is reparation on behalf of our ancestors. Endless gratitude Braiding seeds collective and for Sarah and Lulu, who stewarded us with patience, knowledge, understanding and love.”
The stipend provided a bit of a safety net and some space to breathe and make decisions with an energy of planned action instead of survival and reaction.
I’ve always had a bigger vision for the work that Fountain Heights Farms will do, but this is the first time that I have had both the financial safety AND a circle of very generous and knowledgeable people helping me to sort through and record the vision. This fellowship has provided so many opportunities and the experience will continue to inform my work and the work of Fountain Heights Farms forever.”