Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust

What Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust does

Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust (PPLT) is a tribally-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017/2018 by Chief Sequan Pijaki (George Spring Buffalo), Chairman of the Pocasset Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation. The organization operates from its headquarters in Cranston, Rhode Island, with additional offices in Worcester and Auburn, Massachusetts, serving Indigenous communities, BIPOC farmers, and underserved forest landowners across Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and the broader New England region. PPLT's mission centers on reconnecting American Indian tribes, clans, Urban Indians, and Indigenous people to ancestral lands through land repatriation, Indigenous food sovereignty, conservation, and cultural preservation.

PPLT delivers its work through a portfolio of programs including the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Program (traditional Native American farming without chemical inputs), the Healing the Land Program, the Farm Finance Program (USDA-NRCS funding facilitation and Financial Literacy 101 in partnership with Nichols College), Wainer Woods (a historic farm restoration project in Westport, MA featuring medicinal foraging trails and seed banking), and the RI Forestry Program. The organization has built sub-brands around Indigenous Roots Forever (food access in RI and CT) and the Indigenous People's Network, and supports 50+ small underserved farmers, 50 families through its food sovereignty program, and serves 4,500 students via a farm-to-school pathway with the Cumberland School District. Over 50 acres of ancestral tribal land have been reclaimed in Tiverton, Rhode Island.

The organization's business model is entirely non-commercial. Revenue is generated exclusively through tax-deductible donations from individuals and community members plus competitive grants from foundations (Schmidt Family Foundation, Point32Health Foundation, Rhode Island Foundation, Island Foundation, Boston Foundation, GAIA, Grassroots Fund) and government agencies (USDA, NRCS, RIDEM, MDAR, Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation). PPLT has no proprietary technology platform, app, or API; its underlying delivery mechanism is direct community engagement, in-person workshops, events (including the Big Drum Powwow), and a community member signup program, with marketing distributed across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, podcast content, and its website.

Name

Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust

Legal name

Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust

Website

https://pocassetlandtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust is a tribally-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that reclaims ancestral lands and delivers Indigenous food sovereignty, conservation, and agricultural training programs to Native communities and BIPOC farmers across Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Land Trust / Indigenous Community Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Land conservation services
• Indigenous food sovereignty
• Cultural preservation programs
• Agricultural training services
• Community development nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Cranston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a designated 501(c)(3) organization, PPLT receives tax-deductible donations from individuals, organizations, and community members. All donations directly support land conservation, sustainable agriculture, economic development, healthcare, and Indigenous culture preservation programs.
2. Foundation and Government Grants: PPLT generates substantial revenue through competitive grants from foundations (Schmidt Family Foundation, Point32Health Foundation, Rhode Island Foundation, Island Foundation, Boston Foundation, GAIA, Grassroots Fund) and government agencies (USDA, NRCS, RIDEM, MDAR, Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation). These grants fund specific programs including food sovereignty, land repatriation, conservation, and community services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust (PPLT) is a tribally-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers community programs in Indigenous food sovereignty, land repatriation, conservation, agricultural training, and cultural preservation across the Northeast. The organization supports BIPOC farmers, tribal families, and underserved forest landowners through direct program delivery, partnerships, and grant-funded initiatives focused on reconnecting Indigenous communities to ancestral lands and traditional practices.

Product overview

Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust (PPLT) is a tribally-led nonprofit organization, not a technology product company. It operates as a single unified nonprofit entity offering community programs focused on Indigenous culture preservation, land repatriation, and food sovereignty across the Northeast. The core programs include the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Program (teaching traditional farming without chemical inputs), Healing the Land Program, Farm Finance Program (with USDA-NRCS funding facilitation and financial literacy), Wainer Woods (historic farm restoration), RI Forestry Program, and the Indigenous People's Network. The Indigenous Roots Forever sub-brand specifically supports traditional gardening and regenerative farming practices. PPLT also offers a Community Member Signup system for event notifications. All programs are delivered through direct community engagement, partnerships with organizations like Global Village Farms, NOFA/MA, and Nichols College, and grant-funded initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Indigenous Peoples Network: A network supporting Indigenous peoples across New England, focused on cultural connection and community building.
• Indigenous Roots Forever

Products and services

• Indigenous Food Sovereignty Program Teaches Indigenous families and BIPOC community members in Rhode Island and Connecticut how to grow their own medicine through herbs, fruits, and vegetables using traditional Native American farming techniques without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Targets tribal families and historically marginalized communities seeking food sovereignty and cultural reconnection.
• Healing the Land Program Program focused on land restoration and traditional Indigenous healing practices for tribal communities. Targets Indigenous communities seeking to restore ancestral lands using traditional stewardship approaches.
• Farm Finance Program Comprehensive farm finance support program including USDA-NRCS Funding Facilitation and Financial Literacy 101 training modules for BIPOC and underserved farmers across New England. Targets small-scale BIPOC farmers and beginning farmers needing grant writing assistance, financial literacy, and access to USDA resources.
• Wainer Woods Historic farm restoration project in Westport, MA focused on Indigenous botanical farming and retreat, including medicinal foraging trails and seed banking. Targets Indigenous communities and visitors interested in traditional botanical practices and retreat experiences.
• RI Forestry Program Forest stewardship program supporting private forestland management and conservation in Rhode Island, leveraging Inflation Reduction Act funding through RIDEM and USDA partnerships. Targets underserved private forestland owners needing conservation assistance, invasive species management, and management planning.
• Indigenous People's Network Network reconnecting communities of American Indian tribes, clans, Urban Indians, and Indigenous people across the Northeast through cultural exchange and land-based initiatives. Targets tribal communities and Indigenous individuals in New England seeking connection and cultural engagement.
• Indigenous Roots Forever Food access and sovereignty sub-brand providing traditional gardening practices, regenerative farming mentorship, and backyard gardens for Indigenous families in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Targets Indigenous families and marginalized BIPOC communities seeking food access and traditional agricultural knowledge.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ small underserved farmers supported
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 12 December 2024PPLT partners with RIDEM and USDA to support private forestland management and conservation, leveraging Inflation Reduction Act funding.
• Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2024ILSR awarded PPLT a grant to increase community composting efforts within the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Program. PPLT was one of 10 awardees selected from a competitive pool across New England.
• Nichols CollegecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 16 November 2023Nichols College offers a farming financial literacy course funded by a $524,040 NIFA grant to PPLT. The course is taught by Nichols accounting and finance professors and is free to beginning and BIPOC farmers.
• Open Farms RetreatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2023PPLT collaborates with Open Farms Retreat in the New England Food Vision Prize-winning farm-to-school project, supplying fresh produce to Cumberland School District students.
• Cumberland School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2023Institutional partner in farm-to-school program; 4,500 students receive fresh produce from PPLT-supported farms.
• Roch's Fresh FoodsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2023Local food distributor participating in the farm-to-school supply chain.
• Northeast Organic Farmers Association/MA (NOFA/MA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2023Agricultural partner providing technical assistance and farmer training for the farm-to-school program.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 2 October 2023PPLT partners with NRCS to help New England farmers access conservation assistance. USDA is investing $70 million in partnerships to improve outreach to underserved producers.
• Global Village FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2021PPLT collaborates with Global Village Farms on outreach to historically underserved farmers for conservation land stewardship practices.
• World FarmersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2021Partner in outreach to historically underserved farmers for conservation practices.
• Somali Bantu Community AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2021Partner in outreach to historically underserved farmers for conservation practices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• First Nations Development Institute: First Nations funds and operates Native-controlled economic development, food sovereignty, and asset-building programs nationwide. Highly comparable mission focus to PPLT, with a similar grant-funded nonprofit model and BIPOC-serving portfolio.
• Intertribal Agriculture Council: IAC is the largest Native American agriculture organization, providing technical assistance, USDA access support, and policy advocacy for tribal producers. Direct peer in Native farmer capacity building and federal grant facilitation, mirroring PPLT's USDA partnership strategy.
• Honor the Earth: A Native-led organization focused on Indigenous environmental justice, cultural preservation, and sustainable community development. Mission-comparable to PPLT, with broader national scope and a stronger advocacy and grantmaking footprint.
• White Earth Land Recovery Project: An Indigenous-led nonprofit focused on land recovery, food sovereignty, and cultural revitalization on the White Earth reservation. Closely comparable in mission and structure to PPLT's land repatriation and food sovereignty work, with longer operating history.
• Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative: IFAI supports tribal food sovereignty, agricultural policy, and Native producer economic development through research and grants. Directly overlaps with PPLT's BIPOC farmer support and Indigenous food sovereignty programs.
• Sogorea Te Land Trust: An urban Indigenous land trust in the San Francisco Bay Area rematriating land to Indigenous stewardship. Closely comparable land trust model and Indigenous-led structure to PPLT, though urban-focused and operating in a different region.
• Native American Agricultural Fund: NAAF provides grants to tribal entities and Native farmers for agriculture, land stewardship, and food sovereignty. Directly comparable to PPLT's grant-funded Indigenous food sovereignty programming and Native farmer support work.

Broad incumbents

• Native American Rights Fund: The largest Native American legal advocacy organization, providing legal representation on tribal sovereignty and land claims. Adjacent to PPLT's cultural preservation and land work but focused on litigation and federal Indian law.
• Cultural Survival: A larger, established Indigenous rights nonprofit operating globally on cultural preservation, land rights, and advocacy. Overlapping mission with PPLT but with significantly broader geographic scope and longer institutional history.
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives / Land Assistance Fund: Supports Black farmers and landowners in the U.S. South through cooperative development and land retention. Mission-adjacent to PPLT's BIPOC farmer support and land-stewardship focus, but serves a different demographic and region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvUCgbpBT8kvx0CPEEBPNew
• Facebookfacebook.com/pocassetpokanoketlandtrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/pocassetpokanoketlandtrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pocassetlandtrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust