Black Oregon Land Trust

What Black Oregon Land Trust does

Black Oregon Land Trust (BOLT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community land trust headquartered in Corbett, Oregon, founded in 2020 by a group of Black mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its core product is a community land trust model that holds approximately 115 acres of agricultural land in perpetuity across five farm sites — Mother(s)land (10 acres), Knieriem Learning Farms (25 acres), Ashé Estates (9 acres), Mudbone Grown (20 acres), and an Incubator Farm (45 acres) — plus a newly acquired 9.5-acre Dry Farming & Culture Hub, and provides 99-year ground leases at nominal cost to Black and Indigenous farmers and land stewards. The operational technology centers on the legal land trust structure and ancestral permaculture/regenerative agriculture practices rather than proprietary software; supporting tools include a Squarespace website, Google Forms for program registration, and standard email/Instagram marketing channels.

BOLT operates multiple mission-aligned programs: Nature School (K-8 youth education), WeABL volunteer land-tending series, BLAC Network (statewide virtual hub for Black farmers), a 45-acre Farm Incubator for emerging farmers, the Black Agricultural Ecosystem (BAE) partnership network, and Word in the Woods spiritual gatherings. The annual Roots of Regeneration Farm to Table event serves as the primary fundraising vehicle, offering tiered ticket pricing ($300 single, $1,300 table of five, $700 VIP) and corporate sponsorships, most recently documented with Kubota Tractor ($10,000, August 2024). Revenue is generated primarily through individual and corporate donations, stock donations, event ticket sales and sponsorships, and de minimis ground lease fees. The organization employs approximately seven paid staff plus a seven-member board, and has stated a $25 million long-term investment target to realize its land-access, farming, education, distribution, and policy vision.

Name

Black Oregon Land Trust

Legal name

Black Oregon Land Trust

Website

https://blackoregonlandtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Black Oregon Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community land trust that holds approximately 115 acres across five farm sites in Oregon in trust for Black and Indigenous farmers, providing 99-year ground leases and operating education, incubator, and ecosystem programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Land Trust / Agricultural Conservation Services

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Lessors of Other Real Estate Property (53119), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH), Conservation & Protected Land Brokerage (Easements, Land Trust Sales) (BPAJADAH), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Recreation, Ecotourism & Access Rights (Hunting, Fishing, Camping) (AFAMAMAD)

Keywords

• Community land trust
• Agricultural land leasing
• Farm incubation programs
• Food sovereignty education
• Nonprofit conservation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Corbett

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization accepting individual donations, stock donations, and corporate sponsorships. Actively solicits donations through website and events.
2. Event Revenue: Annual Farm to Table event 'Roots of Regeneration' generates revenue through ticket sales ($300 single, $1,300 table of 5, $700 VIP) and corporate sponsorships.
3. Ground Lease Fees: 99-year ground leases at nominal cost to farmers provide minimal recurring revenue while enabling land access and equity building for farmers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Black Oregon Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) community land trust that acquires and permanently holds farmland across multiple sites in Oregon, leasing parcels through 99-year ground leases to Black, Indigenous, and other historically excluded farmers. Alongside land tenure, the trust delivers a portfolio of community programs including the Farm Incubator, Nature School, WeABL initiative, BLAC Network coalition, Farm to Table events, Black Agriculture & Education (BAE), and Word in the Woods gatherings.

Product overview

Black Oregon Land Trust operates as a community land trust with multiple interconnected programs and land holdings. The core offering is the Community Land Trust Model that holds agricultural land in perpetuity for Black and Indigenous farmers. The organization manages approximately 115 acres across multiple farm sites including Mother(s)land (10 acres), Knieriem Learning Farms (25 acres), Ashé Estates (9 acres), Mudbone Grown (20 acres), and an Incubator Farm (45 acres), plus a newly acquired 9.5-acre dry farming site. Key programs include Nature School Summer Program for youth K-8, WeABL land tending volunteer series, BLAC Network for farmer connection, Farm to Table fundraising events, the Black Agricultural Ecosystem (BAE) network, and Word in the Woods spiritual gatherings. The Farm Incubator supports emerging farmers with crop planning, marketing, and cooperative leadership skills.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 99-Year Ground Leases on Trust-Held Farmland Long-term (99-year) ground leases issued by Black Oregon Land Trust to Black, Indigenous, and other historically excluded farmers on parcels within BOLT's 115+ acre, 5+ site farmland portfolio. Provides secure, below-market land tenure without requiring lessees to purchase land, enabling farm-business planning, perennial crop investment, and intergenerational farm continuity.
• Farm Incubator Program Incubator program supporting new and beginning farmers on BOLT-held land, designed to help participants establish viable farm operations with reduced capital barriers. Serves aspiring Black, Indigenous, and historically excluded farmers entering agriculture in Oregon.
• Nature School Educational program operated by Black Oregon Land Trust providing nature- and agriculture-based learning experiences. Targets community participants, including youth and families, with culturally grounded food and land education.
• WeABL (We are Black Land) Program WeABL is a Black Oregon Land Trust initiative focused on Black land stewardship and community connection to land. Serves Black community members in Oregon engaging with land access, food production, and cultural reclamation.
• BLAC Network (Black Leadership and Agricultural Coalition) Coalition program convening Black leadership and agricultural partners in Oregon. Functions as a community network supporting BOLT's mission and connecting farmers, advocates, and partner organizations.
• Farm to Table Events Ticketed community dining and cultural events hosted by Black Oregon Land Trust, featuring produce from BOLT-supported farms. Open to community members and supporters; supports fundraising and community engagement.
• BAE (Black Agriculture & Education) Educational program from Black Oregon Land Trust combining Black agricultural practices with community education, supporting culturally grounded learning for community members.
• Word in the Woods Community gathering series hosted by Black Oregon Land Trust in outdoor, land-based settings. Serves supporters and community members with cultural programming and conversation aligned with BOLT's land justice mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 115 acres of farmland protected in trust for Black and Indigenous farmers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Feed'em Freedom FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2026Major collaborative partner in the Black Agricultural Ecosystem. Feed'em Freedom Foundation works with BOLT farmers like Mudbone Grown to feed hundreds of families weekly through their programs. Co-presenting the annual Roots of Regeneration Farm to Table event.
• Mudbone Grown (Arthur Shavers and Shantae Johnson)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack-owned small farming business on 20-acre berry farm in Corbett. Provides blueberries, pumpkins, technical assistance to farmers, and value-added food products. Mentors other Black farmers and enhances community food security.
• Flowers to the FolkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Black Agricultural Ecosystem hosting dahlia workshop series. Collaboration with BOLT on workshops and skill-building for community members.
• CROPS FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost site for BAE workshops and events including dahlia workshops and strawberry planting. Located at 1700 West Historic Columbia River Highway, Troutdale, OR.
• Equitable Giving CircleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating organization for Black Earth Day event, working together for community connection and food sovereignty.
• EMWSC (East Multnomah Water and Soil Conservation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting irrigation planning workshop for growers through WeABL series. Peer-to-peer learning format for practical irrigation management tools.
• Garden Raised Bounty (GRuB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost site for Native Plants and Food Institute teacher training workshops. Located in Olympia, WA.
• Wolf Haven InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWolf sanctuary on camas prairie in Tenino, WA hosting Cultural Ecosystems workshop. Partner for Native Plants and Food Institute programming.
• Native Plants and Food InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization facilitating Tend, Gather and Grow curriculum for K-12 education on native and naturalized plants of Pacific Northwest. Co-hosting workshops with BOLT.
• Black Futures FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack-led farm organization in the Black Agricultural Ecosystem. Host site for WeABL events and Black Earth Day celebrations.
• Black Food Sovereignty CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Black Agricultural Ecosystem network, working toward food sovereignty for Black communities.
• Black Food FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization in the Black Agricultural Ecosystem working on food access and sovereignty.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Black Family Land Trust: The Black Family Land Trust is one of the few U.S. organizations focused on land tenure for African-American landowners, providing education and estate planning to prevent loss of Black-owned land — directly comparable mission and beneficiary population, with a Southeast U.S. geographic focus.
• Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust: NEFOC Land Trust is a BIPOC-led land trust in the Northeast acquiring land for farmers of color and offering farmer training — directly comparable community land trust model, training pipeline, and mission alignment, though focused on a different region.
• Soul Fire Farm: Soul Fire Farm is a Black-led farm and education center in upstate New York operating on ancestral land principles with BIPOC farmer training — directly cited by BOLT as an inspirational peer and a comparable model combining land stewardship, farmer education, and food sovereignty programs.
• New Communities Inc. New Communities is the original 1969 Black-led community land trust in Georgia founded by sharecroppers; explicitly named as BOLT's direct historical inspiration. It is the foundational peer for the CLT-with-99-year-ground-lease structure BOLT employs.
• Agrarian Trust: Agrarian Trust is a national land trust vehicle supporting next-generation farmers through lease-to-own arrangements on conserved farmland — directly analogous to BOLT's 99-year ground lease approach, with broader national scope but similar small-team nonprofit operating model.
• Black Food Fund: Black Food Fund is a direct ecosystem partner of BOLT within the Black Agricultural Ecosystem, providing capital and capacity-building to Black food and farm businesses — comparable beneficiary focus and a co-actor in the same regional ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Trust for Public Land: The Trust for Public Land is a major national land conservation nonprofit with far greater scale and resources that creates parks and protects land — operates in the same conservation-and-land-preservation space as BOLT but with a general-purpose rather than Black/Indigenous-specific mission.
• American Farmland Trust: American Farmland Trust is a leading national nonprofit focused on farmland protection and farmer viability — broader in scope and constituency than BOLT, but operates in the same agricultural land conservation category with comparable programmatic overlap (land access, farmer training, policy).

Emerging players

• Mudbone Grown Farm: Mudbone Grown is a Black-owned farm on 20 acres of BOLT-held land in Corbett, OR, providing berries, technical assistance, and value-added products — a direct BOLT farm partner and an example of the kind of Black farmer the trust model is designed to support.
• Black Futures Farm: Black Futures Farm is a Black-led Portland farm within the BOLT Black Agricultural Ecosystem network — a direct co-actor and host site for WeABL events, representing comparable small-scale Black-led farming operations that BOLT's network amplifies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/blackoregonlandtrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-oregon-land-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Black Oregon Land Trust