What Regenerative Agriculture Foundation does

The Regenerative Agriculture Foundation (RAF) is a Minneapolis-based 501(c)(3) philanthropic intermediary that mobilizes capital into regenerative agriculture and food systems across the United States. It operates a participatory grantmaking model in which grantees and partners help shape funding strategy, distinguishing it from conventional top-down foundations. Core programs include the SHOT Fund, which executes rapid emergency response and long-term capacity-building grants to grassroots nonprofits, cooperatives, and Tribal governments; the Food and Farm Democracy Initiative, a coalition vehicle for policy and advocacy alignment; and the Restorying Regenerative Agriculture Awards, a recurring programmatic anchor that builds field-level narrative capital. RAF is funded by a coalition of major foundations — including the Waverley Street Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, McKnight Foundation, Tortuga Foundation, Builders Initiative, Campbell Foundation, PACT, No Regrets Initiative, and Tundra Glacier Fund — and co-stewards parts of this work with the Rural Climate Partnership.

The organization's business model is pass-through philanthropy: contributions received from upstream foundation donors are pooled into specific vehicles and redistributed to downstream grantees. RAF does not generate commercial revenue; its "income" equals annual contributions received, while its "output" equals grants deployed. It retains a small staff (single-digit FTEs based on named personnel) and earns no economic rent beyond modest operating support embedded in grant contracts. Recent organizational growth is visible in the scaling of the SHOT Fund to $5M deployed across 19 states in 2025 — covering 50+ grantees — and in the articulation of a near-term vision combining $9M in philanthropic capital with $8M in revolving capital. Two recent senior hires (Alyssa Scharf, May 2024; Maisah Khan, January 2025) indicate the staffing ramp required to manage multi-state grantmaking and coalition coordination.

Strategically, RAF positions itself at the intersection of climate resilience, agriculture policy, and movement infrastructure for underserved rural communities. It sees its role as channelling private philanthropic capital where government and markets underinvest — emergency response, Indigenous and Tribal food sovereignty, cooperative development, and advocacy — and as preparing its grantees to access larger federal funding pools. The combination of participatory grantmaking, fast emergency deployment, and coalition-led advocacy vehicles is the core operational differentiator against both legacy foundations and newer pooled-fund intermediaries in the climate-agriculture space.

Name

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation

Legal name

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation

Website

https://regenerativeagriculturefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Regenerative Agriculture Foundation is a Minneapolis-based 501(c)(3) philanthropic intermediary that uses participatory grantmaking to channel foundation capital into regenerative agriculture, emergency response, and food-systems advocacy across 19 US states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking / Agricultural Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regenerative Agriculture (Soil Carbon, Cover Crops, Reduced/No-Till) (AFAGAMAA), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Regenerative agriculture funding
• Nonprofit foundation grants
• Climate-smart agriculture
• Participatory grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grant Funding: RAF operates as a private foundation that raises and distributes grant funds to advance regenerative agriculture. Revenue is derived from contributions from foundations, philanthropists, and institutional donors. The foundation then deploys these funds through various grant programs including general fund grants, the Restorying Regenerative Agriculture awards, SHOT Fund emergency response grants, and Food and Farm Democracy Initiative funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation (RAF) is a domestically-focused intermediary funder that raises philanthropic contributions and distributes them as grants to advance regenerative agriculture across the United States and Tribal Nations. Its core programs include the SHOT Fund (a federal funding implementation initiative helping farmers access public funds for regenerative practices), the Food and Farm Democracy Initiative (a coalition-based policy advocacy effort with Rapid Response and Capacity Building Funds), and the Restorying Regenerative Agriculture Awards (supporting BIPOC-led regenerative agriculture efforts). RAF operates a participatory, peer-led grantmaking model in which most funding decisions are made by field leaders rather than traditional foundation staff.

Product overview

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation (RAF) is a domestically-focused intermediary funder that operates multiple grantmaking programs rather than a traditional technology product company. The core offerings include the SHOT Fund (Soil Health Opportunities & Tools), a federal funding implementation initiative; the Food and Farm Democracy Initiative, a policy coalition collaboration; and the Restorying Regenerative Agriculture Awards, a grant program for BIPOC-led organizations. These programs work together to advance regenerative agriculture, support farmers in accessing public funding, and promote policy change addressing climate and equity issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SHOT Fund: Soil Health Opportunities & Tools Fund - A federal funding implementation initiative that helps farmers access public funds to implement regenerative agriculture practices
• Food and Farm Democracy Initiative
• Restorying Regenerative Agriculture

Products and services

• SHOT Fund (Soil Health Opportunities & Tools) A federal funding implementation initiative that helps farmers access public funds to implement durable and high-impact regenerative agriculture practices. Provides capacity support, financing, technical assistance, and market/supply chain support for food and fiber systems, with 2025 geographic focus on 19 states across the Upper Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest.
• Food and Farm Democracy Initiative A coalition-based policy advocacy collaboration advancing agricultural policies that address the climate crisis and racial disparities. Includes a Rapid Response Fund that provides small grants for mobilizing activities and a Capacity Building Fund hosted at RAFI-USA that supports BIPOC organizations' involvement in Farm Bill and federal policy advocacy.
• Restorying Regenerative Agriculture Awards A grant award program supporting Black, Indigenous, and Community of Color led efforts that demonstrate expansive visions for regenerative agriculture, with practices grounded in ancestral knowledges and values. Awardees are selected through a participatory process and receive funding to advance their work.
• Regeneration Report Newsletter A newsletter produced by RAF featuring reports from the field, updates on grantmaking, upcoming events, and other items of interest related to regenerative agriculture.

Quantifiable outcome

• $5M in emergency response grants to 51 organizations in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers41 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Rural Climate PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHOT Fund is a joint initiative between Rural Climate Partnership and RAF, designed to advance accessibility of federal funding, promote adoption of resilient climate-smart practices, and encourage a more just and equitable agricultural system. RCP co-manages the initiative and helps connect farmers and nonprofits with public funding opportunities.
• National Sustainable Agriculture CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSAC is an alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities. Collaboration through Food and Farm Democracy Initiative (formerly Farm Bill Grassroots Capacity Building Project).
• RAFI-USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAFI-USA works across agricultural sectors combining on-the-ground services and policy advocacy. Leads the Capacity Building Fund under the Climate and Equity Policy Project, hosting the fund and providing trainings on Farm Bill and federal policy process.
• Red Clover CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCC partners with movement leaders, nonprofits, coalitions, funders, and networks to build infrastructure that keeps the food and farm justice movement strong. Brings decades of experience across food systems, agriculture, and social justice.
• HEAL Food AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational multi-sector, multi-racial coalition of 55 organizations representing over 2 million rural and urban farmers, ranchers, fishers, farm workers, indigenous groups, scientists, public health advocates, policy experts, and activists. Part of Farm Bill Rapid Response coalition.
• National Family Farm CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnly national coalition representing grassroots farm, ranch, and fishing organizations in the nation's capital. Founded in 1986 during the farm crisis to be a voice for farmers in Washington DC.
• Rural CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the most diverse rural organizations, an alliance of farmers, farmworkers, indigenous, immigrant, and working people. Founded in 1978, has worked for 45 years to advance interests of historically-underserved producers and rural communities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Thousand Currents: A participatory grantmaking foundation funding grassroots movements for food sovereignty, climate justice, and human rights. Highly comparable in participatory grantmaking methodology and commitment to grassroots leadership.
• Global Greengrants Fund: A global participatory grantmaking organization that channels small grants to grassroots environmental and food sovereignty groups. Shares RAF's participatory grantmaking methodology and grassroots-first funding approach, though with a global rather than US focus.
• The Christensen Fund: A grantmaking foundation focused on Indigenous-led food systems, biodiversity, and place-based communities. Directly comparable in mission alignment around regenerative practices and BIPOC/Indigenous-led grantmaking.
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC): An alliance of grassroots organizations advocating for federal policy reform in sustainable agriculture. RAF is an active coalition partner and peer funder in this space, making NSAC directly comparable as a recipient ecosystem and movement convener.
• The Cedar Tree Foundation: A small family foundation supporting sustainable agriculture, environmental education, and social justice. Comparable scale and focus as RAF, with overlapping emphasis on regenerative practices and equity-centered grantmaking.
• Grassroots International: Funds food sovereignty, climate justice, and Indigenous land defense movements with a grantmaking-plus-advoacy model. Comparable in its movement-building orientation and focus on BIPOC and Indigenous-led organizations, though primarily internationally focused.
• RAFI-USA: RAFI-USA is a direct peer that combines on-the-ground agricultural services with policy advocacy. RAF and RAFI-USA co-lead the Capacity Building Fund under the Climate and Equity Policy Project, making them both a comparable organization and an active operational partner in BIPOC-led Farm Bill engagement.
• The Swift Foundation: A family foundation that funds regenerative agriculture, Indigenous food systems, and climate solutions. Highly comparable as a small-to-mid-sized US funder focused specifically on regenerative ag and supporting grassroots/Indigenous-led organizations.

Broad incumbents

• Patagonia (Environmental Grants): Patagonia's environmental grantmaking program funds regenerative agriculture, land conservation, and climate activism at a much larger scale. Comparable in regenerative ag funding thesis, though operating as part of a for-profit retailer's broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Climate Justice Alliance: A membership organization of frontline communities and movement groups building regenerative, just economies. Comparable in its emphasis on regenerative agriculture as climate solution and commitment to BIPOC-led movement building, though operating more as a coalition than a direct grantmaker.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/regenerative-agriculture-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Regenerative Agriculture Foundation