Bank of America has awarded $25,000 to the Center for Land-Based Learning, to support General Operating Funds for the growing non-profit.
Bank of America has long been a supporter of the Center’s work, with previous grants funding its Green Corps program and a multi-year Neighborhood Builder project. The current funding undergirds the Center’s mission to inspire, educate, and cultivate future generations of farmers, agricultural leaders, and natural resource stewards, through educational programming, job creation, and workforce development efforts.
Lori A. Rianda, Senior Vice President and Local Market Executive for Bank of America Greater Sacramento, remarked of the partnership, “The work that Center for Land-Based Learning does in our community around workforce development within the ag industry and environmental stewardship is truly impactful. We are pleased to partner with CLBL, a true model for what an effective, sustainable community-based organization should be.”
This grant, in providing General Operating Support to the Center, would directly support Workforce Development, specifically through the FARMS Program and California Farm Academy. The Center directly engages in job creation through the internship portion of the FARMS Program, aimed at helping youth ages 16 through 24 to enter the fields of agriculture and natural resource stewardship. The Center also partners with local partners to create and manage paid internships for youth interested in entering these fields professionally.
Mary Kimball, CEO of the Center for Land-Based Learning, expressed her appreciation for the support: “We are thrilled to be funded by the Bank of America Foundation again through this grant. We value our long-term partnership and the investment that the foundation makes in the economic and social well-being of our region through its philanthropic giving.”
About the Center for Land-Based Learning
The Center for Land-Based Learning’s mission is to inspire, educate, and cultivate future generations of farmers, agricultural leaders and natural resource stewards. To do this, we motivate people of all ages to promote a healthy interplay between agriculture, nature, and society through their actions and as leaders in their communities. It began in 1993 as the FARMS Leadership Program, out of concern for the growing disconnect between people, their food supply, and the land. In 2001, programs expanded, and CLBL was created as a 501(c)(3). Today, CLBL operates five distinct programs that advance our mission. One is the California Farm Academy, including a beginning farmer training program and a farm business incubator program. The West Sacramento Urban Farm Program is the urban branch of the farm business incubator program. http://landbasedlearning.org
