|
Overview:
 Equity
Trust programs are shaped by our mission. We explore the relationships
between individuals and communities, and their respective interests
in property. We are committed to helping communities gain ownership
interests in the food, land and housing that is vital to the health
of their community. Equity Trust provides grassroots organizations
with access to information, capital, and technical assistance, and
helps these groups try out their ideas and experiment with new models.
With access to the right tools, small, community-driven groups can
grow into powerful vehicles for social and environmental justice.
We believe that engagement at this grassroots level, and support
for the innovative ideas that emerge, is necessary for creating
sustainable change. Identifying and building relationships with
other constituencies with land related interests and problems is
key to our efforts.
We currently have three programs:
Program descriptions:
The
Land Tenure Program
This program helps people set up innovative land
ownership models, primarily in order to:
- Create affordable housing.
- Preserve farmland and protect its affordability
for future generations of small farmers in order to create sustainable
local food systems.
- Help people gain community ownership over resources
like land, food, and housing that are vital to the health of the
community.
The models we help people adopt strive to balance
the needs of individuals with the needs of the community, the earth,
and future generations. In addition to providing technical assistance,
we develop tools (options, easements, leases, etc.) for these models,
provide some interim stewardship, and act as a general resource
for people calling with questions about alternative ownership.
Representative
Projects
Model Documents
"Farmers and Farmland for the Future"
on DVD
Property
and Values
The Property & Values program engages
people in conversation about the practical challenges and opportunities
of property within our lives. This program is both an activity and
a perspective that informs all of our other program work. Equity
Trust produces written materials, conferences, and workshops at
a great variety of venues including Land Trust Alliance annual rallies,
NOFA conferences, the University of Wisconsin's "Who Owns America
Conferences," National Community Land Trust annual conferences,
and many religious symposiums. Through these speaking engagements,
Equity Trust educates, facilitates cross-disciplinary dialogue,
and encourages exploration of new models and ideas to create greater
equity in the world.
Property
and Values: Alternatives to Public and Private Ownership
edited by Charles Geisler and Gail Daneker
The
Equity Trust Fund
The Equity Trust Fund makes low-interest loans to
projects that:
- Promote community ownership of land, food, and
housing, and protect the affordability of these resources.
- Promote environmentally conscious, economically
sustainable land use.
- Benefit people with low incomes.
- Serve public as well as private interests.
- Promote active participation in social justice.
We choose to make our loans to those typically denied
access to conventional financing, and select projects for their
ability to meet immediate needs, make lasting changes, and serve
as a model for others. We invite you to join us. Any individual
may participate in the fund by making a loan, land gift, or capital
contribution.
More About the Fund
How You Can Become Involved
Projects Funded Recently
Thank You.
[return to top]
|
