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Equity Trust Programs

 
   
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:
Technical Assistance,
Outreach & Public Education, and
Community Investment.

Program descriptions:

Technical Assistance
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.

About Our Technical Assistance
Representative Programs
Model Documents
"Farmers and Farmland for the Future" on DVD

Outreach & Public Education
The Outreach & Public Education 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 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

Community Investment
This program operates the Equity Trust Fund, a fund that 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.

Learn About the Fund
How You Can Become Involved
Recently Funded Projects

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