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SOUL FIRE FARM INSTITUTE INC
PETERSBURG, NY · EIN 472549969 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE K30 · Food, Agriculture & Nutrition · Medium ($1M-$10M) · soulfirefarm.org
revenue
$2.9M
expenses
$3.1M
net assets
$15.5M
employees
21
volunteers
400
program ratio
81%
mission · from form 990

TO FURTHER THE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, NATURAL BUILDING, COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT, SPIRITUAL ACTIVISM, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED GROUPS; TO CONDUCT ON-FARM AND FIELD RESEARCH TO ADVANCE BEST PRACTICES IN FARMING AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY; TO PROVIDE ON-FARM TRAINING ON THE BEST PRACTICES IN FARMING AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY TO FARMERS; TO OFFER OFF-FARM PRESENTATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY; TO PUBLISH CURRICULUM, ARTICLES, AND OTHER WRITTEN AND RECORDED WORK FOR THE ON-FARM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT; TO BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL DEMONSTRATE THE BEST PRACTICES FOR AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY.

profile · synthesized from sources

Soul Fire Farm Institute advances food sovereignty and racial justice through regenerative Afro-Indigenous farming practices on 80 acres in upstate New York. The organization trains BIPOC farmers, provides fresh produce to communities impacted by food apartheid, and leads educational programs on dismantling racism in the food system. It combines on-farm programming with national advocacy, seed sovereignty initiatives, and community healing.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $529K
    PUBLIC EDUCATION - THROUGH PUBLIC SPEAKING, TRAINING, AND MEDIA, SOUL FIRE FARM INSTITUTE, INC. AWAKENS THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF 35,424+ LISTENERS AND READERS WHO INTERACT WITH ITS PUBLIC TALKS, INTERVIEWS, AND 52 NEW PUBLICATIONS - AS EVIDENCED BY >75% OF AUDIENCE MEMBERS REPORTING THEIR CONCRETE ACTIONS TOWARD FOOD AND LAND JUSTICE AS A RESULT OF WHAT THEY LEARNED. IN ADDITION, SFFI TRAINS 177+ CHANGEMAKERS THROUGH ONLINE PROGRAMS AND MENTORS 10 NEW FARMERS ANNUALLY IN THE BRAIDING SEEDS FELLOWSHIP. SFFI PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO 37 PARTICIPANTS, AND PUBLIC SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES TO 47 MEMBERS IN THE SPEAKERS COLLECTIVE. AS MEMBERS OF REGIONAL AND NATIONAL COALITIONS, INCLUDING HEAL, NBFJA, BUGS, BF ECOSYSTEM, SFFI ADVOCATES FOR A JUST FOOD SYSTEM.
named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Braiding Seeds Fellowship
Year-long program training 10 new BIPOC farmers annually, providing mentorship, technical assistance, legal stipends, and support accessing land and funding
Reparations Map
Resource-matching initiative connecting landowners with BIPOC farmers seeking land access, generating 7+ matches to date
SOVEREIGN Podcast
Media program amplifying alumni voices and reaching 70,000+ listeners annually
Solidarity Shares
Produce distribution program providing weekly farm shares to 100+ individuals and households impacted by food apartheid and state violence
Soul Fire in the City
Urban gardening initiative building new gardens, providing soil testing and remediation, and supporting existing community gardens in Schenectady and surrounding areas
Uprooting Racism in the Food System
Workshops and speaking engagements training hundreds annually in dismantling racism in food systems, with curricula rooted in historical and structural analysis
activities · 13 groups

What they do

  • Agricultural Training and Education Programs 2 activities
    • Deliver hands-on workshops and skill-building in land stewardship
      Hosts BIPOC-led, hands-on workshops in specialized farming practices such as mushroom cultivation and agroforestry, as well as skill-building in carpentry, tool use, and natural building inspired by the farm’s ecologically sustainable design.
    • Train BIPOC farmers and food justice leaders through immersive programs
      Offers multi-day immersive training programs—including the FIRE Immersion and Black-Latinx Farmers Immersion—for aspiring, beginning, and intermediate Black, Indigenous, and Latine growers. Programs provide culturally relevant, land-based skills training in farming and food justice leadership, reaching hundreds annually.
  • Community-Based Urban Agriculture 2 activities
    • Distribute seeds of culturally significant plant varieties
      Saves and distributes 8 to 10 seed varieties annually through partnerships with Truelove Seeds and Ujamaa Seeds catalogues, focusing on culturally significant plants for BIPOC communities.
    • Grow and distribute food using regenerative agroecology
      Produces fruits, vegetables, plant medicine, pasture-raised livestock, honey, mushrooms, and preserves using Afro-indigenous agroforestry, silvopasture, wildcrafting, polyculture, and spiritual farming practices on 80 acres of land. Most harvest is distributed to communities affected by food apartheid and state violence through no-cost doorstep deliveries, Solidarity Shares, institutional shares, and meal programs.
  • Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation 1 activity
    • Advance anti-racism and food sovereignty through advocacy
      Conducts Uprooting Racism workshops for food and environmental justice leaders to create actionable plans for dismantling systemic racism. Advocates for three priority policy bills—two federal and one state—and delivers presentations at 25 speaking events annually, reaching 3,000 attendees.
  • Indigenous-Led Ecosystem Stewardship 1 activity
    • Collaborate on indigenous land and cultural preservation
      Participates in a native seed exchange with Mohican farmers and herbalists, collaborates on protecting ancestral burial grounds from development, and acknowledges stewardship of the land by the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Nation.
  • Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Engage youth and intergenerational groups in land-based education
      Runs youth and intergenerational programs that reconnect young people to the land, including Youth Food Justice leadership training and participation in farm-based learning and mutual aid activities using 3D technology.
  • Agricultural Grantmaking and Funding Programs 1 activity
    • Fund Black farmers through book profits and regrants
      Funds Black farmers by donating 100% of the profits from the book *Farming While Black* and providing annual regrants totaling $30,000 to over 30 alumni of training programs.
  • Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
    • Host public farm engagement events
      Hosts community farm days open to the public with structured programming including orientation, work-and-learn blocks, shared meals, and optional tours. Events are accessible regardless of ability to pay, with group registration available for up to 15 participants. Also hosts annual Work & Learn Days engaging over 300 participants.
  • Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 1 activity
    • Offer guided farm tours and educational visits
      Provides guided farm tours for individuals and groups of up to 10 people, including visits to growing fields, agroforestry gardens, and building projects, with staff sharing stories and answering questions. Tours are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and include options for larger registered groups.
  • Annual Impact and Evaluation Reporting 1 activity
    • Produce research and impact reporting
      Publishes annual reports documenting organizational activities and impact, including data on outreach, training, and program outcomes.
  • Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 1 activity
    • Provide no-cost community gardening support and soil remediation
      Provides no-cost raised bed gardens to community members in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy (518) area, builds 10 new community gardens annually, supports 30 existing gardens through the Soul Fire in the City program, and offers heavy metal testing and soil remediation support to at least five households each year.
  • Food System Convening & Public Engagement 1 activity
    • Share food justice knowledge through digital platforms and publications
      Develops and shares guides, video series, and online resources on food justice, dismantling racism, and liberation. Hosts monthly Instagram Live sessions featuring Black farmers and food systems experts, and amplifies alumni voices through the SOVEREIGN Podcast, which reaches 70,000 listeners.
  • Community Capacity Building & Leadership Networks 1 activity
    • Support farmer networks and coalitions for food sovereignty
      Collaborates with regional, national, and international food sovereignty coalitions to advance reparations, establish action platforms, campaign for farmer dignity, incubate the Northeast Farmers of Color Community Land Trust, and support at least one international sibling farm.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Mentor emerging farmers and provide technical assistance
      Mentors 10 new farmers annually through the Breading Seeds Fellowship, provides technical assistance to 37 participants, and supports public speaking development for 47 members of the Speakers Collective.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.95M
Contributions & grants$2.56M87%
Program service revenue$141K5%
Investment income$230K8%
Other revenue$22K
expenses
Total expenses$3.09M
Program expenses81%
Admin / overhead15%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$1.31M
Grants paid out$1K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$15.93M
Cash$6.70M
Investments$814K
Liabilities$424K
Net assets$15.51M
Liquid reserves29.2 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -12.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 3
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
CHERYL WHILBY CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $92K
LEAH PENNIMAN CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $91K
JALAL SABUR DIRECTOR 5 $300
board members · 9
  • DR CLAUDIA FORD — DIRECTOR
  • GERALD MITCHELL — TREASURER
  • GERALDINE GUTIERREZ — DIRECTOR
  • KAREN WASHINGTON — PRESIDENT
  • KAVITHA RAO — DIRECTOR
  • KEISHA CAMERON — DIRECTOR
  • KONDA MASON — DIRECTOR
  • TAGAN ENGEL — SECRETARY
  • TAINA DEL VALLE — CHAIR
relationships · 22

Who they work with

  • BF ECOSYSTEM Partner — Participates in regional and national coalitions to advocate for a just food system.
  • BUGS Partner — Collaborates on policy-organizing work and advocacy for a just food system.
  • Booker T. Whatley Partner — Developed the concept of “Clientele Membership Clubs,” which inspired the CSA model that Soul Fire Farm builds upon.
  • Cecily Anderson Partner — Designer of the 2025 Annual Report.
  • Community of Praxis Coalition — Collaborates with the Community of Praxis on landback, reparations, and farmworker dignity campaigns.
  • Emet Vitale-Penniman Partner — Co-hosts a book talk and panel discussion on “North Stars of Emancipation”
  • HEAL Coalition — Collaborates with HEAL on landback, reparations, and farmworker dignity campaigns.
  • HEAL Partner — Collaborates on policy-organizing work and advocacy for a just food system.
  • Instagram Partner — Used as a platform for hosting monthly FWB Instagram Live sessions with Black farmers and food systems experts.
  • Karen Washington Partner — Provided the foreword for the book Farming While Black, supporting the organization's educational outreach.
  • Konbit Partner — Guiding principle for collective labor and mutual aid in collaboration with BIPOC farmers and food and land justice projects.
  • LIFE Coalition — Collaborates with LIFE on landback, reparations, and farmworker dignity campaigns.
  • Mohican Nation Partner — Partners with the Mohican Nation on landback commitments, stewarding blue maize, hosting visitors, and advancing a 250-acre landback initiative.
  • NBFJA Coalition — Collaborates with NBFJA on landback, reparations, and farmworker dignity campaigns.
  • NBFJA Partner — Collaborates on policy-organizing work and advocacy for a just food system.
  • Soil Keepers Program Partner — Program through which supporters can engage with and sustain Soul Fire Farm’s work via recurring donations.
  • Soul Fire Farm Institute Inc Network — 501c3 nonprofit educational organization operating Soul Fire Farm
  • Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Nation Partner — Building relationship with the community to establish a cultural respect easement allowing use of Soul Fire Farm land for ceremonies and wildcrafting; collaborating on preservation of ancestral burial grounds and native seed exchange.
  • Truelove Seeds Partner — Distributes seed varieties saved by Soul Fire Farm through its catalogue.
  • USFSA Partner — Engages in policy-organizing work to advance food system justice.
  • Ujamaa Partner — Guiding principle for cooperative practices in mutual aid and resource sharing with BIPOC farmers and food justice projects.
  • Ujamaa Seeds Partner — Distributes seed varieties saved by Soul Fire Farm through its catalogue.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Afro-Indigenous Regenerative Agriculture as Systemic Transformation
    methodology: afro_indigenous_regenerative_agriculture
    By centering Afro-Indigenous farming systems, ancestral knowledge, and spiritual practices in regenerative agriculture, the organization advances food sovereignty and ecological restoration, because these practices inherently prioritize community well-being, intergenerational continuity, and reciprocal relationships with land over extractive industrial models.
  • Culturally Affirming, Community-Centered Education
    methodology: culturally_affirming_education
    By providing culturally relevant and joyful learning environments rooted in ancestral wisdom and community leadership, the organization increases engagement and skill retention among Black, Indigenous, and Latine growers, because cultural affirmation fosters trust, belonging, and sustained participation in land-based work.
  • Experiential and Immersive Knowledge Transmission
    methodology: experiential_education
    By using immersive farm tours and narrative-based education, the organization deepens public understanding of food systems and racial justice, because lived experience and storytelling create emotional and cognitive connections that abstract learning cannot.
  • Land-Based Healing Justice
    methodology: land-based_healing_justice
    By engaging Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in land-based education and farming, the organization heals racial trauma and cultivates leadership in food justice, because reconnecting with land is a form of ancestral and cultural restoration that counters systemic disempowerment.
  • Sliding Scale Access as Equity Practice
    methodology: sliding_scale_access
    By using a sliding scale CSA model, the organization increases access to nutritious food for low-income communities while sustaining farmer livelihoods, because flexible pricing removes economic barriers and aligns with principles of collective care and redistribution.