Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) farmers, food producers, and artisans are currently underrepresented at the farmers market. The farmers market does not fully reflect the diversity of our farming communities, in part because the start-up costs of joining the market can create a critical barrier-to-entry.

As part of our work to make markets more inclusive and accessible, we are thrilled to officially announce AIM's new Racial Equity Fund! This fund strives to reduce financial barriers to entry, by supporting BIPOC farmers, food producers, and artisans who are getting started at AIM’s markets.

The Racial Equity Fund will provide stipends to BIPOC producers to help cover critical start-up costs such as:

Tents
Booth signage
Online marketing
Registration fees and stall fees for six months
Organic certification(s)
Other critical but sometimes hidden costs of starting and expanding a food-related business

For small businesses with narrow profit margins, these start-up costs can make or break their success at the market. By helping cover these costs, you are opening more opportunities for BIPOC-led farms and food businesses to thrive at the market.

Every dollar will go directly to BIPOC food producers joining the market, to be used as needed.

Be a Founding Funder!

When you give today, you’ll become one of the Founding Funders of the Racial Equity Fund. After raising $20,000 in year 1, AIM will keep growing this fund to make this support a regular part of our applications process for new producers.

Gifts of any size are welcome and make a difference.

More about the Racial Equity Fund

We understand that our food and farming system is built and maintained on a foundation of historical and current oppression and systemic racism toward Black people, Indigenous peoples, and People of Color. Our country’s roots in colonization and slavery have shaped who has access to farmland, inherited wealth, and other forms of capital today. Currently only 5% of U.S. primary producers are BIPOC producers. Only 2% of farmers identifying as Black (down from 14% in 1920), and the number of Black, Latinx, Asian American, and Native American farmers all decreased between 2012 and 2017. Black farmers are denied USDA loans at higher rates than other groups, and have had to wait four times longer to receive farm loans than white farmers.

For these reasons and more, the start-up costs of joining the market are a disproportionate burden at a community level for BIPOC small business owners. This is unacceptable, and there is a lot we can do to change these dynamics.

We invite you to join our work to make farmers markets more accessible by contributing to the Racial Equity Fund. This is just one step that AIM is taking to address racial equity in our markets, our organization, and our greater food systems. You can learn more in AIM's Path to Racial Equity plan on our website.

Racial Equity Fund

By Agricultural Institute of Marin

Racial Equity Fund

Support for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Farmers, Food Producers, and Artisans getting their start at the market