2022 Annual Report
Founder’s Letter by Sharon Prince
all of us have unique agency to make real and positive change
I have been inspired by those whom I have met around the world who are working to create a more humane and equitable future for all.
I saw it in London, where Grace Farms celebrated the opening of the 21st Serpentine Pavilion, our first Design for Freedom international Pilot Project designed by Theaster Gates. There, we also activated a U.K. contingency of the Design for Freedom Working Group to address forced labor in our building materials.
In Darjeeling, India I plucked tea leaves alongside hard-working women who are providing for their families and caring for their communities. I experienced first-hand how sourcing certified organic and Fairtrade ingredients not only contribute to sustainable development, but also is a way for us to demonstrate ethical supply chains through Grace Farms Foods’ teas and coffees.
Although I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen, there is more work to do. There is still no ethical and universal inspection of the building materials supply chain, and no accountability.
Design for Freedom is changing this by raising awareness and initializing institutional responses. We held the first-ever Design for Freedom Summit, bringing together 300 global leaders including Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. He affirmed that “all good revolutions begin like this.”
Three significant, new Pilot Projects were announced. Initialized by Chelsea Thatcher, our Chief Strategy Officer, these include the Harriet Tubman Monument Shadow of a Face by Nina Cooke John (U.S.), Black Chapel (U.K.), and a new Arts and Cultural Center by Serendipity Arts (India).
At the Summit, we also released our Design for Freedom Toolkit as another resource to help practitioners implement ethical, forced labor-free material strategies.
We brought together landscape architects, designers, and experts for the Earth Equity and Design for Freedom Landscapes Forum to promote nature-based solutions and sustainable, forced labor-free landscape materials.
Educating the public about our work with a simple cup of tea and coffee and addressing forced labor in supply chains is a major focus of Grace Farms Foods, our public benefit subsidiary. Grace Farms Foods gives 100% of profits to Design for Freedom. It has been designated as a Certified B Corp, recognizing its high standards of performance, accountability, and transparency.
Across the Foundation, our work continued to combine awareness and advocacy. Those who come to Grace Farms experience the awe and wonder of nature through multigenerational programming that explores our environment and universe.
Children and adults can encounter the arts together in our Open Arts Studio, where hundreds have participated in art-making that reflects the work of Grace Farms.
Students came and experienced Grace Farms in new, meaningful ways. In September, we launched an educational program, welcoming 288 students to engage with our architecture and nature to re-imagine the built environment.
Students also engaged in Then and Now, a conversation between Karen Kariuki, our Program Officer, and Ruby Bridges, civil rights activist, who noted that “change doesn’t happen in a corner.” Released during Black History Month, over 12,000 people engaged in this discussion.
We also brought together extraordinary leaders including Indra Nooyi, former chair and CEO of PepsiCo; Brooke Baldwin, former CNN anchor; and Elizabeth Davis, Principal at the Female Innovators Lab by Barclays and Anthemis Group. Their conversation explored new models of leadership that empower women.
In partnership with UN Women and the NO MORE Foundation, we presented Victory Over Violence, where 450 people from 25 countries participated in solution-based discussions with athletes, domestic violence survivors, and law enforcement officials.
We welcomed educators for a Life Worth Living workshop to present ways to help students become leaders and facilitated conversations on purpose in our lives with the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools.
As we continue to create new outcomes, I am reminded of what Karenna Gore said at the Landscapes Forum — that inaction prolongs injustices, and action is the only pathway to resolve them.
Onward together with grace and peace,
Sharon Prince
CEO and Founder
Grace Farms Foundation
Grace Farms Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, contributions to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. A copy of our latest annual financial report may be obtained from Grace Farms Foundation, Inc., 365 Lukes Wood Road, New Canaan, CT or the New York State Charities Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, 15thFloor, New York, NY 10005.