NFU Foundation

The NFU Foundation's mission is to empower people to educate our youth, neighbors, media and policymakers of the social, economic and cooperative contributions of family agriculture.

 


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For more information on how to get involved, contact Emma Lindberg at 202-559-9882.

Through the NFU Foundation, we support educational programs that provide leadership camps for young people from across the country. The Foundation supports scholarships and conferences on cooperatives for college students. We provide support for our National Youth Advisory Council members to attend leadership training in Washington, DC.

The Foundation’s success has enabled NFU to play a transformative role: healthy, local food for our dinner tables and restaurants, a better, more energy efficient environment, a less oil dependent U.S. foreign policy, and feeding the hungry around the globe (as a founding partner of CARE and a dedicated member of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers, among many other institutional commitments).

The National Farmers Union Foundation was created in 1998 as a 501(c)(3) organization supporting education on rural and agricultural issues and providing resources for rural economic and cooperative development.

Since its founding, the Foundation has become the trustee of the Stanley Moore Scholarship Fund, which funds several $1,000 scholarships each year. The Foundation provides a $1,000 match for the Hubert K. Seymour Scholarship, for a total scholarship of $2,000. The Foundation also provided tsunami relief in 2005, tornado relief to Greensburg, Kansas, in 2007, and has administered federal rural enterprise grants.

The Foundation makes it possible for adults to participate in a wide variety of learning opportunities such as the farmer-to-farmer international program, beginning farmer and rancher program, and other adult conferences. The more informed and capable farmers and ranchers are, the better they are able to use grassroots activism to make positive changes in their lives.

The Foundation focuses on educating people on the value of family farm agriculture. Its efforts are tailored to nurturing rural leaders. NFU promotes ongoing land and community stewardship, not to mention social justice and equal economic opportunity for everyone in what has become a global community.

Building the Foundation for Future Generations


Youth Education

Nurturing the next generation of leaders in America’s heartland is critically needed. National Farmers Union, working with state and local organizations, encourages young people to stand up, speak out, and follow up. Our day classes and summer camps are carefully designed to guide youth in identifying their leadership skills. Our educational and inspirational curriculum allows youth to build confidence and be grassroots advocates for farm and ranch families, rural communities, and cooperatives. Many of today’s leaders - a former governor, a U.S. senator, the CEO of a major co-op, and the president of National Farmers Union - first honed their leadership skills in Farmers Union youth programs.

Family Farmers

Thanks to family farm agriculture, the U.S. has an abundant, affordable, and secure supply of food, fuel, and fiber. This essential industry has enabled the nation to thrive. While sustainable agriculture is currently a popular term, the concept is not new. Keeping America healthy will occur only if families who farm and ranch are able to make a living. National Farmers Union’s educational programs are not limited to summer camps for youth. We are developing several programs specifically for the families who feed America. At local, regional, national, and increasingly global levels, farmers and ranchers play the critical role in reducing hunger, improving nutrition, and maintaining food safety for everyone. Farmers and ranchers are already making a difference in addressing climate change concerns and increasing the production of renewable fuels and wind energy.

Elder Engagement

One of the nation’s most valuable resources is the experience and learned wisdom of our seniors. National Farmers Union is concerned with how society too often institutionalizes our elderly and thereby denies them their essential role and all of us their knowledge and creativity. Rather than leave seniors on the sidelines of life, Farmers Union believes seniors need to be actively engaged in our communities. We want to provide seniors with educational opportunities and leadership training to stand up, speak out, and follow up with those of us who still have much to learn.

The Foundation will continue increasing its educational and economic development activities. However, the size and impact of these activities is tied directly to the resources we have to develop them. We hope you will contribute a generous gift to the NFU Foundation today.