Big news: Small, licensed, outdoor, and light dep Equity-designated cannabis farmers in California can now access the Hall of Flowers Equity Grant.
Today’s cannabis industry was built on the backs of legacy farmers and People of Color who have suffered disproportionately from the failed War on Drugs. At Hall of Flowers, we want to help those communities survive the regulatory storm. That’s why we have chosen to expand our Equity Grant program to a total of 6 participants. It will include both Equity-designated BIPOC operators and Equity-designated legacy small outdoor farmers to showcase on the floor at HoF Santa Rosa 2022.
“We are excited and proud to expand the Equity Grant,” says Dani Diamond, founder and CEO of Hall of Flowers. “The significant challenges facing small cannabis farmers in California have been well-documented. Many of these farmers have suffered substantially due to the military-style tactics used against cannabis during the War on Drugs.”
We are working with Michael Katz, Executive Director of the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance and carefully vetting each of the Small Farm applicants. The process will continue to be as meticulous as it has been for our Social Equity Grant board. The expansion of this program is in no way to diminish the disproportionate effects of racial discrimination caused by the War on Drugs, but to include representation of the legacy, rural farmers who have been significantly impacted by the unjust criminalization of cannabis for decades.
“In these difficult times, it is encouraging to see Hall of Flowers create space for the smallest of operators who have been significantly impacted by the War on Drugs. Thanks to programs like this, we are providing access and raising awareness about the incredible cannabis being produced despite the hurdles of operating in the regulated market,” says Katz, who is also the Executive Director of Mendocino Cannabis Shop, a small, farmer-owned retail platform currently operating in Sacramento and Mendocino.
To qualify as a Small Farmer, operators must have either a State or local designation as an Equity operator and a combined outdoor or mixed light canopy of 10,000 square feet or less. The HoF Equity Grant works, because it puts deserving brands in direct access to buyers, retailers, and other potent connections in the industry. We want the small farmers and craft growers in the marketplace, and we want them at Hall of Flowers.
It’s up to all of us to work to repair the harm done by the War on Drugs. The expanded HoF Equity Grant Program is proud to be part of providing solutions for valuable members of our community.
Equity Grant applications are currently closed for the season, reopening in 2024. Stay tuned and subscribe to our Newsletter to be informed when the applications open up. Save the dates for HOF California 2024.
