Slow Food Charleston is committed to building connections between all the facets of the community’s food culture. We recognize the importance of new local efforts and support the existing food traditions of the various communities and cultures that make up the Lowcountry’s heritage and its future.
The SnailBlazer Micro-Grants are an extension of the original SnailBlazer Award, awarded to Germaine Jenkins of Fresh Future Farm at the inaugural Snail Awards in 2016. The next awardee will be recognized at the upcoming annual meeting. Jim Martin of Compost in My Shoe will receive a SnailBlazer grant in the amount of $1000 for an heirloom pepper project which will test the viability of various varietals at his Lowcountry farm. Martin has been an avid supporter of Slow Food and his role as a mentor in Lowcountry Local First’s Growing New Farmers program exemplifies Slow Food’s investment in the next generation of farmers and the future of our foodshed.
Grants will be awarded throughout the year to help underwrite the costs of new or promising projects aimed at advancing Slow Food’s mission of Good, Clean and Fair food for all. Slow Food Charleston is currently calling for nominations for two grant opportunities. These opportunities are the $1000 SnailBlazer prize awarded annually at the Snail Awards, and a $1000 scholarship to Lowcountry Local Works Growing New Farmers program for one participant, which effectively cuts program costs in half. We are seeking nominations for both awards now. Find the SnailBlazer application here.
Additional grants will be awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year, made possible by community funding. Are you interested in supporting SnailBlazer Micro-Grants? Sponsorship opportunities are available. Funding will largely dictate the size, scope, and growth of the program.
Special thanks to The Addlestone Foundation for enabling the launch of the SnailBlazer Micro-Grant program.
