Today is GivingTuesday — a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. 

At AUA, we envision a flourishing food system that prioritizes community economic development, food security, environmental sustainability, and overall quality of life for the region. 

This GivingTuesday, we invite you to support the development of a more equitable and resilient food system in Chicago by supporting AUA’s new programs through our "Grown in Chicago" Campaign. For every $25 donated, you are automatically entered into a raffle to win some amazing prizes from local farm and food businesses. Today marks the last day to participate in this campaign. 

In a city where rates of food insecurity are as high as 85%, AUA empowers urban growers to foster thriving communities through sustainable agriculture and equitable food systems. We do this by providing training, resources, access to funding, and building a broad, diverse, and collaborative coalition of urban growers dedicated to advancing policies.

Some of our programming highlights from 2020 include: 

• Launching two cohorts of The Farmer to Farmer Mentorship Program 

• Granting over 200,000 to urban farms and community gardens through the COVID-19 Farmer Support Grant and Capacity Building Grant. 

• Launching the Grown In Chicago Online Assessment Tool for urban farms.

• Co-leading efforts to advocate for a more equitable water policy.

We thank you for supporting our work and a more equitable and resilient local food system!  

- Advocates for Urban Agriculture