A Few of Our Favorite Reciprocal Charities
By Rachel Griffin
As they say, it takes a village to raise a child. In our field, it takes a village to build a movement. While sitting in ceremony is a large component of what we do, plant medicine revolves around so much more than that. From environmental activism to indigenous rights, to legal advocacy to religious freedom, our community understands that we all need to work together to strengthen essential foundations and support reciprocity to be able to even sit in ceremony at all.
The following non-profits and charities are near and dear to our hearts. At Plant Medicine People, we donate at least 3% of everything we make, and currently our donations are shared amongst the following worthy causes:
The Ayahuasca Defense Fund
You wouldn’t be reading this today if it weren’t for the Ayahuasca Defense Fund, a division of ICEERS. This program was founded in response to the growing criminalization of the use of ayahuasca and other plant medicines as more people become aware of the healing properties of plants, and they were instrumental in protecting the freedom of our CEO Kat Courtney. The ADF is composed of leading thinkers, lawyers, scientists and policy experts who donate their expertise to increase access to safe and legal uses of this vital and sacred plant medicine. We appreciate their approach; they aren’t reactionary and build their mission on proactive prevention of possible issues by educating those who might not understand the nature of the medicine such as law enforcement, the judicial system and policy makers. Their legal team is also ready to respond to potential precedent-setting dangerous legal decisions. Simply being present and supportive, this team relieves a huge emotional and financial burden from healers who are facing legal trouble.
Savimbo
The threat to the preservation of the rainforest in the Amazon and other indigenous lands is a huge challenge. Savimbo is a nonprofit dedicated to reducing and preventing deforestation in the Columbian Amazon through direct-issue carbon credits. Also known as carbon offers, they allow industrial production facilities, delivery and travel services to financially offset their impact on the Earth. Those looking to offset greenhouse gas emissions can buy offset credits through a profit-earning middleman. Unfortunately, oftentimes accountability is low and the middleman takes a large portion of the funds earmarked to do the work. Operating under the assertion that this current carbon-credit pipeline system isn’t working, Savimbo reimagined a new way. Plant Medicine People are proud of Savimbo having found a way to pay Amazonian farmers directly and not going through brokers, they have improved accountability technology to ensure the work is being done. With ever-increasing carbon credit costs, Savimbo has come up with an even more effective solution to the future of offsets.
Veterans of War
The U.S. sees 17 veteran suicides a day due to PTSD, depression and hopelessness. These numbers are staggering and preventable. Veterans of War is one of Plant Medicine People’s favorite nonprofit for their work in subsidizing and connecting veterans with ayahuasca and psilocybin-assisted group therapy. VOW’s mission is more than simply psychedelic-assisted therapy. They offer a six-month group integration curriculum designed around education, preparation and support to holistically address the root causes, not just the symptoms, of a veteran’s treatment-resistant PTSD.
Sacred Ways Foundation
Via direct financial support, the Sacred Ways Foundation provides assistance to indigenous peoples who are generously sharing their wisdom and teaching. Sacred Ways Foundation also provides honor-system grants to projects and people working to share, understand and integrate indigenous culture in an appropriate manner. A few of these grant-supported projects include increasing exposure to cultural art, improving sustainability in the resourcing of ceremonial materials, archiving oral histories and promoting entrepreneurialism.
One Acre Project
Old-growth Amazonian Rainforest continues to be threatened through deforestation and pollution, and the One Acre Project is dedicated to preserving a 70 acre portion in Peru. Through a conservation project, this organization protects an area of old-growth trees and maintains the delicate balance of the ecosystem, in part by supporting a family that lives on and cares for the land.
We are but one link in the chain serving Mother Nature and humanity. Through the sincere and fervent work of these many critical nonprofits and charities doing this sincere work, access to healing would be simply that much more inaccessible to many and while the work isn’t done, we are proud of each step toward reducing the impacts of Western culture on indigenous cultures.
Do you know of other nonprofit organizations who either directly or indirectly support the plant medicine community? Let us know of their good work by emailing rachel@plantmedicinepeople.com
About the Author
Rachel Griffin is the newest addition to the Plant Medicine People team as Director of Communications. Her friendship with Kat goes back decades, starting with their time together in Portland, Oregon; learning tarot, showcasing new music on public access radio, and examining their spirituality. Her degree in History from the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder and extensive experience in community organizing has shaped her values to see the bigger picture of our actions. As the saying goes, “those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it”. Her connection to this community began when multiple stars aligned. After repeated emotional traumas, synchronicity reconnected her with her old friend. Faced with a crossroads; she could keep struggling to craft a life that was not meant for her, or make much needed changes in her perspectives, actions and goals to get through a challenging dark night of the soul. She hopes to bring a voice of relatability and experience to the team by sharing her healing journey with those in need of a comforting space.
