Named Programs
Our Programs.
Benirai's programs move capital, capacity, and belief into the communities that carry the work forward.
Named Programs
Six Programs, One Mission
Land, Food & Water
The Land and Its Keepers
Benirai's endowment funds causes at every scale — from the family homestead to the watershed coalition. If your work is rooted in the earth, we want to resource it.
We are in an active season of prioritizing grants for leaders and organizations working at the intersection of land, food, water, and community. Fellows whose work addresses food security, environmental stewardship, or community development are eligible for developmental grants up to $250,000 in Year 1.
The entry point is the Benirai Intensive — a two-day foundational program in July or August, followed by a September Implementation Workshop where you build and submit your complete funding package. No prior grant experience required.
Regenerative agriculture and food sovereignty
Farms, food co-ops, seed libraries, CSA networks, and tribal food programs restoring the soil food web and building community-scale food security.
Living water stewardship
Watershed councils, rural water programs, and homesteaders protecting clean water access and restoring riparian health.
Ecological restoration and earth stewardship
Pollinator habitat, reforestation, biochar production, off-grid energy, and rewilding work at the household and community scale.
Sacred homesteads and intentional communities
Families and faith communities establishing land-based, self-sufficient households rooted in reverence for life.
Nature-based education and living wisdom
Homeschool cooperatives, nature schools, permaculture design programs, and apprenticeship traditions passing ecological knowledge between generations.
How Programs Interlock
A Coherent Arc from Learning to Funding
The Fellowship feeds the Intensive. The Intensive feeds funded initiatives. The Scholars and Grants tracks fund the outcomes reported on the Initiatives page.
Every program is designed to move a participant from knowledge to action to capital, and every dollar awarded is tied to a named initiative, a named fellow, or a named cause.
See our initiativesRegister for the Intensive
The Weekend Intensive (July or August) is the entry point. 90 seats per cohort. July 25 and 26 or August 29 and 30, 2026.
Complete the September Workshop
Build your complete funding package with volunteer professionals and submit it.
Apply for the Fellowship
Fellowship applications open to all July and September graduates. Vetting and intake process.
Receive developmental support
Up to $250,000 in Year 1 and $50,000 annually thereafter for qualifying recipients.
Cause Areas
What We Fund
Benirai's programs and grants span an extensive cause taxonomy. Every tag below links into the Grants & Scholarships directory.
We fund causes at the intersection of land, people, faith, and justice. If your work restores soil, protects water, educates children, or rebuilds neighborhoods, there is a tag — and a grant — for you.
Basic Needs
Education & Workforce
Health & Safety
Community & Faith
Environment, Land & Regeneration
About the Endowment
Made possible by the generosity of a private donor whose commitment underwrites this work for the long term.
Each pillar contributes to our cohort's pledged commitments. See the full FY2026 dashboard on our Initiatives page.