Episode 597: All about the new Black Florists Fund and a conversation with its founders and first grant recipient

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bG-kVn_Ybo




I'm delighted to host today's conversation with the creatives behind Black Florists Fund. Black Florists Fund is an endeavor embarked upon in partnership with Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) and a team of Black entrepreneur advisors.







Through donations and sponsorships, Black Florist Fund (BFF) aims to provide worry-free capital grants and other crucial business resources to Black florists. These grants will be awarded to applicants who demonstrate a passion for the floral business community and a need for additional funding to help reach their goals and propel their business. Black Florists Fund hopes to provide valuable support to help stabilize and grow a number of black owned floral businesses each year.



It is with profound gratitude that I welcome three individuals in the floral community who are going to share more about what Black Florists Fund and how we can all get more involved.



You'll hear from Elizabeth Cronin, founder and creative director of Asrai Garden; John Caleb Pendleton, creative director of Planks & Pistils, and Taylor Bates of Dusk Lily Floral Design, the first recipient of a Black Florists Fund grant. All three are based in Chicago and you'll hear how their stories are woven together to support entrepreneurial Black florists and flower farmers through this new initiative.



Taylor Bates, Dusk Lily Floral Design



Floral design by Taylor Bates



Follow Dusk Lily Floral on Instagram



John Caleb Pendleton, Planks & Pistils



Floral design by John Caleb Pendleton



Follow Planks & Pistils on Instagram



Elizabeth Cronin of Asrai Gardens



Floral design by Elizabeth Cronin



Follow Asrai Garden on Instagram



Follow Elizabeth Cronin on Instagram



Follow Black Florists Fund on Instagam



Black Florists Fund Assets for your use:



Letter to Florist Partners



Script for soliciting donations from shoppers/customers at the register



Corporate Solicitations Letter



Social Media Artwork & Logos



Let's support the 2023 round of fundraising and grant making. Link to Donate to BFF



I hope you're as inspired as I am to make a difference -- in any way that works for you.



Thank you to our Sponsors



This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.







Thank you to our lead sponsor, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.



Thank you to Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, a popular solution for flower farmers, studio florists and farmer-florists.  Save $1000s when you build your own walk-in cooler with the CoolBot and an air conditioner.  Don't have time to build your own?  They also have turnkey units available. Learn more at storeitcold.com.



Thank you to Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.











Thanks so much for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it,