Alameda Native History Project

Alameda Native History Project’s Position on Partnerships and Collaborations

Official Statement

Alameda Native History Project’s Position on Partnerships and Collaborations

14 April, 2025
Alameda, California

We’ve received several questions about a potential partnership between the Alameda Native History Project and REAP Climate Center. We want to take a moment to share our position with transparency and clarity.

First, we want to uplift two local organizations you may not have heard of—Bay Area MakerFarm and APC Farm2Market. These grassroots groups have been doing incredible, community-rooted work that often flies under the radar. Why? Because REAP Climate Center has taken up a disproportionate amount of space in Alameda’s environmental scene, garnering a significant share of attention and funding. Meanwhile, the people actually doing the hands-on work—cultivating relationships, restoring land, feeding families—are often overlooked. That needs to change.

Last year, we reached out to REAP to explore collaboration around shared environmental and cultural goals. Instead of engaging meaningfully, we were redirected to another Native organization—implying that our initiative required external validation. Additionally, REAP emphasized financial self-sustainability over environmental stewardship and community benefit—an approach that does not reflect our values or how we define meaningful collaboration.

In contrast, we are deeply proud to highlight our growing partnerships with two organizations whose work and values are aligned with ours—and who have helped us make history.

Bay Area MakerFarm

A vibrant community hub providing:

  • Archery lessons for children
  • Free bicycle repair services
  • A working animal project with pigs, goats, chickens, and ducks
  • Monthly potluck gatherings
  • A community compost hub
  • A partnership with 100K Trees for Humanity to reforest Alameda and surrounding areas
  • Regular outdoor education programs offering hands-on learning experiences

Bay Area MakerFarm has generously supported our Acorn Flour Production initiative, offering space for our Acorn Leaching Machine and helping us bring acorn processing back to the community for the first time in over 300 years.

By doing so, they are helping to reopen Indigenous foodways—providing a real, tangible pathway to harvest, store, and process acorns into nutritious, culturally-relevant food. This is history in the making, and Bay Area MakerFarm is a huge part of it.

APC Farm2Market

A thriving Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that:

  • Provides fresh, locally grown food to over 200 families on Alameda Point
  • Hosts educational programming and youth activities
  • Organizes regular volunteer days to foster community participation
  • Builds relationships through shared service and food sovereignty
  • Ensures access to fresh food for local residents

APC Farm2Market was the very first organization to offer us a platform—and we would not be where we are today without them. Their early support gave us space to grow, literally and figuratively, and helped turn our vision into reality. We owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude.

They played a key role in supporting our Acorn Granary Challenge—a hands-on, community-powered project where people of all ages came together to build a traditional Native American food storage structure. That installation still stands on site today, symbolizing both Indigenous resilience and community spirit.

Just like Bay Area MakerFarm, APC Farm2Market is helping to reopen and reawaken Indigenous foodways—after centuries of interruption. Their belief in our work from the very beginning continues to nourish our mission and inspire everything we do.

Staying Rooted, Remaining Open

We want to be clear: our decision not to partner with REAP Climate Center is based on our specific values and goals. We recognize that other groups have found meaningful ways to collaborate with REAP, and we respect those choices. Our intention is not to discourage others from pursuing partnerships that work for them.

That said, we remain open to exploring collaboration with any organization that shares a sincere interest in supporting Indigenous communities, respecting tribal sovereignty, and uplifting Native-led initiatives.

Our work is grounded in our mission to:

Honor the ancestral legacy of the First Alamedans—the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area.
We advocate for tribal restoration, Native American representation in local governance, institutional accountability, cultural education, and environmental stewardship.

Through creative tools, immersive experiences, advocacy, and community-led initiatives, we envision a future where Indigenous heritage informs and enriches our shared community.

We understand that not every partnership will be the right fit—and that’s okay. We believe in pluralism, and in collaboration without compromise. We approach every opportunity with open minds and grounded hearts, always striving to be fair, while staying true to our community, our ancestors, and our vision for the future.

With gratitude,

The Alameda Native History Project

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