Eastie Farm is one of six nonprofits selected to receive support and resources
Boston, MA (December 4, 2025) – The Social Innovation Forum (SIF) has selectedEastie Farm to participate in SIF’s 2026 “Social Innovator Accelerator,” a 24-month capacity-building program that helps nonprofit organizations gain visibility, expand their networks, and connect with philanthropic and in-kind resources to accelerate their work.
As a 2026 Social Innovator,Eastie Farm will receive access to cash and in-kind services, including training, coaching, and consulting, from SIF and its partners. SIF selected Eastie Farm based on its unique approach in creating pathways to climate resiliency.
“Nonprofit leaders are stretching to meet the needs of their communities; doing more with less. Funders and supporters are making hard choices about how to fill gaps where federal dollars have disappeared,” said Executive Director Wyona Lynch-McWhite at the Warm Winter Welcome. “And yet, throughout these hardships, bold and innovative organizations are standing taller than ever. Forging new partnerships, exploring creative programming, and remaining nimble. They are mission focused and getting things done.”
She encouraged attendees to foster new partnerships, starting at the Warm Winter Welcome, and to celebrate joyfully. “At our Showcase in May, I asked everyone present to remember the importance of joy as a form of resistance. I hope you have continued to remember that and look for moments of joy every day. This is truly a joyous moment as we celebrate these organizations.”
Eastie Farm’s lead innovator Kannan Thiruvengadam said in appreciation of this recognition, “Innovation is the key to new possibilities, which we need at this moment of critical juncture in climate and social justice movements. At Eastie Farm, we are forging new pathways for youth to enter green careers; demonstrating climate solutions that benefit the community; and transforming the local food systems to support not only the individual and community health, but also the planet.”
The full list of organizations selected for the 2026 Social Innovator cohort is below.
Lead Innovator: Letta Neely
Track: Access to Educational and Workforce Opportunities for Youth and Young Adults
Track Partner: Someone Else’s Child and SIF Change Champions
Lead Innovator: Curtis Santos
Track: Supporting and Uplifting the LGBTQ+ Community
Track Partner: The Colman and Carol Levin Fund
Lead Innovator: Caitlin Coyle
Track: Engaging Older Adults: A Holistic Approach to Reducing Social Isolation
Track Partner: Stifler Family Foundation
Lead Innovator: Kannan Thiruvengadam
Track: Pathways to Climate Resiliency
Track Partner: Liberty Mutual Insurance
Lead Innovator: Jennifer Johnson
Track: Supporting Basic Financial Needs: Housing & Food Security
Track Partner: MassMutual Foundation
Lead Innovator: Alexandra Mercer
Track: Access to Educational and Workforce Opportunities for Youth and Young Adults
Track Partner: Someone Else’s Child and SIF Change Champions
Lead Innovator: Julio Mejia
Track: Advancing Social and Legal Supports for Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers
Track Partner: Shipley Foundation
About Eastie Farm
Eastie Farm takes climate action at community level in food systems, land use, and experiential education, focusing on action that leads to tangible benefits.
About the Social Innovation Forum
The Social Innovation Forum’s mission is to create positive social change in Eastern Massachusetts. We do this by engaging leaders, strengthening organizations, and building networks. We describe our work as “a marketplace approach” to social change – one in which SIF engages diverse stakeholders in collaborating to accelerate purposeful, positive social change. Since 2003, the Social Innovation Forum has directed more than $66 million in cash and in-kind services to more than 120 portfolio organizations.
For more information about SIF’s Accelerator program, visit: https://socialinnovationforum.org/programs/accelerator-program
