THRIVE Santa Ana

THRIVE broke ground on the Walnut and Daisy Microfarm (Project) in 2023. All-American Construction Solutions was hired as the general contractor for the Project. Construction commenced in the Fall of 2023. THRIVE continued to meet with the future operators of the site, CRECE Urban Farms, La Milpa Caf, master artisan Gelacio Mendez, all three of which are local cooperatives. THRIVE has incorporated feedback from the three cooperatives along with feedback from the surrounding neighborhood into the design of the Project. The Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM) was contracted by THRIVE to prepare a Strategic Plan for the organization. CNM met with THRIVEs Board of Directors and Staff to determine the mission, vision, and goals of the organization in order to prepare a draft of the Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan will aid the organization in establishing priorities and objectives for the next 3 to 5 years. CNM completed a draft of the Strategic Plan in December 2023, which will be reviewed by the Board for additional feedback.THRIVE made significant strides in increasing internal controls and expanding its administrative and financial capacity. Wholehearted Bookkeeping was hired to provide bookkeeping services to the organization including Accounts Payable, bank reconciliations, 1099 filings, payroll services, and other financial systems. The USDA awarded THRIVE a $3.4 million 5-year grant to help fund the Walnut and Daisy Microfarm. The grant will fund a number of key initiatives including administrative costs, construction of the site, purchasing of equipment, repayment of construction financing, an acquisition fund to acquire additional agricultural land, mini-grants for local farmers, and operations of the Microfarm for the first 18 months.