Home - Illumine Service Foundation

A still from the film Gather. Native American woman and girl hold sticks and hunt for rats in the desert; the girl is crouched to look beneath cacti and the woman stares into the distance.

RECLAIMING IDENTITY THROUGH FOOD SOVEREIGNTY

Navajo-2

PERSONAL EXPANSION AND CONNECTION TO NATURE

Illumine Service Foundation strives to foster peace and goodwill through community-based programs.

Sammy, a young male, prepares fish over a log fire on a river shoreline. A still from the film Gather.

Sammy, a young male, prepares fish over a log fire on a river shoreline. A still from the film Gather.

highlighted partners

illumine service foundation

We are thrilled to support the outreach campaign o

We are thrilled to support the outreach campaign of Rural Runners, a short film by @forestwoodward and @gnarlybay that follows a young climate activist Chloe Maxmin in her campaign to become the youngest State Senator in Maine.
The film follows the work she does with friend and campaign manager @canyonwoodward to reinvigorate rural politics while Canyon also pursues a budding pursuit of ultra distance trail running. @laura.yale
Launching on Vimeo on October 11.

Earlier this year, we were thrilled to award @tema

Earlier this year, we were thrilled to award @temalpakhfarm , a project of the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, a food sovereignty grant to help build out their produce market, to serve not only their community but the greater area of Coachella, Palm Desert and Palm Springs.
Temalpakh Farm is powered by a vision for a sustainable lifestyle for the residents of the Coachella Valley. Started in 2012, Temalpakh Farm seeks to pave the way for a healthier way of life in their community by making nutritious food accessible to everyone. Their name comes from the Cahuilla word temalpakh, which means “from the earth.”
#foodsovereignty @gatherfilm @fndi303 #californiatribalfund

We were thrilled to support the Tongva Taraxat Pax

We were thrilled to support the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy.
The Conservancy was created to steward lands in Tovaangar, the traditional Tongva region, encompassing the greater Los Angeles basin. The Conservancy has received land back, and is working to create a community center for Indigenous people, maintain cultural practices, have space for traditional Ceremony, work on language revitalization, provide housing for Indigenous elders, and archive community documents.
Taraxat is the Tongva word for Indigenous people in the plural. It is used here in the sense that this conservancy is intended to preserve the people and the culture of the Tongva as well as the land. Paxaavxa is the Tongva word for a piece of land.
A small working grant was offered through the California Tribal Fund (a project of @fndi303). #landback #landbackmovement @resourcegeneration

We are proud to have been a part of the production

We are proud to have been a part of the production of @gatherfilm - a documentary about Native American food sovereignty now on @netflix. Directed by @mrsanjayr and produced by @tanya_meillier , this film received a James Beard Foundation award in 2021.
Significant funding came from the NoVo Foundation and @the11thhourproject via a partnership with @fndi303

In 2015 we had the privilege of funding @3100film

In 2015 we had the privilege of funding @3100film directed by @mrsanjayr and produced by @tanya_meillier The film chronicled the Self Transcendence 3100 mile race but also featured unique and rare looks at traditional running cultures – the Navajo, San Bushmen of the Kalahari and the Sennichi Kaihogyo (marathon monks).
The film was released theatrically in 40 cities and is now on Amazon Prime.
@wings_of_america @scmtny #ultramarathon

One of our earliest grants was to the James Beard

One of our earliest grants was to the James Beard Award winning film FOOD CHAINS, directed by @mrsanjayr and produced by @kesharis. The film chronicles the @immokalee.workers fight for Fair Food - for justice and equity in the fields of Florida. The film was Executive Produced by @evalongoria and Eric Schlosser and received additional support from @the11thhourproject @fordfoundation and others. Illumine helped support various stages of the film’s impact campaign.
Food Chains was on Netflix for two years followed by Hulu. It’s now mainly viewed thru the numerous on-campus screenings held each year.
📷 @forestwoodward