The Braxton Foundation
Board Meeting Notes
Date: 02.26.2025
Attendees: Sean Braxton, April Thorsen, JoLynne Kohl, Amber Braxton
Opening Remarks
Sean welcomed the board and set the tone for the meeting, emphasizing the foundation’s
mission:
• Establishing pathways for communities to become self-sustainable through tools,
research, and education in homesteading.
• Helping people reconnect with nature.
• Addressing the cost-prohibitive nature of self-sustainability and working to make it more
accessible.
Key Discussion Points
1. Long-Term Vision & Goals
• Creating multiple plots of land to provide produce and whole foods.
• Developing economic freedom by ensuring that labor within the foundation is self-
sustaining.
• Implementing permaculture principles to create a closed-loop system that harmonizes
with nature and generates net-positive produce.
• Bridging the gap between modern living and homesteading while advocating for
necessary policy changes.
2. Board Members' Perspectives on the Next 3-5 Years
April’s Perspective
• Excited but anxious about the foundation’s research and growth as a nonprofit.
• Focus on transitioning into a sustainable model while balancing modern needs.
• Exploring long-term goals such as utilizing plants for medicine and building materials.
• Her land in Texas can serve as a research site for sustainability in different environments.
• Concerned about policies and regulations that hinder self-sustainability.
• Wants to see reforms and legal changes to support homesteading.Sean’s Perspective
• Applied for a NOAA grant to support sustainability initiatives.
• Questions why the IRS does not recognize self-sustainability as a valued cost.
• Advocates for citizen science as a means to empower communities and increase
involvement in sustainability efforts.
• Suggested forming shelters and using electric fields to create controlled biomes for
research across different environments (WA, CO, TX).
JoLynne’s Perspective
• Wants to bring more awareness to communities about self-sustainability, even in urban
areas.
• Has practiced self-sustainability for over a decade, including gardening, raising chickens,
and recycling byproducts like chicken bones into the soil.
• Emphasized the importance of cost-efficient methods and using byproducts to feed the
garden.
• Discussed soil challenges in Colorado—native soil is poor quality, and even bulk soil
purchases are unreliable.
• Interested in developing solutions to enrich soil, particularly in arid regions. Suggested
raised garden beds but noted they can be costly.
• Proposed composting programs to improve soil quality in nutrient-deficient areas.
3. Addressing Key Challenges & Opportunities
• Bringing more awareness to small-scale gardens and making self-sustainability more
accessible.
• Supporting seasonal gardening and shifting expectations away from year-round produce
availability.
• Exploring different ways to make soil enrichment more affordable and effective.
4. Legal & Administrative Updates
• Articles of Incorporation have been filed.
• The LLC was initially registered under Sean’s name.
• Encountering issues registering the nonprofit under a similar name—will adjust LLC
naming to resolve this issue.
5. Action Items & Next Steps
• Sean: Share business prospects document (already typed).
• April & JoLynne: Brainstorm revenue-generating ideas for the foundation.
• All Board Members: Continue research on soil enrichment, sustainable gardening
practices, and cost-effective solutions.
• Amber & Sean: Explore alternative nonprofit naming to resolve legal issues.
The Braxton Foundation
Board Meeting Notes
Date: 03.19.2025
Attendees: Sean Braxton, Amber Braxton, April Thorsen, JoLynne Kohl
1. Opening Remarks & Mission Review
• The board reviewed the business prospectus outline, which details ways to generate
income for the foundation.
• Discussion on why consumers would buy from a smaller farm store rather than a large
grocery store.
• The foundation aims to provide a platform for those knowledgeable in homesteading and
gardening to share their expertise and build a stronger community.
• A major goal is to reduce waste and improve waste management solutions.
• Reconnecting people with nature and fostering a deeper appreciation for natural resources
remains central to our mission.
2. Upcoming Initiatives & Events
• Photography Retreat: Scheduled for May 2025 and currently in the planning phase.
• Spring Photography Outings: Amber to organize photography outings for the upcoming
season.
• Children’s Book Release: Amber’s first children’s book is set to be published on June
22, 2025. Profits will go toward The Braxton Foundation.
• Educational Documentation: Everything we learn will be documented and shared with
the community to promote education and awareness.
3. Legal & Operational Challenges
• Current struggles with zoning and legal requirements for operating a functional farm as a
nonprofit.
• Discussions on collaborating with The Garden Alchemy and providing a platform for
JoLynne to expand her work as a garden consultant.
4. Fundraising & Revenue Generation Ideas
• Potential Fundraising Events & Activities:
◦ Interactive games and experiences
◦ Community dinner events
◦ Plant sale (to be donation-based, using plants from external sources)
• Sculpture Garden Concept: Inspired by metal cutout designs, Sean proposed a sculpture
garden with framed scenic views.
• Guided Tours: Offering team-building and relationship-building tours of the property.
• Content Media: Identified as a stable and sustainable source of income.• Digital & Print Guides: Creating downloadable and printable guides on gardening and
outdoor topics, with an option for laminated copies.
5. Research & Development
• Sean’s Tech Projects:
◦ Developing products to assist arid regions with soil enrichment.
◦ Creating an app for bartering and networking goods to provide a safer alternative
to Facebook Marketplace, with credential verification for users.
• Reducing Grocery Store Dependence: Exploring options for local food distribution,
factoring in production and processing costs.
• Community Composting Initiative:
◦ Establishing a reward system for composting food waste.
◦ Sean to develop relationships with local farmers to brainstorm composting
solutions.
6. Agricultural & Production Considerations
• Seed Sales Challenges: Researching the legal requirements for selling seeds as a vendor,
which involves regulatory hurdles.
• Plant Sales as a Fundraiser: Allowed if donation-based and sourced from external
suppliers.
• Exploring Original Produce Options: Discussing what crops would be most valuable
with minimal space requirements (e.g., lavender).
• Demand for Small Family Farms: High demand for small farms to alleviate pressure on
the food system, but this requires an excess of produce to distribute.
7. Grant Opportunities & Infrastructure Development
• Grant Applications: Some deadlines were missed this year, but Sean will research and
share upcoming opportunities.
• Fencing Costs:
◦ Exploring sustainable and cost-effective fencing solutions, including bark-
stripped wood and a Japanese burning/sealing method.
◦ Sean to research grants for fencing, windbreaks, and sunshades.
• Water & Climate Challenges:
◦ Water costs are one of JoLynne’s biggest expenses.
◦ Sean mentioned wind can cause water loss—grants for windbreaks and sunshades
will be explored.
8. Legal Updates
• Nonprofit Name Update: The original nonprofit name was not approved. The new name,
“Nature’s Way Farms”, has been officially approved and filed.
9. Action Items & Next Steps• April: Review the grants Sean shared to determine their suitability for The Braxton
Foundation.
• Amber & Sean: Begin drafting the full business prospectus.
• Sean:
◦ Research grants for fencing, windbreaks, and sunshades.
◦ Provide updates on the nonprofit name change and Articles of Incorporation.