| Our Mission | To find people with strength and vision who are passionate about improving their community, and help them make it happen |
| Our Vision | To nurture the seed of generosity that exists in every human heart |
Bread for the Journey®, based in Novato, California, nurtures the natural generosity of “ordinary” people in cities across the country, empowering them to see themselves as philanthropists working together to transform their local communities. We essentially “democratize” philanthropy by making it easier for people in all walks of life to express their natural generosity in ways that directly benefit their local communities. And so our vision and mission statements are as powerful as they are simple.
We started this experiment in neighborhood-based micro-granting 22 years ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was founded by Wayne Muller and a few friends—a small group of average citizens. They were not individuals of great wealth, but each of them felt they had something to offer their community. They gathered over a spaghetti dinner to listen to how, together, they might collectively be more generous and active in supporting positive change in their community.
From that initial conversation in 1988, a simple, effective model of neighborhood philanthropy quietly evolved that has now been successfully replicated by small groups of people who have formed “chapters” in more than 20 cities around the country. If you would like to start a chapter, go to Start A Chapter.
Our work presumes that people possess an intrinsic, natural generosity. Their community, culture or government may encourage or discourage, illuminate or suppress this impulse, but it can never be destroyed. We also believe that the people who are most skilled in healing the wounds of a community are those who live there—those who know where the hidden wisdom, strength, and courage reside. At its heart, our work is about inviting everyone to participate as an agent of change to make their local community more vital, healthy, beautiful and just. In fact, our logo is an aboriginal representation of everyone in the tribe joining a common circle, each bringing their gift to a common table, each receiving what they need to be nourished and fed from the common wealth.