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.

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.