Before Dana DiPrima ever set out to start a movement, she was busy connecting people and communities in every corner of her life…..government, nonprofits, corporations, and even as a soccer mom “on steroids” serving 4,200 kids. What she didn’t know then was that a simple “yes” to backyard chickens would quietly change everything. That accidental farm in the Catskills introduced her to farmers whose work is nothing short of miraculous, yet largely invisible. As Dana began listening to their stories, their struggles, their pride, and their resilience…..she realized that the people feeding us every day were not being valued. Farmers weren’t asking for charity; they wanted to be seen, valued, and supported. And once Dana sees a problem that matters, she doesn’t look away.
What followed was the birth of the For Farmers Movement, a bold, grassroots effort built on small actions with big impact. Since 2022, Dana has helped distribute hundreds of grants to farmers across nearly every state, proving that even $1, when multiplied by community, can change lives. Fueled by persistence, heart, and a deep belief that good grows when people are given simple ways to act, Dana has created more than a nonprofit….she’s built a movement rooted in honor, connection, and hope. Her story will forever change the way you think about the food on your table and the people who make it possible.
Here are a few highlights from our conversation:
Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what For Farmers Movement does?
Dana DiPrima: Since 2022, we have given grants to farmers across the country in 48 states and one territory and that’s just a small piece of what the For Farmers Movement does. It really started because I felt like we go about our busy lives and we don’t think about the people who are doing things that are essential to our society. We just take them for granted. I sort of crept into the farmer space accidentally through a little accidental farm that I have. That introduced me to these local farmers who were the most amazing people. I started listening to what they were saying and what they were doing.
I started the For Farmers Movement because I feel like we need to focus on the people who are essential like this. Farmers are providing us with delicious and healthy food for our families, and they’re knitting together our communities. A lot of our grants are farmer-to-farmer by supporting projects where they’re buying locally, working locally, strengthening their own towns. Every single small farm is a local economic driver. Wouldn’t you rather have one giant farm driving an economy, or 200 small farms doing it? We do grants, but we do a lot of other things too. It’s all about helping people see farmers, value them, and support them in real, practical ways.
Charity Matters: What experiences did you have as a child that Influenced this work?
Dana DiPrima: I think it’s always been a little bit a part of my DNA. I’m not 100% sure where it came from, except that in my first years out of college and in every job I’ve had every career I’ve had has always been about connecting the dots between people and communities. I’ve worked in government, nonprofits, corporations, and community-based organizations, and the thread through all of it has been moving the needle for good. Even when you’re making small improvements, it’s still an improvement, and I think it’s important to know that in your life the little things that you do that are good, they add up.
Even when I worked in a big corporation with all the media moguls, I was the good girl. I was the head of cause-related marketing. Where I could show clients how to have a heart and a soul in their work. It’s been a long and interesting ride, but I think I bring everything to bear here in the For Farmers Movement. Everything I’ve experienced, all of the charities I’ve worked with, all of the innovative ideas, and all of the questions led to this.
I learned a lot from incredible experiences. With St. Jude Thanks and Giving, the one thing I learned from Marlo Thomas is never say die. She does not take no for an answer. And when I worked at Jones Apparel Group, I was so proud that we focused on smaller nonprofits, making a real difference with AdoptAClassroom, teacher fund, and campaigns like Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher. You have to get people’s attention in 100 different ways. You have to be tenacious. You have to never quit. And all of that, it all adds up. It all leads to this.
Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start For Farmers Movement?
Dana DiPrima: If you look at it from the 35,000-foot view, it might not make any sense at all. Before starting the For Farmers Movement, I was the commissioner for 10 years for the largest youth soccer league in the country. More like, I was a soccer mom on steroids, with 4,200 kids. It was a community of people who needed support and direction. Around that same time, I had a property in the western Catskills and also lived in New York City, which is a pretty dramatic contrast. I had little kids, and when my daughter asked, “Can we get some chickens?” I said yes without blinking. Then one escaped, I panicked, called the farmer, and he said, “Find your inner predator,” and hung up on me. I hunted down that chicken with big leather fireplace gloves on, caught it, and I never looked back.
From there, things escalated. Chickens turned into goats, then donkeys, ducks, bees, and 17 gardens that I do myself. I just sort of went off the deep end. But through all of that, I started to understand farmers in a real way. They became friends, touchstones, people I learned from. In 2019, I started a podcast called Talk Farm to Me. I was just a microphone and I wanted farmers to tell their stories because they’re amazing.
What they do to get butter to your table is nothing short of miraculous. Your hamburger took two to three years to get to the plate, daily work for that one meal. Then the pandemic hit, farmers were suddenly considered essential, there was this huge spotlight moment, and then overnight it disappeared. I kept listening. In 2022, after hearing a woman speak about community at a conference, everything connected. I went home, wrote a 40-page manifesto, called my coach, and said, “I have to make a presentation to you, and you have to tell me if I’m nuts.”
That led to what I call the six-grand experiment. I started on Instagram and said, “You’ve got to find your local farmers. Tag them to nominate them for a grant.” It was a mess….hundreds of nominations, reaching out to farmers who had never heard of me but we awarded six grants across the country, and it was proof. Farmers can stretch a dollar like nobody’s business. There’s not one farmer who doesn’t have a project on the back burner that could help them get to the next level. The biggest aha for me was realizing that farmers are invisible. We don’t know where our food comes from, and farmers are incredibly proud. They don’t have their hands out for charity. This is not charity. It’s an opportunity to invest in your farmer and your community. That nomination is a permission giver, but it’s also honor. And even if nothing comes from it beyond that moment of being seen, that matters.
Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?
Dana DiPrima: The hardest things are like a daisy chain of hardest things. The end of 2025 is the first year I don’t feel like I’m carrying it all on my back. I feel like it’s moving on its own now. There are a lot of people invested in the, For Farmers Movement. Farmers supporters, and people across the country who care about their health, their communities, their economy, and their environment. But people are busy, and they care about a lot of things, so part of my work is helping them understand why they need to care about small farmers. That’s why it’s so important to me to give people small actions that have a big impact. We are built on that.
I’ve given away almost $200,000 in grants since 2022. Every year on January 1 the ticker starts again. I’ve got to raise more money. But the spirit of this is that $1 from a million people is more valuable than a million dollars from one person, which I would accept, of course. Because when I give a farmer a $1,000 grant and tell them there are 1,000 people standing in their field, recognizing them, applauding them, cheering them on, that is more meaningful than a big corporate check.
Charity Matters: What fuels you to keep doing this work?
Dana DiPrima: On the one side, I get a farmer calling me crying on the phone because she’s so excited. A 10th year farmer that she just got a grant to move her farm. And she can’t believe the community behind her. I can’t tell you how meaningful that is.
And on the other side, I have farmers in my inbox: “I’m so disappointed we didn’t get a grant.” And someone sends me a farm with a huge fire. So what can I do? We have an emergency fund. We have wish lists. We have 97 farmers and growing on the wish list. It’s really easy to click send…work gloves, socks. My daughter sent socks to a farmer and got the delivery message.
So again: go to the wish lists. Find a farmer in your state. Click send.
Charity Matters: When do you know you have made a difference?
Dana DiPrima: Every single farmer I’ve supported with a grant has said it’s about way more than the money. The impact is them being seen, being recognized. That nomination is honor. Farmers are invisible every day. And for someone to honor the work that matters.
Charity Matters: Tell us what success you have had and what your impact has been?
Dana DiPrima: I count numbers….291 grants, 48 states and one territory. People’s Choice Award: 45 farmers submit videos and we get over 20,000 votes. 97 farmers on the wish list.
But more important than any of that is being seen. And I share facts too: less than 2% of our population are farmers feeding 100% of us. We lost 141,271 farmers between 2017 and 2022 and that’s over 20 million acres we can’t get back. If you shop in your supermarket, 15% stays local, but if you shop at the farmers market, over 70% stays in your local community. I try to build awareness of how important your support is.
Charity Matters: If you could dream any dream for your organization, what would that be?
Dana DiPrima: I’m living a lot of it. Every year we’re doing something different and bigger. We went from that six-grand experiment to 100 grants a year.
In 2026 we selected 20 farms for a $10,000 farm-changing grant. We’ll make that award during National Ag Week in mid-March.
And I want to keep bringing customers closer. Nominate your farmer all year. In February we send postcards, kits of 10 stamped postcards. People tell me how much it meant to say thank you. We have the Voice Awards. We piloted Walk a mile in a farmer’s boots and we’re expanding to 10 markets. And anytime you can shop the wish list. Always opportunities to do something good for farmers.
Charity Matters: What life lessons have you learned from this experience?
Dana DiPrima: Starting a movement is a crazy idea, and it’s really, really hard, and I quit. Tuesdays and Thursdays I basically quit. And I didn’t quit. I didn’t take no for an answer. That failed? I’m trying this.
I’m always trying to give people opportunities to do something good that isn’t painful. Five minutes, forty minutes, $10,000 or $1. The strongest things are the simplest. Everyone can do $1. I’m going to get to a million dollars, $1 at a time. Vote for your farmers. You don’t even have to know them.
Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?
Dana DiPrima: Oh, I can pick up a chicken. I’m a veterinarian, a zookeeper, an excellent housekeeper and bucket scrubber. But I think I’m very much the same. I love to work, like to figure it out, like the challenges, talking to people and I like to hear why you don’t believe it yet so I can think about what I haven’t done.
The success is built on the small actions. My newsletter every Tuesday, 52 weeks a year. My podcast has gone two full years of not missing a Thursday. And I also have a life….dinner for nine, making my table nice, getting the Christmas tree up.
That is life. That is living. A full, beautiful life is giving.
CHARITY MATTERS.
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