Organizations

Here is a directory of organizations addressing land loss and heir property issues around the country.

Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation
Black Family Land Trust
Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association
Center for Heirs' Property Preservation
Center for Minority Land and Community Security
Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc.
Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund
Heirs' Property Retention Coalition (HPRC)
Indian Land Working Group
Institute for Indian Estate Planning and Probate
Land Loss Fund
Land Loss Prevention Project
Land Rich
Land Tenure Center
Property Preservation Task Force

Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation
This community-based nonprofit organization focuses its efforts on curbing the loss of black-owned land in Arkansas. ALFDC encourages family farm and land-based development among limited resource people in the eastern and southern portions of the state.

P.O Box 743
Brinkley, AR 72021
Phone: (870) 734-1140

Black Family Land Trust
The goal of this organization is to protect natural and community resources of the African American community through securing landownership. Using conservation tools, such as land trusts, the groups seeks to reverse the trend of black land loss throughout the Southeast.

411 W. Chapel Hill St.
11th Floor, Suite 1104
Durham, NC 27701
Phone: (919) 682-5969
Web: http://www.bflt.org

Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association
This organization was formed in 1997 to monitor the Pigford v. Glickman (Now Pigford v. Johanns) lawsuit. The site also addresses other issues and concerns of black farmers throughout the U.S. and the world.

P.O. Box 61
Tillery, NC 27887
Phone: (252) 826-2800
Web: http://bfaa-us.org

Center for Heirs' Property Preservation
Serving five counties in South Carolina (Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester and Georgetown), this organization provides educational and legal assistance to heir property owners, nonprofit organizations, attorneys serving heirs, as well as judges hearing heir property cases. The staff members conduct educational seminars, draft legal documents (such as pleadings, complaints, wills and deeds), and help clients research titles and genealogy.

1535 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., Suite D
Charleston, SC 29407
Phone: (843) 745-7055
Toll free: (866) 657-2676
Web: http://www.heirsproperty.org/

Center for Minority Land and Community Security
This Center, a component of the George Washington Carver Agricultural Experiment Station at Tuskegee University, seeks to address land tenure issues in minority communities. Partnering with other academic and nonprofit groups, ts goal is to foster development and economic sustainability of African American, Native American, and Latino communities.

100 Campbell Hall
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee, AL 36088
Phone: (334) 727-8333
Web: http://www.tuskegee.edu/Global/story.asp?S=1116068

Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc.
This is a nonprofit law center aimed at keeping family farmers on the land. Through legal information and advocacy, FLAG strives to strengthen rural communities, protect the environment, and promote a sustainable food supply.

360 Robert Street North
Suite 500
Saint Paul, MN 55101-1589
Phone: (651) 223-5335
Web: http://www.flaginc.org

Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund
This organization addresses a wide range of issues in several Southeastern states, but its central focus remains on preserving black-owned land. The organization's outreach and training efforts range from sustainable agriculture and marketing to housing and consumer credit.

Administrative Office
2769 Church Street
East Point, GA 30344
Phone: (404) 765-0991

ALABAMA

Membership Office
302 Main Street
Tuskegee, AL 36083
Phone: (334) 724-0090

Rural Training and Research Center
P.O. Box 95
Epes, AL 35460
Phone: (205) 652-9676

Web: http://www.federationsoutherncoop.com

Heirs' Property Retention Coalition (HPRC)
This coalition of organizations spread throughout the southeast region of the United States works on a variety of issues facing heirs' property owners. HPRC's main efforts at present include a) nationwide legal reform of
the laws governing forced partition sales of heirs' property; and b) the creation of a Resource Center to assist North Carolina-based heirs' property owners with stabilizing ownership and using their property in the way the owners envision.

Web: http://www.southerncoalition.org/hprc

Indian Land Working Group
Like African Americans, many Native Americans have had their land threatened because it is held as heir property. This organization is committed to preserving Indian lands. Efforts range from legislative proposals to educational videos.

Web: http://www.ilwg.org

Institute for Indian Estate Planning and Probate
This institute is a component of the Seattle University School of Law. Its mission is to provide legal training to law students and estate planning services to the Indian community.

901 12th Ave.
P.O. Box 222000
Seattle, WA 98122-1090
Phone: (206) 398-4284
Web: http://www.indianwills.org

Land Loss Fund
This organization serves disadvantaged landowners in North Carolina whose land may be threatened. The Fund provides educational and technical assistance to farmers, landowners, and homeowners in the eastern part of the state. The Fund's efforts, which range from identifying legal options to providing moral support, are aimed at preserving black-owned land.

P.O. Box 61
Tillery, NC 27887
Web: http://members.aol.com/tillery/llf.html

Land Loss Prevention Project
This Durham (N.C.)-based organization is focused on preserving family farms through litigation. A staff of attorneys and paralegals handle various cases, ranging from environmental justice issues to bankruptcy, that threaten family farms in North Carolina.

P.O. Box 179
Durham, NC 27702
Phone: (919) 682-5969
Toll free: (800) 672-5839
Web: http://www.landloss.org

Land Rich
Land Rich is an initiative of Asset Builders of America Inc. This network of organizations and individuals from around the country seeks to help low-income (particularly inter-generational) landowners turn their land into economic assets.

Web: http://www.landrich.org

Land Tenure Center
This Center, an institution of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focuses on global issues relating to land. Using a multi-disciplinary approach to training and research, the Center aims at fostering local collaboration to address land and its relationship to economic development, ecological sustainability, and social and political systems. The Center's North American Program seeks to address land and environmental problems within the U.S. (as well as Canada and Mexico) and work with communities to find solutions.

21 Science Hall
550 North Park Street
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: (608) 262-3657
Web: http://www.ies.wisc.edu/ltc

Property Preservation Task Force
The PPTF is a committee of the American Bar Association. Among other efforts, the group's goal is to identify solutions to land loss caused by property held in common. The Task Force produces materials and business resources for heir property owners who wish to secure a more stable form of ownership and/or develop real estate.

Web: http://www.abanet.org/dch/committee.cfm?com=RP018700

If you know of any organizations that have been excluded from this list, or if any modifications are needed to existing listings, please e-mail the address, phone number and Web site. Also include a brief description of the organization and its mission.

Last Updated Jun. 22, 2011