Cannabis Advocacy: SMG's Hawthorne Social Justice Fund & Congressional Black Caucus's John R. Lewis Social Justice Fellowship

The largest grant award to date from The Scotts Miracle-Gro SMG Foundation’s Hawthorne Social Justice Fund will support four fellows focusing their research on cannabis policy and social justice reforms through  the John R. Lewis Social Justice Fellows program.
Announced today, the multi-year sponsorship of $600,000 over two years will fund four fellows selected for the John R. Lewis Social Justice Fellows program within the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. This is the first time in the program’s history that fellows will dedicate their research to cannabis issues. Applications are currently being accepted and reviewed through May 6, 2022 for the first two fellows, who will start on September 12, 2022.
Decriminalization, expungement, sentencing and incarceration are some of the issues the fellows will analyze as they work both in Congress and as researchers in the Center for Policy Analysis and Research. They will also focus on obstacles federal law continues to place on the emerging regulation of cannabis, black wealth creation and solutions for supporting licensed ownership and successful operation of businesses in the cannabis industry.
“We are grateful to be able to join with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in finding ways to address such critical issues," Chris Hagedorn, division president of Hawthorne Gardening Company and executive VP of Scotts Miracle-Gro, told Benzinga. “The four John Lewis fellows will work directly with policymakers to establish a framework for impactful, positive change in Black communities, and inform the debate related to cannabis reform.”
Candidates must have at least five years of policy development, community activism or grassroots organizing in a leadership position, or, preferably, a graduate or professional degree completed prior to the fellowship start date. Fellows funded by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation’s Hawthorne Social Justice Fund must demonstrate a commitment to creating and implementing public policy to improve living conditions for underserved and underrepresented people.