We Are Committed to Change

Updated June 23, 2023

At Sava, we are committed to helping end systemic racism in our society as well as inequity in the cannabis industry.

Over the past years, we have developed the following initiatives that combine both long-term and short-term efforts, and that we hope go beyond performative action to support ongoing and lasting change. As things unfold, we will continue to update this blog post with our actions. Read our 2021 Impact Report here.

WE COMMIT TO ACTIVELY CREATING SHELF SPACE FOR BIPOC-OWNED BRANDS. 

As a queer, woman, white, Latinx-owned company, we have always maintained that 50% or more of the brands on our platform be women-owned. In 2020, we made a commitment to create shelf space for BIPOC-owned brands. We now commit to always having at least 25% of the brands we carry be Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-owned.

You can sort by BIPOC-owned, women-owned, and queer-owned brands in our shop.

WE COMMIT TO MAGNIFYING MESSAGES AROUND ENDING RACISM AND CREATING EQUITY. 

Through our email list and through our social channels, we will continue to have these conversations, share resources, and calls to action. 

WE COMMIT TO RECOGNIZING JUNETEENTH AS A COMPANY HOLIDAY. 

We encourage our employees to take the day to engage with this holiday and the history behind it. Sava observes this day as a company holiday, which means most employees get the day off (or the holiday observed if on a weekend) and those running our 7-day-a-week operations receive holiday pay and benefits.

WE COMMIT TO DONATING MONEY TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO REPAIR DAMAGES DONE BY THE WAR ON DRUGS. 

When possible, we will use money we are making in the cannabis industry to work towards healing from the negative consequences of the War on Drugs as well as great greater equity in the cannabis, IT, and healthcare/wellness sectors.

So far we’ve raised funds for the following organizations:

TGI Justice Project is a group of transgender, gender variant and intersex people—inside and outside of prisons, jails and detention centers—creating a united family in the struggle for survival and freedom.

The Okra Project seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them. 

The Bail Project is an unprecedented effort to combat mass incarceration at the front end of the system by paying bail for people in need, reuniting families and restoring the presumption of innocence.

We Got the Vote, lead by the FRRC (Florida Rights Restoration Coalition) is a grassroots, membership organization run by Returning Citizens (Formerly Convicted Persons) who are dedicated to ending the disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with convictions, restore voting rights, and creating a more comprehensive and humane reentry system that will enhance successful reentry, reduce recidivism, and increase public safety.

People's Breakfast Oakland is a grassroots organization that serves the houseless community with essential resources. Founded in 2017, the organization has fed, provided clothing for, and given hygiene packs to over 5000 Oakland residents.

Openhouse SF is committed to creating a safe environment to encourage and support community members to share their diverse perspectives and identities to foster dynamic community engagement.

City of Dreams serves youth ages eight and up living in San Francisco’s low-income and public housing communities. Established in 2004, they have provided enrichment opportunities for at-risk youth in the city’s underserved communities for nearly fifteen years.

IGNITE launched in 2010 to address the lack of women in elected office by building a pipeline of next-generation leaders who are poised to flex their political power. IGNITE’s model moves young women to run and win, and it also dramatically increases their political engagement on every level.

Oakland Street Stylers was founded by two Oakland soccer artists, educators and cultural practitioners—including Dania Cabello, founder of Ojo De La Sol—to create meaningful experiences of joy and liberation through critical play and recreation.

Our Academy is a workshop, mentorship, and resource group of individuals and companies in the cannabis industry that are open to knowledge sharing and supporting social equity qualified applicants, partners, and other disproportionately impacted and targeted communities of the war on drugs.

San Francisco AIDS Foundation promotes health, wellness, and social justice for communities most impacted by HIV, through sexual health and substance use services, advocacy, and community partnerships.

WE COMMIT TO OFFERING MENTORSHIP AND APPRENTICESHIP TO BIPOC FOUNDERS COMING INTO THE INDUSTRY. 

Over the years, we’ve gained a wealth of knowledge about how to launch a brand and start a cannabis company, and we’d like to share that with people getting their start.

We have partnered with Our Academy, a non-profit workshop, mentorship program, and open educational resource for social equity qualified applicants and other disproportionately impacted people by the war on drugs (i.e. refugees, immigrants, and the LGBTQ+ community). Sava is excited to participate by sharing our vast knowledge in an effort to grow the cannabis community in an equitable and reparative way.

Sava's founder Andrea provided one-on-one mentorship with Our Academy's first cohort, and we've opened up more mentorship opportunities for our leadership to participate in.

We recognize that this is an ongoing conversation and welcome your thoughts and feedback.