What is Custom Tradition?
Custom Tradition is a fair-trade nonprofit organization (TAX ID #: 87-1393893) dedicated to uplifting indigenous women makers by promoting their handicrafts to a global market and providing them with the tools and resources needed to live and work sustainably within their communities.
Custom Tradition was founded by Chisama Ku Penn in September 2019 after an eye-opening impromptu trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. During her time there, Chisama Ku spent three weeks with the indigenous Mixtec women of the Ñaá Ka Jani Basket Weaving Collective, learning about their traditions, language and basket weaving techniques. The women, extremly generous and caring, took time to educate Chisama Ku on the various difficulties they face as artisans: from discrimination for being indigenous to the constant devaluation of their work.
The artisan sector is the second largest employer of the developing world, bringing in $32 billion/year, yet the indigenous artisans who make up this sector struggle to be recognized for their work due to ongoing cultural erasure, poverty, and lack of access to information. Custom Tradition's mission is to support our artisans in ways that their local governments have not, by creating economic opportunities, promoting their work, and giving them a voice.
As an online artisan goods retailer founded on fair-trade practices, we work directly with skilled crafts women throughout Mexico to help create sustainable economic opportunities and preserve their traditional handmade techniques.
Grants for the Development of Artisan Collectives
In 2022 we launched our Grants for the Development of Artisan Collectives Program. The purpose of this program is to provide our artisans with funds to grow their collective artisan businesses. We understand that more than often, the money that they earn for their work has to go towards more immediate needs like food and housing, and there isn’t always enough left to invest in larger projects that focus on strengthening their businesses. Our grant program was designed specifically for this reality, to ensure the sustainability and stability of the work of our artisans.
The structure of this program is as follows:
A grant of up to $2,000 USD is awarded to a long-time partner artisan group in need of funds to grow or assist their collective business
Funds are distributed in payments of $500 USD and each payment is recieved upon expenditure of the previous payment
How the funds will be used is determined by the collective as a whole, Custom Tradition does not have a say in this as long as it is for the development of the business
Proof of expenditure can be provided via screenshots, pictures of printed or written receipts, or pictures of items purchased
A final short video report is due at the end of the year to discuss how the funds were used and any difficulties they may have had in completing their project
In June 2022, we awarded our first round of grants to the women of the Ñaá Ka Jani Basket Weaving Collective, the very first artisan collective we partnered with. The women expressed a need for a workshop to store their basket-weaving materials and convene in. With the funds used, the women were able to purchase materials to begin construction of the workshop, like wood and a laminate roof. Thanks to the donors of our 2021 fundraiser, we were able to provide this collective with a resource that will help maintain the sustainability of their work.