TreeCrew Research

Client: A Black-owned wellness clinic integrating mental health, nutrition, and herbal therapies.

Challenge: While patient outcomes were positive, funders requested stronger evidence of cultural relevance and community alignment to support long-term investment.

How We Helped:

• Conducted ethnographic interviews with local community members 
• Documented preferred healing practices and wellness narratives 
• Developed an adaptive, culturally grounded patient education curriculum
• Created a digital archive to support culturally responsive care and storytelling. 

Result: The clinic secured a multi-year health equity grant and successfully launched culturally relevant education modules for patients and staff.

Client: A Title I charter school network serving BIPOC youth.

Challenge: Teachers sought to connect science, food systems, and culture through more inclusive curriculum tools.

How We Helped:

• Designed land-based lesson plans grounded in ancestral ecological knowledge
• Supported a youth-led ethnobotany project highlighting local plants
• Integrated oral histories into STEM and humanities curricula
• Facilitated professional development in cultural literacy for educators

Result: The school system increased student engagement, improved family involvement, and received a $10K innovation grant.

Client: A NJ BIPOC-led urban farm initiative.

Challenge: The farm needed deeper community insight to boost CSA enrollment and grow culturally relevant crops.

How We Helped:

• Facilitated community story circles around food, plants, and heritage
• Mapped crop preferences across different cultural communities
• Provided analysis on local ethnic produce demand
• Created a planting calendar based on diaspora-aligned foodways

Result: The farm restructured its crop plan, increased local sales by 41%, and secured health department support.

Client: Department of Parks & Recreation

Challenge: The city was reimagining public space but lacked meaningful community participation and cultural context.

How We Helped:

• Organized intergenerational listening sessions with residents
• Documented culturally significant plants and symbols
• Advised on inclusive design practices and plant-based storytelling
• Delivered a community-centered engagement report and design toolkit

Result: Policy changes were enacted to include cultural stewardship in green space planning, with increased community trust and media recognition.

Client: A regional food justice organization applying for USDA funding.

Challenge: They needed compelling, community-authored data to demonstrate need and cultural alignment.

How We Helped:

• Conducted qualitative interviews with BIPOC families
• Created visual assets and quotes to humanize data
• Drafted impact narratives aligned with the grant language
• Provided review and recommendations for proposal framing

Result: The organization won the grant and contracted SapHouse for ongoing data services.

Client: A filmmaker producing a docuseries on land, memory, and Black healing.

Challenge: The team needed guidance on how to ethically source and share cultural stories without exploitation.

How We Helped:

• Led cultural competency training sessions for the media team
• Recruited local consultants to advise and co-create story arcs
• Created a consent and reciprocity framework for interviewees
• Shared select archival content to enhance narrative integrity

Result: The pilot received critical acclaim and secured partnerships with national distribution platforms and educational outlets.