Giuovanni Hernandez

Board Member

Giovanni Hernandez is a non-profit professional with 20 years of professional experience in fund development and grants management based in Victoria, British Columbia. He specializes in supporting mission-driven organizations by building funding pipelines, designing projects, acquiring non-reimbursable funding, establishing strategic partnerships, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and strengthening stewardship systems.

He has a proven track record of securing and managing institutional funding from international cooperation agencies, multilateral organizations, foundations, and corporations. He is currently an MBA in Sustainable Innovation candidate at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria (UVIC).

Giovanni brings extensive expertise in resource mobilization strategy, proposal development, post-award grants compliance, and partnership cultivation across U.S. global and community- serving non-profit organizations. His sector background includes food security and nutrition, community development, disability inclusion, early childhood, violence prevention, disaster reconstruction, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), and sustainable forestry and agriculture, demonstrating his thematic versatility.

His food-systems experience includes the design, planning, and implementation of community development projects to prevent child malnutrition and promote healthy eating in Indigenous communities (2004); coordination, control, monitoring, and evaluation of food security projects in marginalized urban neighborhoods with domestic migrant communities through cooperative self-consumption and mutual-support models (2005–2007); support for strategic planning processes for small nonprofits advancing sustainable food access for low-income communities (2009–2010); and the design and reporting of projects in Indigenous communities focused on household food self-consumption through eggs, chicken meat, fruits, and vegetables produced via farms and backyard gardens (2021–2023).

Giovanni brings a practical governance lens on revenue diversification, risk-aware stewardship of externally funded initiatives, and mission-aligned partnership development. Committed to fostering community-led, collaborative efforts for equitable, healthy, and sustainable systems in the Capital Region, while enhancing connections within the regional community.

CRFAIR promotes healthy and sustainable food systems.  This considers our relationships with each other, and the land and waters of this region.  We endeavour to honour the land and its treaties by strengthening our relationship and responsibilities to them. We live and work on unceded Coast Salish Territories*, specifically of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees) and Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) Nations here in the core area, the W̱SÁNEĆ Nations {W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip), BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin), SȾÁUTW̱,(Tsawout) W̱SIKEM (Tseycum)} out on the Saanich Peninsula and Gulf Islands, to the west Sc'ianew (Beecher Bay), T’Sou-ke, and Pacheedaht, and MÁLEXEȽ (Malahat) and Pune’laxutth’ (Penelekut) Nations.

The presence of settlers (non-Indigenous peoples who live on these lands) is not neutral; it has had and continues to have devastating impacts on many aspects of life for Indigenous peoples. Many of our practices, including the seeds we plant, the ways we educate, and our methods of growing food came to these lands through the ongoing process of colonialism. Settler colonialism has suppressed local well-being by harming Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ food systems, whether they be land-based or of the sky and sea. We hold this understanding in our interactions and engagements with this land and its people. 

There is important work being done by many nations and allies to ensure the continued thriving of these food systems, communities, and knowledge systems. Those of us who are settlers need to recognize that our knowledge and way of doing things may not be the priority as we work towards food security for everyone in this region.

* The term Coast Salish is used to encompass a number of Indigenous peoples, including Esquimalt, Hul’qumi’num, Klahoose, Lekwungen, MALAXEt, Musqueam, OStlq’emeylem, Pentlatch, Scia’new (Beecher Bay), Sliammon, Shishalh, Skxwú7mesh-ulh Úxwumixw, Stó:lo, Straits, Tsleil-Waututh, T’Sou-ke, W̱SÁNEĆ, and Xwemalhkwu.