Prepared exclusively for ChiCann  ·  SelassieFest 2026  ·  Chicago, Illinois
SELASSIEFEST
One Day. One Love. One Community.
A Founding Partnership Proposal — ChiCann
Chicago · July 25, 2026 · Community Education Anchor

Where Community
Meets Consciousness

Community Rooted · Education Forward · Equity Centered

ChiCann was built on the belief that cannabis should heal, educate, and empower Chicago's communities — not extract from them. SelassieFest is where that belief lives in full color: a day-long cultural immersion for the most mission-aligned, community-rooted cannabis audience in Chicago. This is not a sponsorship. This is a homecoming.

See ChiCann's Anchor Begin the Conversation
The Community ChiCann Reaches
SelassieFest is not a general-public festival. Every number below reflects the intentionality of this specific community — people who already live ChiCann's values.
9
Cultural Districts
16hrs
Day-Long Engagement
15+
Workshops & Panels
5K+
Email Subscribers
July 25
Chicago · 2026
✦ The Mission Alignment
ChiCann Grows the Movement.
SelassieFest Is the Movement.

ChiCann has built its reputation by doing the unsexy, essential work: connecting communities to the cannabis industry through education, workforce development, equity advocacy, and sustainable practice. SelassieFest is that work made visible — a day-long public declaration that plant medicine, cultural heritage, and community healing belong together.

The attendees who arrive at SelassieFest at 6 AM for the Nyabinghi Groundation and stay until the final dub echo at 10 PM are not casual participants. They are the people ChiCann was built for. They distrust corporate cannabis. They research. They organize. They vote with their dollars and their loyalty. Reaching them through SelassieFest is not brand exposure — it is community trust, built in person, over 16 hours.

Why This Partnership Is Different
ChiCann already holds the mission. What SelassieFest adds is the amplification — a live, documented, community-witnessed expression of everything ChiCann stands for.
— Typical Cannabis Organization Sponsorship
Transactional. Invisible. Forgotten.
Logo on a banner — seen once, remembered never, photographed rarely
Audience engagement lasts 30 seconds at a booth, then they move on
No narrative arc — a check written, a banner hung, a box checked
General public with little investment in cannabis equity or community
Social media amplification near zero — no reason for attendees to share
✦ ChiCann at SelassieFest
Relational. Embedded. Lasting.
ChiCann co-presents the Higher Learning Roots education district — your identity is inside the programming itself
16-hour community engagement — ChiCann's team, mission, and resources are part of the festival experience
The Reasoning Circle Pavilion carries your name — deep dialogue, community organizing, and equity conversations all day
Audience of educators, organizers, advocates, and conscious consumers — ChiCann's exact constituency
Documentary film crew captures ChiCann's presence — the record lives beyond July 25th
ChiCann's Proposed Anchor
Built around ChiCann's strengths — community trust, cannabis education, equity programming, and workforce connections.
✦ ChiCann Founding Anchor — Community Education Partner
Higher Learning Roots & Reasoning Circle Partner
The organization whose mission powers the conversation — and whose community leads the way
The Higher Learning Roots district runs on ChiCann's knowledge. The Reasoning Circle Pavilion carries ChiCann's name as the space where cannabis equity, community healing, and social justice are not panels — they are lived practice. Between the two anchors, ChiCann's presence moves through SelassieFest like a heartbeat — at the center of every meaningful conversation from sunrise to sundown. That is how trust compounds into community.
What This Dual Anchor Delivers For ChiCann
Presenting naming of Higher Learning Roots — "ChiCann Higher Learning Roots" in all event materials and signage
Co-presenting naming of the Reasoning Circle Pavilion — ChiCann's mission embedded in the community dialogue hub
ChiCann speakers, educators, and advocates leading panels, COA workshops, and equity conversations all day
ChiCann workforce/community networking activation — connect attendees with jobs, programs, and resources
Branded sustainability and equity installation inside Higher Learning Roots district
ChiCann resource hub — literature, QR codes, sign-ups, and live staff to onboard new community members
Featured in all Higher Learning and Reasoning Circle social content — Reels, TikTok, recap film
Documentary film crew captures ChiCann's programming — permanent content for ChiCann's own channels
Featured in SelassieFest's 5,000+ email subscriber base — pre, during, and post-event communications
Permanent "Founding Partner" placement on selassiefest.com — ChiCann logo, link, and partnership statement
Activation Concepts ChiCann Can Own At SelassieFest
ChiCann Cannabis Academy Equity in Cannabis Panel Series COA Reading Workshop Community Workforce Hub Terpene Discovery Bar Farm-to-Dispensary Deep Dive Social Equity Expungement Clinic Sustainability Talks Grow Hope Programming Spotlight Volunteer Corps Activation Community Mural / Art Wall Smart Buds Bio Lab (ChiCann-branded)
ChiCann's Presence Across Every Phase
The partnership doesn't begin on July 25th. It begins the moment the agreement is signed — and it doesn't end when the music stops.
Phase 01 — Agreement Through June
Community Announcement & Pre-Festival Seeding
ChiCann featured in SelassieFest's "Founding Partners" announcement across all social channels. Co-branded content distributed through SelassieFest's 5,000+ email subscriber base. ChiCann cross-promotes SelassieFest through its own community networks, newsletter, and partner organizations — activating both audiences simultaneously.
Phase 02 — July Run-Up
Education Content Series & Countdown Activation
ChiCann featured in the "Higher Learning Roots Preview" and "Reasoning Circle Spotlight" social content series. Joint education content — video shorts, workshop previews, equity conversation teasers — goes out across both organizations' channels. ChiCann's brand appears in all paid and organic SelassieFest promotional materials leading up to July 25th.
Phase 03 — July 25, 2026
Festival Day — Full Community Presence
ChiCann's dual anchor activates across Higher Learning Roots and the Reasoning Circle Pavilion. 16 hours of community engagement, education programming, equity conversations, workforce networking, and live advocacy. Documentary film crew captures ChiCann's team and programming throughout the day — real content, not branded footage.
Phase 04 — Post-Event
The Permanent Record & Community Growth
ChiCann featured in the official SelassieFest 2026 recap film — documentary content that travels through cultural media channels far beyond Chicago. Permanent Founding Partner placement on selassiefest.com. New community members recruited at the festival remain connected through ChiCann's programs. As SelassieFest grows annually, ChiCann's founding credit anchors the story.
Where ChiCann Lives On-Site
Every touchpoint across SelassieFest's nine districts where ChiCann's name, people, and mission are present on July 25th.
Higher Learning Roots District
ChiCann named as the presenting education partner — your identity lives inside every workshop, academy session, and discovery experience in the district all day.
Reasoning Circle Pavilion
ChiCann's name and team at the heart of SelassieFest's community dialogue hub — equity panels, cannabis conversations, and organizing space from morning to evening.
Community Workforce Hub
A live ChiCann activation connecting festival attendees to career opportunities, programs, and community resources — real impact on the day, real relationships beyond it.
Digital & Social Coverage
ChiCann visible in all Higher Learning and Reasoning Circle social content — Reels, TikTok, Stories, and the SelassieFest recap film distributed post-event.
Signage & Print Materials
ChiCann co-presenting credit on all Higher Learning Roots and Reasoning Circle physical signage, printed programs, and wayfinding — seen by every attendee who walks the grounds.
Documentary Film Presence
ChiCann's programming and team captured by the SelassieFest documentary crew — authentic cultural content that lives in the archive and travels through media well beyond July 25th.

Let's Build This Together

This proposal was prepared specifically for ChiCann. We review every inquiry personally and move with intention — July 25th is close, but the relationship we're building is for the long term. Let's start the real conversation now.