Teens for Food Justice
Teens for Food Justice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that embeds high-capacity hydroponic farms inside Title I public schools in New York City and Denver, using student-operated CEA infrastructure to grow produce, deliver STEM and food-justice education, and distribute food to food-insecure communities across 22 schools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Teens for Food Justice does
Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that embeds high-capacity hydroponic farms inside Title I public schools in New York City and Denver, producing up to 10,000 pounds of fresh produce per campus annually and distributing it through school cafeterias, biweekly campus family distributions, Fresh Food Box programs, student-run farmer's markets, and a network of community partners including food pantries, JASA, Episcopal Health Services, and Northwell Health. Across its network, TFFJ reports 59,000+ pounds of produce and 97,200 servings of leafy greens distributed per year, feeding 10,000+ students annually across 22 participating schools. The farms function simultaneously as working Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) infrastructure and as classroom spaces, where students participate in school-day STEM classes and after-school programs built around a five-pillar curriculum covering hydroponic systems, food justice advocacy, nutrition, culinary education, and community engagement.
The organization's underlying technology is high-capacity CEA hydroponic systems custom-deployed in school environments, paired with curriculum covering urban agriculture engineering, plant biology, chemistry, physics of indoor growing, and data collection/tracking. Its flagship operational structure is the Far Rockaway Farm Hub, the first regional network of school-based hydroponic farms in NYC, currently running five campuses serving students from ten schools with two additional farm launches planned by end of 2026.
TFFJ operates as a grant- and donation-funded nonprofit with no traditional product revenue. Funding sources include foundation and corporate grants (Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, Whole Kids Foundation, Impact 100 NYC, United Way of NYC, Healthy Foods for Denver's Kids), government grants (a $300,000 USDA Farm to School award in 2021, plus NYC Council, Borough President, and NY State Senate discretionary funding), corporate matching programs, Donor-Advised Funds, planned giving, and individual donations. Go-to-market is community-led and partnership-driven, with site selection gated by school-district and principal agreements (NYC DOE and Denver Public Schools are core institutional partners), local elected-official funding commitments, and embedded full-time Farmer-Educators that anchor each campus. The organization has earned a Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating and a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, and leadership transitioned from co-founder Katherine Soll (now CEO Emerita) to Meghan Groome, PhD.
Teens for Food Justice firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Teens for Food Justice
- Legal name
- Teens for Food Justice, Inc.
- Website
- https://teensforfoodjustice.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Teens for Food Justice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that embeds high-capacity hydroponic farms inside Title I public schools in New York City and Denver, using student-operated CEA infrastructure to grow produce, deliver STEM and food-justice education, and distribute food to food-insecure communities across 22 schools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Teens for Food Justice industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Food Justice & School-Based Urban Agriculture
- NAICS
- Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Vertical Farming Systems & Racking (Indoor Farms, Multi-tier) (AFAAAHAI), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD), Agribusiness, Farm Management & Compliance (EDAOAOAN), Sustainability, Waste Reduction & Composting Programs (EDALADAL)
Keywords
Where Teens for Food Justice is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Teens for Food Justice business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: TFFJ accepts donations from individuals through its website, with various giving levels that fund student hydroponic grow kits, stipends for student leadership opportunities, cooking demo supplies, food justice outreach projects, and food distributions.
- Foundation and Corporate Grants: Major funders include Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, Whole Kids Foundation, United Way of New York City, Healthy Foods for Denver's Kids, Impact 100 NYC ($100,000 Innovation Grant), and others. Grants fund specific farm installations and programming expansion.
- Government Grants: TFFJ received a $300,000 USDA grant to expand hydroponic farming programs in Rockaway Peninsula schools. Also receives funding from NYC Council, Queens Borough President, Manhattan Borough President, NYC DOE, NY State Senate, and USDA Farm to School Program.
- Corporate Matching Programs: Many companies offer matching gift programs, allowing employees to double or triple their donations to TFFJ.
- Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Donors can include TFFJ in their will or trust, or make Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD) from their IRA starting at age 70½.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels13 records
Teens for Food Justice product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Teens for Food Justice embeds high-capacity Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) hydroponic farms directly inside Title I public schools in New York City and Denver, where students operate the farms as both working food-production infrastructure and classroom space. Each farm grows up to 10,000 pounds of produce annually that is served in school cafeterias, distributed to campus families, and shared with food-insecure community members through local partner organizations. The offering is bundled with a five-pillar STEM and food-justice curriculum, youth leadership development, and a regional farm-hub distribution model (Far Rockaway Farm Hub).
Product overview
Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ) operates a school-based hydroponic farming platform with farms embedded in Title I public schools in New York City and Denver. The core offering consists of high-capacity hydroponic farms (producing up to 11,000 lbs annually per campus) combined with STEM and food justice curriculum, youth leadership programs, and community food distribution. The portfolio includes 22 participating schools, the Student Leadership Conference for annual youth gathering, and the Far Rockaway Farm Hub as a regional network model. Student-grown produce feeds school cafeterias, families (via Fresh Food Box programs), and food-insecure community members. Additional offerings include hydroponic grow kits for home use and advocacy training programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- School-Based Hydroponic Farms High-capacity Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) hydroponic farms embedded directly inside Title I public schools in New York City and Denver. Each farm functions as both working food-production infrastructure (up to 10,000+ lbs of produce annually per campus) and a classroom where students grow food, study food systems, and develop food-justice advocacy skills. Each school hosts a full-time Farmer-Educator.
- STEM & Food Justice Curriculum Integrated five-pillar curriculum covering Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), Food Justice & Advocacy, Health & Nutrition, Culinary & Food Education, and Community Engagement & Social Impact. Delivered through in-school STEM classes and afterschool programs; students build hydroponic systems from the ground up, mastering urban agriculture engineering, plant biology/chemistry, physics of indoor growing, and data collection/tracking.
- Healthy Food Distribution Program Student-grown produce distributed to school cafeterias, campus families (Fresh Food Box programs), and food-insecure community members through partnerships with food pantries, mutual aid groups, and direct-service organizations across NYC and Denver. Network output: 59,000+ pounds per year, 97,200 servings of leafy greens annually.
- Youth Leadership Programs Pathways for students to operate farms, coordinate food distributions, develop advocacy projects, and engage in food policy work, taking on leadership roles within their schools and communities.
- Student Leadership Conference Annual event bringing student leaders from every TFFJ farm together for storytelling, skill-building, and civic learning. Features workshops, project sharing, mentoring from industry experts, and advocacy skill-building on hydroponics, nutrition, advocacy, and community action.
- Far Rockaway Farm Hub First-ever regional network of school-based hydroponic farms in New York City, advancing food justice across the Rockaway Peninsula. Currently provides year-round programming at five campuses serving students from ten schools (4,200+ students), producing 36,000+ pounds of food through the hub.
- Fresh Food Box Program Paid workforce development opportunity for student interns who manage farm operations and run fresh-food-box markets, distributing produce to campus families and community members as part of an integrated school-to-community food pipeline.
- Hydroponic Grow Kits Hands-on take-home hydroponic grow kits for students to grow food at home, supporting STEM learning, food access at the household level, and preparation for engagement with larger school-farm hydroponic systems. Funded by individual donations at the $50 level.
Quantifiable outcome
- 59,000+ pounds of student-grown produce distributed per year
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Teens for Food Justice
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Teens for Food Justice technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Teens for Food Justice partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
28 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- NYC DOE Office of Space PlanningmajorNYC Department of Education office that facilitated space allocation for TFFJ farm at Murry Bergtraum Educational Campus.
- NYC Public SchoolscoreCore institutional partner enabling TFFJ farm installation and operation within public school facilities across NYC.
- Denver Public SchoolscorePartner enabling TFFJ farm at Bruce Randolph School in Denver. Collaborating to develop urban agriculture career pathway for students.
- Kingsbridge Heights Community CentermajorCommunity partner for DeWitt Clinton farm, providing community engagement and food distribution support.
- Lincoln Square Neighborhood CentermajorCommunity partner for MLK, Jr. farm, supporting food access programs in the Lincoln Square neighborhood.
- The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH)coreRuns Edgemere Urban Agro-Education Center and Beach Dunes Eats & Arts Café. Distributes farm-grown produce, offers youth employment, and supports food access initiatives across Far Rockaway.
- JASA (Jewish Association Serving the Aging)coreServes aging residents across NYC through meal programs and community centers. Enhances food access and social support for local elders through TFFJ partnership.
- Episcopal Health ServicesmajorOffers Health Bucks, nutrition education, and fresh produce distribution programs to increase healthy food access for local families in Far Rockaway.
- Northwell HealthmajorNorthwell's Food as Health initiative addresses local food insecurity through patient screenings, community meal programs, and nutrition education connecting Far Rockaway residents to food resources.
- NYC Food Policy Center at Hunter CollegemajorProduces Rockaway & Broad Channel Foodscape report and resource guide, helping communities and policymakers track food access, consumption, and health outcomes.
- Huerta UrbanamajorDenver-based partner collaborating with Bruce Randolph School farm, supporting urban agriculture education.
- We Don't WastemajorDenver-based organization receiving produce from Bruce Randolph School farm for citywide distribution, reducing food waste while addressing food insecurity.
- Good Shepherd ServicesmajorCommunity partner for DeWitt Clinton farm, supporting youth services and food distribution.
- QIRT Grab n' GomajorCampus grab-and-go program partner for Far Rockaway Educational Campus, distributing fresh produce to students and families.
- Upper Room International MinistrymajorFaith-based community partner for Far Rockaway farm, supporting food distribution efforts.
- Long Beach Soup KitchenminorCommunity partner receiving produce from Far Rockaway farm for soup kitchen food service.
- The Chait Domestic Abuse CenterminorPartner organization receiving fresh produce from Far Rockaway farm for families in domestic abuse shelter programs.
- East Brooklyn Mutual AidmajorMutual aid organization partnering with Brownsville Collaborative Middle School farm for community food distribution.
- Gotham ParkmajorCommunity partner for Murry Bergtraum farm, supporting local community-based food distribution.
- Kingsbridge Heights Community CentermajorCommunity partner for Bronx food distributions, providing food access services to local residents.
- Upper Room International MinistrymajorCommunity partner for Bronx distributions.
- B.R.I.D.G.E Family Enrichment CentermajorPartner organization for community food distributions.
- Good Shepherd ServicesmajorYouth and family services organization partnering on food distribution programs.
- Child Center of New YorkmajorYouth services organization partnering for community food access.
- House on the Rock ChurchminorFaith-based community partner for food distributions.
- Huerta UrbanamajorUrban agriculture partner for food access programs.
- GrowNYCmajorPartner for Far Rockaway Educational Campus soil garden providing additional produce during outdoor growing season.
- DREAM Charter SchoolsmajorCharter school network supporting TFFJ mission and food justice initiatives. COO Raymie Fernandez has expressed commitment to tackling food insecurity through the partnership.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Teens for Food Justice competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AeroFarms: AeroFarms is a leading commercial indoor vertical farming company with operations in Newark, NJ and elsewhere. Broad incumbent in CEA with comparable hydroponic technology and crop focus (leafy greens), though oriented to retail/commercial channels rather than schools.
- Plenty Unlimited: Plenty is a commercial vertical farming operator using indoor CEA to grow leafy greens at scale. While for-profit and non-school-focused, it shares the underlying CEA technology stack and is a relevant adjacency for TFFJ's hydroponic farm architecture.
Direct peers
- Big Green: Big Green is a national nonprofit building learning gardens in public schools, with similar focus on food education, school-based infrastructure, and food access in underserved communities. It is the closest U.S. comparable in mission and delivery model to TFFJ.
- Edible Schoolyard Project: Founded by Alice Waters, Edible Schoolyard integrates gardens and food education into K-12 public schools, emphasizing hands-on learning and food access. Operates school-based food gardens as instructional and community resources, parallel to TFFJ's farm-in-school model.
- Green Bronx Machine: Green Bronx Machine builds indoor vertical farms and educational programs inside NYC Title I schools, producing food and delivering STEM/food justice curriculum. Operates in the same geography and school-district ecosystem as TFFJ with overlapping program design.
Emerging players
- DC Greens: DC Greens advances food justice and school-based food access across Washington, D.C., combining school programming, policy advocacy, and community gardens. Comparable in mission and program mix but with different geographic focus and non-CEA delivery model.
- Wholesome Wave: Wholesome Wave is a national nonprofit that doubles SNAP/federal nutrition benefits at farmers markets and invests in food access programs, including school-based initiatives. Overlaps with TFFJ in food access and produce-distribution outcomes but not in CEA infrastructure.
- Iron Rooster Farms / Square Roots: Square Roots operates indoor hydroponic farms (formerly in Brooklyn) with a farmer-training program for youth and adults. Comparable in deploying urban CEA for food access and as a workforce-development vehicle, paralleling TFFJ's youth-led farm model.
Regional players
- GrowNYC: GrowNYC operates school gardens, farmer's markets, and food access programs across NYC, including as a documented TFFJ community partner. Comparable regional player in school gardening and food access with broader programmatic scope.
Others
- National Farm to School Network: National Farm to School Network is an information, advocacy, and capacity-building organization connecting schools, farms, and communities; TFFJ participates in the USDA Farm to School Program, which the Network supports. Relevant ecosystem/funder adjacency rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Teens for Food Justice social profiles
Digital presenceTeens for Food Justice financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Teens for Food Justice leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Teens for Food Justice funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Teens for Food Justice M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Teens for Food Justice
What does Teens for Food Justice do?
Teens for Food Justice embeds high-capacity Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) hydroponic farms directly inside Title I public schools in New York City and Denver, where students operate the farms as both working food-production infrastructure and classroom space. Each farm grows up to 10,000 pounds of produce annually that is served in school cafeterias, distributed to campus families, and shared with food-insecure community members through local partner organizations. The offering is bundled with a five-pillar STEM and food-justice curriculum, youth leadership development, and a regional farm-hub distribution model (Far Rockaway Farm Hub).
Is Teens for Food Justice a public or private company?
Teens for Food Justice is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Teens for Food Justice founded?
Teens for Food Justice was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Teens for Food Justice based?
Teens for Food Justice is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Teens for Food Justice make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Corporate Grants, government Grants, corporate Matching Programs and planned Giving and Estate Gifts.
Who are Teens for Food Justice's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AeroFarms and Plenty Unlimited. Direct peers are Big Green, Edible Schoolyard Project and Green Bronx Machine. Emerging players are DC Greens, Wholesome Wave and Iron Rooster Farms / Square Roots. GrowNYC is listed as a regional player. National Farm to School Network is listed as an others.
Does Teens for Food Justice have an API?
No public API is recorded for Teens for Food Justice.
What industry is Teens for Food Justice in?
Teens for Food Justice's product category is Youth Food Justice & School-Based Urban Agriculture. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAHAJ, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms), with a secondary code of AFAAAHAI, Vertical Farming Systems & Racking (Indoor Farms, Multi-tier). Its NAICS code is 11141 and its SIC code is 100.