Teens for Food Justice

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.

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

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

• School hydroponic farming
• Youth food justice
• Urban agriculture education
• Community food distribution
• STEM nutrition programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Corporate Matching Programs: Many companies offer matching gift programs, allowing employees to double or triple their donations to TFFJ.
5. 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

Core 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

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• NYC DOE Office of Space PlanningmajorOthersNYC Department of Education office that facilitated space allocation for TFFJ farm at Murry Bergtraum Educational Campus.
• NYC Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore institutional partner enabling TFFJ farm installation and operation within public school facilities across NYC.
• Denver Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner enabling TFFJ farm at Bruce Randolph School in Denver. Collaborating to develop urban agriculture career pathway for students.
• Kingsbridge Heights Community CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for DeWitt Clinton farm, providing community engagement and food distribution support.
• Lincoln Square Neighborhood CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for MLK, Jr. farm, supporting food access programs in the Lincoln Square neighborhood.
• The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuns 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes aging residents across NYC through meal programs and community centers. Enhances food access and social support for local elders through TFFJ partnership.
• Episcopal Health ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOffers Health Bucks, nutrition education, and fresh produce distribution programs to increase healthy food access for local families in Far Rockaway.
• Northwell HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthwell'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 CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduces Rockaway & Broad Channel Foodscape report and resource guide, helping communities and policymakers track food access, consumption, and health outcomes.
• Huerta UrbanamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenver-based partner collaborating with Bruce Randolph School farm, supporting urban agriculture education.
• We Don't WastemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenver-based organization receiving produce from Bruce Randolph School farm for citywide distribution, reducing food waste while addressing food insecurity.
• Good Shepherd ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for DeWitt Clinton farm, supporting youth services and food distribution.
• QIRT Grab n' GomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus grab-and-go program partner for Far Rockaway Educational Campus, distributing fresh produce to students and families.
• Upper Room International MinistrymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based community partner for Far Rockaway farm, supporting food distribution efforts.
• Long Beach Soup KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner receiving produce from Far Rockaway farm for soup kitchen food service.
• The Chait Domestic Abuse CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization receiving fresh produce from Far Rockaway farm for families in domestic abuse shelter programs.
• East Brooklyn Mutual AidmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual aid organization partnering with Brownsville Collaborative Middle School farm for community food distribution.
• Gotham ParkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for Murry Bergtraum farm, supporting local community-based food distribution.
• Kingsbridge Heights Community CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for Bronx food distributions, providing food access services to local residents.
• Upper Room International MinistrymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for Bronx distributions.
• B.R.I.D.G.E Family Enrichment CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for community food distributions.
• Good Shepherd ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth and family services organization partnering on food distribution programs.
• Child Center of New YorkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth services organization partnering for community food access.
• House on the Rock ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based community partner for food distributions.
• Huerta UrbanamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban agriculture partner for food access programs.
• GrowNYCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Far Rockaway Educational Campus soil garden providing additional produce during outdoor growing season.
• DREAM Charter SchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharter 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

Broad 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TFFJ
• Facebookfacebook.com/teensforfoodjustice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teensforfoodjustice
• Instagraminstagram.com/teensforfoodjustice
• TikToktiktok.com/@teensforfoodjustice
• Xx.com/tffjinitiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Teens for Food Justice