Mill City Grows
Mill City Grows is a Lowell, Massachusetts-based non-profit founded in 2011 that operates urban farms, mobile markets, and CSA shares to deliver fresh produce and food education to food-insecure residents, supported by grants, donations, and community programming.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLowell, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mill City Grows does
Mill City Grows is a 501(c)(3) food justice non-profit founded in 2011 and headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts, that builds urban agriculture infrastructure and food access programs for underserved Lowell residents. Its production footprint comprises the 4-acre Big Urban Farm in Pawtucketville, a 3,600 sq ft greenhouse complex at the UMass Lowell Rist Urban Agriculture Farm (expanded in 2024), and 27+ school and community gardens across the city, together generating thousands of pounds of produce annually that flow back into the community.
The organization distributes food through year-round mobile farmers markets (outdoor May–October, indoor in winter) at multiple neighborhood locations including the Lowell Senior Center and the Lowell Community Health Center, plus a CSA Farm Share program with summer and winter seasons. It accepts SNAP/EBT and participates in Massachusetts' Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), making fresh produce financially accessible to food-insecure households. Education is delivered via the ROOT Kitchen community cooking space, school-based food education, and recurring community workshops (herbalism, cooking demonstrations, food preparation). The Merrimack Valley Growers Aid Program extends the model upstream, providing land access, supplies, and technical assistance to 11 local farmers, many of whom grow culturally meaningful crops.
Revenue is a mix of philanthropic grants and donations (Project Bread, Cummings Foundation, Donahue Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union), corporate sponsorships, individual giving (including a 15th anniversary fundraiser), and modest transactional income from mobile market produce sales, CSA subscriptions, and an annual Spring Plant Sale. Free community events — Seed Swap, Harvest Day at the Farm, MCG Supper Club — double as awareness and engagement channels alongside an active social media presence and the "Roots In Lowell" podcast. The organization is led by Co-Executive Directors Ali Jacobs and Courtney McSparron following the late-2023 departure of Jessica Moore-Wilson.
Mill City Grows firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mill City Grows
- Legal name
- Mill City Grows
- Website
- https://millcitygrows.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mill City Grows is a Lowell, Massachusetts-based non-profit founded in 2011 that operates urban farms, mobile markets, and CSA shares to deliver fresh produce and food education to food-insecure residents, supported by grants, donations, and community programming.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Mill City Grows is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lowell
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Mill City Grows business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Mill City Grows operates as a nonprofit organization that relies on donations, fundraising campaigns, and 15th anniversary fundraiser activities to support operations.
- Mobile Market Produce Sales: Fresh produce sales through mobile farmers markets and farm share (CSA) programs. SNAP/EBT and HIP benefits are accepted for purchases.
- Plant Sale Revenue: Annual spring plant sale events generate revenue from sale of herb, vegetable, flower, and fruit plants grown at UMass Lowell Rist Urban Agriculture Farm.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Mobile Market produce pricing - varies by item and season |
| Subscription | Annual | Farm Share (CSA) subscriptions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Mill City Grows product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mill City Grows operates urban farms and community gardens that produce fresh food, distributes produce through year-round mobile farmers markets and CSA farm shares, and delivers food education programming to Lowell, Massachusetts residents. The organization accepts SNAP/EBT/HIP benefits and supports local small farmers through the Merrimack Valley Growers Aid Program.
Product overview
Mill City Grows is a food justice non-profit organization that operates a coordinated portfolio of urban agriculture and food access programs in Lowell, Massachusetts. The core offerings include Community Gardens (27+ sites) and the Big Urban Farm (4-acre growing space), which produce thousands of pounds of fresh food annually. Food distribution is handled through Mobile Markets (year-round farmers markets accepting SNAP/EBT/HIP) and a CSA Farm Share Program with both summer and winter seasons. Education is delivered through Community Education workshops, School Education programs, and ROOT Kitchen cooking classes. The organization also supports emerging farmers through the Merrimack Valley Growers Aid Program and hosts annual public events including the Seed Swap, Spring Plant Sale, and Harvest Day at the Farm. This is not a software product company and does not offer APIs, AI capabilities, or technical integrations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Gardens Provides land, education, and growing opportunities for Lowell residents to grow fresh food through 27+ School and Community Gardens across the city.
- Big Urban Farm A 4-acre urban farm in Lowell's Pawtucketville neighborhood serving as the organization's primary growing space, producing thousands of pounds of food annually for the community.
- Mobile Farmers Markets Year-round Mobile Farmers Markets selling fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables at multiple Lowell neighborhood locations; accepts SNAP/EBT/HIP payments.
- CSA Farm Share Program Community Supported Agriculture program providing fresh, seasonal produce through summer and winter CSA seasons, with increased access for SNAP/EBT clients.
- Merrimack Valley Growers Aid Program Program providing land access, supplies, technical assistance, and education on sustainable farming practices to 11 local farmers, many growing culturally meaningful crops.
- Community Education Free educational workshops and programs for community members on topics including cooking demonstrations, herbalism, and food preparation.
- School Education Program Food education programs delivered in schools, infusing food production spaces with education to support community understanding of growing, accessing, and preparing healthy food.
- ROOT Kitchen Community kitchen space and cooking education facility at 19 Hall Street, hosting live cooking demonstrations and culinary workshops for the community.
- Annual Spring Plant Sale Annual public event at UMass Lowell's Rist Urban Agriculture Farm offering Lowell-grown herbs, vegetables, flowers, and fruit plants for purchase, with SNAP/HIP accepted.
Quantifiable outcome
- Thousands of pounds of food grown and given back to Lowell residents annually from Big Urban Farm
Companies that use Mill City Grows
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mill City Grows technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mill City Grows partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Pollard Memorial LibraryminorCollaboration during National Library Week to offer 20% discount at mobile markets for library card holders. Pollard Library Bookmobile attends mobile market locations to issue free library cards.
- Lowell Parks & Conservation TrustminorPartner organization showcased at Harvest Day at the Farm to share conservation and environmental work with attendees.
- Lowell Kinetic Sculpture RaceminorCommunity organization partner featured at MCG Harvest Day at the Farm event.
- Mass AudubonminorPartner organization featured at Harvest Day at the Farm for environmental education.
- ReGenerative Roots of New HampshireminorPartner giving free apple and pear trees to guests at Harvest Day at the Farm event.
- Lowell Sustainability CouncilminorLocal sustainability organization featured at MCG community events.
- Rimol Greenhouse SystemsminorAnnual sponsor for MCG events including Spring Plant Sale.
- Jeanne D'Arc Credit UnionminorBanner sponsor for Harvest Day at the Farm 2023 event, supporting the organization's public celebration and community engagement activities.
- UMass Lowell Office of SustainabilitycorePartnership to establish the Rist Urban Agriculture Greenhouse & Farm at 69 Pawtucket Street. Initial 1,800 sq ft greenhouse built in 2017, with additional 1,800 sq ft expansion in 2024, providing double the growing space. MCG seeds and nurtures plants at this facility for plant sales and programming.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mill City Grows competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Food Project: The Food Project is a Greater Boston-based non-profit operating urban farms, CSA farm shares, and youth food programs. Highly comparable to Mill City Grows in mission, urban agriculture model, food access focus, and CSA/market distribution channels.
- Green City Growers: Green City Growers builds and maintains organic vegetable gardens for residences, schools, and businesses in Greater Boston. Comparable as a Massachusetts-based urban agriculture and food education organization operating at similar scale.
- GrowNYC: GrowNYC operates Greenmarkets farmers markets, urban gardens, and food education programs across New York City. Comparable urban agriculture + farmers markets + food education stack, though at significantly larger scale than MCG.
- Big Green: Big Green is a national non-profit that builds learning gardens in schools and provides food education. Directly comparable to MCG's school garden network (27+ gardens) and food education programming.
Regional players
- Nuestras Raíces: Nuestras Raíces is a Holyoke, MA-based non-profit operating a community farm and supporting Latino farmers through land access and training. Comparable to MCG's MVGA program supporting 11 local farmers with culturally meaningful crops and food justice mission in Massachusetts.
- Waltham Fields Community Farm: Waltham Fields Community Farm is a Massachusetts-based non-profit operating a community farm with CSA shares, farm-based education, and food access programs. Closely comparable urban-edge farming + CSA + education model in the same state.
- Boston Area Gleaners: Boston Area Gleaners is a Massachusetts non-profit that rescues surplus crops from farms and distributes to food insecure communities. Comparable as a regional food access non-profit with distribution focus serving Eastern Massachusetts.
Broad incumbents
- City Harvest: City Harvest is a large NYC-based food rescue and food access non-profit. Comparable as a food access organization, though City Harvest operates at city-scale via food rescue rather than urban farming production.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mill City Grows social profiles
Digital presenceMill City Grows financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mill City Grows leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Mill City Grows funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mill City Grows 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 Mill City Grows
What does Mill City Grows do?
Mill City Grows operates urban farms and community gardens that produce fresh food, distributes produce through year-round mobile farmers markets and CSA farm shares, and delivers food education programming to Lowell, Massachusetts residents. The organization accepts SNAP/EBT/HIP benefits and supports local small farmers through the Merrimack Valley Growers Aid Program.
Is Mill City Grows a public or private company?
Mill City Grows is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mill City Grows founded?
Mill City Grows was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mill City Grows based?
Mill City Grows is headquartered in Lowell, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mill City Grows make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are mobile Market Produce Sales and plant Sale Revenue.
Who are Mill City Grows's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Food Project, Green City Growers, GrowNYC and Big Green. Regional players are Nuestras Raíces, Waltham Fields Community Farm and Boston Area Gleaners. City Harvest is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Mill City Grows have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mill City Grows.