Grace Farms Foundation
Grace Farms Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural and humanitarian center operating the SANAA-designed River building on 80 acres in New Canaan, CT, serving general public visitors, K-12 schools, nonprofits, and members through free admission, field trips, events, and the Design for Freedom movement against forced labor in construction supply chains.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNew Canaan, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Grace Farms Foundation does
Grace Farms Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural and humanitarian center established in 2009 and opened to the public in October 2015 in New Canaan, Connecticut. It operates the SANAA-designed River building — a single continuous floating-roof structure with LEED Gold certification, geothermal climate control via 55 deep wells, and on-site milled timber — on 80 acres of publicly accessible natural landscape featuring 10 biodiverse habitats and 2,000+ trees. The foundation serves general public visitors through free admission, K-12 schools via $8/student field trips aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, 501(c)(3) nonprofits through a free Space Grants program, and individual members through a paid membership tier with 20% discounts on programs, retail, and dining.
Revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit model: charitable contributions processed via Classy.org, membership subscriptions, food and beverage sales (operated through the certified B Corp subsidiary Grace Farms Tea & Coffee — the first U.S. tea brand partnered with Fairtrade International), ticketed concerts and performances in the 700-seat glass-enclosed Sanctuary, and school field trip fees. Since opening, the foundation has welcomed over 1 million visitors. In 2020, Grace Farms launched the Design for Freedom movement to eliminate forced labor from building materials supply chains, and has since built an ecosystem of 100+ Working Group leaders across architecture, landscape architecture, and consumer goods, formalized through the annual Design for Freedom Summit (inaugural 2022, fifth annual 2026) and strategic partnerships with ASSA ABLOY, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture, and AI-powered material platforms Acelab and BuildingEase. The organization is led by CEO and Founder Sharon Prince and operates with 51–100 employees.
Grace Farms Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grace Farms Foundation
- Legal name
- Grace Farms Foundation, Inc.
- Website
- https://gracefarms.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Grace Farms Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural and humanitarian center operating the SANAA-designed River building on 80 acres in New Canaan, CT, serving general public visitors, K-12 schools, nonprofits, and members through free admission, field trips, events, and the Design for Freedom movement against forced labor in construction supply chains.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grace Farms Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Cultural and Humanitarian Center
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)
Keywords
Where Grace Farms Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Canaan
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Grace Farms Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Grace Farms Foundation relies on charitable contributions from donors. The website includes a Donate button linking to Classy.org for online donations.
- Membership Program: Grace Farms offers a membership program with benefits including expedited access, discounted tickets to programs and events, and access to select private events.
- Food and Beverage Sales: Snacks, beverages, and light fare are available for purchase in the Commons. Tea service is offered in the Pavilion. These are operated through Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, a certified B Corp.
- School Field Trip Fees: Educational programs for K-12 students with pricing of $8 per student for experiences and tours, with add-ons available at additional cost.
- Event Ticket Sales: Concerts, performances, and special events are ticketed, with tickets available through the Grace Farms website.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Admission - General Public |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | School Field Trip Experiences and Tours |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Staff Positions |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Grace Farms Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grace Farms Foundation operates an 80-acre publicly accessible cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, Connecticut, anchored by the SANAA-designed River building. It delivers free nature, arts, justice, community, and faith programming; leads the global Design for Freedom movement to eliminate forced labor from building materials; offers K-12 educational field trips; sells Grace Farms Tea & Coffee (a B-Corp consumer brand); and operates a membership program, ticketed concerts and events, and Space Grants for nonprofits.
Product overview
Grace Farms Foundation operates a single integrated physical experience rather than a modular software product. The core offering is the Grace Farms venue experience — a cultural and humanitarian center featuring the SANAA-designed River building and Barns on 80 acres. Supporting this are distinct programs including the Design for Freedom movement (with its Toolkit and Report resources), the With Every Fiber exhibit, Grace Farms Tea & Coffee (a B Corp sub-brand), Space Grants, School Field Trips, Events and Concerts, and a Membership Program. A Digital Guide via Bloomberg Connects provides ancillary digital access. These offerings are unified by the mission to foster grace and peace through nature, arts, justice, community, and faith.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Design for Freedom: A global movement launched in 2020 to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain and reimagine architecture as a driver of humanitarian outcomes.
Products and services
- Grace Farms Venue Experience Free public access to the SANAA-designed River building and Barns on 80 acres of natural landscape in New Canaan, CT, offering programming in nature, arts, justice, community, and faith with free admission and advance registration.
- Grace Farms Tea & Coffee Certified B Corp consumer tea and coffee brand, the first and only US-based tea brand partnered with Fairtrade International, sourcing coffee exclusively from women-led co-ops.
- Events and Concerts Year-round ticketed programming including musical performances, discussions, nature education programs, and recreational activities held in the 700-seat glass-enclosed Sanctuary amphitheater.
- School Field Trips Innovative K-12 educational field trips engaging students with the award-winning architecture and nature preserve, aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core, and Connecticut frameworks, priced at $8 per student with optional add-ons.
- Membership Program Subscription membership program offering expedited access, 20% discounts on paid programs, retail, and dining, and access to exclusive private events for individual supporters.
- Space Grants Program Free venue access program for mission-aligned 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and quasi-governmental entities to host nonprofit programming, community events, and advocacy gatherings.
- Digital Guide on Bloomberg Connects Free interactive digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects app providing maps of the River building and grounds, artist information, exhibit details, and program registration.
- With Every Fiber Exhibit Long-term immersive exhibit demonstrating innovative approaches to ethical sourcing in construction materials, focusing on stone, pigment, and glass with commissioned artworks, the Material Clarity installation, and a London Philharmonic Orchestra recording of Evan Williams' 'Woven in Tears.'
Quantifiable outcome
- Welcomed 1 million visitors since opening in 2015
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Grace Farms Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Grace Farms Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Grace Farms Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ASSA ABLOYcoreASSA ABLOY supplied ethically-sourced mortise locks for the renovation of Bigfork Library in Montana as part of a Grace Farms Design for Freedom pilot project. The mortise lock contains over 150 components and uses a closed specification model for rigorous due diligence on sustainability standards. ASSA ABLOY is leveraging supply chain mapping technology to trace its global supply chain of over 9,000 suppliers as a direct result of this involvement.
- Mathews Nielsen Landscape ArchitectsminorLandscape architecture firm collaborating with University of Pennsylvania professor Franca Trubiano on research regarding forced labor risks in landscape architecture materials supply chain, supported by a Landscape Architecture Foundation grant.
- University of PennsylvaniaminorFranca Trubiano, Associate Professor at Penn, conducting research on forced labor risks in landscape architecture materials with support from a Landscape Architecture Foundation grant.
- AcelabcoreAI-powered platform (raised $13.5 million in October 2025) helping design firms navigate opaque supply chains and verify ethical sourcing of materials like stone, gravel, timber, and rubber. Part of the ecosystem supporting Design for Freedom's goals of material transparency.
- BuildingEasecoreAI-powered platform emerging alongside Acelab to help design firms navigate opaque supply chains and verify ethical sourcing of building materials.
- London Philharmonic OrchestracoreLong-standing partnership with the London Philharmonic Orchestra who recorded 'Woven in Tears' by Evan Williams for the 'With Every Fiber' exhibit. The orchestra features prominently in Design for Freedom programming and performances at Grace Farms.
- Studio Cooke John Architecture + DesigncoreDesigned the 'With Every Fiber' exhibit and created the Material Clarity installation exploring forced labor in the glass and sand industries. Principal Nina Cooke John designed the exhibit space.
- PentagramminorGraphics design partner for the 'With Every Fiber' exhibit.
- Yale Center for Ecosystems + ArchitecturecoreCollaborated on immersive biomaterials installation for 'With Every Fiber' exhibit, emphasizing the relationship between culture and sustainability and introducing the concept of ethical decarbonization proposed by Grace Farms CEO Sharon Prince with Yale CEA founder Anna Dyson.
- Grace Farms Tea & CoffeecoreA public benefit LLC and Certified B Corp that demonstrates ethical and sustainable supply chains. The first and only US-based tea brand to partner with Fairtrade International. Sources coffee exclusively from women-led co-ops. Supports the Design for Freedom movement.
- SANAAcorePritzker Prize-winning Tokyo-based architectural firm (Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa) that designed the River building—SANAA's first U.S. project after receiving the Pritzker Prize. The firm's vision of architecture closely aligned with Grace Farms' purposes of integrating inside and outside space.
- OLIN StudiocoreLandscape architecture firm partnered on Grace Farms design, winning ASLA PA-DE Honor Award in General Design for the project.
- MASS Design GroupcoreDesigned and curated the 'Common Good Through Crisis' exhibit with Chelsea Thatcher, focusing on PPE distribution and community resilience during the pandemic.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Grace Farms Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Grace Farms Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceGrace Farms Foundation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Grace Farms Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grace Farms Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Grace Farms Foundation subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Grace Farms Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grace Farms Foundation 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 Grace Farms Foundation
What does Grace Farms Foundation do?
Grace Farms Foundation operates an 80-acre publicly accessible cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, Connecticut, anchored by the SANAA-designed River building. It delivers free nature, arts, justice, community, and faith programming; leads the global Design for Freedom movement to eliminate forced labor from building materials; offers K-12 educational field trips; sells Grace Farms Tea & Coffee (a B-Corp consumer brand); and operates a membership program, ticketed concerts and events, and Space Grants for nonprofits.
Is Grace Farms Foundation a public or private company?
Grace Farms Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Grace Farms Foundation founded?
Grace Farms Foundation was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Grace Farms Foundation based?
Grace Farms Foundation is headquartered in New Canaan, United States, in the North America region.
How does Grace Farms Foundation make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are membership Program, food and Beverage Sales, school Field Trip Fees and event Ticket Sales.
Does Grace Farms Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grace Farms Foundation.
What industry is Grace Farms Foundation in?
Grace Farms Foundation's product category is Nonprofit Cultural and Humanitarian Center. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAG, Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAN, Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 6512.