Grace Farms Foundation

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.

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

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

• Nonprofit cultural center
• Humanitarian programming
• Ethical building materials
• Arts and nature education
• Community engagement services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Canaan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Event Ticket Sales: Concerts, performances, and special events are ticketed, with tickets available through the Grace Farms website.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ASSA ABLOYcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2025ASSA 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 ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape 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 PennsylvaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFranca Trubiano, Associate Professor at Penn, conducting research on forced labor risks in landscape architecture materials with support from a Landscape Architecture Foundation grant.
• AcelabcoreTechnology or IntegrationAI-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.
• BuildingEasecoreTechnology or IntegrationAI-powered platform emerging alongside Acelab to help design firms navigate opaque supply chains and verify ethical sourcing of building materials.
• London Philharmonic OrchestracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-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 + DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigned 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.
• PentagramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraphics design partner for the 'With Every Fiber' exhibit.
• Yale Center for Ecosystems + ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated 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 & CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 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.
• SANAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPritzker 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 StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture firm partnered on Grace Farms design, winning ASLA PA-DE Honor Award in General Design for the project.
• MASS Design GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigned 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

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GraceFarmsCT
• Facebookfacebook.com/392403244214360
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gracefarmsct
• Instagraminstagram.com/gracefarmsct

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Grace Farms Foundation