What Green Bronx Machine does

Green Bronx Machine (GBM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by educator Stephen Ritz and headquartered in the Bronx, New York City. The organization develops and distributes a K-12+ academic curriculum that integrates urban agriculture and hydroponic farming into core classroom instruction, using food and plant life cycles to teach STEM, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Its flagship facility, the National Health, Wellness & Learning Center at Community School 55, functions as a classroom laboratory and scalable testbed that GBM reports has been replicated across 1,000+ schools nationally and 1,152 sites globally, reaching 394,518 students with 1.375 million-plus servings of fruits and vegetables consumed in participating schools.

GBM's core product is the Green Bronx Machine Classroom Curriculum, a standards-aligned digital curriculum sold with a lifetime site license, online professional development, and direct engagement with the founder. The technology stack is primarily educational content combined with third-party hydroponic growing systems — Tower Garden is the exclusive hardware technology partner, with Babylon Micro-Farms' STEM Garden added in 2024 as a second channel for classroom distribution. Brand reach is amplified by an award-winning documentary, Generation Growth, and a PBS series, Let's Learn with Mister Ritz, with Stephen Ritz appearing at global summits including the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank and the World Schools Summit in Dubai. The organization holds no disclosed patents beyond registered trademarks, has no AI/ML capabilities, and operates no enterprise software platform beyond its curriculum and merchandise storefronts.

Revenue is generated primarily through philanthropic donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships, with secondary streams from one-time curriculum licensing and a branded merchandise e-commerce store. Distribution is multi-channel: direct school and district partnerships, an exclusive channel agreement with Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) covering 180+ school districts across 33 states, technology resellers (Tower Garden, Babylon Micro-Farms), and foundation-funded rollouts led by Quest Diagnostics Foundation and the Jonathan Toews Foundation in Chicago. Primary customer segments are K-12 schools and districts (particularly in urban and underserved communities) and the teachers/educators who implement the curriculum; secondary segment is foundation-backed districts.

Name

Green Bronx Machine

Legal name

Green Bronx Machine

Website

https://greenbronxmachine.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Green Bronx Machine is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops K-12 academic curriculum integrating urban agriculture and hydroponic farming into core classroom instruction. It licenses curriculum, runs foundation-funded district rollouts, and distributes via channel partners including Southwest Foodservice Excellence and Tower Garden.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Curriculum and Urban Agriculture Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Math & STEM Learning Technology (incl. Coding/Robotics Platforms) (EDAJAMAG), K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)

Keywords

• K-12 garden curriculum
• Urban agriculture education
• Hydroponic classroom systems
• School-based nutrition programs
• Standards-aligned STEM learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Bronx

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: Green Bronx Machine operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that runs on philanthropic support. Individual donations, corporate giving, and foundation grants fund operations.
2. Curriculum Sales: The Green Bronx Machine Classroom Curriculum is sold as a product with lifetime site license, online professional development, and dedicated website access. Each purchase includes direct communication with Stephen Ritz.
3. Merchandise: Online merchandise store (merch.greenbronxmachine.org) selling branded items.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Green Bronx Machine develops and sells a K-12+ Classroom Curriculum that turns any school or community gardening program into a standards-aligned academic experience using food and plant life cycles to teach multiple subjects. The curriculum is sold as a one-time license (lifetime site license) accompanied by online professional development and direct access to founder Stephen Ritz. Delivery is supported by hydroponic hardware (Tower Garden, STEM Garden), the National Health Wellness & Learning Center classroom model at CS 55, online educational video content (Green Bronx Machine KIDS, Let's Learn with Mister Ritz), and the Generation Growth documentary.

Product overview

Green Bronx Machine is an impact-driven nonprofit organization offering a K-12+ school-based model for urban agriculture education. The core offering is the Green Bronx Machine Classroom Curriculum, a technology-enabled academic curriculum aligned to state and national standards that uses food and plant life cycles to teach multiple subjects. This curriculum is delivered through physical learning environments including the National Health, Wellness & Learning Center at CS 55 and supported by technology tools such as Tower Garden and STEM Garden by Babylon Micro-Farms hydroponic systems. The organization extends its reach through digital platforms including the Green Bronx Machine KIDS online platform with instructional videos and lesson plans, the Let's Learn with Mister Ritz PBS television series, and the award-winning Generation Growth documentary. The portfolio spans curriculum programs, physical and virtual learning tools, and multimedia educational content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Generation Growth: Award-winning documentary showcasing Green Bronx Machine's journey and expansion in communities across the nation, featuring founder Stephen Ritz.

Products and services

• Green Bronx Machine Classroom Curriculum A K-12+ standards-aligned academic curriculum sold as a one-time lifetime site license that turns school and community gardening programs into project-based learning experiences using food and plant life cycles to teach multiple subjects, with technology-enabled lesson plans, online professional development, and direct founder access.
• National Health, Wellness & Learning Center at CS 55 A classroom laboratory and testbed for agricultural technology located at Community School 55 (Benjamin Franklin School) in the Bronx, functioning as the scalable model that has been replicated in over 6,000 schools across North America.
• STEM Garden by Babylon Micro-Farms A hydroponic farming system designed for K-12 classrooms that enables educators to transform lessons in plant biology, environmental science, and agriculture into hands-on experiences for students.
• Tower Garden Hydroponic System A soil-less vertical hydroponic growing system deployed in partner classrooms across North America, used as the central agricultural technology of the Green Bronx Machine indoor gardening curriculum.
• Generation Growth Documentary An award-winning feature-length documentary chronicling Stephen Ritz's Bronx indoor gardening curriculum and its expansion across communities, offered for in-person and virtual screenings to schools and partner organizations.
• Let's Learn with Mister Ritz (PBS) A PBS-distributed educational television series on WNET-13 and WLIW-21 delivering content tied to urban farming and healthy living, with full episodes available on the Green Bronx Machine KIDS YouTube channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,375,000+ servings of fruits and vegetables consumed by students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Loyola BlakefieldcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Host of 2025 Justice Summit with Stephen Ritz keynote and Generation Growth documentary screening. Partnership includes collaboration with Food Tank, Eat the Change, and Green Street Academy.
• Ranken Technical CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024St. Louis technical college hosting Stephen Ritz lecture and Generation Growth premiere events. Partnership focuses on agricultural engineering technology and sustainability education.
• Hunger to Health Collaboratory (H2HC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024H2HC held 2024 Fall Summit in Boston convening 90 innovators addressing food and nutrition challenges. GBM founder Stephen Ritz participated in discussions on corporate engagement alongside Chobani, Newman's Own Foundation, Stop & Shop, and Quest Diagnostics.
• Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Exclusive partnership bringing Green Bronx Machine curriculum program to districts across the country through SFE's network of 180+ school districts in 33 states. SFE is a leading provider of outsourced foodservices for K-12 public schools, passionate about bringing fresh ingredients and garden education to students.
• Babylon Micro-FarmscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2024Stephen Ritz serves as brand ambassador for Babylon Micro-Farms, promoting their STEM Garden hydroponic farming system for K-12 classrooms. The partnership aims to accelerate vertical farming adoption in classrooms across America through hands-on learning opportunities.
• Tower GardencoreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive technology partner providing Tower Garden hydroponic systems for GBM programs. Tower Garden technology enables plants to grow without soil and is central to the indoor gardening curriculum used in classrooms.
• Food TankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Tank, founded by Danielle Nierenberg, is a global community for healthy eaters partnering with 250+ institutions. Co-sponsored 2025 Justice Summit with GBM and participated in Generation Growth panel discussion.
• Green Street AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltimore-based green school partnered with GBM for 2025 Justice Summit. Larry Rivitz, Co-Founder/Co-Chair, sees partnering with Stephen Ritz as major step forward for their students and community.
• Gotham GreensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestor-backed urban farming company mentioned alongside GBM as part of Bronx food systems transformation. Featured in Bronx Food Warriors documentary segment.
• American Heart AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth organization supporter of GBM's nutrition and wellness initiatives.
• SodexominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool food service provider and supporter of GBM initiatives.
• Future Food InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization focused on food innovation and sustainability education, partnering with GBM.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FoodCorps: National nonprofit deploying educators into K-12 schools to deliver hands-on food, nutrition, and garden education. Directly comparable mission, target schools, and teacher-in-classroom delivery model to GBM.
• Edible Schoolyard Project: Alice Waters-founded nonprofit that integrates organic gardening and cooking into K-12 curriculum. Closely comparable curriculum-plus-garden model and K-12 standards-aligned approach.
• Big Green: Nonprofit that builds learning gardens in underserved schools and supports teachers with curriculum and training. Directly comparable school-garden installation model and target districts.
• Babylon Micro-Farms: Direct technology partner whose STEM Garden hydroponic system is distributed through GBM. Comparable K-12 hydroponics offering and shared customer base in schools.
• Juice Plus+ / Tower Garden: Tower Garden hydroponic systems are the anchor classroom hardware for GBM's edible classroom model. Comparable vertical-farming-for-education offering and overlapping K-12 customer base.

Emerging players

• Captain Planet Foundation: Funds and supports environmental and garden-based learning in K-12 schools. Comparable K-12 environmental education mission and similar foundation-driven funding model.
• Life Lab: Provides garden-based K-12 curriculum, teacher training, and professional development. Comparable curriculum + teacher PD offering for elementary schools with a smaller national footprint.
• Common Threads: Nonprofit delivering nutrition and cooking education in K-12 schools. Comparable health/nutrition education mission and K-12 school customer base, with less emphasis on gardening.

Regional players

• GrowNYC: NYC-based nonprofit running urban agriculture, education, and food access programs. Comparable urban agriculture and youth education focus in GBM's home geography.

Broad incumbents

• Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE): Exclusive channel partner and large K-12 foodservice provider reaching 180+ districts in 33 states. Comparable school customer base and complementary foodservice and curriculum distribution role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/greenbxmachine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_xhRiOYCGcnsJcYjqOGBKQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/green.bx.machine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greenbronxmachine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Green Bronx Machine