Garden 31
Garden 31 is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers regenerative agriculture training, reentry support, and life-skills mentorship to formerly incarcerated, justice-impacted, and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals through farm apprenticeships, community gardens, and K-12 school garden programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Garden 31 does
Garden 31 Community Initiative, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in April 2021 by Christopher Burroughs and headquartered in San Diego County, California. The organization delivers training and mentorship in regenerative agriculture and life skills to at-risk youth and adults, individuals who are formerly incarcerated, justice-impacted, and socioeconomically disadvantaged. Its portfolio of programs spans three lines: the G.R.O.W.E.R. Program, a two-year regenerative farming career apprenticeship with academic-credit pathways; the M.U.L.C.H. (Members Upgrading Local Community Health) initiative, operating Neighbor Farms and Community Gardens across the county; and a K-12 School Garden Program delivered in partnership with Vista Unified School District, providing STEAM-aligned curricula.
The underlying technology stack is operational and human-capital-intensive rather than digital. It comprises regenerative agriculture practices, composting, garden-bed construction, and STEAM curricula, layered onto reentry support services, mentorship, and volunteer coordination. Institutional integration is provided through academic-credit partnerships with California State University San Marcos and MiraCosta College's Roots of Justice program, plus referral pipelines with detention facilities and transitional high schools. Program administration runs on mainstream nonprofit tooling: Microsoft Forms for volunteer registration, text-to-give (text Garden31 to 44321), GiveLively for online donations, Benevity for workplace giving, and an online merchandise storefront.
The revenue model is donation-dependent and diversified across multiple low-friction channels: individual donations via text-to-give and online platforms, corporate workplace giving through Benevity, grants (including a referenced relationship with the Nell Newman Foundation), and merchandise sales. The organization holds SDG&E Environmental Champion recognition and is pursuing a 25-acre farm with on-site housing to expand apprenticeship capacity and add transitional housing as a new service line.
Garden 31 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Garden 31
- Legal name
- Garden 31 Community Initiative, Inc
- Website
- https://garden31.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Garden 31 is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers regenerative agriculture training, reentry support, and life-skills mentorship to formerly incarcerated, justice-impacted, and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals through farm apprenticeships, community gardens, and K-12 school garden programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Garden 31 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regenerative Agriculture Workforce Development
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Crop Production (1151), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112), Landscaping Services (561730)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs) (HSAIAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Vegetable & Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance (HSAIAFAM), Native, Pollinator & Drought-Tolerant Garden Installations (HSAIAFAL), Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services (BPABADAL)
Keywords
Where Garden 31 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Garden 31 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Donations: Garden 31 operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit receiving charitable donations from individuals, including text-to-give (text Garden31 to 44321), online donations via GiveLively, and workplace giving through Benevity employer matching programs.
- Volunteer Support: Community members donate time and energy through volunteer programs at gardens and farms.
- Merchandise Sales: The organization operates a shop selling merchandise to supporters and community members.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Garden 31 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Garden 31 is a San Diego County-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides regenerative agriculture training, mentorship, and life-skills education to at-risk youth, formerly incarcerated, justice-impacted, and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. Its core offerings include the G.R.O.W.E.R. two-year farming apprenticeship, M.U.L.C.H. Neighbor Farms and Community Gardens, and a School Garden STEAM program, all aimed at building agricultural career pathways and improving food access in underserved communities.
Product overview
Garden 31 operates as a unified non-profit organization offering multiple interconnected programs focused on regenerative agriculture training and food equity. The core programs include the G.R.O.W.E.R. Program (a two-year farming career apprenticeship), the M.U.L.C.H. Neighbor Farms and Community Gardens initiative, and the School Garden Program for K-12 students. The Garden Club newsletter serves as a communication add-on keeping supporters informed. These programs work together to provide career pathways in agriculture for at-risk populations while establishing food-producing gardens throughout San Diego County communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- G.R.O.W.E.R. Program (Generating Real Opportunities With Earth's Resources) A two-year regenerative farming career apprenticeship providing occupational training, recovery and re-entry support, and agro-business education for formerly incarcerated and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. The program progresses through three phases: Apprenticeship, Membership, and Leadership, and is delivered in partnership with CSUSM and MiraCosta College.
- M.U.L.C.H. Program (Members Upgrading Local Community Health) - Neighbor Farms and Community Gardens A community program in which Garden 31 members establish food-producing gardens throughout neighborhoods, including design, development, construction, maintenance, and education to create sustainable food supplies on both private (Neighbor Farms) and public (Community Gardens) land.
- School Garden Program A STEAM garden education program for K-12 students in San Diego County schools that teaches sustainable agricultural practices, environmental sustainability, and cultural agriculture history while building community and food growth knowledge. Delivered in partnership with Vista Unified School District and Alta Vista High School.
Quantifiable outcome
- The U.S. leads the world in incarceration with over 2 million people in prisons and jails, and about one-third of people released from prison will return at some point. Garden 31 aims to disrupt this cycle through agricultural career training.
Companies that use Garden 31
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Garden 31 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Garden 31 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- California State University San Marcos (CSUSM)corePartnership with CSUSM for agro-business education component of the G.R.O.W.E.R. apprenticeship program. Trainees receive educational credits while participating in hands-on farm training.
- MiraCosta CollegecorePartnership with MiraCosta College for the Roots of Justice career education program that introduces formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted college students to sustainable agriculture. Also provides academic and equity counseling through staff member Don Love.
- Vista Unified School DistrictcoreInstituted a high school program introducing students from underserved communities to sustainable agricultural practices while learning about being engaged, contributing community members.
- Lazy AcresminorFeatured as a candidate in the Envirotoken Voting program at Lazy Acres, a community partner for environmental initiatives.
- Nell Newman FoundationminorNell Newman Foundation connected founder Chris Burroughs with Kyle Thiermann, demonstrating community network connections for the organization's mission.
- Farming CooperativesminorGarden 31 collaborates with farming cooperatives to strengthen community resiliency and local agriculture in San Diego County.
- Detention FacilitiescorePartnership with detention facilities to provide garden and education programs for incarcerated individuals, creating pathways to agricultural careers upon release.
- Transitional High SchoolscoreCollaboration with transitional high schools to provide educational opportunities and agricultural training for at-risk youth and students.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Garden 31 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Urban Adamah: Berkeley-based nonprofit integrating urban farming, Jewish tradition, and community education with workforce development for youth. Comparable on the urban agriculture and education axes, with a different cultural framing.
- Cultivate Kansas City: Kansas City-based nonprofit supporting urban agriculture, farmer training, and community food systems. Comparable on regenerative agriculture and farmer training aspects of Garden 31's G.R.O.W.E.R. program but without the explicit reentry focus.
Broad incumbents
- Fortune Society: New York-based nonprofit serving formerly incarcerated individuals with education, employment, housing, and advocacy. Comparable in serving the same justice-impacted population across multiple human services, though at much larger scale and without agriculture focus.
- Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing transitional employment and reentry support for people coming home from prison. Comparable on the reentry/workforce development axis, though operates at much larger scale and is not agriculture-specific.
Direct peers
- Planting Justice: Bay Area-based nonprofit that creates urban food forests and provides job training in regenerative agriculture for formerly incarcerated individuals — almost identical mission to Garden 31, differing mainly in geography (Oakland vs. San Diego).
- Root & Rebound: California-based nonprofit providing legal services, advocacy, and reentry support for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals — overlapping target population with Garden 31 but focused on legal/advocacy rather than agriculture training.
- Jones Valley Teaching Farm: Birmingham, Alabama-based nonprofit that operates school farms and urban agricultural education programs for youth. Comparable on K-12 garden-based STEAM education mission overlap with Garden 31's School Garden Program.
Regional players
- ReMerge of Oklahoma County: Oklahoma-based nonprofit providing comprehensive reentry services for justice-impacted women including education, employment, and supportive services — comparable target population but different geography and no agriculture focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Garden 31 social profiles
Digital presenceGarden 31 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Garden 31 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Garden 31 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Garden 31 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 Garden 31
What does Garden 31 do?
Garden 31 is a San Diego County-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides regenerative agriculture training, mentorship, and life-skills education to at-risk youth, formerly incarcerated, justice-impacted, and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. Its core offerings include the G.R.O.W.E.R. two-year farming apprenticeship, M.U.L.C.H. Neighbor Farms and Community Gardens, and a School Garden STEAM program, all aimed at building agricultural career pathways and improving food access in underserved communities.
Is Garden 31 a public or private company?
Garden 31 is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Garden 31 founded?
Garden 31 was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Garden 31 based?
Garden 31 is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Garden 31 make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are volunteer Support and merchandise Sales.
Who are Garden 31's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Urban Adamah and Cultivate Kansas City. Broad incumbents are Fortune Society and Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO). Direct peers are Planting Justice, Root & Rebound and Jones Valley Teaching Farm. ReMerge of Oklahoma County is listed as a regional player.
Does Garden 31 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Garden 31.
What industry is Garden 31 in?
Garden 31's product category is Regenerative Agriculture Workforce Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAIAFAB, Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs), with a secondary code of HSAIAFAM, Vegetable & Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance. Its NAICS code is 1151 and its SIC code is 700.