Boston Farms Community Land Trust

What Boston Farms Community Land Trust does

Boston Farms Community Land Trust is a Massachusetts-incorporated nonprofit organization (EIN 82-2328676) founded in 2017 and operating from Mattapan, MA. It applies the community land trust (CLT) model to permanently remove vacant urban lots in Boston neighborhoods from the speculative real estate market, then converts them into regenerative farm sites operated under organic practices with infrastructure such as drip irrigation and rain gardens. As of 2024 the organization operates four farm sites across Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury, with a fifth site opened in October 2023, plus a documented pipeline of upcoming projects at 115-123 Bird Street and 282-284 Washington Street.

The organization's primary product is affordable urban farmland access, leased at deeply subsidized rates to Black and Brown neighborhood farmers, accompanied by a farmer technical assistance program covering crop planning, marketing, and financial management. Its farmer cohort produces fresh food sold through on-site farmstands (e.g., the 12'x24' farmstand at the Washington Street location) and, via a 2024 partnership, the Dorchester Food Co-Op. Community engagement is delivered through annual events (Move4Farms move-a-thon with a $50,000 annual goal), educational workshops (Drip Irrigation 101, Garlic Grab), volunteer days, and virtual programming.

Revenue is generated exclusively through philanthropic channels: individual donations via ActBlue (one-time and recurring monthly), Donor-Advised Fund grants and IRA charitable transfers, a Sustainer corporate sponsorship program starting at $1,500 annually, and institutional grants (notably two Kresge Foundation awards in December 2020 and March 2022). Land is acquired primarily through the City of Boston Request for Proposals process in partnership with the Office of Neighborhood Development. Governance is provided by a board composed primarily of residents of color from the served neighborhoods, consistent with the CLT principle of community-led stewardship.

Name

Boston Farms Community Land Trust

Legal name

Boston Farms Community Land Trust

Website

https://bostonfarms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Boston Farms Community Land Trust is a Massachusetts nonprofit that uses the community land trust model to convert vacant Boston lots into regenerative urban farms, leasing them affordably to Black and Brown farmers with technical support, and funded through donations, grants, and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Land Trust / Urban Agriculture

NAICS

Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112), Other Crop Farming (1119)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Urban Renewal, Brownfield Redevelopment & Land Reuse (BPAIANAI), Brownfield Redevelopment & Land Reclamation (Cleanup for Reuse, Risk-Based Closure) (EUAIALAI)

Keywords

• Community land trust
• Urban agriculture
• Regenerative farming
• Farmer land access
• Community food access

Headquarters

HQ city

Mattapan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: Individual donations via ActBlue (one-time and recurring monthly), check payments, IRA donations, corporate sponsorships starting at $1,500 annually, and matching gift programs
2. Farm Leasing: Leasing sites to neighborhood farmers at deeply affordable rates with financial and technical support provided
3. Donor-Advised Funds and IRA Transfers: Accepts grants from Donor Advised Funds and tax-free IRA distributions for donors age 70.5 and older

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Boston Farms Community Land Trust converts vacant urban lots in Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury into regenerative community farms and leases the land at deeply affordable rates to Black and Brown neighborhood farmers. The organization also provides these farmers with technical assistance, business development support, and educational programming, while making fresh produce available to surrounding community members through on-site farmstands and food hub partnerships.

Product overview

Boston Farms Community Land Trust operates a network of urban farm sites across Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury, offering land access at affordable rates to Black and Brown farmers. The organization provides technical assistance, business support, and educational programming to farmers, while also running community engagement events and an annual Move4Farms fundraiser. Their farm sites feature designated growing spaces, farmstands, and regenerative agricultural practices under community governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Farm Sites Vacant urban land converted into productive growing spaces for local Black and Brown farmers, featuring designated annual growing areas, orchard/perennial spaces, farmstands, rain gardens, and irrigation systems managed with organic and regenerative practices. Located across Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury.
• Farmer Technical Assistance Program Technical assistance, education, and supportive programming provided to lessee farmers to promote their agricultural business success, including crop production planning, marketing support, and financial management guidance.
• Annual Sustainer Sponsorship Program Annual sponsorship package starting at $1,500 with recognition benefits, supporting the organization's operations and farm development. Sustainer sponsors include corporate, foundation, and institutional partners.
• Move4Farms Annual Fundraiser Annual move-a-thon fundraising event featuring walking tours, bike rides, and farm site visits to raise funds and community awareness for Boston Farms' urban farming initiatives.
• Drip Irrigation 101 Workshop Educational workshop on installing inground drip irrigation systems for farms or gardens, covering practical building blocks of irrigation infrastructure for community participants.
• Garlic Grab Workshop Community education event teaching participants how to grow garlic at home, accompanied by giveaways of garlic, compost, and straw for home planting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transformed vacant urban lots into productive regenerative farms
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dorchester Food Co-OpcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Exciting partnership between Lynstead Maja Farm at Westville Street and Dorchester Food Co-Op for local food distribution and community food access
• Hella Black TriviaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosting virtual trivia nights to benefit Boston Farms, engaging community through entertainment events
• City of Boston Office of Neighborhood DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted partnership for Love Your Block community beautification events; participates in City RFP process for land acquisition
• Three Squares NEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent platform hosting Move4Farms annual move-a-thon fundraising event

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Urban Farming Institute of Boston: Boston-based urban agriculture nonprofit supporting local farmers and food access. Directly comparable to Boston Farms in mission (urban farming, food justice) and geography, though with a different organizational model (not a CLT).
• Soil Born Farms: Sacramento-area urban agriculture and education nonprofit running regenerative farms, farmer training, and food access programs. Comparable regenerative-agriculture urban-farm model with educational programming.
• Champlain Housing Trust: One of the oldest and largest Community Land Trusts in the U.S., based in Vermont. Comparable CLT model for permanently removing residential/land from speculation, with a different end use (housing rather than urban agriculture).
• Dreaming Out Loud: DC-area nonprofit operating urban farms and a food-hub distribution model focused on food access and BIPOC farmers. Directly comparable mission (Black and Brown farmer support, urban farm network) though based in a different city.

Regional players

• GrowNYC: NYC-based nonprofit running farmers markets, urban farms, and food access programs. Comparable urban-agriculture-and-food-access mission but operates in a different metro (NYC) and is not a land trust.

Broad incumbents

• The Food Trust: Philadelphia-based national nonprofit focused on food access, healthy food retail, and nutrition. Comparable through the food-access mission that Boston Farms addresses but operates at much larger national scale.
• The Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that protects land for public use, including urban parks and gardens. Comparable through shared land-conservation mission but operates at national scale and does not focus exclusively on urban agriculture or farmer land tenure.

Others

• Grounded Solutions Network: National membership organization for Community Land Trusts, including GBCLTN of which Boston Farms is a member. Comparable as the umbrella network supporting the CLT model Boston Farms uses.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boston-farms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 Boston Farms Community Land Trust