City Growers

What City Growers does

City Growers Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 45-2149344) founded in 2011 by the founders of Brooklyn Grange to deliver experiential urban-farming education to New York City youth in grades K-12. Operationally headquartered at 63 Flushing Ave, Building 3, Suite 1105 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the organization runs programs at Brooklyn Grange's two rooftop farm venues — the 1.5-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard farm (est. 2012) and the 3.2-acre Sunset Park farm (est. 2019) — using these spaces as "living laboratories" for hands-on learning about food systems, urban ecology, pollinators, composting, and sustainability.

The product surface comprises five core program types: On-Farm Field Trips at Brooklyn Grange (sliding scale $300–$800 per workshop depending on Title 1, public/non-profit, or private group tier); in-school Farm-to-Youth workshops for schools that cannot visit the farms; paid youth apprenticeships including the six-week summer Bee Ambassadors and the spring/fall Green Ambassadors, both operated via NYC's Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) at $16.50–$17/hour; free Family Farm Days at Spring Fest and Fall Fest; and Corporate Volunteer Days priced on a per-event basis with seasonal April/May and November windows. Programs operate April through October, three days per week, with capacity for 30 students per on-farm session. The organization serves 5,000+ youth annually.

The business model blends earned revenue (workshop fees, corporate volunteer packages) with diversified contributed revenue: tax-deductible individual donations via website/PayPal/Stripe, foundation grants from at least six named private foundations (Chrysantha, Kettering Family, Pinkerton, Lily Auchincloss, National Grid Foundation, and others), corporate sponsorships (Con Edison, National Grid, Wegmans), and public funding from four NYC government agencies plus NYC Council discretionary support. Distribution relies on direct relationships with NYC schools (DOE vendor relationships, referrals), community networks within the NYC education ecosystem, organic social (Instagram), email (MailChimp), and partnerships with organizations including Youth Inc. and Food Ed Hub at Teachers College. Go-to-market is fundamentally community-led, supplemented by event-driven fundraising such as the annual Root for the Youth farm-to-table dinner. City Growers maintains fiscal and legal independence from Brooklyn Grange while preserving a permanent Brooklyn Grange board seat, making the venue partnership the structural anchor of the operating model.

Name

City Growers

Legal name

City Growers Inc.

Website

https://citygrowers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

City Growers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 that delivers hands-on urban-farming education to NYC youth in grades K-12. It runs on-farm field trips at Brooklyn Grange rooftop farms, in-school workshops, paid youth apprenticeships, and free family events, reaching 5,000+ youth annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture Education

akta.pro primary industry

Nature-Based / Forest School Early Learning Programs (EDACADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)

Keywords

• Urban farming education
• Youth environmental programs
• Rooftop farm workshops
• School field trips
• Agricultural apprenticeship

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Workshop Fees: City Growers charges sliding scale fees for on-farm field trips and school partnership workshops. Pricing ranges from $300-$800 depending on organization type and tier selected. This is the primary earned revenue stream for program delivery.
2. Individual Donations: City Growers accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals through their website, PayPal, and Stripe payment processors. The organization is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 45-2149344).
3. Foundation and Corporate Grants: City Growers receives support from foundations (Chrysantha Foundation, Kettering Family Foundation, etc.) and corporate sponsors (Con Edison, National Grid, Wegmans, etc.) to fund educational programming.
4. Government Funding: Public funds from NYC Council, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation support programming.
5. Corporate Volunteer Program Fees: Corporate volunteer days generate revenue while providing team-building experiences. Companies pay for structured volunteer projects that benefit City Growers' learning beds while engaging employees in urban farming activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

City Growers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers experiential urban farming education programs for New York City youth in grades K-12. Its core offerings are hands-on on-farm workshops at Brooklyn Grange's Brooklyn Navy Yard and Sunset Park rooftop farms, in-school Farm-to-Youth workshops, paid youth apprenticeships (Bee Ambassadors and Green Ambassadors), free Family Farm Days, and corporate volunteer team-building days. All programs are curriculum-aligned around food systems, urban ecology, pollinators, composting, and climate solutions.

Product overview

City Growers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing experiential urban farming education programs for NYC youth in grades K–12. Its offerings span five core program types: On-Farm Field Trips at Brooklyn Grange's Brooklyn Navy Yard and Sunset Park rooftop farms; School Partnerships (Farm-to-Youth) bringing educators to classrooms and schoolyards citywide; paid Youth Apprenticeships including the summer Bee Ambassadors (SYEP, $17/hour) and the spring/fall Green Ambassadors ($16.50/hour); Free Family Farm Days open to the public; and Corporate Volunteer Days for team-building at the farms. All programs use hands-on, movement-based curricula focused on food systems, urban ecology, pollinators, compost, and climate solutions. The programs operate April through October, with sliding-scale pricing for schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• City Growers reaches over 5,000 youth annually through its various programs

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• NYC Department of Youth and Community DevelopmentmajorOthers · 1 January 2025Government partner providing public funding to support City Growers programming through DYCD programs and initiatives.
• NYC Department of Cultural AffairsmajorOthers · 1 January 2025Government partner providing public funding through DCLA to support cultural and educational programming.
• NYC Department of Parks and RecreationmajorOthers · 1 January 2025Government partner supporting City Growers programming and providing access to green spaces throughout NYC.
• NYC City CouncilmajorOthers · 1 January 2025Public funds provided through NYC Council, with special thanks to Councilmembers Alexa Aviles, Lincoln Restler, and Crystal Hudson.
• 1% for the PlanetminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Corporate giving network where member companies pledge 1% of sales to environmental nonprofits. City Growers is a recipient nonprofit member.
• Youth Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Nonprofit partner supporting youth development programs. Listed as a supporter on City Growers website.
• Food Ed Hub (Teachers College)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Education-focused nonprofit partner supporting food education initiatives. Listed as a supporter on City Growers website.
• Brooklyn GrangecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011City Growers was founded by the founders of Brooklyn Grange and maintains a permanent board seat for someone from Brooklyn Grange. City Growers provides programming on all Brooklyn Grange rooftop farms. The relationship is described as an 'ecosystem' where City Growers helps Brooklyn Grange achieve its equity and inclusion goals by bringing youth to the farms. While organizationally independent, the two entities maintain close operational ties.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GrowNYC: GrowNYC is a NYC-based nonprofit running urban agriculture, greenmarket, and youth education programs across all five boroughs. Directly comparable as a fellow NYC nonprofit delivering hands-on environmental and food-system education to city residents and youth.
• Big Green: Big Green is a national nonprofit that builds learning gardens in low-income schools and trains educators to use them. Comparable as a nonprofit delivering nature-based, food-system K-12 educational programming, though operating at national scale rather than a single city.
• Added Value: Added Value is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit running the Herban Farm and youth programs focused on urban agriculture, food justice, and youth employment. Comparable as a NYC urban-farming nonprofit using farm sites as living classrooms for youth.
• The Edible Schoolyard Project: The Edible Schoolyard Project is a Bay Area-based nonprofit founded by Alice Waters that integrates gardens and kitchens into school curricula. Comparable mission of hands-on food and ecology education for K-12 students, though with a more school-garden-based model than City Growers' on-farm workshops.
• Green City Force: Green City Force is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit training young adults (ages 18-24) in urban agriculture, green infrastructure, and clean energy through paid service-year programs. Closely comparable to City Growers' Bee/Green Ambassadors apprenticeships as a NYC green-jobs youth development operator.
• Project EATS: Project EATS operates urban farms in NYC and runs youth education, food justice, and community programs on those sites. Directly comparable model of pairing working urban farms with youth education programming in NYC.
• Just Food: Just Food is a NYC nonprofit working on food justice, urban agriculture, and CSA/community garden education. Comparable as a NYC-based food-systems and urban-agriculture education nonprofit, though focused on broader community initiatives rather than youth apprenticeships.
• Grow Brooklyn: Grow Brooklyn is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit supporting community gardens, urban farms, and food-system education in Brooklyn neighborhoods. Comparable as a Brooklyn-focused urban-agriculture education nonprofit, though more focused on community garden support than youth apprenticeships.

Regional players

• Earth Matter NY: Earth Matter NY is a NYC-based nonprofit focused on composting education and urban agriculture initiatives. Comparable NYC nonprofit delivering environmental/food-systems education, with stronger focus on compost than City Growers' pollinator and rooftop farm curriculum.
• Massachusetts Avenue Project: Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) is a Buffalo, NY nonprofit running urban farming and youth development programs including paid apprenticeships. Comparable youth urban-agriculture apprenticeship model, though operating in a different upstate NY city rather than NYC.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/citygrowers
• Xx.com/citygrowersnyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 City Growers