Denver Urban Gardens

Name

Denver Urban Gardens

Legal name

Denver Urban Gardens

Website

https://dug.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Garden Network and Urban Food Access Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Vegetable & Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance (HSAIAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs) (HSAIAFAB), Raised Garden Beds & Planter Box Installation (HSAIAFAK), Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL)

Keywords

• Community garden networks
• Urban food access
• Food forest stewardship
• Garden education programs
• Nonprofit community gardens

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Contributions and Donations: DUG receives donations from individuals through their website, annual campaigns, and the Gather 'Round gala event. Donors can make one-time or recurring gifts.
2. Government Grants: DUG receives funding through competitive grant programs from government agencies including the Denver Office of Economic Development for community garden operations in the City and County of Denver.
3. Private and Corporate Foundation Grants: Funded through grants from private and corporate foundations. Corporate funders include Tito's Handmade Vodka, Target, Patagonia, Southwest Airlines, DaVita, Deloitte, and others.
4. Plot Fees and Dues: Community gardeners pay annual plot fees averaging $40/year plus $25 in annual DUG dues. These fees support water, compost, tools, and maintenance.
5. Community Collaborator Program: Design consultation package at $10,000 one-time fee; Human Infrastructure Design & Support at $20,000/year for 5 years; Therapeutic Garden Add-On at $10,000/year for 5 years. Targets developers, property managers, and city planners.
6. Corporate Volunteer Program: Companies pay $1,500 for team-building volunteer opportunities (up to 25 volunteers) on Wednesdays and Fridays, 9am-12pm.
7. Youth Education Contract Services: Contract Youth Educators are paid $85 per class session for teaching DUG programs to ECE-5th graders at schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Denver Urban Gardens operates a network of approximately 200 community gardens and food forests across seven counties in metro Denver, providing land access, design/build support, leadership training, and ongoing technical expertise for food-producing urban green spaces. Core offerings include individual garden plot leases, public-access food forests, food access kits (Grow a Garden), community seed distribution, education and training programs, and a paid Community Collaborator consultation service for developers and property managers.

Product overview

Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) operates as a comprehensive community garden network offering interconnected programs and services. The core offering consists of approximately 200 community garden plots across metro Denver, including 66 school-based gardens and 24 food forests, all stewarded by volunteer Garden Leaders. Food access programs include the Grow a Garden kit program and Community Seed Distribution. Education offerings span Youth Programs, Community Composter Training, Therapeutic Gardens Training, and Food Forestry Training. DUG Online serves as the digital community platform. The Community Collaborator Program provides paid consulting services for private developers. Fresh Food Connect enables produce donation through a mobile app. Signature events include the annual Gather 'Round Gala, and DUG Corps offers seasonal volunteer opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Gardens
• Food Forests
• Grow a Garden Program
• Community Seed Distribution
• DUG Online
• Community Composter Training Program
• Fresh Food Connect
• Therapeutic Gardens Initiative
• Therapeutic Gardens Training Program
• Food Forestry Training Program
• Youth Programs
• Community Collaborator Program
• DUG Corps
• Corporate Volunteer Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 627,926 pounds of food grown annually through the network
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Giving GrovecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Giving Grove Partnership - Started in Kansas City in 2013 and expanding across the U.S. Their mission is to provide healthy calories, strengthen community, and improve the urban environment through a nationwide network of sustainable little orchards. DUG partners with Giving Grove for food forest development methodology.
• Project WorthmorecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership at DeLaney Community Farm to support refugees through sustainable agriculture and community building. Helps refugees become food secure and contribute to their new communities.
• Denver Food RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016DUG partners with Denver Food Rescue and Groundwork Denver to pilot Fresh Food Connect, a garden produce donation program that allows gardeners to donate extra produce to those in need.
• Groundwork DenverminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Co-partner with Denver Food Rescue in Fresh Food Connect garden produce donation program pilot.
• Denver Office of Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDUG receives funding through competitive grant program for community garden operations in the City and County of Denver. Frequently partners with city and county agencies across metro area.
• Denver Botanic GardensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeparate nonprofit organizations that frequently partner. Denver Botanic Gardens is a partner on a DUG Community Garden east of their location and has hosted DUG events and workshops.
• Denver Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 66 school-based community gardens. DPS requires background checks for gardeners. Garden locations eliminate costs of land acquisition and water tap fees for DUG.
• City of AuroracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished DeLaney Community Farm in 1997 in partnership with City of Aurora. Also partner on food forest locations and community events like Water-Wise Day.
• International Rescue CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Roots Program at Ellis South Community Garden helps refugees become food secure and contribute to their new homes. Therapeutic garden provides trauma healing support.
• University of Colorado BoulderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the CAPS study (2018-2020) exploring health benefits of community gardening.
• Colorado State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the CAPS study (2018-2020) exploring health benefits of community gardening.
• Urban InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the CAPS study (2018-2020) exploring health benefits of community gardening.
• Denver Parks & RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst partnership established in 1976 with Rosedale Community Garden. Ongoing partnerships for community garden locations on public land.
• A1 OrganicscoreOthersPreferred vendor for bulk and individual compost orders. Delivers to gardens with DUG invoicing system. EcoPlus Organic Compost is OMRI Listed and STA Certified.
• Denver Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with DOTI for Community Composter Training & Outreach Program, a train-the-trainer program on composting and waste diversion methods.
• ScrapsminorOthersGarden waste pickup service. $100 flat fee for up to 25 bags of yard waste for composting.
• Compost Colorado (CoCo/Wompost)minorOthersGarden waste pickup and composting service provider.
• Market StationminorOthersCommunity Collaborator partner - developer/property manager with DUG-supported garden.
• City of Lakewood (Porter Park)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Collaborator partner for community garden at Porter Park.
• ToolBank USAminorOthersTool lending program partner. Gardens can borrow tools for up to 16 months from ToolBank.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• NeighborSpace: Chicago's NeighborSpace is a community land trust that preserves open space for community gardens, serving a comparable role to DUG's land stewardship function in Denver. Operates a similar nonprofit, multi-garden network model with municipal and private land partnerships.
• Boston Natural Areas Network (now merged): Boston Natural Areas Network historically operated as a community garden land trust similar to DUG. Now folded into city operations, but represents the most direct historical analog to DUG's urban garden network model with municipal land partnerships.
• Giving Grove: Giving Grove is a Kansas City-based national network of sustainable community orchards. Directly comparable as a DUG partner with overlapping food forest mission, multi-city footprint, and similar public-harvest model.
• Grow Pittsburgh: Grow Pittsburgh operates community gardens, urban farms, and educational programs across the Pittsburgh metro area. Directly comparable to DUG as a regional nonprofit network focused on food access, community gardening, and garden-based education with similar operating model.
• Philadelphia Orchard Project: Philadelphia Orchard Project plants and stewards community orchards and food forests across Philadelphia. Directly comparable as a food-forest-focused nonprofit partner with similar public-access edible landscape model and DUG's own Giving Grove partnership.

Emerging players

• Kitchen Gardeners International: KGI is a global nonprofit that promotes home and community kitchen gardening through online resources and community organizing. Comparable as a peer in the community gardening mission space with national/international digital reach but minimal physical garden network.
• FoodCorps: FoodCorps places service members in schools to teach garden-based nutrition and food education nationally. Comparable to DUG's youth education programs and 66 school-based gardens, though operating as a national service program rather than a regional garden network.

Regional players

• Denver Botanic Gardens: Denver Botanic Gardens is a separate Denver-based nonprofit that partners with DUG on gardens and hosts DUG events. Comparable as a regional peer with overlapping horticulture education mission, though focused on a curated botanical institution model rather than distributed community gardens.

Broad incumbents

• The Trustees of Reservations: The Trustees is a large Massachusetts conservation nonprofit that includes community gardens and urban farms within a broader portfolio of historic properties, parks, and agricultural lands. Comparable as a much larger, multi-program nonprofit operating community gardens at scale with educational programming.
• American Community Gardening Association: ACGA is the national membership organization supporting community gardens across North America. Comparable as an enabling, broader industry organization that supports networks like DUG through training, conferences, and research, but does not operate gardens directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DUGtweet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Denver Urban Gardens