Groundwork Milwaukee

What Groundwork Milwaukee does

Groundwork Milwaukee is a nonprofit organization and land trust founded in 2003 and headquartered at 227 W. Pleasant St., Milwaukee, WI. Its mission is to advance the sustained regeneration, improvement, and management of the physical environment through community-based partnerships that promote environmental, economic, and social well-being. The organization delivers this mission through three pillars: (1) transformation of brownfields into community spaces such as gardens, orchards, art exhibits, and gathering places; (2) programs that educate, train, and empower youth, community members, veterans, and volunteers; and (3) protection of urban waters via rainwater harvesting, green infrastructure installation, and habitat restoration. Its work is delivered under the umbrella of the national Groundwork USA network.

The organization's core offerings are organized as distinct but interrelated programs: the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network, which supports over 100 community gardens stewarded by resident Garden Leaders and activates more than 10 acres of vacant land; Kilbourn Garden, an 80-bed rental facility operating at full capacity; Maglio Farm, an 11-hoop-house urban farm producing thousands of pounds of produce annually for donation; the Healing Spaces Initiative, which has built 13 ADA-accessible gathering places in coordination with the City of Milwaukee NIDC; Ground Corps, an earn-while-learning green workforce development program; and the Green Team, a service-learning program for youth ages 14–19. Its technology platform is built around GIS-based story maps and interactive vulnerability assessments, including the Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment and the Climate Safe Neighborhoods story maps that overlay historic redlining with contemporary climate and environmental data. Underlying technical assets include ArcGIS StoryMaps, an interactive garden network map, and partnership-built health, housing, and socioeconomic data layers.

The business model is nonprofit and grant-dependent. Revenue is generated through individual and corporate donations, foundation and government grants (including NOAA, Wisconsin DNR, and City of Milwaukee partnerships), and a minor recurring subscription stream from Kilbourn Garden bed rentals. Pricing for bed rentals is set on an annual subscription basis, but the bulk of programmatic funding is philanthropic and competitive-grant based. Distribution is direct and community-led, relying on volunteer mobilization (350 volunteers during 2023 Earth Month), grassroots organizing through Climate Action Groups, and earned media coverage in outlets including the New York Times, Nature, the Weather Channel, and Milwaukee-area press. Key partners include the Medical College of Wisconsin, The New School Urban Systems Lab, Data You Can Use, Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and Groundwork USA.

Name

Groundwork Milwaukee

Legal name

Groundwork Milwaukee

Website

https://groundworkmke.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Groundwork Milwaukee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and land trust that transforms vacant urban land into community gardens, green infrastructure, and ADA-accessible gathering spaces while running youth, workforce, and climate resilience programs for vulnerable Milwaukee neighborhoods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Environmental Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Renewal, Brownfield Redevelopment & Land Reuse (BPAIANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Groundskeeping, Landscaping & Snow/Ice Management (EDALALAB), Brownfield Redevelopment Support (Site Characterization & Reuse Planning) (EUAHAFAJ), Mine Land & Brownfield Reclamation Planting (AFAMACAM)

Keywords

• Community garden network
• Urban green infrastructure
• Environmental justice programs
• Green workforce development
• Urban agriculture services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Garden Bed Rentals: Kilbourn Garden offers bed rentals for community members to grow their own produce. The 80-bed garden rental is a primary programmatic offering.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Nonprofit relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. End-of-year giving campaigns and newsletter appeals drive individual donations.
3. Grant Funding: Funding from government agencies, foundations, and environmental organizations for specific programs like Healing Spaces Initiative, Climate Safe Neighborhoods, and urban greening projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Groundwork Milwaukee is a nonprofit land trust that brings about the sustained regeneration, improvement, and management of the physical environment through community-based partnerships. Its work covers the transformation of brownfields into gardens, orchards, and gathering places; programs that educate, train, and empower youth and community members; and the protection of urban waters through green infrastructure and habitat restoration.

Product overview

Groundwork Milwaukee is a nonprofit organization and land trust that operates multiple interconnected environmental programs rather than a single product. Its core offerings include the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network (supporting 100+ community gardens), Climate Safe Neighborhoods (climate resilience and GIS mapping), Ground Corps (green workforce development), Green Team (youth programming), and Healing Spaces Initiative (vacant lot transformation). The organization also operates the Kilbourn Garden rental facility, Maglio Farm urban agriculture operation, Shared Harvest food rescue program, Community Garden Health Hubs, and green infrastructure construction services. These programs work together to achieve the organization's mission of environmental, economic, and social well-being through community-based partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Milwaukee Grows Garden Network: A network of community gardens managed by resident Garden Leaders across Milwaukee neighborhoods.
• Climate Safe Neighborhoods
• Ground Corps
• Green Team
• Healing Spaces Initiative
• Shared Harvest

Products and services

• Kilbourn Garden Bed Rentals Annual subscription rental of garden beds at the 80-bed Kilbourn Garden for community members to grow their own produce, including giving garden beds where produce is freely available. Targeted at Milwaukee residents seeking growing space.
• Ground Corps Workforce Program Earn-while-learning workforce development program providing younger adults with paid experiential training in landscape and green infrastructure construction and maintenance. Targeted at young adults pursuing urban forestry and green infrastructure careers.
• Green Infrastructure Construction Services Construction and maintenance services for bioswales, rain harvesting structures, and other green infrastructure elements that manage stormwater and protect urban waters. Delivered to neighborhoods and partner organizations across Milwaukee.
• Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment Interactive tool and technical report pinpointing communities where flooding disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations, examining neighborhood flood likelihood and capacity to respond based on health, socioeconomic factors, and housing. Targeted at researchers, policymakers, and community advocates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ community gardens supported across Milwaukee neighborhoods
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2022Collaborated on Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment, examining neighborhoods most likely to flood and capacity to respond based on health, socioeconomic factors and housing.
• The New School Urban Systems LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on technical report for Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment, providing urban systems expertise.
• Data You Can UsecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment data analysis.
• Medical College of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment, contributing health expertise and research.
• Groundwork USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational chapter affiliation; Groundwork Milwaukee's work reflects the objectives of Groundwork USA. Also collaborated on Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative with maps made by Milwaukee team shared nationally.
• Wisconsin DNRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed NOAA-funded urban heat mapping campaign in Milwaukee, enlisting volunteers to drive traverses collecting temperature data.
• Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in urban heat mapping campaign and green infrastructure initiatives including Green Infrastructure Tour.
• Metcalfe Park Community BridgescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative working on climate resilience in Metcalfe Park hotspot neighborhood.
• Fresh Food ConnectcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGroundwork serves as Fresh Food Connect operator, helping backyard gardeners donate excess produce to local food pantries through mobile app.
• One Tree PlantedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrant funding for fruit tree planting across the city; 47 trees planted with goal of 50.
• City of Milwaukee NIDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated Healing Spaces Initiative construction of ADA-accessible gathering places on vacant lots.
• Milwaukee RiverkeeperminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for water quality monitoring and spring cleanup events.
• Indeed Brewing CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted Great Groundwork Get Together event, donating proceeds to Groundwork Milwaukee.
• Clean WisconsinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStormGuarden installation program providing free rain garden/barrel systems to qualifying Milwaukee households.
• ReflominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Green Infrastructure Tour visiting Westside Academy, Historic Walnut Hill garden, Cream City Farms and Green Tech Station.
• Riverwest Food PantryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Maglio Farm producing thousands of pounds of produce for donation.
• Nature (Scientific Journal)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublished article on institutional racism and extreme heat events in cities; included map layers created by Groundwork Milwaukee's Deputy Director of GIS.
• New York TimesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured Groundwork's Climate Safe Neighborhoods project as example of climate resiliency advocacy work.
• Sierra Club Wisconsin ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in advocating for Focus on Energy program expansion to help renters in Black and Latinx communities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Green City Force: NYC-based nonprofit that trains young public-housing residents for green careers in urban agriculture, clean energy, and green infrastructure; closely aligned with Groundwork's Ground Corps and Green Team workforce-development mission, with a similar earn-while-learn model.

Direct peers

• GrowNYC: New York City nonprofit operating Greenmarkets, community gardens, environmental education, and volunteer stewardship — a well-established analog combining urban agriculture, green-jobs training, and community programming under one umbrella.
• Keep Growing Detroit: Detroit urban agriculture nonprofit running a citywide community garden network (1,400+ gardens) and a farm-to-pantry food sovereignty program; directly comparable network-scale community gardening plus food security model to Groundwork's Garden Network and Shared Harvest.
• The Greening of Detroit: Detroit-based nonprofit focused on urban tree planting, community green spaces, and green-jobs workforce development; directly comparable mission of community-led greening and economic opportunity in a similarly legacy-impacted Midwest city.
• Groundwork Hudson Valley: Another Groundwork USA affiliate applying the same community-based brownfield regeneration, youth programming, and green infrastructure playbook in New York's Hudson Valley; operates a nearly identical set of programs (community gardens, Green Team, green jobs) as Groundwork Milwaukee.
• Groundwork Buffalo: Sister Groundwork USA affiliate operating the same brownfield-to-garden and youth green-jobs model in another post-industrial Rust Belt city; similar scale, similar program mix (community gardens, urban greening, workforce development), and same national chapter affiliation.

Broad incumbents

• American Forests: National urban-forestry nonprofit working on tree canopy equity, climate resilience, and reforestation — overlapping with Groundwork's urban tree planting, canopy equity in formerly redlined neighborhoods, and climate resilience framing.
• Groundwork USA: National umbrella network of which Groundwork Milwaukee is an independent affiliate; sets programmatic objectives, coordinates federal/funder relationships, and disseminates the Climate Safe Neighborhoods model across the national Groundwork network. Directly comparable as parent of an identical franchise model.
• Trust for Public Land: National land trust and parks-conservation nonprofit that creates community green spaces and park access projects in cities; comparable in mission around equitable access to urban greenspace, but operates at national scale and across a much broader program portfolio.

Others

• Conservation Fund: National conservation nonprofit that finances land and water conservation, including working-lands deals with cities; thematically adjacent to Groundwork's land-trust and brownfield-reclamation work, though focused on conservation finance and federal partnership deals at national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@groundworkmke
• Facebookfacebook.com/groundworkmke
• Instagraminstagram.com/groundworkmke
• Xx.com/groundworkmke
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groundwork-mke

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Groundwork Milwaukee