What Community GroundWorks does

Community GroundWorks, operating under the brand name Rooted, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (legal name: Rooted WI Inc., EIN 39-1854762) founded in 2001 and headquartered at 517 East Badger Road, Madison, Wisconsin. The organization's mission is to build a community-led, sustainable food system through urban agriculture education, food production, and land access. It operates three urban farms (Troy Farm, Badger Rock Urban Farm, and Madison School Farm), coordinates more than 70 community gardens across the Madison area through The Gardens Network, and runs the Badger Rock Neighborhood Center as a community programming hub.

Rooted's service portfolio is organized around five interconnected program areas: Troy Farm operations (CSA memberships, worker-share volunteers, plant sales, wood-fired pizza, and the Purpose Grown Project), Badger Rock Neighborhood Center programming, the community gardens network (including Badger Rock, Capitol Vegetable Garden, and Troy Community Gardens), the Farm to School initiative (school and community field trips, the Rooted in School Gardens Program, Madison School Farm, and youth employment), and community engagement events such as Garden Nights and A Summer Night's Dream.

The revenue model is hybrid and donation-dependent. Primary funding comes from charitable contributions channeled through GiveButter, The Big Share, Giving Tuesday, and the A Summer Night's Dream fundraising dinner. Secondary earned-income streams include CSA subscriptions, direct farm produce and plant sales, weekly wood-fired pizza orders via Square, branded merchandise sold through Bonfire, and program fees associated with Farm to School field trips and youth education. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization's digital stack consists of a WordPress website, email newsletter, and standard social media channels, with no AI, app, or API products.

Name

Community GroundWorks

Legal name

Rooted WI Inc.

Website

https://communitygroundworks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community GroundWorks (Rooted) is a Madison, Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates three urban farms, over 70 community gardens, and a neighborhood center to deliver urban agriculture education, food access programs, and Farm to School youth initiatives for local residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Urban Agriculture and Food Education

NAICS

Other Noncitrus Fruit Farming (111339), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC), Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• Community gardens
• Farm-to-school education
• CSA produce sales
• Nonprofit community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization relies primarily on charitable donations from community members and supporters. Major annual fundraising events include The Big Share, Giving Tuesday, and A Summer Night's Dream chef-led dining experience.
2. CSA Memberships: Troy Farm offers Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) memberships where community members purchase shares of the farm's produce.
3. Product Sales: Direct sales of farm products including Troy Plant Sale, freshly wood-fired pizza, and Rooted merchandise available online.
4. Program Fees: Revenue from farm to school programs, youth education programs, and school/community field trips.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Community GroundWorks runs an integrated set of community food and agriculture programs in Madison, Wisconsin: an urban farm (Troy Farm), a neighborhood center with an associated urban farm (Badger Rock), a citywide network of community gardens, and a Farm to School youth education program. Across these programs, the organization sells produce through a CSA and plant sale, hosts community events such as pizza nights, operates a solar-powered site, and runs an annual fundraiser.

Product overview

Rooted is a nonprofit organization offering a unified suite of urban agriculture and community food access programs. The core portfolio includes three urban farms (Troy Farm, Badger Rock Urban Farm, and Madison School Farm), over 70 community gardens across multiple locations, the Badger Rock Neighborhood Center, and a Farm to School youth education program. Additional offerings include CSA memberships, seasonal plant sales, pizza nights at Troy Farm, and community events. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on building a sustainable, community-led food system through education, food production, and land access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Troy Farm: Urban farm operated by Rooted offering CSA memberships, worker share volunteers, plant sales, and farm collaborative programs.
• Badger Rock Neighborhood Center
• Madison School Farm
• Rooted in School Gardens Program

Products and services

• Troy Farm (Urban Farm) Urban farm operation located in Madison, Wisconsin, producing vegetables and serving as a hub for CSA shares, community events, and on-farm programming for neighborhood residents.
• Troy CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Subscription-based CSA share program distributing farm-produced vegetables to Madison-area subscribers on a recurring seasonal basis.
• Troy Plant Sale Annual or seasonal retail plant sale offering seedlings and garden starts to home gardeners in the Madison area.
• Troy Pizza Nights Community pizza nights hosted at Troy Farm that use farm produce and serve as neighborhood gathering and fundraising events.
• Badger Rock Neighborhood Center Neighborhood center on Madison's South Side that combines community gathering space, programming, and a co-located urban farm (Badger Rock Urban Farm) for residents.
• Badger Rock Urban Farm Urban farm located adjacent to the Badger Rock Neighborhood Center, producing food and supporting community programming for South Side Madison.
• Community Gardens Network Network of community garden plots across Madison, providing gardening space and programming to neighborhood residents.
• Farm to School Program Educational program that brings food and agriculture learning into Madison-area schools and youth programs for K-12 students.
• Purpose Grown Project Sub-initiative focused on purpose-driven food production and community engagement, tied to Community GroundWorks' urban farm operations.
• A Summer Night's Dream (Annual Fundraiser) Annual ticketed fundraising event supporting Community GroundWorks' nonprofit programs and operations.
• Troy Farm Solar Array On-site solar energy installation at Troy Farm supporting the farm's operations.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local Schools and Educational InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep partnerships with Madison area schools through Farm to School programs, school field trips, the Rooted in School Gardens Program, and Madison School Farm. These partnerships deliver agricultural education and increase food access for students.
• Community Organizations and NonprofitscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCountless community partnerships referenced throughout programming. The Gardens Network connects community gardens across Madison. The Troy Farm Collaborative brings together multiple organizations for farm operations.
• The Big ShareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual community fundraising event platform partnership that amplifies Rooted's Giving Tuesday and other fundraising campaigns.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Food Trust: The Food Trust is a larger, established national nonprofit focused on food access, nutrition education, and healthy food retail. Comparable in food-access and education mission, but operates at broader scale and policy level rather than managing its own urban farms.
• National Young Farmers Coalition: National Young Farmers Coalition is a national nonprofit advocating for young and BIPOC farmers and connecting them to resources. Adjacent to Rooted's mission around youth pathways into agriculture and sustainable food systems, though it operates at a national advocacy level rather than running its own farms.

Direct peers

• Soul Fire Farm: Soul Fire Farm is a Northeast-based BIPOC-led nonprofit farm that trains farmers, advances food justice, and runs youth programs. Comparable to Rooted as a mission-driven working farm with strong education and food-access components.
• Big Green (formerly The Kitchen Community): Big Green is a national nonprofit that builds learning gardens in schools and communities across the U.S. Directly comparable to Rooted's Farm to School, Rooted in School Gardens, and Madison School Farm programming, with similar youth-education focus and garden-building model.
• Center for Land-Based Learning: Center for Land-Based Learning is a California nonprofit focused on agricultural education, farm-to-school programs, and training the next generation of farmers. Comparable to Rooted's youth education, farm-to-school, and steward-training programs.
• Keep Growing Detroit: Keep Growing Detroit operates a network of community gardens and urban farms, runs a seed bank, and delivers agricultural education to Detroit residents. It is one of the closest peer models to Rooted's urban-farm-plus-70-gardens-plus-education structure.
• Denver Urban Gardens: Denver Urban Gardens is a nonprofit that builds and sustains community gardens and urban farms in the Denver metro. Directly comparable in mission to Rooted, operating a network of community gardens paired with food access and education programs for residents.
• Urban Roots Austin: Urban Roots is an Austin-based nonprofit that uses food and urban agriculture as a tool for youth leadership development on working urban farms. Strong peer given Rooted's youth employment and farm-to-school emphasis layered on urban farm production.

Regional players

• Chicago Lights Urban Farm: Chicago Lights Urban Farm is a Midwestern nonprofit urban farm offering youth employment and CSA-style produce distribution to underserved Chicago neighborhoods. Strong structural peer to Rooted given the youth employment + community farm + food access combination.
• Milwaukee Food Council: Milwaukee Food Council is a Wisconsin-based food systems coalition working on food access, urban agriculture, and policy in the Milwaukee metro. Closest geographic peer to Rooted, operating in the same state and overlapping in urban agriculture advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/communitygroundworks
• Instagraminstagram.com/rootedwi
• Xx.com/talesfromtroy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-groundworks-at-troy-gardens

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 Community GroundWorks