Springfield Community Gardens

What Springfield Community Gardens does

Springfield Community Gardens (SCG) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit founded in 2010 in Springfield, Missouri that operates an integrated regional food system spanning community gardens, urban farms, a certified test kitchen, a micro food hub, farmer training, and direct food access programs. Its core assets include 16 community gardens, 3 urban farms, 1 community food forest, a certified test kitchen at Cox North, and Amanda Belle's Farm — a five-acre hospital farm and farmer incubator co-developed with CoxHealth in 2020 and one of only five such hospital farms in the U.S. The Farmer Incubator Program provides paid Level I (4-week) and Level II (16-week) regenerative agriculture internships, one-on-one technical assistance, and incubator plot access for beginning and veteran farmers.

SCG's underlying technology consists of physical micro food hub infrastructure (cold storage and distribution systems) plus a value-added test kitchen, integrated with the third-party Fresh Food Connect app for home gardener donation scheduling. Programs include a CSA program delivering 75 weekly produce shares to CoxHealth employees at $35+ per box across a 22-week season, the HealthScripts prescription produce program for low-income CoxHealth patients, Nourish the Ozarks rural food distribution across a 14-county region, and a zero-waste cafeteria repurposing pilot. Distribution is dual-purpose: free weekly distributions and community fridges serving food-insecure neighborhoods, alongside institutional produce sales to CoxHealth hospitals, Mama Jeans Natural Grocer, and local restaurants.

SCG's business model is a hybrid non-profit revenue structure combining earned revenue (CSA subscriptions, institutional produce sales, garden plot rentals, a planned Virtual Farmstand), individual donations via the Garden Giving Circle recurring program, foundation grants (Missouri Foundation for Health, MO Healthy Blue, Ozarks Headwaters Recycling District), and federal funding (USDA, EPA, and a $959,000 federal grant announced March 16, 2026 for a Kansas City/St. Louis food stability partnership). It serves food-insecure individuals across 17 counties, beginning and veteran farmers, CoxHealth employees and patients, youth via the USDA 4-H Grow to Ride Club, and home gardeners, with cumulative impact of 100,000+ individuals served and 750,000+ pounds of free food distributed through its Ozarks Food Harvest partnership since 2014.

Name

Springfield Community Gardens

Legal name

Springfield Community Gardens

Website

https://springfieldcommunitygardens.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Springfield Community Gardens is a Springfield, Missouri nonprofit founded in 2010 that operates 16 community gardens, 3 urban farms, a test kitchen, and a micro food hub to deliver food access, farmer training, and youth programs across a 17-county Ozarks region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Agriculture Services

NAICS

Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Nursery Production (Woody Ornamentals: Trees, Shrubs, Roses) (AFAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Greenhouse, Nursery & Horticulture Labor Staffing (AFACAHAI), Sustainability & ESG / Carbon & Conservation Program Advisory (AFACAJAF), Seasonal Color & Flower Rotation (Spring/Fall Plantings) (HSAIAFAE)

Keywords

• Community garden programs
• Urban agriculture training
• Food access services
• Beginning farmer incubation
• Local food distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations (one-time and recurring): Fundraising via the Garden Giving Circle recurring giving program, one-time online donations, check donations, and volunteer mobilization; donors provide sustaining support for tools, supplies, compost, and program operations.
2. Government and Foundation Grants: Federal grants (e.g., $959,000 federal grant for a food stability partnership with Kansas City and St. Louis groups announced March 16, 2026), USDA funding for farmer support programs, EPA Environmental Justice Problem Solving Grants for internships, Missouri Foundation for Health, MO Healthy Blue, and Ozarks Headwaters Recycling District funding.
3. CSA Subscriptions: Community Supported Agriculture program offering 75 weekly produce box shares to CoxHealth employees during a 22-week season, each box containing $35 or more of local food plus monthly value-added products and recipes.
4. Institutional Produce Sales: Direct sales of SCG-grown produce to institutional buyers including CoxHealth's Meyer Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital, Mama Jeans Natural Grocer, and various local restaurants; planned expansion to Cox South Hospital salad bar.
5. Shop / Virtual Farmstand: Planned SCG Virtual Farmstand marketplace returning soon via the website Shop page, with sales intended to support the SCG vision and local farmers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Springfield Community Gardens runs a network of 16 community gardens, 3 urban farms, a community food forest, and a certified test kitchen to grow and distribute local produce across a 17-county Ozarks region. It provides beginning-farmer training through the Farmer Incubator Program, distributes produce via a micro food hub (CSA subscriptions, Nourish the Ozarks rural distribution, community fridges), and partners with CoxHealth to operate Amanda Belle's five-acre hospital farm and the HealthScripts prescription produce program.

Product overview

Springfield Community Gardens (SCG) operates an integrated portfolio of food security and agricultural programs in Springfield, Missouri. At the foundation is its 'Our Gardens' network of 16 community gardens, 3 urban farms, and a community food forest. The Farmer Incubator Program provides regenerative agriculture training and is anchored by Amanda Belle's Farm, a 5-acre hospital farm and incubator site co-developed with CoxHealth. The SCG Food Hub serves as the distribution and aggregation arm, encompassing the CSA for CoxHealth Employees, HealthScripts (prescription produce boxes for low-income patients), Nourish the Ozarks (rural produce distribution), and the Ozarks Food Harvest weekly produce distribution. The SCG Test Kitchen develops value-added products and runs a zero-waste initiative, while Youth Programs (Grow to Ride 4-H Club and School Partnership) cultivate the next generation of growers and advocates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Our Gardens (Community Gardens Network) Network of 16 community gardens, 3 urban farms, a community food forest, and a test kitchen providing plot rentals, infrastructure, training, and produce access for community gardeners and home growers across Springfield, Missouri since 2010.
• Farmer Incubator Program Beginning-farmer and veteran training program providing temporary affordable access to land, infrastructure, mentorship, and 4-week Level I / 16-week Level II regenerative agriculture paid internships with technical assistance across a 5-state Heartland region.
• SCG Food Hub (micro food hub) Micro food hub that aggregates produce from a network of producers and distributes to consumers and institutional buyers (restaurants, hospitals, schools, grocery stores), coordinating CSA, Nourish the Ozarks, and community fridge resupply across a 14-county region.
• Youth Programs (Grow to Ride 4-H Club & Farm to School) Educational programs delivered in partnership with USDA 4-H and Springfield Public Schools, including the Grow to Ride 4-H Club (youth ages 7-12, horsemanship and food sustainability), Farm to School, school garden technical assistance, and educational workshops.
• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program Subscription CSA program offering 75 weekly produce box shares to CoxHealth employees during a 22-week season; each box contains $35 or more of local food plus monthly value-added products and recipes.
• HealthScripts Prescription Produce Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ individuals received free food through Ozarks Food Harvest partnership
• +6 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

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• CoxHealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-program strategic partnership spanning hospital farming (Amanda Belle's five-acre hospital farm broken ground in 2020, one of only five hospital farms in the U.S.), CSA program delivering 75 weekly produce shares to employees, the HealthScripts prescription produce program with CoxHealth doctors for low-income patients, the SCG Test Kitchen at Cox North, and a zero-waste cafeteria food repurposing pilot. The relationship is deeply integrated across clinical, nutritional, and operational domains.
• Ozarks Food HarvestflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduce distribution partnership in operation since 2014 distributing fresh produce directly to food-insecure neighborhoods via weekly Wednesday distributions at Weller Community Church. The partnership has served 100,000+ individuals with 750,000+ pounds (over $1.3 million worth) of free food that would otherwise have been sent to a landfill.
• Community Partnership of the Ozarks (CPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer and operating partner of the 'Nourish the Ozarks' program through CPO's Food Collaborative. The program purchases directly from local farmers and distributes fresh, local food to rural communities across a 14 county region, including filling Springfield's community fridges.
• Heartland Regional Food Business CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCovers a 5-state region of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Dedicated to helping farm and food enterprises start up, grow, and connect with local and regional markets. SCG offers technical assistance on farm and food business development, training, business planning, mentorship, marketing, and financing access in partnership with the Center.
• Springfield Public SchoolscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSchool partnership providing technical assistance with school gardens, Farm to School programming, educational workshops, and funding opportunities to increase SPS programming. Collaborates to create local supply chains for institutions with fresh healthy food.
• USDA 4-H ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-develops the Grow to Ride 4-H Club bringing together youth aged 7-12 from economically challenged neighborhoods to develop personal responsibility through horsemanship, learn food sustainability, and provide community service.
• City of Springfield (Neighborhoods and Planning office, CPO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing municipal partner that helped establish the first Springfield Community Garden in 2010 and continues to support the community garden network, including partnership for Springfield's community fridges.
• Springfield-Greene County Parks DepartmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to establish Springfield Community Gardens' first Community Garden in 2010 in the Grant Beach neighborhood, providing foundational public land and infrastructure support.
• Springfield-Greene County Library systemcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOperates community fridges that SCG helps fill with fresh produce through the Nourish the Ozarks program. Participates as a community fridge distribution partner.
• Drew Lewis FoundationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOperates community fridges in Springfield that SCG helps fill with fresh produce via the Nourish the Ozarks program.
• Better Block SGFminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOperates community fridges in Springfield that SCG helps fill with fresh produce via the Nourish the Ozarks program.
• Weller Community ChurchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHosts the weekly free produce distribution in partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest every Wednesday from 1:00 to 1:30 pm. Distribution has occurred since 2014 with no qualifications required.
• Fresh Food ConnectcoreTechnology or IntegrationApp integration that allows home gardeners to schedule donation drop-offs every Monday and Tuesday from 7AM-2PM at the SCG Market Garden at 1126 N. Broadway Ave for staff to wash and process. Produce is used to fill Springfield's community fridges.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Cultivate Kansas City: Kansas City-area nonprofit supporting urban agriculture, community gardens, and farmer training — operates in the same Missouri geography that SCG is expanding into via its 2026 federal grant.

Direct peers

• Big Green: Nonprofit that builds learning gardens in schools and communities and provides garden-based education; directly comparable to SCG's 16-garden community network and youth education programs.
• FoodCorps: National nonprofit deploying service members in schools to teach hands-on food education and build school gardens — closely mirrors SCG's 4-H Grow to Ride Club and Springfield Public Schools Farm to School programming.
• Soul Fire Farm: Northeast nonprofit running a farmer training program (SOIL), beginning-farmer immersion, and food justice work — directly comparable to SCG's Farmer Incubator Program and Level I/II regenerative agriculture internships.
• Wholesome Wave: National nonprofit that runs produce prescription (Fruit & Vegetable Prescription) and incentive programs connecting healthcare providers with fresh produce for low-income patients — directly analogous to SCG's HealthScripts partnership with CoxHealth.
• DC Greens: Washington D.C. nonprofit combining school gardens, farm-to-school, food access, and food justice advocacy; parallels SCG's integration of youth programs, gardens, and produce distribution.
• Fresh Approach: Bay Area nonprofit that aggregates produce from small farms for CSA boxes and food access programs; comparable to SCG's Food Hub, CSA, and Nourish the Ozarks distribution functions.
• Growing Hope: Michigan-based nonprofit running community gardens, a farmers market, and food hub distribution — a closely analogous operational model to SCG's gardens + micro food hub + farmer incubator stack.

Broad incumbents

• The Food Trust: Larger established nonprofit operating nationally on healthy food access, farm-to-school, and food retail initiatives; comparable mission to SCG's food hub and Nourish the Ozarks programs at greater scale.

Others

• Ozarks Food Harvest: Regional food bank that is itself a flagship partner of SCG; included as an ecosystem peer because it operates the produce distribution backbone that SCG's gardens and farms supply in the Ozarks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLcRa29Jwaqujsi1DK5C7eSwvxzX8iLEpF
• Facebookfacebook.com/SpringfieldCommunityGardens
• Xx.com/growlocalscg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/springfield-community-gardens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Springfield Community Gardens