City Blossoms
City Blossoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Washington, DC that delivers garden-based education and community programming to children, youth, and families across 33 partner sites through six integrated programs spanning early childhood through high school.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What City Blossoms does
City Blossoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, founded in 2008-2009, that delivers garden-based education and community programming to children, youth, and families. The organization operates six integrated programs: Early Growers (early-childhood garden experiences), School Garden Partners (K-12 partner schools), the Youth Entrepreneurship Cooperative branded as Mighty Greens (a youth-run microgreens business with 144 youth participants), Community Green Spaces (five neighborhood garden sites), Resources & Trainings (curriculum and educator support reaching 381 educators in 2025), and the Regional Garden-based Learning Summit (annual multi-organization convening). In 2025 the organization reports serving 7,421 children and youth across 33 partner sites, engaging 770+ volunteers, and distributing 25,000+ lbs of produce.
The organization's underlying operational asset is a codified garden-based pedagogy and curriculum library, paired with five physically-located Community Green Spaces across DC neighborhoods and a fellowship program that places adult trainees in garden-based roles. Its business model is a hybrid nonprofit model that depends primarily on institutional philanthropy — including foundations such as the Bainum Family Foundation and Sprouts, plus corporate sponsors (NBA Foundation via the Washington Wizards, D.C. United / MSE Foundation) — and on government grants from the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, OSSE, USDA, and EPA. Earned income is generated through a small merchandise line that includes the "Our First Harvest" cookbook, branded swag, annual fundraising events such as the Garden Fiesta and the newly added Basil Bonanza, fee-based educator trainings and field trips, and a nascent consulting practice.
Strategic priorities codified in the 2024-2028 Strategic Plan include scaling Mighty Greens, growing the fellowship pipeline, and expanding the Regional Summit beyond Washington, DC. New 2025 partnerships include the NBA Foundation / Washington Wizards supporting the YEC and D.C. United, which named City Blossoms a 2025 Community Champion. The organization does not operate a proprietary technology platform — its core "technology" is its garden-based pedagogy, programmatic IP, and embedded community relationships — and there is no disclosed AI/ML component.
City Blossoms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- City Blossoms
- Legal name
- City Blossoms
- Website
- https://cityblossoms.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- City Blossoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Washington, DC that delivers garden-based education and community programming to children, youth, and families across 33 partner sites through six integrated programs spanning early childhood through high school.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
City Blossoms industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Landscaping Services (561730), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)
Keywords
Where City Blossoms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
City Blossoms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: City Blossoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on charitable donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships. The 2025 Annual Report lists dozens of funding partners including foundations (Bainum Family Foundation, Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation), corporations (Apple, OXO, ALDI), government agencies (DC DOE, USDA, EPA), and community organizations.
- Merchandise Sales: The organization operates a shop selling publications (bilingual cookbook Garden Gastronomy for $35, early childhood curriculum Our First Harvest for $30), swag (t-shirts $20, tote bags $15, caps $20, stickers from $3), and recipe cards ($10).
- Fundraising Events: Annual Garden Fiesta fundraiser with ticket sales ($35 online, $45 at door), sponsorship packages from corporate sponsors like Toast Inc., Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, and others.
- Consulting Services: Professional development training, content development, and program implementation consulting for schools, organizations, and foundations seeking garden-based education expertise.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Garden Fiesta Fundraiser Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Publications and Merchandise |
| Freemium | Free | Free Programming |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
City Blossoms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
City Blossoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free and affordable garden-based education and youth development programming in Washington, DC. Through a six-program Pathways Model spanning ages 2 through high school, the organization operates five Community Green Spaces, partners with 33+ schools and community organizations, runs the Mighty Greens youth-led cooperative business, and offers educator training, consulting, paid publications, and a biennial regional summit.
Product overview
City Blossoms operates as a unified nonprofit organization offering multiple interconnected programs that form a pathway of youth engagement from early childhood (ages 2-6) through high school and into early career. The core portfolio includes six programs: Early Growers (early childhood garden education), School Garden Partners (K-12 school garden support), Youth Entrepreneurship Cooperative (featuring the youth-led business Mighty Greens), Community Green Spaces (five communal garden hubs with Open Times programming), Resources and Trainings (educator professional development and consulting), and the Regional Garden-based Learning Summit (biennial professional development event). The organization also offers paid publications including the bilingual Garden Gastronomy cookbook and Our First Harvest Pre-K curriculum, along with volunteer programs like Garden Stewards. All programs are grounded in garden-based learning that incorporates science, art, healthy living, and community building.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mighty Greens: A youth-led, garden-based, entrepreneurship project developed through City Blossoms' Youth Entrepreneurship Cooperative Program. Cooperative members use high school gardens and greenhouses as spaces to learn how to care for edible and native plants while growing the business. They grow, sell, and donate produce using sustainable and organic practices, promoting food justice.
Products and services
- Early Growers Program Early childhood garden education program connecting DC's youngest gardeners ages 2-6 to the outdoors through nature-based classroom lessons and garden excursions, with professional development for educators on designing age-appropriate gardens.
- School Garden Partners Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 7,421 children and youth had access to safe, creative green spaces across 33 partner sites in 2025
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use City Blossoms
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
City Blossoms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
City Blossoms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- D.C. UnitedcoreD.C. United's United We Serve program partnered with City Blossoms for volunteer workday at The Youth Garden at The Farm at Kelly Miller. Pre-game Sustainability Night feature at Audi Field. Executive Director Rafael Woldeab received Community Champion Award.
- NBA Foundation / Washington WizardsflagshipPartnership with NBA Foundation supporting Youth Entrepreneurship Cooperative Program. NBA feature article highlighting City Blossoms' work engaging youth in hands-on, garden-based education, stewardship, and leadership development.
- Capital Area Food BankcorePartnership for produce distribution - over 25,000 lbs of free fresh produce distributed to families at City Blossoms gardens in 2025 through this partnership.
- Dreaming Out LoudcoreCollaborative partner managing production farms at The Farm at Kelly Miller and The Farm at Fort Stanton. Dreaming Out Loud operates production farm and food hub while City Blossoms runs Youth Garden programming.
- DC Department of Parks and RecreationcoreLand provider for The Farm at Kelly Miller and The Farm at Fort Stanton Youth Gardens. DPR land enables community green space programming in underserved neighborhoods.
- United States Botanic GardencoreLong-standing partnership including co-development of 'Growing Strong: A Comprehensive Guide to Support All School Garden Programs in DC' and 'Green House Manual: An Introductory Guide for Educators.' Co-host of Regional Garden-based Learning Summit.
- Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)corePartnership on curriculum development including 'Growing Strong' school garden guide. Co-host of 2023 Regional Garden-based Learning Summit. OSSE Division of Health and Wellness provides funding support.
- MSE Foundation / Washington CapitalsminorMSE Foundation organized community workday at Marion Street Intergenerational Garden with Washington Capitals players and volunteers from Vanda Pharmaceuticals to support spring programming season.
- Saint Paul Parks ConservancyminorRecent feature with NBA highlighting collaborative work engaging youth in garden-based education and community change-making.
- OXOminorCorporate partner featured in interview with Executive Director Rafael Woldeab on gardens, green spaces, and cultivating youth leadership in D.C.
- Mission NorthminorProvided Mission North's Impact Grant supporting Executive Director Rafael Woldeab's work on building safe, kid-driven green spaces.
- Bread for the CityminorMarion Street Intergenerational Garden regularly donates produce to Bread for the City to support their food access work.
- Zion Baptist ChurchminorPartner in produce distribution - helped distribute over 25,000 lbs of free fresh produce to DC families in 2025.
- SGSO Network (School Garden Support Organization Network)minorNational network partner. Co-planning committee member for 2025 Regional Garden-based Learning Summit.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
City Blossoms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DC Greens: Washington, DC-based nonprofit working on food education, school gardening, and food access across the district. Operates in the same city and the same school-based food and garden education space as City Blossoms, serving overlapping Title I and community audiences.
- Green Our Planet: Las Vegas-based nonprofit that builds and supports school gardens and runs a garden educator training program at scale. Closely comparable in the school garden support and educator training categories that City Blossoms operates in.
- FoodCorps: National nonprofit that places service members in schools to deliver garden-based education, cooking lessons, and food access programming. Highly comparable model: City Blossoms' Early Growers Manager (Miya Nixon) was a FoodCorps service member in 2014, indicating direct overlap in program design and audience.
- Common Ground: New Haven, CT-based urban farm and environmental education center that runs school garden programs and youth leadership initiatives. Comparable model combining production farm, school partnerships, and youth programming, though in a different city.
- Saint Paul Parks Conservancy: Saint Paul, MN-based nonprofit focused on community parks and green spaces, recently featured alongside City Blossoms in an NBA piece on youth-centered green space work. Comparable mission around equitable access to community green spaces and youth engagement.
- Dreaming Out Loud: Washington, DC-based nonprofit operating production farms and food hubs in Ward 8 and Lincoln Heights, with whom City Blossoms co-manages The Farm at Kelly Miller and The Farm at Fort Stanton. Both focus on food justice and youth/community engagement through urban agriculture in underserved DC neighborhoods.
Others
- DC Bilingual PCS: Washington, DC public charter school where City Blossoms' Community Green Spaces Manager previously served as a culinary and garden educator; current board member Francis Keller works there as Director of Development. Adjacent/ecosystem player rather than direct competitor.
Regional players
- Capital Area Food Bank: Regional food distribution nonprofit serving the DC metro area, and a current strategic partner of City Blossoms for produce distribution. Comparable in mission (addressing food access in DC) and region, though operates at significantly larger scale through food distribution rather than production.
Emerging players
- Soul Fire Farm: New York-based farm and training center focused on food justice, youth leadership, and ending racism in the food system. Comparable in food justice and youth education framing, though operates primarily through immersive farm programs rather than school- and community-based delivery.
- SproutED: School garden support organization that provides educator training, curriculum, and consulting for garden-based learning. Comparable to City Blossoms' Resources and Trainings program and educator-facing services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
City Blossoms social profiles
Digital presenceCity Blossoms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
City Blossoms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
City Blossoms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
City Blossoms M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about City Blossoms
What does City Blossoms do?
City Blossoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free and affordable garden-based education and youth development programming in Washington, DC. Through a six-program Pathways Model spanning ages 2 through high school, the organization operates five Community Green Spaces, partners with 33+ schools and community organizations, runs the Mighty Greens youth-led cooperative business, and offers educator training, consulting, paid publications, and a biennial regional summit.
Is City Blossoms a public or private company?
City Blossoms is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was City Blossoms founded?
City Blossoms was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is City Blossoms based?
City Blossoms is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does City Blossoms make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales, fundraising Events and consulting Services.
Who are City Blossoms's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DC Greens, Green Our Planet, FoodCorps, Common Ground, Saint Paul Parks Conservancy and Dreaming Out Loud. DC Bilingual PCS is listed as an others. Capital Area Food Bank is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Soul Fire Farm and SproutED.
Does City Blossoms have an API?
No public API is recorded for City Blossoms.
What industry is City Blossoms in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAC, Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government). Its NAICS code is 561730 and its SIC code is 700.