Farm Alliance of Baltimore
Farm Alliance of Baltimore is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership collective of roughly 49 urban farms and gardens in Baltimore City, operating the Black Butterfly Teaching Farm and Urban Farmer Academy to aggregate produce sales, deliver farmer training, and expand food access in underserved neighborhoods.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBaltimore, MD, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Farm Alliance of Baltimore does
The organization's business model blends earned revenue and philanthropic support. Earned streams include annual membership dues, collective produce sales at the 32nd Street Farmers Market and neighborhood farm stands, B2B restaurant and retail sourcing, CSA programs (including a free CSA serving 80+ West Baltimore households through partner Bon Secours Urban Farm), and fees from training programs (BBUFA Field School at $20/session for public attendees, free for members and partner program participants). A 2015-launched Double Dollars program supplements produce affordability for EBT and WIC customers. Grants and donations provide the remaining support, with institutional funders including Goldseker Foundation, T. Rowe Price Foundation, The Abell Foundation, Kaiser Permanente Community Health Initiative, The France-Merrick Foundation, The Baltimore Community Foundation, and Northeast SARE; the 2025 Digging In campaign attracted 130+ grassroots donors above a $20K goal. The organization is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors, with Denzel Mitchell Jr. serving as Executive Director and a small staff of 9 employees supported by strategic alliances with Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Maryland Food Bank, Future Harvest, Black Yield Institute, and the City of Baltimore's Office of Sustainability.
Farm Alliance of Baltimore firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Farm Alliance of Baltimore
- Legal name
- Farm Alliance of Baltimore
- Website
- https://farmalliancebaltimore.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Farm Alliance of Baltimore is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership collective of roughly 49 urban farms and gardens in Baltimore City, operating the Black Butterfly Teaching Farm and Urban Farmer Academy to aggregate produce sales, deliver farmer training, and expand food access in underserved neighborhoods.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Farm Alliance of Baltimore industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Agriculture Services
- NAICS
- Other Crop Farming (1119)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Farm-to-Consumer Cooperative Markets (Local Producer Co-ops) (CRAHALAG), Agricultural Production & Farm Operations (EDAOAOAA)
Keywords
Where Farm Alliance of Baltimore is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Baltimore, MD
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Farm Alliance of Baltimore business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from farm and garden members. Farm Membership requires production of more than $2,000 worth of farm products for sale or donation annually. Garden Membership is for operations producing less than $2,000 annually.
- Produce Sales at Farmers Markets: Direct sales of produce through collective market stand at 32nd Street Farmers Market and neighborhood farm stands. Joint market presence allows members to share costs and offer greater product diversity.
- Restaurant and Retail Sales: B2B sales of produce to local restaurants and retail establishments in Baltimore.
- Training Program Fees: Revenue from Black Butterfly Urban Farmer Academy training programs including the BBUFA Field School. Field day workshops are free for members but open to public for $20 per session.
- Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and institutional grants from foundations supporting urban agriculture and food access missions. Organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Farm Membership for production-scale operations |
| Subscription | Annual | Garden Membership for smaller operations |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Public Workshop/Field Day Access |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Farm Alliance of Baltimore product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Farm Alliance of Baltimore is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership collective of nearly 50 urban farms and gardens in Baltimore City. It provides member farms with shared resources, collective marketing, technical assistance, and farmer-to-farmer support, while operating the Black Butterfly Teaching Farm as a 1.5-acre demonstration hub and the Black Butterfly Urban Farmer Academy as a 9-month urban agriculture training program.
Product overview
Farm Alliance of Baltimore is a membership organization operating as a collective of urban farms, not a single unified product but a network of member farms and educational programs. The core offerings include the Black Butterfly Teaching Farm serving as the physical hub, the Black Butterfly Urban Farmer Academy providing 9-month farmer training, and Field Day Workshops for hands-on education. The organization facilitates collective sales through the 32nd Street Farmers Market stand and neighborhood farm stands, while offering two membership tiers—Farm Membership for production-scale operations and Garden Membership for smaller community gardens. Additional programs include restaurant and retail sales coordination, all designed to expand food access and support Baltimore's next generation of urban growers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Black Butterfly Urban Farmer Academy: 9-month training program launched in 2021 focusing on sustainable agriculture methods and farm business planning through classroom sessions, on-farm work, and field days for socially disadvantaged people in Baltimore City.
- Black Butterfly Teaching Farm
Quantifiable outcome
- Stewarded more than 25 acres of land across network
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Farm Alliance of Baltimore
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Farm Alliance of Baltimore technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Farm Alliance of Baltimore partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Future Harvest - Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable AgriculturecoreMember organization providing beginner farmer training, resource sharing, and network connections for Chesapeake region growers. Field day workshops free for Future Harvest trainees.
- Baltimore City Department of Recreation & ParkscoreCity agency partnership supporting urban farming operations and land access for member farms.
- Baltimore City Office of SustainabilitycoreCity office supporting urban agriculture through Baltimore Food Policy Initiative and Homegrown Baltimore programs.
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable FuturecoreAcademic partner conducting research and evaluation on food systems, nutrition demonstrations, and public health impacts. Co-published Double Dollars Program evaluation.
- University of Maryland ExtensionminorEducational partnership providing extension services and agricultural expertise to member farms.
- Black Yield InstitutecoreCo-led Community Control of Land initiative addressing land insecurity. Member organization focused on Black food sovereignty and food systems.
- Bon Secours Community WorkscoreNonprofit operating Bon Secours Urban Farm with free CSA for 80+ households. Partnership for food access in West Baltimore.
- Maryland Food BankcoreProduce aggregation partner for distributing urban farm produce through food bank network.
- City of Baltimorecore15-year lease for Black Butterfly Teaching Farm site. Support for construction and farm development through city grants.
- Baltimore Green SpaceminorOrganization supporting preservation of urban green spaces including community gardens and farms.
- Acres4ChangeminorMember organization providing free field day access for Acres4Change Stewards. Mushroom business and mentoring program for BIPOC farmers.
- SAAFONminorSustainable Agriculture Alliance for Farm Owners Network providing regional support and resources for Black farmers.
- YSEALI Professional Fellowship Program (U.S. State Department)minorInternational exchange program hosting fellows from Southeast Asia. Two reciprocal exchanges to Indonesia completed (2023, 2025) for knowledge sharing.
- East-West Seed CompanyminorIndonesian seed company hosting YSEALI exchange visits. Tour of Cap Panah Merah Campus demonstration gardens and research facilities.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Farm Alliance of Baltimore competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dig Deep Farms: Alameda County, CA-based urban farming social enterprise operating production farms with a food access mission in underserved neighborhoods. Comparable in combining urban production acreage, food access distribution, and workforce development.
- The Food Project: Northeast urban farming nonprofit operating production farms with a youth employment and farmer training focus. Closely mirrors Farm Alliance's combination of small-acreage production, CSA-style distribution, and a structured training pathway.
- Soul Fire Farm: Black-led farm in upstate New York combining regenerative agriculture, farmer training, and food sovereignty advocacy. Directly comparable as a nonprofit operating a working farm with a training pipeline and food access mission similar to Farm Alliance's BBUFA and Black Butterfly Teaching Farm.
- GrowNYC: New York City-based nonprofit running farmers markets, urban agriculture programming, and food access initiatives. Directly comparable as a multi-program urban agriculture organization aggregating small farms into a collective greenmarket distribution channel akin to the 32nd Street stand.
- Green City Growers: Somerville, MA-based urban farming organization building edible landscapes and supporting urban growers. Comparable as a Northeast urban agriculture nonprofit with a farmer-support and education mission analogous to Farm Alliance.
- Denver Urban Gardens: Denver-based nonprofit supporting a network of community gardens and urban farms with training and food access programs. Comparable in its network/membership structure stewarding land across a metro area, similar to Farm Alliance's 50-member, 25+ acre network.
- Pasa Sustainable Agriculture: Pennsylvania-based nonprofit advancing sustainable agriculture through farmer training, research, and network support. Comparable as a regional sustainable agriculture nonprofit with a farmer training pipeline and grant-funded programming, similar in mission scope to Farm Alliance.
- Jones Valley Teaching Farm: Birmingham, AL-based urban farming and food education nonprofit operating a teaching farm and school-based programs. Directly comparable as a nonprofit teaching farm model with training, demonstration, and food access functions similar to Black Butterfly Teaching Farm.
- Future Harvest Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture: Mid-Atlantic sustainable agriculture nonprofit providing farmer training, conferences, and resource-sharing for Chesapeake region growers. Directly comparable as an existing Farm Alliance partner organization offering beginner farmer training and field day programming.
Others
- National Young Farmers Coalition: National nonprofit advocating for young and beginning farmers through policy and resources. Comparable as an ecosystem partner — a Farm Alliance board member (Kelsey Watson) serves as its National Organizing Director — and thematically aligned on farmer pipeline development.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Farm Alliance of Baltimore social profiles
Digital presenceFarm Alliance of Baltimore compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Farm Alliance of Baltimore financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Farm Alliance of Baltimore leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Farm Alliance of Baltimore funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Farm Alliance of Baltimore 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 Farm Alliance of Baltimore
What does Farm Alliance of Baltimore do?
Farm Alliance of Baltimore is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership collective of nearly 50 urban farms and gardens in Baltimore City. It provides member farms with shared resources, collective marketing, technical assistance, and farmer-to-farmer support, while operating the Black Butterfly Teaching Farm as a 1.5-acre demonstration hub and the Black Butterfly Urban Farmer Academy as a 9-month urban agriculture training program.
Is Farm Alliance of Baltimore a public or private company?
Farm Alliance of Baltimore is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Farm Alliance of Baltimore founded?
Farm Alliance of Baltimore was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Farm Alliance of Baltimore based?
Farm Alliance of Baltimore is headquartered in Baltimore, MD, United States, in the North America region.
How does Farm Alliance of Baltimore make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are produce Sales at Farmers Markets, restaurant and Retail Sales, training Program Fees and donations and Grants.
Who are Farm Alliance of Baltimore's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dig Deep Farms, The Food Project, Soul Fire Farm, GrowNYC, Green City Growers, Denver Urban Gardens, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, Jones Valley Teaching Farm and Future Harvest Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. National Young Farmers Coalition is listed as an others.
Does Farm Alliance of Baltimore have an API?
No public API is recorded for Farm Alliance of Baltimore.
What industry is Farm Alliance of Baltimore in?
Farm Alliance of Baltimore's product category is Urban Agriculture Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAI, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems, with a secondary code of CRAHALAG, Farm-to-Consumer Cooperative Markets (Local Producer Co-ops). Its NAICS code is 1119 and its SIC code is 700.