Acres4Change

What Acres4Change does

Acres4Change is a Baltimore-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2020 by Pertula George-Redd that confronts the racial wealth gap by creating pathways from agricultural training to cooperative land ownership for BIPOC farmers. Its core offering is the nine-month Stewardship Program, which combines hands-on farming, business development, and cooperative-ownership curriculum and feeds graduates into collective land ownership through micro-farm collectives such as the Sankofa Farm Collective in West Baltimore (first parcel purchased October 2024). The organization operates Charm City Caps, an indoor mushroom farm retrofitted from a shipping container with climate-controlled fruiting and inoculation chambers, producing oyster, lion's mane, and chestnut mushrooms, plus spent mushroom substrate compost. Ancillary revenue and impact come from educational workshops (foraging, cultivation, composting), value-added products such as Lion's Mane tinctures ($25-$40), and event pop-ups at venues like BMA Community Day and Peabody Mushroom Fest.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit structure. Philanthropic capital is the dominant revenue source, drawing from a diversified base of foundations including Echoing Green ($20K, 2021), Earth Rising Foundation ($20K, 2024), Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, The Middendorf Foundation, United Way Foundation, Starbucks Foundation, MINNOW, the Urban Farm Fund at Baltimore Community Foundation, and the Northeast Regional Food Business Center, plus individual donations via Mightycause and Zelle. Earned revenue is generated through direct-to-consumer sales at Waverly Farmers Market and the 32nd Street Market via the Farm Alliance of Baltimore booth, pre-orders by email and Google Forms, event pop-ups, and workshop fees ($15 suggested donation). Distribution is entirely Baltimore-focused, with no intermediaries or resellers outside the Farm Alliance channel. Customers are organized around three segments: BIPOC aspiring farmers (primary), Baltimore community members seeking fresh produce and education, and volunteers/supporters driving grassroots acquisition. Operational scale is modest: approximately 250 pounds of mushrooms produced in 2024, 8 workshops hosted, a small lean team, and a $9,300 Steward-savings milestone toward the first land parcel.

Name

Acres4Change

Legal name

Acres4Change

Website

https://acres4change.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Acres4Change is a Baltimore 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs a nine-month Stewardship Program training BIPOC aspiring farmers and transitioning them into cooperative land ownership, supplemented by an indoor mushroom farm (Charm City Caps), workshops, and value-added tinctures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture

NAICS

Mushroom Production (111411), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Mushroom Farming (Button, Oyster, Shiitake) (AFAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO), Pruning, Deadheading & Plant Health Maintenance (Non-tree) (HSAIAFAI)

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• BIPOC farmer training
• Land justice stewardship
• Food sovereignty programs
• Mushroom cultivation

Headquarters

HQ city

New Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Mushroom Sales: Direct sales of gourmet mushrooms (Lion's Mane, Blue Oyster, Golden Oyster, Chestnut) at farmers markets, popup events, and pre-orders. Revenue reinvested into land acquisition and program operations.
2. Value-Added Mushroom Products: Sales of Lion's Mane tinctures (2oz for $25, 4oz for $40) at Farm Alliance of Baltimore booth and direct sales. Expanding product line with value-added mushroom products.
3. Workshop Fees: Educational workshops on mushroom cultivation, foraging, composting, and urban agriculture. $15 suggested donation for workshops.
4. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and institutional grants from foundations (Deutsch Foundation, Middendorf Foundation, United Way Foundation, Starbucks Foundation, Earth Rising Foundation). Primary funding source for land acquisition.
5. Spent Mushroom Compost Sales: Repurposing nutrient-rich mushroom compost for sale to local farmers, gardeners, and urban green spaces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Acres4Change is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates an urban farming and land stewardship social enterprise. It runs training programs (Stewardship Program), operates the Charm City Caps mushroom farm, and supports the Sankofa Farm Collective. The organization also sells value-added mushroom products and offers workshops to support BIPOC farmers and advance food sovereignty in Baltimore, MD.

Product overview

Acres4Change operates as a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs focused on land justice and food sovereignty. The core offerings include the Stewardship Program (a nine-month training initiative), Charm City Caps (an indoor mushroom farm and training hub), and Sankofa Farm Collective (land owned by program graduates). These programs work together: Charm City Caps generates revenue through mushroom sales while providing hands-on agricultural training, the Stewardship Program equips BIPOC farmers with business and farming skills, and graduates establish micro-farm collectives through collective land ownership. Additional offerings include mushroom education workshops and value-added products like Lion's Mane tinctures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Charm City Caps: Local mushroom farm cultivating gourmet culinary mushrooms, with proceeds funding land justice and food sovereignty programs
• Sankofa Farm Collective
• Stewardship Program
• Spent Mushroom Compost Initiative

Products and services

• Stewardship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 pounds of mushrooms produced in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• Innovation Works BaltimoreflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltimore-based nonprofit supporting local social entrepreneurs. Provided invaluable guidance through social entrepreneurship pipeline starting in 2020 when Acres4Change was just an idea. Funder, mentor, and connector. Actively supports 160+ social enterprises. Named Partner of the Year 2024. Their support enabled Acres4Change to purchase land for Sankofa Farm Collective.
• Green Street AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltimore school serving as host site for Acres4Change programs. Provides space for Stewards to learn and grow. Farm Manager Vince O'Neal works at GSA while also serving as Mushroom Farm Assistant for Charm City Caps. Hosts hoop house activities and farm projects for students.
• Farm Alliance of BaltimorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for mushroom sales through their booth at 32nd Street Market. Co-hosting workshops including mushroom inoculation workshop with Filbert Street Garden. Collaborative community farming network.
• SARE NortheastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for educational workshops and mushroom field days. Funder acknowledgment on website.
• Baltimore Roundtable for Economic DemocracyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting programs and keeping Acres4Change deeply rooted in relationship.
• Black Yield InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrother Eric Jackson from Black Yield Institute attended 2025-2026 Stewardship Program orientation as dynamic guest speaker.
• South Bronx Community Charter High SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents and teachers visited Sankofa Farm Collective for half-day of service learning about food apartheid and land justice. First domestic service-learning trip for the school.
• OurSpace WorldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer group that helped clean up Sankofa Farm Collective site and install new tool shed.
• Whitelock Community FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFriends and supporters featured in year-one highlights. Community farm partnership in Baltimore.
• Filbert Street GardenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for hands-on mushroom inoculation workshop. Participants learned to inoculate logs and buckets with mushroom spawn.
• IMPaCT Care and Kaiser PermanenteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteers from IMPaCT Care and patients from Kaiser Permanente joined Earth Day activities repotting plant plugs and cleaning Charm City Caps.
• Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA office visited Acres4Change in May and broke ground on Ethnic Crop Garden project. Local and national teammates volunteered time and knowledge.
• Blue Ridge Risk PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer group that helped with trash cleanup, oyster mushroom inoculations, and sanitizing the Charm City Caps grow room.
• Baltimore RavensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in 'Caw to Action Volunteer Day' with United Way Foundation and volunteers at Sankofa Homestead.
• Elevance Health Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteers helped with trash cleanup, oyster mushroom inoculations, and sanitizing Charm City Caps grow room.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Food Project: Northeast-based nonprofit running youth and farmer training programs on urban and suburban farms; founder Pertula George-Redd previously worked there. Comparable mission around sustainable agriculture training and food justice.
• Jones Valley Teaching Farm: Birmingham, AL nonprofit operating urban farms with food access and youth education programming. Comparable model of urban farm-based training and food justice, though less focused on cooperative land ownership.
• Soul Fire Farm: Black-led farm in upstate New York focused on BIPOC food sovereignty, farmer training, and land reparations. Directly comparable to Acres4Change in its combination of regenerative agriculture, BIPOC land access advocacy, and stewardship training.
• Common Good City Farm: Washington, DC urban farm providing produce, training, and community programming in low-income neighborhoods; Acres4Change's founder was its Executive Director. Closely overlapping programming model.
• Black Dirt Farm: BIPOC-led regenerative farm collective providing training and cooperative land ownership models for Black farmers. Most directly comparable peer to Acres4Change's Sankofa-style stewardship approach.
• Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture: Atlanta-based BIPOC urban agriculture nonprofit offering training, fresh produce, and community programming. Comparable community-led food sovereignty and urban farming mission.

Emerging players

• Farm Alliance of Baltimore: Coalition of urban farms in Baltimore including Acres4Change as a partner; runs the 32nd Street Market booth where Charm City Caps products are sold. Adjacent mission around supporting small urban farms in Baltimore.

Regional players

• Urban Roots: Austin, TX nonprofit operating urban farms, youth leadership, and food access programs in Central Texas. Comparable community-led urban agriculture training model in a different geography.
• EcoCity Farms: Maryland-based urban farm focused on food access, training, and sustainable agriculture. Comparable Mid-Atlantic urban farm training model, though with different land ownership structure.

Broad incumbents

• Small Holdings: Specialty mushroom producer using controlled-environment farms (including container-based systems) for restaurant and retail supply. Most directly comparable commercial indoor mushroom operator to Charm City Caps, though for-profit and at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/acres4change
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acres4change

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Acres4Change