Roots Rising Inc

What Roots Rising Inc does

Roots Rising Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The organization operates three interconnected programs: the year-round, teen-run Pittsfield Farmers Market; paid Youth Crews (Summer, Fall, and Spring Farm Crews plus an advanced Market Crew) that place high school teens in farm labor, food pantry, and market operations; and a developing Farm & Education Center on 6.5 acres acquired in 2024. Its primary beneficiaries are teens in Pittsfield and Berkshire County, with secondary stakeholders including small-scale local farmers needing seasonal labor and food-insecure community members.

Rooted in a shared-leadership management model, Roots Rising employs roughly seven staff with advanced degrees in nonprofit management, social work, and international development. The organization operates the first teen-run farmers market in the region (launched 2019), pivoted to a Virtual Farmers Market during COVID-19 (2020) generating $250,000 in local food sales and $100,000 in donated fresh food over eight months, and has cultivated academic and civic partnerships with The Conway School, Williams College, Berkshire Bounty, and the City of Pittsfield.

Roots Rising is funded through a diversified contributed-revenue model: individual donations (online via NeonCRM, mail, stock, donor-advised funds), corporate and foundation sponsorships organized into Barnraiser-, Harvest-, Plant-, Cultivator-, Pollinator-, and Nurturer-tier programs, and an annual gala. The organization is currently running a multi-stakeholder capital campaign for the Farm & Education Center with five confirmed Visionary-tier sponsors at $100,000 or more. All youth programs are free for participants; teens receive stipends or hourly wages rather than paying for services.

Name

Roots Rising Inc

Legal name

Roots Rising

Website

https://rootsrising.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Roots Rising Inc is a Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based nonprofit founded in 2012 that operates a teen-run farmers market, paid Youth Crew farm-based employment programs, and a developing 6.5-acre Farm & Education Center serving Pittsfield and Berkshire County teens, local farmers, and food-insecure residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Workforce Development

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders (115115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Youth workforce development
• Farm-based education
• Community farmers market
• Food access programs
• Nonprofit youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsfield

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. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals supporting youth development and food equity mission. Donations accepted online, via mail, stock gifts, and donor-advised funds.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorship program with multiple tiers (Barnraiser, Harvester, Cultivator, Pollinator, Nurturer) providing visibility to sponsors in exchange for financial support.
3. Annual Gala: Annual fundraising event featuring sponsorships at various levels (Harvest, Plant, Seedling) with ticket sales and proceeds supporting organizational mission.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Roots Rising operates a year-round, teen-run farmers market in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and runs seasonal paid Youth Crew programs (Summer Farm Crew, Fall/Spring Farm Crews, and Market Crew) that employ local teens on farms, in food pantries, and at the market. The organization is developing a permanent 6.5-acre Farm & Education Center acquired in 2024 to expand programming. All youth programs are free to participants; teens earn wages ($2,000 Summer Crew, $800 Fall/Spring Crew, $15/hour Market Crew).

Product overview

Roots Rising Inc operates a unified set of interconnected youth development programs centered around food and farming. The core offerings include the year-round teen-run Pittsfield Farmers Market, three seasonal Farm Crews (Summer, Fall, and Spring) where teens work on local farms and at food pantries, an advanced Market Crew for Farm Crew graduates, and the developing Farm & Education Center on 6.5 acres. These programs work together to empower youth as changemakers while building food equity and strengthening the local food system in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pittsfield Farmers Market A year-round, teen-run farmers market that serves as a vital hub for food equity and a vibrant community gathering space, providing access to fresh, local food in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
• Youth Crews (Farm Crews) Seasonal farm-based programs where teens work on farms, in food pantries, and at the farmers market. Includes Summer Farm Crew (five intensive weeks, up to $2,000) and Fall/Spring Farm Crews (8-9 weeks after school, up to $800). Designed for high school teens seeking meaningful workforce experience.
• Market Crew An advanced job opportunity for graduates of Farm Crew, running the Pittsfield Farmers Market with vendor support, customer service, children's activities, and food equity programs for six months (May-October) at $15/hour.
• Farm & Education Center A 6.5-acre permanent home for Roots Rising that nurtures the next generation of food system changemakers while welcoming the community to connect with the land, grow food, and learn.

Quantifiable outcome

• $250,000 generated in sales for local food economy during 2020 pandemic response
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• The Conway SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate students conducted Community Food System Study for Roots Rising, City of Pittsfield, and Berkshire Bounty
• Williams CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege students can receive funding through Alumni Sponsored Internship Program or Center for Environmental Studies for Roots Rising internships
• Berkshire BountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Roots Rising and City of Pittsfield to support Community Food System Study

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• New Entry Sustainable Farming Project: New Entry is a Tufts University-based program that trains new farmers and runs food-access initiatives across Massachusetts. It shares the Massachusetts farm-training environment with Roots Rising but focuses on adult aspiring farmers rather than teens.

Broad incumbents

• National FFA Organization: National FFA is the premier US youth agricultural leadership organization. It competes in adjacent youth-in-agriculture territory with a national footprint and curricular model that could attract some of the same Berkshire teen population.
• FoodCorps: FoodCorps is a national AmeriCorps-affiliated nonprofit that places young adults in schools to teach nutrition and food education and to grow school gardens. It operates at a much larger scale than Roots Rising but shares the youth + food systems + service-learning thesis.
• 4-H (National 4-H Council): 4-H is the largest US youth-development organization with deep agricultural programming. It is a broad incumbent in the same positive-youth-development nonprofit category as Roots Rising, with comparable life-skills and ag-education content.

Regional players

• Berkshire Grown: Berkshire Grown is a regional food-system nonprofit supporting local farms and food access in the Berkshires. It overlaps with Roots Rising geographically and thematically through local agriculture and food equity, though it is an industry-support organization rather than a youth employer.
• Massachusetts Farm to School: Massachusetts Farm to School is a statewide nonprofit connecting schools, farms, and food-access programs across MA. It shares the Berkshire/Massachusetts policy environment and the food-systems-plus-youth orientation, although it does not directly operate teen farm crews.

Direct peers

• The Food Project: The Food Project is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that combines sustainable agriculture with youth development and food access. It runs paid teen 'Dirt Crew' programs on farms and a farmers market — directly mirroring Roots Rising's farm-based youth employment and Market Crew model.
• Green City Force: Green City Force is a NYC nonprofit that engages young adults from low-income communities in paid service years focused on urban agriculture, food justice, and environmental sustainability. It is a close operational analogue to Roots Rising's teen farm crew and food-equity programming.
• Urban Roots Austin: Urban Roots is an Austin, TX nonprofit that employs youth and young adults on a working farm to grow food for the community. Its paid youth farm crew and food-donation model are highly comparable to Roots Rising's Summer/Fall/Spring Farm Crews.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/rootsrising413
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCM1Yd-Bisd_thGQtZre1kZA?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/RootsRising
• Instagraminstagram.com/rootsrising413
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roots-rising

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Roots Rising Inc