SOUTH OF THE SOUND COMMUNITY FARM LAND TRUST

Name

SOUTH OF THE SOUND COMMUNITY FARM LAND TRUST

Legal name

South of the Sound Community Farm Land Trust

Website

https://communityfarmlandtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farmland Preservation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation, Restoration & Biodiversity Services (Habitat, Wetlands, Riparian) (IMAMAJAH), Grassland/Rangeland Management & Restoration (EUABABAF)

Keywords

• Farmland preservation services
• Community land trust
• Agricultural conservation easements
• Farm lease programs
• Local food directories

Headquarters

HQ city

East Olympia

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: CFLT operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Primary revenue comes from individual donations, recurring sustaining memberships, and bequests. The membership levels range from $15 (Farmer/Student/Senior) to $500+ (Steward). The organization also accepts IRA charitable gifts, gifts of stock/bonds/mutual funds, donor-advised fund contributions, and land donations.
2. Fresh from the Farm Guide Revenue: The organization generates revenue through farm guide listings ($40-$150) and advertisements ($25-$250). Sponsorships help fund free listings for farmers in need. The guide is distributed free to the community.
3. Grant Funding: CFLT receives funding from government programs (Thurston County Conservation Futures Program, Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board), foundations (Tides Foundation, Community Foundation of South Puget Sound), tribal contributions, and corporate sponsors (Puget Sound Energy).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CFLT preserves farmland in Washington's South Sound region by acquiring land through purchase or donation and offering farmers long-term 99-year renewable, inheritable Agricultural Ground Leases, providing secure tenure while keeping land in active farming permanently. The organization also partners with landowners on voluntary Agricultural Conservation Easements that extinguish development rights to ensure permanent agricultural use, and publishes the annual Fresh from the Farm Guide (FFTFG) as a regional directory connecting consumers with local farms, farmers markets, CSAs, and food access resources across Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, and Thurston Counties.

Product overview

South of the Sound Community Farm Land Trust operates primarily as a farmland preservation nonprofit rather than a technology company. Its core offerings center on the Community Land Trust Model—a methodology using 99-year agricultural ground leases to permanently preserve farmland and provide affordable access to land for farmers. The organization publishes the annual Fresh from the Farm Guide (FFTFG), an 80-page magazine-style publication distributed in 14,000-15,000 copies across four counties, which includes farm listings, CSA guides, farmers market directories, food bank listings, and food access resources. Additional programs include Agricultural Conservation Easements, membership tiers ranging from $15 to $500+, the Preservation Partners planned giving program, annual LOCALvore and Farms Forever events, and direct stewardship of preserved farmland properties including Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy, Oyster Bay Farm, GRuB Farm, and James Family Historic Farmland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh from the Farm Guide (FFTFG) A free, 80+ page magazine-style regional publication serving as the go-to directory of local farms, farmers markets, farm stands, CSA programs, food bank listings, and food access resources across Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, and Thurston Counties; 13,000-15,000 copies distributed annually.
• Community Land Trust Model (99-Year Agricultural Ground Leases) Farmland preservation service in which CFLT acquires farmland through purchase or donation and offers farmers long-term 99-year renewable, inheritable agricultural ground leases providing secure land tenure while keeping land in active farming in perpetuity; farmers can capture fair-value return on purchased or constructed housing and improvements by selling to the next farmer.
• Agricultural Conservation Easements with Option-to-Purchase Voluntary legal agreements between CFLT and landowners that permanently protect farmland from development by removing development rights, allow future buyers to purchase at agricultural value, and provide cash compensation and tax benefits to participating landowners; CFLT stewards the farmland under permanent agricultural use.
• Membership Program Annual tiered membership program supporting CFLT's farmland preservation work with levels at $15 Farmer/Student/Senior, $35 Tiller, $50 Planter, $100 Cultivator, $250 Harvester, and $500+ Steward; members receive newsletters, event invitations, and program updates.
• Preservation Partners Program Planned-giving program enabling donors to support farmland preservation through estate gifts, IRA charitable gifts, gifts of stock/bonds/mutual funds, donor-advised funds, and land donations, creating the Preservation Leader Circle of legacy donors.
• LOCALvore Shop/Dine/Drink Out Event Annual community event in which partnering local businesses donate a portion of sales to CFLT, celebrating local businesses that support farmland preservation and promoting shopping/dining locally.
• Farms Forever Annual Dinner Annual flagship fundraising dinner featuring local food, drinks, music, and a community-powered giving appeal dedicated to preserving farmland in perpetuity; hosted at venues such as the Stone City Event Center at Tenino Ag Park and Riverbend Ranch.
• CSA Guide A companion publication to the Fresh from the Farm Guide providing a directory of Community Supported Agriculture programs across the four-county region, including descriptions, costs, timeframes, and pick-up information for local CSAs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 216 acres of farmland permanently preserved
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Thurston County Conservation Futures ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Major funding source for multiple CFLT projects including GRuB Farm preservation (2013-2015), Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy, and Oyster Bay Farm Agricultural Conservation Easement (2017). Provides critically important funding for farmland acquisitions and conservation easements.
• Kirsop Farm (Colin Barricklow)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Key lessee at Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy, leasing 60 acres for vegetable, grain, and poultry production. Colin Barricklow serves on CFLT Board, providing farmer voice to governance. Major contributor to Scatter Creek Farm acquisition.
• Thurston Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partnered with Oyster Bay Farm on 'Pioneers in Conservation' grant (2010) for pasture drainage re-sculpturing. Collaborates on site visits, shares information about potential farmers and farmland, and supports events. Tina Wagner serves as Agricultural Program Coordinator at TCD while also on CFLT Board.
• GRuB (Garden-Raised Bounty)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFLT permanently protected 1.18 acres of the GRuB Farm in 2015. GRuB is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working at intersection of food, education, and health, engaging ~1,500 Thurston County residents annually. Represents CFLT's commitment to urban agriculture and food access.
• Puget Sound Energy (PSE)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor sponsor that funded 57 free farm listings in the 2024 Fresh from the Farm Guide. Sponsorship enables CFLT to offer free listings to farmers, increasing guide accessibility and farm visibility.
• Yelm Community BlogminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor that funded 20 free farm listings in the 2024 Fresh from the Farm Guide.
• Squaxin Island TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed funding toward Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy acquisition. CFLT has land acknowledgment recognizing ancestral territories of Coast Salish Tribes and is committed to building relationships with tribal nations.
• Nisqually Indian TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed funding toward Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy acquisition. Part of CFLT's tribal partnership network.
• Puyallup Tribe of IndianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed funding toward Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy acquisition. Part of CFLT's tribal partnership network.
• Olympia Food Co-opminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as supporter of CFLT. Local cooperative business aligned with CFLT's mission to support local food systems and farms.
• Equity TrustminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided discounted or pro bono professional assistance for Scatter Creek Farm acquisition. Organization focused on community land trust model.
• Trout UnlimitedminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided discounted or pro bono professional assistance for Scatter Creek Farm acquisition.
• PCC Farmland TrustminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided discounted or pro bono professional assistance for Scatter Creek Farm acquisition.
• Oyster Bay Farm Landowners (Pat Labine & Kathleen O'Shaunessy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandowners who worked with CFLT on first Agricultural Conservation Easement (2017). Pat Labine is Emeritus Board Member of CFLT. Farm has historic roots as homestead grant from late 1800s.

Scale indicators5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Thurston Conservation District: Local government affiliate that supports agricultural land stewardship and operates the South Sound FarmLink program connecting farmers with available land. Operational peer and strategic partner — CFLT board member Tina Wagner serves as Agricultural Program Coordinator there.

Broad incumbents

• American Farmland Trust: The largest U.S. nonprofit focused on farmland preservation, operating nationally with policy advocacy, research, and direct land protection programs. Comparable mission at much broader geographic and financial scale; CFLT is a regional application of AFT-type preservation strategy.

Direct peers

• Vermont Land Trust: Statewide land trust that has conserved thousands of acres of farmland and forestland in Vermont using conservation easements and direct acquisition. Same nonprofit land trust structure, same dual-instrument (easement + fee) preservation strategy as CFLT.
• PCC Farmland Trust: Washington-based farmland trust that uses conservation easements and direct land acquisition to preserve organic and sustainable farmland in the Pacific Northwest. Direct peer — same state, same preservation model, and explicitly listed as having assisted CFLT on the Scatter Creek Farm acquisition.
• Equity Trust: National nonprofit specializing in the community land trust model for both housing and farmland, including conservation easements with agricultural use restrictions. Directly comparable methodology; provided discounted/pro bono professional assistance to CFLT for the Scatter Creek Farm acquisition.
• Maine Farmland Trust: Maine-focused nonprofit that protects farmland through easement purchases, direct acquisition, and farmer support programs. Directly comparable state-level farmland preservation nonprofit with similar easement-plus-lease programmatic mix.

Regional players

• North Carolina Farmland Preservation Trust Fund: State-administered fund that partners with land trusts to purchase agricultural conservation easements in North Carolina. Comparable easement-based preservation approach but government-administered and geographically non-overlapping with CFLT.

Emerging players

• Dirt Capital Partners: Mission-driven investment firm that partners with land trusts and farmers to acquire and lease farmland affordably. Uses a comparable lease-to-farmer structure but operates as an investment entity rather than a 501(c)(3) donor-funded nonprofit.
• Agrarian Trust: National nonprofit network supporting land trusts and land access for next-generation and BIPOC farmers. Mission-adjacent — focuses specifically on equitable land access — but operates as a network/incubator rather than a direct land-preserving entity like CFLT.
• Nuestras Raices: Massachusetts-based nonprofit that supports Latino and small-scale farmers through land access, training, and community gardening. Mission overlap on equitable farmer land access, but focuses more on urban/peri-urban community agriculture than rural preservation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CommunityFarmLandTrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/CommunityFarmLandTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-of-the-sound-community-farm-land-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 SOUTH OF THE SOUND COMMUNITY FARM LAND TRUST