The Big Garden

What The Big Garden does

The Big Garden is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered at 5602 Read Street in Omaha, Nebraska. It operates as a program of United Methodist Ministries under the Great Plains United Methodist Conference and runs a network of 200+ community gardens across metro-Omaha and rural and semi-rural communities in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. The organization's stated mission is to "Teach. Build. Grow." — teaching people to grow, cook, and preserve their own food, building communities through shared garden spaces, and growing food sovereignty. All garden sites are located on land owned by community agencies, and the organization cites national uniqueness in both the scale of its site network and its partnerships with neighborhood-based congregations, schools, and nonprofits.

Name

The Big Garden

Legal name

The Big Garden

Website

https://biggarden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Big Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating 200+ community gardens across Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas, delivering food education, garden programs, farm stands, and an annual plant sale to schools, faith communities, and food-insecure populations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Garden Education and Food Sovereignty Programs

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Vegetable & Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance (HSAIAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Raised Garden Beds & Planter Box Installation (HSAIAFAK), Seasonal Color & Flower Rotation (Spring/Fall Plantings) (HSAIAFAE), Garden Bed Weed Control & Hand Weeding (HSAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Community garden programs
• Food education programs
• Community food security
• School garden education
• Urban agriculture initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Plant Sale Fundraiser: Annual spring plant sale offering vegetables, herbs, flowers, and prairie plants grown in-house. All plants are $3 in 3.5" pots. Proceeds support year-round garden education programs and garden produce distribution.
2. Mission Trip Fees: Volunteers in Mission program charges $15 per person per day for programming, plus $15 per person per night for lodging. Groups can participate up to 2 days with maximum 20 participants.
3. Donations and Grants: Private nonprofit relying on private donations, grants from foundations, and support from Great Plains United Methodist Conference.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Big Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs a network of 200+ community gardens across metro-Omaha and rural communities in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. It delivers garden-based education, food access programs, and seasonal plant sales through programs such as Farm to School, Garden to Table, Grow-Your-Own, Summer Farm Stands, Volunteers in Mission, and an annual Spring Plant Sale of in-house grown plants.

Product overview

The Big Garden is a community garden and food sovereignty organization operating a network of 200+ gardens in the Omaha metro area and rural communities across Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. The organization offers a diverse portfolio of programs: the Spring Plant Sale (annual fundraiser providing vegetables, herbs, flowers, and prairie plants grown in-house); educational programs including Online Education (virtual workshops and video content), Grow-Your-Own (free 10-week summer garden program for ages 2-18), Garden to Table (after-school classes at 5 Omaha Public Schools), and Farm to School (school garden installation and classroom education); food access initiatives such as Summer Farm Stands (fresh produce distribution at WIC clinics and senior centers with voucher matching) and the annual Seed Share event; and Volunteers in Mission (group mission experiences focused on hunger, poverty, and food security education). The Annual Planting Calendar provides Zone 6A growing guidance. Together, these offerings form an integrated approach to teaching people to grow, cook, and preserve their own food while building food sovereignty in communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Volunteers in Mission (VIM): An accredited Volunteers in Mission site through the United Methodist Church, offering high-quality mission and education experiences in the Omaha area since 2005.

Products and services

• Spring Plant Sale Annual spring fundraiser offering vegetables, herbs, flowers, and prairie plants grown in the organization's greenhouses. All plants are priced at $3 per 3.5-inch pot, with online ordering, in-person sales, and curbside pickup. Proceeds support year-round garden education programs and produce distribution.
• Garden to Table After-school classes at 5 Omaha Public Schools teaching middle school students to grow, harvest, cook, and preserve vegetables and herbs. Program highlights STEAM education through plant science, organic gardening techniques, and healthy lifestyles.
• Farm to School National program combining school garden installation, garden education, and local foods procurement. Edible school gardens are installed and educators teach gardening, cooking, nutrition, and food preservation skills in classrooms.
• Grow-Your-Own Free 10-week summer garden program for ages 2-18 teaching children and youth to grow, tend, harvest, cook, and preserve food from their own gardens. Covers soil health, composting, companion planting, pollinators, harvesting, food systems, cooking, and food preservation.
• Online Education Virtual garden education content including workshops and video lessons covering basic gardening skills, cooking, and nutrition for children, youth, and adults, including Farm to School video series.
• Summer Farm Stands Fresh produce distribution program at WIC clinics and senior centers across the community, run in partnership with Whispering Roots. The program matches WIC and Senior Vouchers to double their value for healthy food options.
• Seed Share Annual public event offering free seeds and hands-on demonstrations for starting seeds indoors, seed saving, and children's garden programming, held in partnership with City Sprouts.
• Volunteers in Mission Accredited mission site through the United Methodist Church offering group mission experiences combining hands-on work, educational opportunities, and small-group learning on issues of hunger, poverty, and food security. Maximum 20 participants per group for 1-2 day experiences; programming fee $15/person/day plus $15/person/night lodging.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ community gardens in metro-Omaha and rural communities across Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City SproutscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Garden to Table after-school classes at 5 middle schools and co-hosting of Annual Seed Share event.
• Whispering RootscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Summer Farm Stands bringing fresh produce to WIC clinics and senior centers. Both organizations match WIC and Senior Voucher values.
• CHI HealthcoreOthersFunding and sponsorship of Summer Farm Stands program providing healthy food options at underserved locations.
• Wenninghoff's Farmer's MarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParticipating vendor for Summer Farm Stands program.
• Golden Hills RC&DminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Farm to School program expansion from Southwest Iowa into Omaha area.
• Omaha Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool garden installation and garden-based education at multiple OPS elementary and middle schools.
• Great Plains United Methodist ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing governance, accreditation for Volunteers in Mission program, and funding support.
• The Giving GrovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated organization under United Methodist Ministries focused on urban orchards and community food security.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Big Green: National nonprofit building garden-based learning in schools and communities. Direct peer in school garden installation and food education space, scaled across multiple U.S. cities.
• City Sprouts: Omaha-based nonprofit running community gardens and garden-based education. Direct peer operating in the same geography with similar mission-driven community garden programs and co-hosting partner of Big Garden's Seed Share event.
• Whispering Roots: Omaha-based nonprofit focused on farm-to-table programs and fresh produce access for underserved populations. Direct peer co-operating Summer Farm Stands with Big Garden at WIC clinics and senior centers.
• The Giving Grove: United Methodist-related nonprofit focused on urban orchards and community food security. Sister organization under United Methodist Ministries with overlapping community food production and food access mission.

Broad incumbents

• Slow Food USA: National nonprofit advocating for good, clean, and fair food through community gardens and education programs. Broader incumbent working in adjacent food sovereignty and community garden space.
• FoodCorps: National nonprofit connecting children to healthy food through school gardens and food education. Broader incumbent operating in similar Garden to Table and Farm to School space but at national scale.

Regional players

• Keep Growing Detroit: Detroit-based nonprofit fostering self-determination through food sovereignty and community gardens. Regional peer with similar community garden network and food justice mission in a different U.S. geography.
• Community Groundworks: Madison, Wisconsin-based nonprofit running community gardens and food education programs. Regional peer with similar community garden network model and youth education programming in the Midwest.
• Botanical Community Gardens (BCG) or similar regional community garden nonprofits: Regional community garden and urban agriculture nonprofits operating in different U.S. geographies with similar mission of community-based food production and education.

Others

• Hunger Free Heartland (or similar regional food security coalition): Regional coalition addressing food insecurity through partnerships with food banks, pantries, and community-based organizations. Ecosystem partner in the same food access/wellness space as Big Garden's farm stand programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@biggardenomaha/playlists
• Facebookfacebook.com/151469323935
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-big-garden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 The Big Garden