SchoolGrown
SchoolGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds and operates LEAF aquaponic greenhouses—closed-loop systems combining fish farming and hydroponics—as educational facilities for K-12 schools and community food production sites in California, supported by CSA subscriptions, workshops, and charitable donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersShasta, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What SchoolGrown does
SchoolGrown, Inc. is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2014 that designs, builds, and operates aquaponic greenhouse facilities called LEAFs (Living Ecosystem Aquaponic Facilities) for schools and surrounding communities. Each LEAF is a solar-powered, 1,800-square-foot closed-loop system that combines aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponics (soilless plant cultivation), enabling year-round production of fresh organic produce while serving as a hands-on STEM laboratory integrated with Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards curriculum. Supporting offerings include the SAGE educational framework, the TAG transportable home-scale aquaponics unit, and a tiered workshop series spanning beginner to advanced levels.
The organization's commercial model is hybrid. CSA produce box subscriptions (4- or 13-week reservations with auto-renewal) generate recurring sales revenue at each LEAF site, while sponsored workshops, farm tours, and corporate sponsorships (tiered $5,000–$50,000 multi-year packages) provide top-up income. Because the entity is tax-exempt, tax-deductible donations—processed through PayPal, Square, Farmigo, and an SMS shortcode ('text LEAF to 41444')—are the structural backbone of funding. Operations run on an all-volunteer basis with a founder-led executive team and a Project Champion model in which local advocates are responsible for fundraising, site selection, and stewardship at each new location.
Scale is modest: LEAF #1 at San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, CA is the only operational flagship site; a prior Community Hub in Half Moon Bay concluded in 2015. The CSA program serves ~40 subscribers weekly, and approximately 425 bags/boxes have been distributed at LEAF #1 alongside 240 boxes donated to food-insecure local families. The organization reports ~300 volunteers cumulatively contributing 10,000+ hours, ~$63,000 in lifetime donations, and recognition in PBS Newshour, Aquaponics Survival Magazine, and the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The strategic intent is geographic and product-line replication, though no additional full-scale LEAF sites have been disclosed in the period covered.
SchoolGrown firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SchoolGrown
- Legal name
- SchoolGrown, Inc.
- Website
- https://schoolgrown.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SchoolGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds and operates LEAF aquaponic greenhouses—closed-loop systems combining fish farming and hydroponics—as educational facilities for K-12 schools and community food production sites in California, supported by CSA subscriptions, workshops, and charitable donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SchoolGrown industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Aquaponics and Sustainable Agriculture
- NAICS
- Aquaculture (1125), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover (111419)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aquaponics (Integrated Fish & Plant Production) (AFAEAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ), Greenhouse Vegetable Production (Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Leafy Greens) (AFAGAHAA), Hydroponic & Aeroponic Growing Systems (NFT, DWC, Ebb/Flow, Misting) (AFAAAHAD), Organic Greenhouse & Protected Crop Farming (High Tunnels, Greenhouses) (AFAGAKAD)
Keywords
Where SchoolGrown is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shasta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
SchoolGrown business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Workshop Fees: Revenue from educational workshops on aquaponics, offered at beginner ($100), intermediate ($200), advanced ($350 for 2 days), beneficial microbes ($150), bio-char ($120), and greenhouse design ($120) levels. 20% discount available for students and groups.
- CSA Box Sales: Community Supported Agriculture program where customers pre-pay for weekly produce boxes. At LEAF #1, 50 weekly reservations available. Customers can reserve 4 or 13 weeks at a time with auto-renewal capability. 13-week subscribers receive one week free.
- Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsorships with tiered recognition: 3-Year Produce Box Acknowledgement ($5,000-$15,000 based on ad size), Primary Sponsorship ($25,000 for fish tank plaque with full CSA box ad, $50,000 for greenhouse plaque with full CSA box ad).
- Donations: Tax-deductible donations through PayPal, check, or text-to-donate (text LEAF to 41444). Organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations support sustainable agriculture and education programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Aquaponics I - Beginner workshop |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Aquaponics II - Intermediate workshop |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Aquaponics III - Advanced workshop (2-day) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beneficial Microbes & Worm Tea workshop |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bio-Char Gardening workshop |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Greenhouse Design workshop |
| Subscription | Weekly | CSA Produce Box - Weekly (4 weeks) |
| Subscription | Annual | CSA Produce Box - Full Season (13 weeks) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | 3-Year Produce Box Acknowledgement - Bronze |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | 3-Year Produce Box Acknowledgement - Silver |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | 3-Year Produce Box Acknowledgement - Gold |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Primary Sponsorship - Fish Tank |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Primary Sponsorship - Greenhouse |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
SchoolGrown product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SchoolGrown designs, builds, and operates classroom-sized aquaponic greenhouses (LEAF systems) that combine fish farming with soilless plant production in a closed-loop solar-powered environment. The facilities deliver fresh, organic, local produce year-round while functioning as living laboratories integrated with K-12 STEM curriculum. Supporting the LEAF installations are home-scale TAG systems, the SAGE educational curriculum, tiered hands-on workshops, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) produce box programs.
Product overview
SchoolGrown operates a portfolio of aquaponic greenhouse products and educational services. The core offering is the LEAF (Living Ecosystem Aquaponic Facility), an 1,800 sq ft solar-powered greenhouse that combines fish farming with hydroponics for year-round organic food production. Supporting this are TAG portable home systems, SAGE curriculum integration, tiered hands-on workshops (Beginner through Advanced), CSA produce box distribution programs, and Community Hub facilities for public education. The model emphasizes financial self-sustainability while providing hands-on STEM education integrated with school curriculum.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LEAF: Living Ecosystem Aquaponic Facility - An 1,800 square foot greenhouse that is home to a solar powered aquaponic garden, complete with fish tanks and soilless planter beds. Provides fresh produce, serves as a learning laboratory, and is financially self-sustaining.
- SAGE
- TAG
- SchoolGrown One
Products and services
- LEAF (Living Ecosystem Aquaponic Facility) An 1,800 square foot solar-powered aquaponic greenhouse featuring fish tanks and soilless planter beds that produces fresh, organic, local produce year-round while serving as a living laboratory integrated with STEM curriculum. Designed for school and community deployment.
- TAG (Transportable Aquaponics Greenhouse) A pre-assembled, portable home-scale aquaponics system featuring a 50-gallon fish tank, media bed for deep-rooting plants, floating rafts for leafy greens, corrugated polycarbonate siding, photovoltaic panels, water pump, plumbing, and trailer. Designed for supplemental nutrition for small families.
- Aquaponics Workshop Series Tiered in-person educational workshops covering Aquaponics I-Beginner ($100), Aquaponics II-Intermediate ($200), Aquaponics III-Advanced 2-day ($350), plus specialized workshops on Beneficial Microbes ($150), Bio-Char ($120), and Greenhouse Design ($120). Aimed at hobbyists, urban growers, and aspiring aquaponics practitioners; 20% student and group discount available.
- CSA Produce Boxes Community Supported Agriculture program offering weekly produce box subscriptions (4-week or 13-week reservations with auto-renewal) distributed from LEAF sites. 13-week subscribers receive one week free. Subsidized boxes available for families in need through the Feed-A-Family program.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 90% less water used than conventional agriculture; up to 99% less water than conventional aquaculture
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use SchoolGrown
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SchoolGrown technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
SchoolGrown partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ouroboros FarmscoreOuroboros Farms hosted SchoolGrown One, the first Community Hub and LEAF system, at their greenhouse facility in Half Moon Bay from August 2014 through August 2015. Ouroboros Farms fills the other two ridges with a commercial system, creating a shared infrastructure model. A retail space at the front of the building provides aquaponics system supplies and includes a farm stand for produce sales.
- San Lorenzo LumberminorLocal lumber yard that has donated building materials and supplies to support LEAF #1 construction and operations.
- Global Plastic SheetingminorSupplier that has donated plastic sheeting materials for greenhouse construction.
- Scarborough LumberminorLocal business that has supported LEAF #1 with materials and supplies.
- The Cremer HouseminorLocal business that has supported SchoolGrown with donations and materials.
- Dave GrantcoreSLVHS aquaculture teacher and LEAF advocate who coordinates the LEAF #1 program at San Lorenzo Valley High School. Manages donation pages for Feed-A-Family program and general donations.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SchoolGrown competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Back to the Roots: Mission-driven company selling home aquaponics kits and indoor gardening products to families and schools. Comparable to SchoolGrown's TAG home-scale system and educational offerings, targeting similar end consumers with grow-at-home aquaponics.
- Big Green: Nonprofit that builds learning gardens in low-income schools across multiple U.S. cities. Comparable nonprofit school-garden builder with curriculum integration, sharing SchoolGrown's school district GTM and social-impact positioning.
- Green Bronx Machine: Nonprofit building classroom greenhouses and urban farms for K-12 schools with integrated curriculum. Closely comparable nonprofit school-gardening/STEM-education model to SchoolGrown's LEAF + SAGE program, targeting the same K-12 buyer.
- Nelson and Pade: Long-established aquaponics systems company selling controlled environment equipment, curriculum and training. Comparable to SchoolGrown's LEAF greenhouse + SAGE curriculum + workshop bundle as a complete aquaponics education solution.
- The Aquaponics Source: Aquaponics-focused retailer and educator providing systems, training and curriculum to hobbyists, schools and small farms. Comparable product/market overlap with SchoolGrown's home systems, workshops and educational focus.
- Ouroboros Farms: Commercial aquaponics farm in Half Moon Bay that hosted SchoolGrown's first Community Hub and shares the same aquaponic greenhouse approach. Directly comparable because it operates the same integrated fish-and-plant recirculating systems and has been a strategic partner since 2014.
Broad incumbents
- AeroFarms: Large indoor vertical farming operator with sustainability and education programs. Comparable CEA technology stack and ESG narrative but at industrial scale, making it a broader incumbent rather than a direct school greenhouse competitor.
- Gotham Greens: National urban greenhouse operator producing fresh produce near cities. Comparable greenhouse production technology and water-efficiency story; less focused on school curriculum than SchoolGrown but overlaps on controlled-environment agriculture.
- Plenty: Well-capitalized vertical farming company operating indoor CEA farms. Comparable controlled-environment agriculture technology and water-efficiency story but operates at vastly larger commercial scale than SchoolGrown's community-scale LEAFs.
Emerging players
- Freight Farms: Container-based vertical farming company selling modular units to schools, nonprofits and businesses. Comparable modular growing-unit product (analogous to SchoolGrown's LEAF/TAG) and explicit focus on education and food-access use cases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SchoolGrown social profiles
Digital presenceSchoolGrown compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
SchoolGrown financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SchoolGrown leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
SchoolGrown funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SchoolGrown 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 SchoolGrown
What does SchoolGrown do?
SchoolGrown designs, builds, and operates classroom-sized aquaponic greenhouses (LEAF systems) that combine fish farming with soilless plant production in a closed-loop solar-powered environment. The facilities deliver fresh, organic, local produce year-round while functioning as living laboratories integrated with K-12 STEM curriculum. Supporting the LEAF installations are home-scale TAG systems, the SAGE educational curriculum, tiered hands-on workshops, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) produce box programs.
Is SchoolGrown a public or private company?
SchoolGrown is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SchoolGrown founded?
SchoolGrown was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SchoolGrown based?
SchoolGrown is headquartered in Shasta, United States, in the North America region.
How does SchoolGrown make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Workshop Fees are the primary driver. The others are CSA Box Sales, sponsorship Revenue and donations.
Who are SchoolGrown's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Back to the Roots, Big Green, Green Bronx Machine, Nelson and Pade, The Aquaponics Source and Ouroboros Farms. Broad incumbents are AeroFarms, Gotham Greens and Plenty. Freight Farms is listed as an emerging player.
Does SchoolGrown have an API?
No public API is recorded for SchoolGrown.
What industry is SchoolGrown in?
SchoolGrown's product category is Educational Aquaponics and Sustainable Agriculture. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAAAI, Aquaponics (Integrated Fish & Plant Production), with a secondary code of AFAGAHAJ, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms). Its NAICS code is 1125 and its SIC code is 100.