The Boon Project - Agriculture with a Purpose

What The Boon Project - Agriculture with a Purpose does

The Boon Project - Agriculture with a Purpose is a US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 84-3609866) founded in 2019 by Natosha Wallace and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with primary operations in Uganda. The organization equips women and youth in rural Ugandan communities to build sustainable livelihoods through agricultural training, enterprise development, and cooperative formation. Its core programs include The Judith Project (home gardens for vulnerable mothers), Making Sh'room for Her (women-led mushroom cultivation cooperatives), GAP Training (Good Agricultural Practices education), the Agricultural Center of Excellence (centralized coffee processing, seedling nursery, and trade hub in Bugiri), the BCEI multi-purpose cooperative, Future Farmers of Uganda (youth agricultural education in schools), Hemp4Hope (industrial hemp production in partnership with Global Industrial Hemp Solutions), and The Lord's Army Church (a faith-based mission center that grew from 12 to 200+ members in its first year). The technical foundation consists of sustainable agriculture practices, regenerative farming methods, certified seedling propagation, mushroom spore production, and coffee washing/milling/drying operations rather than digital technology.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of individual donations processed via the Givebutter platform (with tiered giving options from $25 to $100 and specific campaigns for mushroom centers, hemp, village training, and church planting), merchandise sales of women's empowerment apparel priced at $26-$28, modest revenue from mushroom sales at the Women's Center of Excellence, round-up donation partnerships with coffee houses, roasters, and retailers, tithes and offerings from the Lord's Army Church, and grant funding transitioning into a micro-loan recycling model. As of September 2023, the organization had reached 51 villages across three Ugandan regions (Bugiri in Eastern Uganda, Iganga in Central Region, and Amuru in Northern Uganda as of August 2024), trained over 3,000 farmers, and supported 25,000 households in scope, with a stated long-term vision of 400 villages. The organization operates with a US-based Board of Directors and an in-country Ugandan operations team led by a Chief of Operations and regional leads.

Name

The Boon Project - Agriculture with a Purpose

Legal name

The Boon Project - Agriculture with a Purpose

Website

https://boonagriculture.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Boon Project is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that equips women and youth in rural Uganda with agricultural training, mushroom cultivation, cooperatives, and community development programs across three regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Community Development Services

NAICS

Mushroom Production (111411), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF), Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE)

Keywords

• Agricultural training programs
• Women economic empowerment
• Rural community development
• Mushroom production services
• Agricultural cooperative formation

Headquarters

HQ city

Golden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations through Givebutter platform. Monthly and one-time donation options. FEIN 84-3609866 with 501(c)(3) status.
2. Merchandise Sales: Apparel sales (muscle tanks, t-shirts, racerback tanks at $26-$28) with 100% of proceeds supporting women's programs.
3. Mushroom Production Revenue: Women's Mushroom Center of Excellence generates revenue through mushroom sales. Income beyond operating costs reinvested as micro-loans for new women's business start-ups.
4. Round-Up Partnerships: Partner businesses collect round-up donations from customers who opt to round up purchases. No cost to partners, with free marketing exposure through social media and website recognition.
5. Church Tithes and Offerings: Lord's Army Church (LAC) generates revenue through tithes to support church operations and community programs including bakery and coffee roastery development.
6. Grant Funding: Initial program funding through grant-style grants for mushroom gardens. Transitioning to micro-loan model where women's groups repay loans to fund new cycles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Boon Project equips women and youth in rural Uganda to build sustainable livelihoods through agricultural training, home gardens, women's mushroom cultivation enterprises, youth agricultural education (Future Farmers of Uganda), certified seedling and coffee processing services, a regional Agricultural Center of Excellence, and an industrial hemp initiative (Hemp4Hope). It also operates a faith-based Lord's Army Church plant, a community-owned BCEI cooperative, and apparel merchandise whose proceeds fund programs.

Product overview

The Boon Project operates as a nonprofit organization focused on agricultural development and community empowerment in Uganda, offering multiple interconnected programs: the Women's Empowerment Mushroom Center of Excellence and The Judith Project for vulnerable women; GAP Training and the Certified Seedling Nursery for farmers; the Agricultural Center of Excellence as a centralized trade hub; Hemp4Hope for industrial hemp production; the BCEI Cooperative for community-owned agriculture businesses; the Future Farmers of Uganda/BOON KIDS youth program; and the Lord's Army Church as a faith-based mission center. The organization also sells merchandise (women's empowerment apparel) to raise funds. These programs work together to equip women and youth with agricultural skills, business training, and micro-loans to create sustainable livelihoods and move communities beyond dependency on aid.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Making Shroom for Her - Women's Empowerment Mushroom Center of Excellence A women-led mushroom cultivation program establishing a Commercial Mushroom Production Agriculture Center of Excellence as a training hub for women to learn mushroom production skills, obtain micro-loans for starting businesses, and generate income through mushroom sales with revenue reinvested into the community.
• The Judith Project Equips vulnerable mothers to grow nutritious food, generate income, and care for their families through sustainable home gardens.
• GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) Training Teaches farmers better practices to grow more, earn more, and farm sustainably through training in garden maintenance, pest/disease management, and harvest techniques, delivered via MAAIF Extension Services.
• Hemp4Hope Program Industrial hemp production initiative in partnership with Global Industrial Hemp Solutions (GIHS), educating producers on hemp's multiple uses including nutrition, medicine, textiles, building materials, and clean energy, with the goal of creating entrepreneurs and local businesses.
• Agricultural Center of Excellence (COE) A centralized agriculture hub and trade center for eastern Uganda providing GAP education, coffee milling/washing/drying, certified seedling nursery, fertilizer production, mushroom training, spore production, and farming supplies, with plans to expand into a lodging and conference center including an agriculture and business college.
• Boon Community Economic Initiative (BCEI) Cooperative Multi-purpose cooperative formed for coffee, cocoa, hemp, peppers, and other agricultural offerings, owned by communities to maximize harvest potentials and ensure self-sustainability through economies of scale and fair-trade practices.
• Future Farmers of Uganda / BOON KIDS Program Youth engagement program teaching agricultural education courses in school curriculum, with school farms for hands-on learning and income generation to pay school fees, plus partnerships with universities and agricultural research organizations.
• Lord's Army Church (LAC) Church plant serving as a mission center that empowers community members through faith and agriculture, training farmers and reinvesting church revenue into community needs and infrastructure.
• Women's Empowerment Merchandise (Racerback Tank, T-Shirts, Muscle Tank) Fundraising merchandise including women's racerback tanks ($26), ladies short sleeve t-shirts ($27), and ladies muscle tanks ($28), with 100% of proceeds supporting women's empowerment programs.
• Certified Seedling Nursery Provides certified seedlings to farmers ensuring quality, uniformity, disease resistance, and higher yields, promoting sustainable farming and self-sufficiency.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3000+ farmers trained across 32 villages
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mugabi MiraclescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2024Partnership with Judah and Rachel Kikawa's ministry Mugabi Miracles in Amuru, Northern Uganda. Boon is launching agriculture programs creating jobs and income opportunities alongside Mugabi Miracles' church planting and school building mission. The partnership addresses decades of conflict and bloodshed in one of Uganda's most impoverished areas.
• Global Industrial Hemp Solutions (GIHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIHS brings the vision of Hemp4Hope to life, launching industrial hemp projects across Africa beginning in Uganda. Focus is on delivering knowledge, resources, and market access needed to unlock hemp's full potential for underserved communities. Strategic partnerships include geneticists, farmers, processing facility engineers, by-product developers, and policymakers.
• MAAIF Extension ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMinistry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) provides GAP training through Edward Taligoola. Training farmers on Good Agricultural Practices, pest/disease management, and harvest techniques. Extension services support community farmer development.
• Coffee Houses and RoastersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRound-up partnerships with coffee houses, roasters, and retailers. Partners become advocates and ambassadors, with donations raised through customers opting to round up purchases. No cost to partners with free marketing exposure.
• Hemp Producers and RetailersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRound-up partnerships with hemp producers and by-product retailers. Partners advocate for the organization and Hemp4Hope program through customer-facing round-up donations.
• Churches and Mission OrganizationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChurch partnerships expand global missions programs. Churches join in helping farmers rehabilitate or plant crops, supporting households during harvest, and sharing the gospel. Provides mission rally point for teams serving in community development.
• Trip Sponsors and MentorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRoasters, baristas, and hemp cooperatives sponsor trips to origin to help build businesses. Mentors and sponsors support aspiring entrepreneurs in roaster, barista, or coffee house skills while helping communities develop hemp by-products.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Self Help Africa: International development NGO supporting smallholder farmers in Africa with sustainable agriculture, enterprise development, and cooperative formation. Highly comparable model targeting African smallholders with agricultural training, women's empowerment programs, and cooperative-based market access.
• TechnoServe: International nonprofit working with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Operates extensively in East African agriculture including coffee value chains in Uganda, with comparable cooperative formation, market access, and smallholder farmer enterprise development focus.
• One Acre Fund: Nonprofit social enterprise serving smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa with inputs, training, financing, and market access. Directly comparable model providing agricultural inputs, GAP training, and farmer financing to smallholder farmers in East Africa, with similar focus on farmer livelihood improvement through sustainable practices.
• Farm Africa: UK-based international development charity working with farmers, herders, and forest communities in eastern Africa. Directly comparable focus on sustainable agriculture, women and youth empowerment, cooperative formation, and market access across East African smallholder farming communities.
• Send a Cow: International development charity working in East Africa providing sustainable farming training, seeds, and livestock to families facing poverty. Highly comparable model of equipping rural African smallholders with sustainable agriculture training, women's empowerment focus, and community-led development in Uganda and neighboring countries.

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps: Global humanitarian and development organization operating in Uganda with programs in agriculture, food security, and youth employment. Comparable in East African agricultural development, women's economic empowerment, and youth engagement, though with broader humanitarian scope and substantially larger budget.
• BRAC: Large international development organization operating across multiple continents with extensive programs in Africa including Uganda. Comparable in targeting rural poverty, women's empowerment, and microfinance for underserved communities, though at much larger scale with broader programming beyond agriculture.
• Heifer International: Large international nonprofit focused on ending hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture, livestock, and smallholder farmer empowerment in developing countries. Highly comparable mission of equipping rural farmers with agricultural training, resources, and market access, though much larger in scale and geographic reach than Boon.

Regional players

• YICE Uganda: Ugandan nonprofit working with rural smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth, on sustainable agriculture, food security, and economic empowerment in Western Uganda. Comparable in targeting rural Ugandan communities with agricultural training and women's economic empowerment, though operating in a different region than Boon's Eastern Uganda focus.

Emerging players

• Root Capital: Nonprofit impact investor providing capital and capacity building to agricultural businesses in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Comparable in supporting smallholder farmer cooperatives and sustainable agriculture value chains, though focuses on financing rather than direct program delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/boonagriculture
• Facebookfacebook.com/boonagriculture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boonagriculture
• Instagraminstagram.com/boonagriculture

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 The Boon Project - Agriculture with a Purpose