Highland Youth Garden, Inc.

What Highland Youth Garden, Inc. does

Highland Youth Garden, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2009 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, where it operates a garden-based youth education and community food program in the Hilltop neighborhood. The organization runs six core programs: Garden Experiences (school field trips), Garden Markets (free produce distribution), Green Teens (paid summer youth employment), Garden Club (after-school programming), Backyard Family Gardens (household garden support), and Garden Tours. Its physical site includes a 30-by-66-foot automated high tunnel greenhouse, a 1,700-gallon underground rainwater cistern, an outdoor kitchen, a natural playground, and an education center under construction on an adjacent lot acquired from the Columbus Land Bank in 2020. The organization serves more than 350 youth annually through three school partnerships, with an additional 500 children reachable across the street from the garden site, and produces approximately 15,000 pounds of fresh food annually that is distributed free to the surrounding community.

The operating model is that of a community-based nonprofit rather than a commercial enterprise: services are delivered at no cost to beneficiaries, and the organization is funded through a mix of foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and government support. Named institutional funders include the Adams Legacy Foundation, Ohio Children's Foundation, and Columbus Foundation on the philanthropic side, and Battelle, PNC, Kroger, and Nationwide Children's Hospital on the corporate side. Leadership comprises Executive Director Shelly Casto (appointed 2020) and Founder Peggy Murphy, supported by a volunteer board and a small staff of 1-10 employees. The organization formalized its 501(c)(3) status in 2019 and was designated a Hub Garden in 2012, integrating it into a broader regional garden network.

Name

Highland Youth Garden, Inc.

Legal name

Highland Youth Garden, Inc.

Website

https://highlandyouthgarden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Highland Youth Garden is a Columbus, Ohio 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs garden-based youth education and free produce distribution programs in the Hilltop neighborhood, serving 350+ youth annually through three school partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Community Garden Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

Keywords

• Youth garden education
• Urban agriculture programs
• Community garden nonprofit
• Garden-based learning
• Free fresh produce

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monetary and in-kind donations from individual supporters, with EIN 83-4480130 and 501(c)(3) status enabling tax-deductible contributions.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funding from foundations (Adams Legacy Foundation, Ohio Children's Foundation, Columbus Foundation) and corporate donors (Battelle, PNC, Kroger, Nationwide Children's Hospital).
3. Government Support: Support from City of Columbus Department of Development and Columbus City Council.
4. Donated Land and Facilities: Land leased from Oakley Full Gospel Baptist Church and secured from Columbus City Land Bank.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Highland Youth Garden, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers garden-based education, youth development programs, and free fresh produce to children and neighborhood families in the Hilltop area of Columbus, Ohio. It operates as a barrier-free community gathering space offering hands-on programming across preschool through middle school, paid teen employment, residential garden installations, and year-round food production supported by on-site growing infrastructure.

Product overview

Highland Youth Garden offers a unified set of community programs centered on urban agriculture and youth education. The organization operates as a single nonprofit entity providing: Garden Experiences (field trips for schools), Garden Markets (free produce distribution), the Green Teens Program (teen employment), Garden Club (after-school programming), Backyard Family Gardens (family support), and Garden Tours (community education). All programs work together to fulfill the mission of growing minds, growing food, and growing community in Columbus's Hilltop neighborhood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garden Experiences Garden-based educational engagement program for preschool through middle school students in the Hilltop area, delivered in partnership with South-Western City Schools and through school field trips.
• Garden Markets Free distribution of fresh produce to neighborhood children and families, sourced from the organization's on-site gardens and supported by the automated high tunnel and rainwater harvesting cistern for year-round availability.
• Green Teens Program Paid youth employment and workforce development program for Hilltop teens aged 14–18, providing job experience, stipends, and continued garden-based engagement.
• Garden Club Youth garden program providing ongoing hands-on garden-based participation and education for local children and youth.
• Backyard Family Gardens Residential garden installations provided to Hilltop families to enable household-level food growing and extend the organization's produce access mission into homes.
• Garden Tours Educational tours of the Highland Youth Garden site for visitors and groups, showcasing garden-based education, the automated high tunnel, the rainwater harvesting cistern, and community programming.

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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Gladden HouseminorOthers · 1 January 2014Mary Duchi helped secure Gladden House as the garden's fiscal agent for several years.
• Eagle Scouts (Darian Sorenson, Josh Mars)minorOthers · 1 January 2014Darian Sorenson installed irrigation as an Eagle Scout project in 2013. Josh Mars took on vertical gardens as his Eagle Scout project in 2014.
• Franklin Park Conservatory - Growing To Green ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Garden was named a 'Hub Garden' by Franklin Park Conservatory and its Growing To Green Community Gardening Program in 2012. Hub gardens serve as training centers and mentors for new start-up gardens, with Bill Dawson serving as a valuable advisor and advocate.
• Nationwide Children's HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Donated an entry arch and tower from its site during an expansion project in 2012.
• Erik MarsminorOthers · 1 January 2011Irrigation expert who joined the team in 2011 and brought irrigation expertise, solving water access challenges for the garden.
• Oakley Full Gospel Baptist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010The church's 'Posse' trio of female church leaders helped secure land leases for the garden in 2010. Two lots were leased from the church with their support, forming a foundational partnership that enabled the garden's establishment in the Hilltop community.
• Columbus City Land BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Secured one lot from the Columbus City Land Bank in 2010, with Dan Downing of Friends of the Hilltop completing excavation work. Additional lots purchased from Land Bank in 2020.
• Highland Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school partner since 2010. Garden works regularly with hundreds of students. Twice-monthly field trips provide gardening, nutrition and ecology education supporting curriculum standards.
• Educational Academy for Boys and GirlscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearby charter elementary school partnered for garden-based education programs.
• Hilltop Early Learning CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly learning center that brings children for regular garden programming.
• Hilltop Prime Time and J. Ashburn, Jr. Youth CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth centers that collaborated with the garden founders in 2010 to plan positive activities for youth in the Hilltop community.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• KidsGardening.org: National nonprofit supporting youth garden programs with curriculum, grants, and resources; an enabling ecosystem peer that provides educational materials and grant funding to similar community-based youth gardens.
• Ohio State University Extension - Franklin County: Local extension service running Master Gardener and 4-H youth programming; adjacent enabler providing curriculum, volunteer training, and youth development frameworks used by community gardens.

Direct peers

• Mid-Ohio Food Collective (Mid-Ohio Farm): Central Ohio's largest anti-hunger nonprofit with an operating farm; comparable in producing fresh food for food-insecure communities and partnering with schools and pantries across Columbus.
• City Blossoms: National nonprofit operating youth-driven community gardens in under-resourced urban neighborhoods; comparable garden-based education, youth programming, and free produce distribution model.
• Franklin Park Conservatory Growing to Green: Franklin Park Conservatory's Growing To Green program is the regional hub-garden network that named Highland Youth Garden a Hub Garden in 2012; it directly connects community gardens across Central Ohio with shared training and mentorship.
• Big Green (The Big Green National Network): National nonprofit building 'Learning Gardens' in low-income schools; directly comparable in school-partnered garden education, curriculum alignment, and free produce elements.
• Detroit Black Community Food Security Network / D-Town Farm: Urban food-security nonprofit operating a large production farm with youth programming; comparable in combining urban agriculture, youth workforce, and food justice mission in a low-income urban neighborhood.
• Columbus Urban Farm School (Godman Guild): Godman Guild runs urban agriculture and youth workforce programs on Columbus's near-east side; comparable mission combining teen employment, garden-based education, and food access for low-income families.

Emerging players

• Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming: Community food project running youth garden programs and farm training; comparable in delivering hands-on urban agriculture education and youth employment.

Regional players

• Worthington Resource Pantry: Regional food-access nonprofit serving central Ohio food-insecure households; comparable in operating free produce distribution and nutrition programming for low-income families.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/highlandyouthgarden
• Instagraminstagram.com/highlandyouthgarden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highland-youth-garden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Highland Youth Garden, Inc.