Neighborhood Gardens Trust

What Neighborhood Gardens Trust does

Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT) is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust founded in 1986 (relaunched under its current name in May 2014) that acquires and holds land in perpetuity to preserve community gardens across the city. Its core service is garden preservation — taking title to or executing long-term leases on at-risk community-managed open spaces — combined with ongoing stewardship support including liability insurance, real estate tax assistance, capital improvements, and connection to a citywide network of preserved gardens. As of late 2024 / 2025, NGT has preserved 54 community gardens ranging from single house lots to a 3.7-acre growing space, and has set a strategic target of 80 protected gardens by 2027.

NGT's product surface is intentionally light: beyond land tenure itself, the organization operates an ArcGIS-based interactive garden map for locating preserved sites, a community resources directory linking gardeners to partner organizations (PHS, Philadelphia Orchard Project, Grounded in Philly), a monthly email newsletter, and a "Guardians of the Gardens" major-donor program requiring $1,000+ annual contributions. The organization is run by a five-person staff (Executive Director Jenny Greenberg, Deputy Director Emaleigh Doley, Stewardship Manager Sofi Courtney, Development and Communications Manager Chamor Thomas, and Executive and Operations Assistant Elizabeth Young) and is governed by a Board of Directors led by Board President Victor Young.

The revenue model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack combining individual donations, private foundation grants (including AARP Livable Communities), and government grants sourced primarily from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Philadelphia Department of Housing and Community Development. Strategic and operational partnerships — particularly with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), the Philadelphia Land Bank, the City of Philadelphia, Natural Lands, and the Public Interest Law Center — are central to NGT's land assembly capability and to its community-led go-to-market model, in which at-risk garden groups apply for preservation and NGT applies priority criteria developed jointly with PHS and DCNR in 2016.

Name

Neighborhood Gardens Trust

Legal name

Neighborhood Gardens Trust

Website

https://ngtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Neighborhood Gardens Trust is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit land trust, founded in 1986, that acquires and holds community garden land in perpetuity and has preserved 54 gardens to date, targeting 80 by 2027 while providing insurance, tax, and capital support to community gardeners citywide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Land Trust Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Community land trust
• Garden preservation services
• Nonprofit land management
• Urban green space
• Community garden support

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: NGT receives donations from individuals, including a 'Guardians of the Gardens' program requiring $1,000+ annual contributions, providing e-updates and event invitations to major donors.
2. Government Grants and Funding: NGT receives funding from Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Philadelphia Department of Housing and Community Development, and other government sources for land acquisition and garden preservation projects.
3. Private Foundation Grants: NGT receives grants from private foundations including AARP Livable Communities Program grants and other organizational donors for specific garden preservation and improvement projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Neighborhood Gardens Trust is a nonprofit land trust that acquires ownership or secures long-term leases for community gardens in Philadelphia, providing permanent land protection against development. The organization preserves gardens in perpetuity and provides ongoing stewardship including liability insurance, real estate tax support, capital improvements, and connection to a citywide network of community gardeners and partner resources.

Product overview

Neighborhood Gardens Trust is a community garden preservation nonprofit offering a suite of services centered on protecting and managing Philadelphia's community gardens. The core offering consists of garden preservation services (land acquisition and long-term lease management) and a network of 53+ preserved community gardens. Supporting features include an interactive garden map for locating plots, an e-newsletter subscription for updates, and a community resources directory linking gardeners to external partners. NGT does not operate as a technology platform but rather as a land trust providing administrative, financial, and technical support to community-managed green spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 53 community gardens permanently preserved
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPHS is NGT's most significant partner, providing technical assistance, seedlings, infrastructure support, and City Harvest program coordination. PHS helped establish NGT and continues as a key collaborator on garden preservation and improvements. NGT staff include former PHS staff and board members.
• City of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Philadelphia is a key partner in garden preservation, working with NGT through the Land Bank, Redevelopment Authority, and Parks & Recreation to assemble and transfer land for community gardens.
• Philadelphia Land BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Land Bank acquires tax-delinquent properties and transfers them to NGT for permanent preservation as community gardens. Critical partner for land assembly.
• Natural LandsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNatural Lands partnered with NGT to preserve Old Tennis Court Farm, jointly applying for and receiving PA DCED funding to purchase the property from Germantown Friends School.
• Public Interest Law Center (Garden Justice Legal Initiative)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPILC provides pro bono legal support, policy research, advocacy, and community education to NGT and community gardeners, particularly on land security and lien issues.
• Mural Arts PhiladelphiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMural Arts collaborates with NGT gardens to create public art installations, including the Keith Haring mural at Haring Mural Garden and other collaborative projects that enhance garden spaces.
• Audubon Society of PAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudubon Society partners with NGT on pollinator garden projects, providing technical support, education, and native plants to create pollinator habitats at NGT gardens.
• John Heinz National Wildlife RefugemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Pollinator Network Project, providing hands-on technical support and native plants to NGT gardens to establish pollinator habitats.
• SEAMAACmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoutheast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition partners with NGT, particularly for Growing Home Gardens serving Burmese and Bhutanese refugees.
• Soil GenerationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of brown and black gardeners working on land use issues, food growing, and environmental improvement—aligns with NGT's mission in Philadelphia.
• Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGT is a member of PACDC, participating in the community development ecosystem in Philadelphia.
• Land Trust AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGT is a member of the Land Trust Alliance, the national organization supporting land trusts.
• Bicycle Coalition of Greater PhiladelphiasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization working on alternative transportation and community access, collaborating with NGT on shared community goals.
• Sierra ClubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental advocacy organization partnering with NGT on shared goals of green space preservation.
• WeConservePAsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPennsylvania land conservation organization with NGT membership, supporting conservation efforts.
• Community Garden Data CollaborativesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative focused on community garden data and mapping, aligning with NGT's garden tracking and preservation efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• GreenThumb NYC: GreenThumb is the largest community gardening program in the United States, run by NYC Parks and supporting over 550 community gardens across New York City. While a municipal rather than nonprofit land trust, it pursues a directly comparable mission of supporting and protecting community gardens within a single city.
• Greenbelt Alliance: Greenbelt Alliance is a Bay Area conservation organization focused on protecting open space, farmland, and community green spaces from development. While geographically separate from Philadelphia, it pursues a structurally similar mission of permanent land preservation in an urban-adjacent context.

Direct peers

• Natural Lands: Natural Lands is a regional conservation organization operating across Pennsylvania and New Jersey that holds and stewards natural and working lands. It partners directly with NGT on acquisitions such as Old Tennis Court Farm and shares the same land trust model of acquiring title for permanent preservation.
• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS): PHS is NGT's closest partner and most direct peer: a Philadelphia-based nonprofit focused on horticulture, urban green space, and community gardens. It provides technical assistance, seedlings, and infrastructure support to NGT's network, and shares overlapping programs like City Harvest, making it the most comparable organization in both mission and geography.
• New York Restoration Project: NYRP is a New York City-based nonprofit that creates and restores community gardens, parks, and open spaces. It shares NGT's mission of protecting and stewarding urban green spaces, with similar programming around garden preservation, environmental education, and community engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Trust for Public Land: Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit that protects land for public use, including parks, gardens, and community green spaces across the United States. While much larger and national in scope, it pursues a similar mission of permanent land preservation for community benefit and operates land trust mechanisms comparable to NGT's.
• The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy is the largest global conservation nonprofit, working on land and water protection across all 50 states and internationally. While operating at vastly greater scale and primarily focused on larger natural landscapes, it shares the underlying land trust model and mission of permanent conservation that defines NGT's work.

Emerging players

• Capital Roots: Capital Roots (formerly Capital District Community Gardens) is a Troy, NY-based nonprofit focused on urban agriculture, community gardens, and food access in the Capital Region. It addresses similar challenges to NGT, including preserving community growing spaces, though it does not operate as a formal land trust.
• Groundwork USA: Groundwork USA is a national network of independent urban environmental nonprofits that work on brownfield remediation, community gardens, and green space creation in underinvested neighborhoods. Many Groundwork affiliates pursue community garden preservation models highly comparable to NGT's Philadelphia work.

Others

• The Land Trust Alliance: The Land Trust Alliance is a national membership organization that supports more than 1,000 land trusts across the United States. NGT is an active member, and the Alliance provides accreditation, advocacy, and capacity-building services that directly enable NGT's preservation work, making it an enabling peer rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ngtrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/NeighborhoodGardensTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/neighborhoodgardenstrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/ngtrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Neighborhood Gardens Trust