Food Works

What Food Works does

Food Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in Carbondale, Illinois, that operates an integrated portfolio of five core programs to build a sustainable local food economy across the 23 counties of Southern Illinois (with occasional extension into bordering Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana). The programs span farmer training (Farm Beginnings, a comprehensive 16-week curriculum with mentorship; the Farming Alliance peer-to-peer network with monthly field days, workshops, and farm tours), market operations (a Winter Farmers Market with 40+ vendors and a Mobile Farmers Market operating from a 16-foot refrigerated truck sourcing from 25+ farms), and food access (the Southern Illinois Link Hub, which administers SNAP support grants and Link Match dollar-for-dollar incentives up to $25/swipe across a network of regional farmers markets).

The organization has approximately 9 staff members led by Executive Director Jennifer Paulson, a five-member Board of Directors, and no proprietary technology platform — operations are delivered through direct human engagement at markets, workshops, and field events, plus standard digital channels (website, email newsletter, Facebook, Instagram). Revenue is derived from tax-deductible donations, foundation and government grants (including a USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher Grant), modest program fees (e.g., $95 for the Poultry Processing Workshop), and market vendor operations. Notable recent additions include an Agrivoltaics Farm program (dual-use solar-agriculture), while the 2026 Farm Beginnings cohort is on a planned pause with referrals to a partner program.

Customer segments are horizontally distributed across beginning farmers, established local producers, low-income SNAP users, and community members — with no single donor, grantor, or beneficiary accounting for a dominant share of impact or revenue.

Name

Food Works

Legal name

Food Works

Website

https://fwsoil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Food Works is a Carbondale, Illinois-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that runs an integrated ecosystem of farmer training (Farm Beginnings, Farming Alliance), farmers markets (Winter and Mobile), and SNAP food-access programs serving 23 Southern Illinois counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Agricultural Community Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture
• Farmer training programs
• Farmers market operations
• Food access initiatives
• SNAP nutrition incentives

Headquarters

HQ city

Carbondale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Food Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to fund farmer training, food access programs, and farmers market operations.
2. Grant Funding: The organization receives grant funding from government programs (USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher Grant) and foundations to support specific programs like Farm Beginnings and SNAP/LINK Match administration.
3. Program Fees: Registration fees for training programs like Farm Beginnings and workshop fees for events like the Poultry Processing Workshop ($95 registration).
4. Farmers Market Operations: Operating the Winter Farmers Market and Mobile Farmers Market creates opportunities for vendor fees and community engagement, though direct revenue details are not specified.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Food Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a coordinated portfolio of sustainable agriculture programs across 23 Southern Illinois counties. Core offerings include the Farm Beginnings farmer training program, the Farming Alliance peer-to-peer education network, the Winter Farmers Market, the Mobile Farmers Market, and the Southern Illinois Link Hub administering SNAP/Link Match nutrition incentives for regional farmers markets.

Product overview

Food Works operates as a non-profit organization offering a coordinated portfolio of farmer training and food access programs. The core offerings include Farm Beginnings (an intensive farmer training program with mentorship), the Southern Illinois Farming Alliance (peer-to-peer farmer network with field days and workshops), Winter Farmers Market (indoor winter market with 40+ vendors), Mobile Farmers Market (traveling market on wheels from 25+ farms), Southern Illinois Link Hub (SNAP/Link Match administration for regional markets), SIFA Conference (annual agriculture conference), Field Days (hands-on workshops), and LEAF Kitchen Space (commercial kitchen facility). Together these programs create a complete ecosystem supporting sustainable farming from training through market access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Beginnings A comprehensive training program for beginning and transitional farmers providing holistic farm vision development, financial management education, enterprise planning, business and marketing development, and mentorship with successful farmers.
• Southern Illinois Farming Alliance A farmer-driven educational and social network that provides peer-to-peer learning opportunities for beginning and intermediate farmers through field days, workshops, and a peer-to-peer educational network.
• Food Works Winter Farmers Market An indoor winter season farmers market held at Carbondale Community High School, running December through March with over 40 vendors offering fresh produce, locally sourced meat, dairy, eggs, and handcrafted items, featuring weekly Kids Club activities, cooking demos, and live music.
• Food Works Mobile Farmers Market A traveling farmers market on wheels bringing locally grown, seasonal food from over 25 farms to communities across Southern Illinois, operating from a specially designed 16-foot refrigerated box truck with SNAP/Link Match support.
• Southern Illinois Link Hub (SNAP and Link Match) A program partnering with Link Up Illinois to offer SNAP support grants and Link Match funding to farmers markets throughout Southern Illinois, providing free technical assistance, SNAP coordinator stipends, and dollar-for-dollar matching for fresh fruit and vegetable purchases.
• SIFA Conference The Southern Illinois Farming Alliance annual conference bringing together farmers, homesteaders, agriculture educators, students, and food system advocates for networking, expert speakers, and sessions on sustainable agriculture practices.
• Field Days Monthly peer-to-peer learning opportunities for small farmers, homesteaders, and home gardeners featuring hands-on farm tours, workshops, and demonstrations on topics including poultry processing, soil health, vermicomposting, and wholesale market strategies.
• LEAF Kitchen Space A commercial kitchen space at 106 E. Jackson Street, Carbondale, IL used for food entrepreneurship, value-added production workshops, and wholesale market networking events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dollar-for-dollar match on SNAP purchases up to $25/swipe with unlimited swipes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Southern Illinois HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership launched first Double Up Food Bucks program trial in Southern Illinois in 2015 to boost low income families' access to farmers market produce.
• Experimental Station (Link Up Illinois)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Works has partnered with Experimental Station to be the Southern Illinois Link Hub, offering SNAP support grants and funding for the Link Match program to farmers markets throughout Southern Illinois. The Link Match provides dollar-for-dollar match up to $25/swipe for SNAP transactions on fresh fruits and vegetables.
• The Land ConnectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Land Connection to support new farmers during the 2026 Farm Beginnings cohort pause. The Land Connection offers the Central Illinois Farm Beginnings program as an alternative. Additionally, Illinois FarmLink Navigator Noah Scalero provides land access services at Farming Alliance events.
• Carbondale Community High SchoolcoreOthersHost venue for the Winter Farmers Market, located inside the high school cafeteria at 1301 E Walnut St, Carbondale, IL.
• John A. Logan CollegeminorOthersConference venue host for SIFA 2026 Conference at the John A. Logan College Conference Center in Carterville, IL.
• University of Illinois ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts Poultry Processing Workshop with Food Works at The Flock Farm. Partnership provides educational programming through the Modern Homesteading Series.
• Illinois Grazing Lands CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts pasture walk field days on rotational grazing practices at partner farms including The Flock Farm and Fresh Pasture Farms.
• NCR-SARE (North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA-funded program that supports sustainable farming through grants and educational opportunities. Featured at SIFA 2026 Conference with Farmers Forum presentations.
• LEAF Food HubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline farmers market (ordering Fridays 12pm-Tuesdays 8pm, pickup/delivery Thursday afternoons) that participates in SNAP and Link Match programs. Sells produce from multiple local farms.
• Neighborhood Co-opminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with Food Works on annual Farm Crawl event. Co-sponsored and organized first Eat Local Challenge in Carbondale in 2015.
• Rodale InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganic farming research organization that provides educational content and technical assistance on transitioning to organic production. Presented at SIFA 2025 Conference.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Illinois Stewardship Alliance: Statewide Illinois nonprofit advocating for local food systems and supporting farmers markets, with overlapping Illinois farmer constituency and policy goals, though primarily focused on Central and Northern Illinois.

Direct peers

• Local Food Hub: Virginia-based nonprofit that aggregates and distributes produce from local farms to wholesale and food access channels. Operates a comparable farmer-support and food-access combination model in a different rural region.
• Wholesome Wave: Nonprofit that pioneered SNAP produce incentive programs at farmers markets nationally. Operates the same kind of food-access infrastructure Food Works delivers through the Link Hub in Southern Illinois.
• Appalachian Sustainable Development: Nonprofit serving rural Appalachian communities across Virginia/Tennessee with farmer training, food access, and local food markets (Appalachian Harvest). Highly comparable model to Food Works' Southern Illinois footprint and program mix.
• The Land Connection: Illinois-based nonprofit that runs the Central Illinois Farm Beginnings program — the very program Food Works is routing farmers to during its 2026 cohort pause. Operates the same farmer-training model, overlapping curriculum and target audience of beginning farmers in Illinois.
• Experimental Station: Chicago-based nonprofit that runs Link Up Illinois, the SNAP incentive program that Food Works operates as the Southern Illinois Link Hub. Direct upstream partner in the food-access value chain with the same Double Up / Link Match model.

Broad incumbents

• Growing Power (now part of Milwaukee Urban Gardens network): Historic Midwest food systems nonprofit focused on urban farming, training, and food access. Comparable mission of building local food economies through farmer training and market access, though at a larger scale and urban focus.
• Double Up Food Bucks (Fair Food Network): National nonprofit that originated the Double Up Food Bucks SNAP-incentive model used by Food Works' Southern Illinois Link Hub. National-scale peer in the food-assistance incentive space.

Others

• Rodale Institute: Organic agriculture research and education organization that partners with Food Works (presenting at SIFA 2025). Comparable in sustainable-agriculture mission and farmer-education programming, though at a national scale with research bent.
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Policy and advocacy organization working on federal farm bill programs including beginning farmer grants. Indirectly comparable as the advocacy ecosystem that creates USDA funding streams Food Works depends on.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fwsoil
• Instagraminstagram.com/fwsoil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/food-works-carbondale

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Food Works