Kitchen Garden Project Inc Garden Raised Bounty

What Kitchen Garden Project Inc Garden Raised Bounty does

GRuB (Garden Raised Bounty) is a 501(c)(3) community nonprofit based in Olympia, Washington, operating a 3.18-acre urban farm that integrates youth development, veteran services, food access, and culturally-specific programming. The organization was formed in 2001 through the merger of the Kitchen Garden Project (founded 1993 by Richard and Maria Doss) and the Sister Holly garden, and engages approximately 1,500 Thurston County residents annually through programs including the Summer Youth Program (ages 16–19), the Veterans Program (including Healing Through Hives beekeeping), the GRuB Garden Project (free backyard gardens for households at or below 200% of federal poverty), the Growing Home Collective (affinity programming for Black community members), the Community Seed Shed, a Wednesday Market Stand, and an 8-week Bouquet CSA. Its technology stack is limited to commodity operational tools (NeonCRM, Volgistics, Mailchimp) with no proprietary platform or app.

GRuB's business model is predominantly donation- and grant-funded, with the implied annual operating budget of approximately $1.2 million (derived from a disclosed ~$300K budget gap representing 25% of budget) anchored by charitable giving, foundation grants, and government funding channels such as SNAP-Ed (now eliminated) and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Earned revenue is supplementary and includes sliding-scale Market Stand produce sales, a Bouquet CSA at $185 per 8-week share, online store merchandise and curriculum sales, and educational program fees. Distribution is hyper-local and direct: on-farm pickup, school district partnerships (Olympia School District's Freedom Farmers, Tumwater's FRESH program), and a regional peer network of five GRuB-like programs across Thurston, Lewis, Grays Harbor, Mason, and Pacific counties. The customer base is diversified across at least four primary segments (marginalized youth, veterans, low-income families, and Black community members), though the funding base is concentrated in a handful of institutional donors and government sources.

Name

Kitchen Garden Project Inc Garden Raised Bounty

Legal name

GRuB (Garden Raised Bounty)

Website

https://goodgrub.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GRuB (Garden Raised Bounty) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Olympia, Washington operating a 3.18-acre urban farm that delivers youth development, veteran services, free backyard gardens, and culturally-specific programming to roughly 1,500 Thurston County residents annually through donations, grants, and small earned-revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Agricultural Education and Food Access Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (1151)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regenerative Agriculture (Soil Carbon, Cover Crops, Reduced/No-Till) (AFAGAMAA)

Keywords

• Community nonprofit programs
• Youth development farming
• Veteran agriculture programs
• Food access gardens
• Agricultural education curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: GRuB relies heavily on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and government grants. The organization is currently facing a budget gap of approximately $300,000 (25% of budget) due to elimination of SNAP-Ed funding and changes in Youth Program funding.
2. Farm Stand Sales: Direct produce sales at the on-site Market Stand operating Wednesdays 3-6pm, June through October. Produce is sold on a sliding scale basis with cash and card payment options.
3. Bouquet CSA Shares: Community Supported Agriculture program for flower bouquets. $185 for 8 weeks of flowers, picked up weekly on Wednesdays 3:00pm-6:00pm during summer season.
4. Program Fees and Store Sales: Online store selling merchandise, seeds, curriculum materials, and Plant Teachings resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GRuB operates a three-acre urban farm in Olympia, Washington that delivers community-based youth development programs, veteran reintegration through agriculture and beekeeping, free backyard garden construction for low-income households, culturally specific programming for Black community members, sliding-scale produce sales at an on-site Market Stand, and a Community Supported Agriculture flower share. Programs are delivered through direct on-farm participation, school district partnerships, technical assistance to peer organizations, and online curriculum sales.

Product overview

GRuB (Garden Raised Bounty) is a 501(c)(3) community nonprofit that operates as a portfolio of interconnected community programs rather than a unified software product. The organization offers youth development programs (Summer Youth Program, Tend Gather & Grow curriculum), food access initiatives (GRuB Garden Project, Market Stand, Community Seed Shed), veteran services (Veterans Program, Healing Through Hives beekeeping), the Growing Home Collective for Black community members, and educational support services (Pollination Program for educators). These programs share the common mission of growing healthy food, people, and community through relationship-based programming at their three-acre urban farm in Olympia, WA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GRuB Garden Project: Program that partners with individuals, families, and organizations to build backyard vegetable gardens throughout Thurston County.
• GRuB Veterans Program
• Growing Home Collective
• Youth Programs
• Wild Foods & Medicines
• Community Seed Shed

Products and services

• Youth Programs On-farm youth development programs engaging teens and young adults in farming, leadership development, and community building through hands-on food systems education on GRuB's three-acre urban farm.
• Summer Youth Program Land-based summer programming for youth ages 16-19 focusing on leadership skills, food systems education, and sustainable agriculture through hands-on learning, workshops, and field trips, with educational stipend awards up to $1,000.
• Tend, Gather & Grow Curriculum K-12 place-based curriculum focusing on native and naturalized plants of the Pacific Northwest, including wild food traditions, herbal medicine, and Indigenous cultural knowledge. Sold as a curriculum toolkit for educators and schools.
• GRuB Garden Project Partnership program building backyard vegetable gardens for low-income individuals and families, providing free raised beds, seeds, plant starts, and gardening workshops to income-qualifying households in Thurston County.
• Veterans Program Programs empowering veterans, active duty service members, and their families to establish roots in community through gardening, beekeeping, farming, and peer-to-peer support, including the Healing Through Hives beekeeping project in partnership with WASBA and WA Farmer Veteran Coalition.
• Growing Home Collective Culturally-specific programming by and for Black community members, providing sacred space for rest, community building, healing, and connection to land and ancestral food traditions.
• Market Stand On-farm market operating Wednesdays from June through October, offering fresh produce including raspberries, carrots, greens, tomatoes, and herbs on a sliding scale payment basis (cash and card accepted).
• Bouquet CSA Shares Community Supported Agriculture flower shares providing sustainably grown bouquets weekly for 8 weeks during summer. $185 per share, picked up weekly on Wednesdays 3:00pm-6:00pm at the farm.
• Community Seed Shed Free seed distribution cabinet providing seeds to community members, stocked weekly February through September, with seeds donated from local seed companies. Built in 2015 by volunteers.
• Pollination Program Technical assistance and training for educators and organizations seeking to develop GRuB-like youth garden and farm programs, including the GRuB Institute, manuals, and consultation services.
• Farm Tours & Facility Rental Guided farm tours and limited facility rentals for schools, organizations, and community groups seeking to connect with the land and learn about sustainable practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 600 teens/young adults served since 1999
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• South of the Sound Community Farm Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership to secure 1.18 acres of adjacent farmland in 2015. This is the first farm that Community Farm Land Trust has preserved that is being farmed by a nonprofit organization. GRuB's mission closely aligns with CFLT's goals of protecting farmland and supporting local food systems.
• C.A.R.E. Wellness CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristlike Agro-Tourism for Racial Equality Wellness Center offers nature therapy, re-entry programs for young adults, and wellness programming at GRuB. They share GRuB's space for regular programming.
• Washington Beekeepers Association (WASBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Healing through Hives project supporting veteran beekeepers across Western Washington. Provides training, scholarships, and pathways to WASBA certified beekeeper status from beginner to master levels.
• Washington Farmer Veteran Coalition (WA-FVC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Military Veterans and their families with beekeeping training and agricultural enterprise goals. Part of the Healing through Hives project.
• South Sound Community Farm Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreserved 1.18 acres of urban agriculture land for GRuB's use. GRuB is the first nonprofit farming organization CFLT has partnered with. To date CFLT has preserved 216 acres amongst 4 farms.
• Freedom Farmers (Olympia School District)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear-round program within Olympia School District developed in partnership with GRuB. First piloted on GRuB Farm 2012-2014. Grows 16,000+ lbs of food annually for OSD cafeterias. Inspired Career Pathway for AgTech approved by OSPI.
• FRESH (Farm Rooted Education for Sustainability and Health)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTumwater School District program launched in 2016 through partnership with GRuB, district, and City of Tumwater. Students grow vegetables for school nutrition program and Senior Center.
• Olympia Food Co-opminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOffers community classes at GRuB at intersection of kitchen skills, gardening, health, sustainable living, and social justice. Regular programming partner sharing GRuB's space.
• South Sound Fruit SocietyminorOthersNonprofit membership organization for education and sustainable propagation of fruits, nuts and berries. Holds monthly meetings at GRuB.
• Tahoma Peak SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNative Woman-owned firm specializing in Strategic Communications and Food Systems planning. Holds trainings at GRuB related to Native plants, foods, and medicines.
• Native Plants and Foods InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuccessor to GRuB's Tend team (2016-2024). Offers teacher trainings, consultation, and curriculum adaptation for Tend, Gather & Grow curriculum. GRuB hosts their teacher trainings.
• Northwest Youth Garden Network (NWYGN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnites garden/farm programs in Pacific Northwest serving older youth. GRuB participates in network activities and knowledge sharing.
• Rooted in Community (RIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network operating youth leadership summits. GRuB has co-hosted RIC's summer summit twice since its launch in 1998.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FoodCorps: National nonprofit placing service members in schools to teach hands-on food education, with strong focus on BIPOC and low-income communities. Directly comparable to GRuB's youth development and food access programming at significantly larger national scale.
• Big Green: National nonprofit building learning gardens in schools to connect young people with real food. Directly comparable in mission, target audience (school-age youth), and curriculum-driven approach to food education.
• FRESH (Farm Rooted Education for Sustainability and Health): Tumwater School District program launched in 2016 through partnership with GRuB; students grow vegetables for the school nutrition program and senior center. Direct peer in farm-to-school model with shared DNA and operational alignment.
• Angelic Organics Learning Center: Farm-based education nonprofit in Northern Illinois delivering youth programming and farmer training. Directly comparable to GRuB — Co-Executive Director Deb Crockett spent 15 years there before joining GRuB, signaling nearly identical operating models.
• Rooted in Community: National youth leadership network in food justice that GRuB has co-hosted summits with twice since 1998. Direct peer in mission alignment around youth-led food systems change and BIPOC community empowerment.
• South of the Sound Community Farm Land Trust: Community land trust that preserved 1.18 acres of urban agriculture land for GRuB in 2015. Direct peer in the Olympia food/farm ecosystem with shared focus on preserving farmland for nonprofit and community use.

Emerging players

• Real Food Challenge: National student-led food systems nonprofit focused on university campuses. Thematically comparable in youth-led food systems change but operates in a different institutional setting than GRuB's K-12 and community focus.

Broad incumbents

• The Food Trust: Large Philadelphia-based nonprofit focused on food access, nutrition education, and policy advocacy. Comparable mission scope but operates at substantially larger scale and broader geographic footprint than GRuB.

Regional players

• Thurston County Food Bank: Primary food bank serving the same Thurston County geography where GRuB operates. Comparable in addressing food insecurity for low-income households in the same region, with staff crossover (AmeriCorps coordinator previously worked there).

Others

• Cattail Rising: Organization that GRuB began fiscally sponsoring in 2026. A thematically adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor — relationship signals GRuB's role as an enabling intermediary in the regional food sovereignty space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/OlyVictoryFrmrs
• Facebookfacebook.com/GRuB.WA
• Instagraminstagram.com/grubinoly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grub-garden-raised-bounty-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Kitchen Garden Project Inc Garden Raised Bounty