CALIFORNIA FOUNDATION FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM

What CALIFORNIA FOUNDATION FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM does

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1986 and headquartered in Sacramento, California. Its mission is to increase awareness and understanding of agriculture among California's K-12 educators and students. According to its 2025 Report Card, the organization reached 1,368,822 students and 39,420 educators, distributed 30,555 resource downloads, and provided $64,750 in grants to teachers. It operates as the California state program of the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization and partners with the National Center for Agricultural Literacy (NCAL) to maintain the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix.

CFAITC's core product is a comprehensive library of free, standards-aligned educational resources covering agriculture, nutrition, STEM, plant science, food safety, and specialty crops. The portfolio includes lesson plans, STEM curriculum units (e.g., Steer Toward STEM, From STEM to Plate), the What's Growin' On? student newspaper, fact and activity sheets, the Food Safety from Farm to Fork workbook, Ag-Bites, and school garden materials. Programs include California Farm Day, the Imagine this... Story Writing Contest, Taste and Teach, Ag Day at the Capitol, and the University Student Teacher Program. Journey 2050, a virtual food sustainability simulation, is co-developed with Nutrien. Resources are delivered through the learnaboutag.org website, free physical mailings via a NeonCRM request portal, and educator conferences.

The organization is funded entirely through donations and corporate sponsorships from agricultural businesses, commodity groups, and foundations, including Raley's, the James G. Boswell Foundation, Blue Diamond Growers, Farm Credit, Grimmway Farms, Corteva agriscience, Nutrien, and J.R. Simplot Company Foundation, among others. All educational resources are provided free of charge to California educators and students, and the organization holds Platinum Transparency recognition from Candid/GuideStar (2025). With 1-10 employees, CFAITC operates as a lean nonprofit whose scale is driven by partner leverage, volunteer/educator distribution, and sponsor funding rather than fee-based revenue.

Name

CALIFORNIA FOUNDATION FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM

Legal name

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom

Website

https://learnaboutag.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, standards-aligned K-12 agricultural literacy resources to California educators and students, reaching over 1.3 million students annually through curriculum, grants, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)

Keywords

• Agricultural education
• K-12 curriculum
• Nonprofit foundation
• Educator resources
• Literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CFAITC operates primarily through donations and sponsorships from agricultural businesses, foundations, and individuals. They list numerous supporters including Raley's, James G. Boswell Foundation, Blue Diamond Growers, Corteva agriscience, Nutrien, and many others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC) develops and distributes free, standards-aligned K-12 curriculum, lesson plans, fact sheets, and educational programs that teach California students about agriculture, nutrition, plant science, food safety, and STEM. Resources are delivered as digital downloads, physical mailings, and event-based programs such as California Farm Day, with additional offerings including teacher grants and the Journey 2050 virtual sustainability simulation. The organization serves California K-12 educators, students, and agricultural literacy partners through its website (learnaboutag.org), the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix, and community events.

Product overview

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC) is a nonprofit educational organization offering a comprehensive suite of curriculum resources and programs for K-12 agricultural literacy. The portfolio includes core educational products including Lesson Plans aligned to California Education Standards, STEM Curriculum Units (Steer Toward STEM for grades 3-5, From STEM to Plate for grades 6-8, and STEM Connections for grades 9-12), California Specialty Crops Curriculum, Plant Nutrition Materials, and Nutrition Education Resources. Supporting products include What's Growin' On? educational newspapers, the California Grows...Map, Fact and Activity Sheet Sets, Ag-Bites activities, WE Garden Lesson Packet, and the Food Safety Workbook. The organization also operates grant programs (Literacy for Life Grants, Taste and Teach) and event programs (California Farm Day, Imagine this... Story Writing Contest). The National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix provides an online platform for accessing lessons, while Journey 2050 offers virtual simulation for exploring food sustainability. These products work together to connect over 1 million California students annually to agricultural education through standards-aligned curriculum, classroom resources, grants, and community programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lesson Plans Comprehensive curriculum units and lesson plans for K-12 educators covering agriculture, nutrition, STEM, and food science topics, aligned to California Education Standards and Common Core.
• STEM Curriculum Units Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics educational units covering animal agriculture, food science, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable energy careers for grades 3-12.
• California Specialty Crops Curriculum Educational materials covering California's 400+ agricultural commodities including fruits, vegetables, herbs, nursery, and floriculture crops, with lessons on producing, preparing, and preserving specialty crops.
• Plant Nutrition Materials Curriculum materials explaining plant nutrients, soil chemistry, fertilizer, and the science of growing crops, tailored for kindergarten through twelfth grade.
• Nutrition Education Resources Materials explaining the relationship between agriculture and nutrition, including the Fruits and Vegetables for Health unit and Edible Plant Parts curriculum.
• What's Growin' On? Annual 16-page educational newspaper highlighting California's agricultural industry with activities aligned to California Standards, including specialty crops editions and STEM activity editions.
• California Grows...Map Map showing the top three commodities in all California counties with specialty crops highlighted for each county.
• Fact and Activity Sheet Set Comprehensive set of fact sheets introducing agricultural commodities, plant nutrients, and agricultural topics with lesson ideas and activities for classroom use.
• Invasive Species Fact Sheet Set Educational materials helping prevent damage caused by invasive species to California's specialty crops.
• WE Garden Lesson Packet Activity sheets teaching lessons related to California specialty crops, nutrition, healthy living, agriculture, science, history, and service through school garden activities.
• Ag-Bites Bite-sized activities for bringing agriculture into the classroom, featuring California specialty crops and nutrition activities.
• Food Safety from Farm to Fork Workbook Educational unit allowing students to examine food safety through hands-on activities and learn how to prevent foodborne illnesses.
• Literacy for Life Grants Grants supporting agricultural literacy in California schools, currently accepting applications.
• Taste and Teach Program Program bringing agricultural education into classrooms through taste-testing activities, including Taste and Teach grants for educators.
• Imagine this... Story Writing Contest Annual story writing contest encouraging students to write stories inspired by agriculture.
• California Farm Day Annual event bringing agricultural education to students through farm experiences and demonstrations.
• National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix Online curriculum matrix developed by the National Center for Agricultural Literacy containing lesson plans and companion resources aligned to K-12 educational standards and agricultural literacy outcomes.
• Journey 2050 Virtual simulation program exploring world food sustainability and sustainable agriculture, allowing students to make decisions on virtual farms and witness impacts on society, environment, and economy.
• Sustainable Horticulture Sustainable Horticulture lesson unit providing K-12 educators with curriculum on sustainable horticulture practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Connected 1,368,822 students and 39,420 educators in 2025

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National Center for Agricultural Literacy (NCAL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFAITC is part of the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization and partners with NCAL to develop and maintain the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix - a comprehensive online database of agricultural education resources
• National Agriculture in the Classroom OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFAITC is the California state program of the national organization that coordinates agricultural literacy education across all 50 states

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National FFA Organization: Youth agricultural education nonprofit that delivers classroom and extracurricular ag literacy programming to middle and high school students. Comparable in mission, target audience (K-12 educators and students), and nonprofit resource-distribution model.
• American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture: National nonprofit that develops K-12 agricultural literacy resources, including the Ag Foundation's "Purple Plow" and "My American Farm" programs. Closely comparable mission, K-12 educator audience, and donation-funded nonprofit model.
• Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation: Iowa-based 501(c)(3) providing K-12 agricultural literacy curriculum, teacher resources, and outreach. Closely analogous state-level peer in mission, funding model, and resource format.
• Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom: Sister state program under the National AITC network providing free K-12 ag literacy resources to Illinois educators. Operates with the same donation-funded nonprofit model and standards-aligned curriculum approach.
• Nutrients for Life Foundation: Industry-supported nonprofit providing K-12 curriculum and resources on plant nutrition, soil science, and crop nutrients — directly overlapping CFAITC's Plant Nutrition and specialty crops offerings for the same educator audience.
• National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization: National umbrella organization of which CFAITC is the California state program. Coordinates agricultural literacy efforts across all 50 states and co-publishes the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix — directly comparable mission, audience, and delivery model.
• National Center for Agricultural Literacy (NCAL): Strategic partner of CFAITC that develops and maintains the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix. Operates the same standards-aligned lesson database and shares content developers and educator outreach channels.

Emerging players

• Project Food, Land & People: National nonprofit providing K-12 lessons on food systems, agriculture, and natural resources. Smaller scale but highly comparable target audience, free resource model, and educator professional development focus.

Broad incumbents

• 4-H Youth Development Program (USDA NIFA): Large, established national youth development organization delivering K-12 agricultural and STEM programming. Comparable target audience and content themes, but operates at much larger scale across all states.
• Junior Achievement USA: Large national nonprofit delivering free K-12 curriculum (including agribusiness and economics modules) to educators through corporate sponsorship. Comparable free-resource, sponsor-funded K-12 educational nonprofit model at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LearnAboutAg
• Facebookfacebook.com/learnaboutag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-foundation-for-agriculture-in-the-classroom
• Instagraminstagram.com/learnaboutag

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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