Grow Portland

What Grow Portland does

Grow Portland is a Portland, Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 that delivers hands-on garden education to elementary school students and historically built community gardens for underserved communities. Its flagship program, the Garden School, embeds monthly garden classes into the school day at partner elementary schools within Portland Public Schools and the David Douglas School District, currently serving 16 schools (15 existing plus Atkinson Elementary added for 2025-26) and collaborating with upwards of 200 classroom teachers. Over half of program participants are students of color. Between 2010 and 2018 the organization built or sponsored 10 community gardens that helped more than 5,000 new gardeners — over two-thirds of them low-income, refugees, immigrants, or people of color — access land; since 2019 it has shifted focus to school-based programming while transferring community garden management to partners such as the City of Portland Community Gardens Program, Outgrowing Hunger, Oregon Food Bank, and Mudbone Grown. The organization has no proprietary technology and operates with 9-10 staff, led by Executive Director Wisteria Stuart (since 2024) and an Education Director presenting at regional and national school garden summits.

Revenue is generated through four streams: school partner fees on a sliding scale tied to each school's free & reduced lunch percentage, government and private foundation grants, individual monthly and one-time donations, and a publicly disclosed corporate sponsorship program with seven tiers ranging from $500 (Sprout) to $24,375 (Fruit) that bundles recognition, newsletter placement, and event access. Distribution is entirely direct and regional: Grow Portland delivers services through school-day programming and physical community garden sites across the Portland metro area, supported by a partner network and a 1% for the Planet corporate giving channel, with no technology platform or out-of-region presence.

Name

Grow Portland

Legal name

Grow Portland

Website

https://growportland.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grow Portland is a Portland, Oregon 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 that delivers monthly hands-on garden education to K-5 students across 16 partner schools in Portland Public Schools and the David Douglas School District, funded by sliding-scale school fees, grants, donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Garden Education Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature-Based / Forest School Early Learning Programs (EDACADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM & Science Camps (Biology, Chemistry, Space, Lab Science) (EDAMALAC), Outdoor/Nature/Forest Preschools (EDACABAJ), Outdoor / Nature-Based Nursery & Forest Playgroups (EDACACAH)

Keywords

• Garden education programs
• School garden curriculum
• Community garden development
• Outdoor environmental education
• Nonprofit garden services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Annual corporate sponsorship tiers ranging from $500 (Sprout) to $24,375 (Fruit), providing donor benefits including social media recognition, newsletter placement, website logos, and event invitations.
2. Individual Donations: Monthly donor program and one-time donations from individuals supporting outdoor learning and garden education.
3. School Partner Fees: Schools pay a sliding fee scale based on their free & reduced lunch percentage to participate in the Garden School program.
4. Government and Private Grants: Programs funded through government and private foundation grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Grow Portland delivers monthly hands-on garden education classes integrated into the school day at partner elementary schools in the Portland Public Schools and David Douglas School Districts. The organization builds physical school gardens, develops curriculum linked to Next Generation Science Standards, and historically created community gardens that served over 5,000 gardeners. Programs are supported by government and private grants, school partner fees on a sliding scale based on free and reduced lunch percentages, and individual and corporate donations.

Product overview

Grow Portland operates as a nonprofit organization offering garden education programs, not a technology product company. Its core offerings include the Garden School program (hands-on garden education at Portland area schools), Community Gardens (established 2010-2018), and Classes & Resources. The organization facilitates school garden partnerships, provides educational curriculum and printable activity resources, and operates a seed saving program. Programs are funded through a combination of government and private grants, school partner fees, and individual and corporate donors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Garden School: School garden education program providing hands-on garden experiences for elementary students in Portland area schools.

Products and services

• Garden School Program Monthly hands-on garden education classes integrated into the school day at partner elementary schools in Portland Public Schools and David Douglas School Districts, with curriculum linked to Next Generation Science Standards.
• School Gardens Physical garden education spaces established at 15 partner schools where students receive hands-on garden instruction, maintained by Grow Portland's Site Coordinator.
• Community Gardens Program Community garden plots for low-income residents, refugees, immigrants, and people of color to grow food; historically helped more than 5,000 new gardeners access land, with over two-thirds being low income, refugees, immigrants, and people of color.
• Seed Saving Program Community network program focused on teaching gardeners how to save their own vegetable seeds and share seeds with others.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Tiered sponsorship program (Sprout $500 through Fruit $24,375) allowing businesses to fund garden education, with benefits including social media recognition, newsletter mentions, website logos, and school garden tours.
• Classes and Educational Resources Educational curriculum resources, printable activity resources, and gardening classes for the community, including lesson plans aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 new gardeners accessed land through community gardens built from 2010-2018
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• North East Coalition of NeighborhoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrow Portland's office is housed within the North East Coalition of Neighborhoods building at 4815 NE 7th, Portland OR 97211.
• City of Portland Community Gardens ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Portland manages several community gardens built by Grow Portland including Eastminster Community Garden, Floyd Light Community Garden, Wood Community Garden, and Neighborhoods Community Garden.
• Outgrowing HungercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner that manages multiple community gardens including East County Community Garden, 139th Ave Community Garden, 150th Ave Community Garden, and Neighborhoods Community Garden.
• Oregon Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOregon Food Bank owns the land for NE 33rd Community Farm (30,000 sq ft) built by Grow Portland in 2015.
• Mudbone GrowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages NE 33rd Community Farm with a focus on providing food and education for the African American community.
• Portland Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of two school districts served by Grow Portland's Garden School program with multiple elementary school partners.
• David Douglas School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of two school districts served by Grow Portland's Garden School program with multiple elementary school partners.
• 1% for the PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusinesses can become 1% for the Planet Partners with Grow Portland as part of their corporate giving programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FoodCorps: National nonprofit that connects children to healthy food in schools via garden education, cooking, and hands-on lessons. Closest comparable: nearly identical mission (school garden/food education) with a similar nonprofit funding stack including corporate sponsorships and grants.
• Big Green: National nonprofit that builds learning gardens in low-income schools and supports garden-based education. Directly comparable because it serves similar K-12 demographics with a similar school-garden build, curriculum, and equity framing.
• Green Bronx Machine: NYC nonprofit that builds school gardens and indoor farming classrooms in underserved schools. Directly comparable in equity-framed K-12 garden education; smaller footprint than FoodCorps but operationally similar.
• Life Lab: California-based nonprofit that provides school garden curriculum, professional development for educators, and kids' programming. Directly comparable as a peer nonprofit focused on garden-based K-5 education with public curriculum and teacher training.
• Edible Schoolyard Project: Founded by Alice Waters to advance garden and kitchen education in schools. Highly comparable mission and curriculum structure, though it historically emphasized in-school kitchens alongside gardens, giving Grow Portland a slightly narrower scope.
• Green Our Planet: Las Vegas-headquartered nonprofit operating school gardens, hydroponics, and outdoor STEM programming in K-12 schools. Closely comparable school-garden + STEM curriculum model and a similar corporate sponsorship and grant-supported funding model.

Broad incumbents

• Captain Planet Foundation: National environmental education funder that operates the Project Learning Garden school garden program in partnership with schools. Comparable in delivering school garden installations and curriculum support but as part of a wider environmental-education portfolio.
• Out Teach: National nonprofit providing outdoor experiential learning in K-12 schools, with a curriculum that intersects garden-based science. Comparable as a broader incumbent that includes garden learning within a wider outdoor education portfolio.

Regional players

• Zenger Farm: Portland-area working farm and nonprofit that provides outdoor agricultural education to schools and the community. Highly comparable mission and geography, with direct people ties to Grow Portland (former Education Director Andy McGee spent 6 years at Zenger Farm; founding ED Wisteria Stuart previously led Friends of Zenger Farm).

Others

• School Garden Support Organization: National network of nonprofits, agencies, and school districts supporting school gardens. Comparable as an enabling ecosystem player; Grow Portland is a candidate member organization and SGSO helps legitimize and diffuse the model Grow Portland delivers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/growportland
• Instagraminstagram.com/growportland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grow-pdx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Grow Portland