Grow Colorado
Grow Local Colorado is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) volunteer-run nonprofit that operates roughly 20 community gardens and a fruit gleaning program across Metro Denver, donating all harvested produce to food relief organizations serving food-insecure community members.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Grow Colorado does
Grow Local Colorado (doing business as GLC) is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in May 2009 in Denver, Colorado. It operates approximately 19-21 community gardens distributed across Metro Denver, hosted on a diverse mix of sites including city parks (notably the original 2009 Civic Center Park garden), the Governor's Mansion, churches, schools, rehabilitation facilities, and private backyards. The organization's programs include the Community Gardens Program (which produced 11,694 lbs of produce in 2025), the Gleaning Program (which collected 11,867 lbs of fruit from local trees via 340 gleaning volunteers and 83 tree stewards in 2025), a Seed Library/Seed Shares program, an Annual Food Drive for Community Ministry, a Group Volunteer Program, and a bimonthly "We Tend to Grow" newsletter.
Underlying operating practices are deliberately low-tech and regenerative: sheet mulching (using materials that would otherwise go to landfill to build soil), drip irrigation for water efficiency, no chemical pesticides, climate-resilient gardening methods, and locally adapted seed saving through the Denver Local Seed Project. The volunteer base is the organization's primary labor asset, with 1,450 adult and 977 youth volunteers engaged in 2025.
The business model is donation-funded philanthropy: produce is donated, not sold, to 33 food relief partner organizations serving food-insecure community members. Revenue comes from tax-deductible individual and organizational donations (preset tiers of $20, $50, $100, $200, $500, plus custom amounts), plus event-based fundraising such as the Growing Global joint fundraiser and the Community Ministry food drive. The organization has no commercial products, no pricing model, and no disclosed revenue. Operations are run by a small number of paid co-directors (Barbara Masoner and Linda Kiker, with Kiker departing in November 2025) and a broader unpaid team of founders (Dana Miller, Michael Anderson), Garden Leaders, and team members located across the Denver metro area.
Grow Colorado firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grow Colorado
- Legal name
- Grow Local Colorado
- Website
- https://growlocalcolorado.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Grow Local Colorado is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) volunteer-run nonprofit that operates roughly 20 community gardens and a fruit gleaning program across Metro Denver, donating all harvested produce to food relief organizations serving food-insecure community members.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grow Colorado industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Food Relief and Urban Agriculture
- NAICS
- Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services (BPABADAL)
Keywords
Where Grow Colorado is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Grow Colorado business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals and organizations. Accepts online donations via website, checks by mail, and Zelle bank transfers. Nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) with tax identification number 41-4461776.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Variable donation amounts accepted |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Grow Colorado product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grow Local Colorado is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates approximately 19–21 community gardens across Metro Denver, harvests fresh produce and gleans backyard fruit, and donates the entire yield to roughly 27–33 food relief partner organizations serving food-insecure residents. Its programs include the Community Gardens Program, the Gleaning Program, a community Seed Library, a bimonthly "We Tend to Grow" newsletter, an annual Community Ministry food drive, recurring community events, and a Group Volunteer Program for organizations.
Product overview
Grow Local Colorado is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization operating approximately 20 community gardens across the Denver Metro area. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs: its core Community Gardens Program grows nutritious produce for donation to food relief organizations; the Gleaning Program collects surplus fruit from backyards to reduce food waste; the Seed Library/Seed Shares distributes locally adapted organic seeds; the bimonthly 'We Tend to Grow' Newsletter keeps volunteers and supporters informed; the Annual Food Drive raises funds and food for Community Ministry; Community Events Program hosts fundraising and educational gatherings; and the Group Volunteer Program engages organizational volunteers for garden maintenance. All programs work together toward the mission of promoting local food, local community, and local sustainability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Gardens Program Operates approximately 19-21 community gardens across the Denver Metro area, growing nutritious produce that is donated to food relief organizations. Gardens are located at city parks, churches, schools, rehabilitation facilities, and private backyards, using sustainable practices including sheet mulching, drip irrigation, and no chemical pesticides.
- Gleaning Program Volunteer-driven program that collects surplus fruit from backyard trees and vines across Metro Denver, with permission of property owners, and donates the harvest to food relief organizations, shelters, and schools. Operates through weekly gleaning gatherings in the fall season with 83 tree and grape vine stewards.
- Seed Library and Seed Shares Annual seed sharing program that distributes locally-adapted, organic non-GMO seeds at no cost to community members. Seeds are grown, collected, and saved by community gardeners or in Grow Local Colorado gardens, supporting local food sovereignty and seed preservation.
- "We Tend to Grow" Newsletter Bimonthly email newsletter providing updates on Grow Local Colorado activities, volunteer opportunities, and special project announcements, distributed via Constant Contact to subscribers.
- Annual Community Ministry Food Drive Annual food drive initiative for Community Ministry that raises funds and food for the partner organization's pantry. In 2025, the drive raised $1,500, providing 1,076 lbs of food.
- Community Events Program Organizes and hosts community events including Growing Global Joint Fundraising, Sheet Mulch Projects, Earth Day Seed Shares, ApplePalooza, and annual gleaning events, bringing together volunteers and community partners.
- Group Volunteer Program Organizational volunteer opportunities for groups and companies in the Denver area, providing 2-4 hour garden tending sessions during the May-October growing season at various garden locations.
Companies that use Grow Colorado
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Grow Colorado technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Grow Colorado partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Slow Food DenvercorePartner organization visible on GLC's partner logo page. Collaboration on local food systems advocacy and education.
- Solid Ground DenvercorePartner organization visible on GLC's partner logo page. Works on food security and sustainable agriculture initiatives.
- Community MinistrycoreAnnual food drive beneficiary. Host of Community Ministry Garden site. 2025 food drive raised $1,500 providing 1,076 lbs of food.
- Food Relief Organizations (27-33 organizations)coreReceive donated produce from gardens and gleaning programs for redistribution to food-insecure community members.
- Denver ParkscoreHost garden sites at city parks including Civic Center Park (original 2009 garden location), Benedict Fountain Park, and others.
- Churches (Cristo Rey Church, First Universalist Church)coreHost garden sites at church facilities. Cristo Rey Church has multiple garden sessions (Wednesday and Saturday mornings).
- Schools (Cory Elementary School, others)coreHost garden sites at school facilities. Cory Elementary School Garden operates Tuesday mornings.
- Tree and Grape Vine Stewards (83 stewards)minorProperty owners who allow gleaning of fruit from their trees and vines. In 2025, 83 stewards participated enabling 11,867 lbs of fruit harvest.
- R Bazaar / Immigrant and Refugee Chef EntrepreneursminorSupported Growing Global joint fundraising event at Sunnybug Farmette.
- Denver Local Seed ProjectminorCoordinated seed saving efforts with local seed sovereignty initiative. Seeds grown, collected, and shared by community gardeners.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Grow Colorado competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tilth Alliance (Seattle): Seattle-area nonprofit coalition promoting sustainable agriculture through community gardens, education, and farm programs. Comparable volunteer-driven model serving food security and sustainability goals.
- Keep Growing Detroit: Detroit-based nonprofit operating the Detroit Garden Resource Program and community gardens with focus on food sovereignty and urban agriculture. Comparable volunteer-driven community garden model serving food-insecure populations.
- New York Restoration Project: Nonprofit that operates community gardens, urban farms, and tree stewardship programs in NYC. Comparable in mission (food access, sustainability, community gardening) and volunteer-led model.
- Garden for the Environment: San Francisco-based nonprofit teaching urban gardening and sustainable practices. Comparable in mission around urban agriculture education and volunteer-supported food production.
- Denver Urban Gardens: Denver-based nonprofit operating community gardens across the metro area with similar mission of food access and sustainability. Directly comparable in geography, target beneficiaries, and volunteer-driven garden model.
- Growing Gardens (Portland): Portland, OR nonprofit operating community gardens, youth education programs, and seed library. Comparable programmatic mix across gardens, gleaning-equivalent activities, and volunteer engagement.
Others
- Hunger Free Colorado: Colorado statewide anti-hunger advocacy and direct-service organization. Adjacent in serving food-insecure populations through policy and partner network, but not directly operating gardens.
Broad incumbents
- Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (Philadelphia Green): Large regional nonprofit with extensive community garden and urban greening programs in Philadelphia. Comparable in core activity (community gardens, gleaning, urban agriculture) but at substantially larger scale.
Emerging players
- Slow Food Denver: Denver chapter of Slow Food USA focused on local food systems advocacy and education. Comparable mission around local food sustainability and existing GLC partner organization.
- Solid Ground Denver: Denver-area partner organization working on food security and sustainable agriculture. Comparable mission overlap and existing GLC partner; smaller scale and narrower scope than GLC.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Grow Colorado social profiles
Digital presenceGrow Colorado compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Grow Colorado financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grow Colorado leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Grow Colorado funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grow Colorado M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Grow Colorado
What does Grow Colorado do?
Grow Local Colorado is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates approximately 19–21 community gardens across Metro Denver, harvests fresh produce and gleans backyard fruit, and donates the entire yield to roughly 27–33 food relief partner organizations serving food-insecure residents. Its programs include the Community Gardens Program, the Gleaning Program, a community Seed Library, a bimonthly "We Tend to Grow" newsletter, an annual Community Ministry food drive, recurring community events, and a Group Volunteer Program for organizations.
Is Grow Colorado a public or private company?
Grow Colorado is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Grow Colorado founded?
Grow Colorado was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Grow Colorado based?
Grow Colorado is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Grow Colorado make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations.
Who are Grow Colorado's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tilth Alliance (Seattle), Keep Growing Detroit, New York Restoration Project, Garden for the Environment, Denver Urban Gardens and Growing Gardens (Portland). Hunger Free Colorado is listed as an others. Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (Philadelphia Green) is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Slow Food Denver and Solid Ground Denver.
Does Grow Colorado have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grow Colorado.
What industry is Grow Colorado in?
Grow Colorado's product category is Community Food Relief and Urban Agriculture. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABADAL, Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services. Its NAICS code is 115112 and its SIC code is 700.