Lake Claire Community Land Trust

What Lake Claire Community Land Trust does

Lake Claire Community Land Trust (LCCLT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983 that preserves and operates a 1.7-acre community greenspace in Atlanta's historic Lake Claire neighborhood, located at 270 Arizona Avenue NE. The organization serves intown Atlanta residents through community garden plots, cultural programming, educational workshops, and private event rentals, while hosting recurring events including Atlanta's longest-running monthly drum circle (since 1991), Peace & Love Festivals, Jerry Jam, and themed classes such as Death Cafe and Nature Play Group.

LCCLT's physical infrastructure includes 50+ community garden beds, a children's garden, playground, amphitheater stage, Peace Pond, a 500-foot-deep solar-powered well drilled in 1990, and a rainwater catchment system installed in 2013. The land is permanently protected by a Conservation Easement established in 2012, making it legally immune to redevelopment. Operations are led by a volunteer Board of Directors supported by a single part-time contractual Operations Manager working approximately 10-15 hours per week.

Revenue is generated through a diversified set of small streams: monthly sustainer donations starting at $10, annual garden plot rentals at $50 per plot, private event rentals at $75-$150 per event, merchandise sales, music festival fundraisers, educational classes, and periodic grants from foundations and the City of Atlanta. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the on-site location and is supported by a Squarespace website, social media channels, and a Mailchimp newsletter. The organization maintains partnerships with Park Pride, Trees Atlanta, Georgia Native Plant Society, the City of Atlanta, and Nature Play Studio.

Name

Lake Claire Community Land Trust

Legal name

Lake Claire Community Land Trust

Website

https://lcclt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lake Claire Community Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves and operates a 1.7-acre community greenspace in Atlanta's Lake Claire neighborhood, serving intown residents through community gardens, cultural events, educational programming, and private event rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Greenspace and Land Trust Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

Keywords

• Community land trust
• Urban greenspace preservation
• Community garden rental
• Event venue rental
• Nonprofit community programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sustainers: Monthly sustainer program ($10+/month) and annual supporter donations. 501(c)(3) nonprofit heavily dependent on donations to pay insurance and maintenance costs.
2. Garden Plot Rentals: Annual rental of approximately 50 garden plots at $50 per plot, starting each March.
3. Event Rentals: Private event rentals including children's birthday parties ($75), small private events ($75), medium private events ($150), and weddings/memorials (variable pricing). Maximum capacity 100 people.
4. Merchandise Sales: T-shirts ($5-$20), festival posters ($6 each), sold through e-commerce store with porch pickup in Lake Claire.
5. Music Festival Fundraisers: Peace & Love Festivals (spring and harvest) and Jerry Jam (Grateful Dead tribute) are main annual fundraisers. Also mid-winter dance events.
6. Classes and Workshops: Educational programming including Death Cafe, Tarot classes, Nature Play Group, and other workshops with instructor revenue splits (typically 10%).
7. Grants: Various grants from foundations and city programs for specific projects and improvements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lake Claire Community Land Trust permanently preserves and operates a 1.7-acre urban greenspace in Atlanta's Lake Claire neighborhood, offering ~50 annual community garden plot rentals, private event venue rentals (children's parties, small gatherings, weddings, memorials), annual fundraising music festivals (Peace & Love Festival, Jerry Jam), recurring cultural and educational programming (drum circles, potlucks, Death Cafe, Tarot classes, Nature Play Group), and a merchandise store of t-shirts and festival posters. The site is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and funded by donations, grants, plot and venue fees, and festival proceeds.

Product overview

Lake Claire Community Land Trust is a neighborhood-based nonprofit that offers a portfolio of community programs rather than a unified software product. Its offerings include approximately 50 rentable community garden plots, event venue rentals (Greenfield, Amphitheater, Gorilla Grill) for private events up to 100 attendees, a merchandise store selling t-shirts and festival posters, annual fundraising music festivals (Peace & Love Festival and Jerry Jam), and recurring classes/workshops such as Death Cafe, Tarot instruction, and Nature Play Group. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by donations, plot fees, rental income, and merchandise sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Garden Plot Rental Annual rental of approximately 50 individual community garden plots at $50 per plot, available to community members for personal urban gardening starting each March; managed via a waiting list system.
• Event Venue Rental Rental of Land Trust spaces (Greenfield, Amphitheater, Gorilla Grill) for private events including children's birthday parties ($75), small private events up to 20 attendees ($75), medium private events 21-49 attendees ($150), and large weddings/memorials 50-100 attendees (variable pricing). The venue is alcohol- and drug-free and includes access to the playground for family events.
• Merchandise Store Sale of Land Trust-branded merchandise including 100% cotton silk-screened t-shirts (youth and adult sizes, $5-$20), festival posters from Peace & Love and Jerry Jam events ($6 each), and other commemorative items. Available via an own-brand e-commerce store with porch pickup in the Lake Claire neighborhood; no shipping offered.
• Annual Music Festivals Annual fundraising music festivals held on the Land Trust grounds, including the Peace & Love Festival (spring and harvest editions) and Jerry Jam (Grateful Dead tribute), featuring live music, food vendors, and community activities. Tickets/donations vary by event (e.g., Jerry Jam 2026 suggested $20 adults, $5 teens, free under 12).
• Classes and Workshops Recurring educational programming including the monthly Death Cafe (free, donations welcomed), Tarot classes with Chakura Kineard ($25/hr or $40 both, sliding scale for women of color and LGBTQIA+), weekly Nature Play Group ($10 drop-in or $15/month), Somatic Exercise, monthly drum circles ($5 suggested donation), and skillshare workshops delivered via visiting instructors on Land Trust grounds.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ years of continuous operation preserving urban greenspace
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Georgia Native Plant Society (Intown Atlanta Chapter)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner for Pollinator Party events and Great Southeast Pollinator Census activities.
• Food Well AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner for Pollinator Party and Great Southeast Pollinator Census, providing support for native plant initiatives.
• 2026 Community Business PartnersminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Local businesses supporting the Land Trust: Oak Level (Bond Community Federal Credit Union), Poplar Level (Turtle Island Trading Co., Brick and Mortar, Pullman), Magnolia Level (Cynthia Baer, SoulShine Schools, Candler Park Market, Lake Claire Neighbors), Dogwood Level (Little Forest School, ATL Stratosphere Skateboards).
• Clifton Sanctuary MinistriesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Event parking partner for larger events at 369 Connecticut Avenue NE, with $30 minimum donation requested.
• Nature Play StudiominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Weekly Nature Play Group programming partnership since April 2024, introducing Atlanta families to the land and volunteer stewards.
• Terra Nova CompostingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Led 2016 Compost Workshop participants in constructing the compost bins at the Land Trust.
• Trees AtlantaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Joint project in 2015 for planting native grasses, flowers, and 40 trees on the Dekalb Ave. berm, designed by landscape architect Leah Pine.
• MARTAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986Sold the original 1.5 acres of land to the Land Trust via sealed bid auction in 1986. Initial asking included multiple parcels; Land Trust eventually acquired all three parcels totaling 1.5 acres.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Food Well Alliance: Atlanta-based nonprofit that builds and supports a local food system through grants and programming for community gardens and urban farms. Directly funds and partners with LCCLT (compost workshop, Nelms Corner Orchard) and is functionally comparable on the urban agriculture side of LCCLT's work.
• Piedmont Park Conservancy: Atlanta-based nonprofit that manages programming, events, and stewardship for Piedmont Park. Operates a comparable events-and-donations revenue model (private rentals, festivals, sustainer memberships) for an urban greenspace, though at substantially larger scale than LCCLT.
• Trees Atlanta: Atlanta nonprofit focused on urban tree planting, greenspace expansion, and forest certification (including LCCLT's own City Forest Certified designation). Comparable as a metro Atlanta land/greenspace steward and a direct programmatic partner of LCCLT.
• Park Pride: Atlanta-based nonprofit that supports neighborhood parks through fundraising, advocacy, and Friends-of-the-Park groups. Operates an analogous model of community-driven park stewardship in metro Atlanta and frequently partners with neighborhood-level greenspace organizations like LCCLT.
• Candler Park Conservancy: Atlanta neighborhood conservancy that maintains Candler Park and runs community programming, festivals, and fundraising. Shares the intown Atlanta geography and neighborhood-stewardship model with LCCLT; LCCLT's own Treasurer also serves on its board.
• Atlanta BeltLine Partnership: Atlanta nonprofit supporting the conversion of a 22-mile rail corridor into a network of parks, trails, and greenspace. Comparable at a much larger scale as a community-driven urban greenspace initiative in the same metropolitan market as LCCLT.

Broad incumbents

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that creates parks and protects land for people. Operates a much broader portfolio but shares the core conservation land-trust mission and is the most recognizable national analog to a community land trust like LCCLT.

Direct peers

• Groundwork USA: National network of independent, community-based nonprofits that build environmental improvement projects in urban neighborhoods. Groundwork trusts are the closest structural analog to LCCLT — local volunteer-driven urban greenspace stewardship — and offer a model for how LCCLT could scale or replicate.
• Wylde Center: Decatur, GA-based nonprofit operating community gardens, urban farms, and environmental education programming on multiple sites in metro Atlanta. Closest functional analog to LCCLT: neighborhood greenspace, garden plot rentals, classes, and nature-based events for the intown Atlanta community.

Emerging players

• Concrete Jungle: Atlanta nonprofit that rescues and redistributes produce from urban trees and gardens. Smaller, more focused operation than LCCLT but operates in the same metro Atlanta urban-agriculture/greenspace ecosystem, serving overlapping community audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/lakeclairecommunitylandtrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-claire-community-land-trust

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Lake Claire Community Land Trust