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LAND TO LEARN
BEACON, NY · EIN 463267308 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE K20 · Food, Agriculture & Nutrition · Small ($100K-$1M) · landtolearn.org
revenue
$505K
expenses
$556K
net assets
$267K
employees
11
volunteers
40
program ratio
70%
mission · from form 990

GROWING A MOVEMENT FOR FOOD JUSTICE AND COMMUNITY WELLNESS THROUGH GARDEN-BASED EDUCATION.

profile · synthesized from sources

Land to Learn advances food justice and community wellness through garden-based education in the Hudson Valley, New York. The organization partners with elementary schools to deliver a scaffolded curriculum that integrates environmental literacy, food literacy, and hands-on gardening from kindergarten through 3rd grade. Students engage in planting, harvesting, cooking, and ecological learning, fostering connections between food, health, and the natural world.

named programs · 1 · from sources

What they call their work

SproutEd in Elementary Schools
Multi-year garden-based education program for K–3 students that progresses from foundational gardening in kindergarten, to ecological science in 1st grade, food literacy and cooking in 2nd grade, and community food systems in 3rd grade.
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Youth and Family Cooking Education 2 activities
    • Family cooking and engagement workshops
      Organizes FamilyTable Make & Taste Workshops that bring families together for hands-on cooking with seasonal produce, shared meals, and take-home kitchen gifts, fostering family engagement in food and gardening education.
    • Vegetable of the Month and Garden Chef programs
      Runs the monthly Vegetable of the Month program in partner schools, where students taste and learn about seasonal vegetables, participate in cafeteria tastings, and vote on favorites; also publishes an annual Garden Chef Recipe book distributed to 2nd grade participants.
  • Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 1 activity
    • Garden-based education for K–3 students
      Implements a scaffolded, garden-based curriculum for kindergarten through 3rd grade students in public elementary schools in Kingston, Newburgh, and Beacon, NY, including building school food gardens, delivering monthly hands-on lessons, and connecting classroom science to real-world gardening experiences.
  • Student Career Readiness and Internship Placement 1 activity
    • Internship and professional development programs
      Offers the Dig Internship program for college students from partner institutions such as Marist University to gain hands-on experience in garden-based education, and provides resources, professional development, and consulting through the ToolShed initiative to support schools and childcare centers in launching garden-based learning programs.
  • Alumni and School Community Newsletters 1 activity
    • Newsletters and participant communications
      Distributes monthly school newsletters to K–3 teachers for sharing with students and parents, and produces community newsletters with updates on SproutEd lessons, events, and volunteer opportunities.
  • Corporate Sponsorship Programs 1 activity
    • Sponsor recognition activities
      Recognizes sponsors through monthly newsletters, social media, website features, and annual reports.
  • Summer Day Camp Programs 1 activity
    • Summer camp and youth programs
      Operates hands-on indoor/outdoor summer camp programs for children entering grades 1–4, including two one-week sessions in 2026 with 15 campers each, and runs seasonal programs such as Summer Sprouts, Garden Chef Series, and SproutEd Summer for children aged 6–11 in the Hudson Valley region.
  • Community Stewardship Volunteer Programs 1 activity
    • Volunteer engagement and community feedback
      Engages volunteers in garden maintenance, event support, and community feedback activities to sustain educational gardens and inform program development.
  • Youth Workforce Development in Food & Environment 1 activity
    • Youth leadership and employment program
      Runs the Radicle Roots program, which provides paid summer employment and leadership development for youth ages 14–19 in Beacon and Newburgh, who maintain gardens and support educational programming.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$505K
Contributions & grants$396K78%
Program service revenue$109K22%
Investment income$3110%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$556K
Program expenses70%
Admin / overhead17%
Fundraising13%
Salaries & benefits$443K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$354K
Cash$116K
Investments$0
Liabilities$87K
Net assets$267K
Liquid reserves2.5 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +10.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Mara Estes Director 40 $60K
Nicole Porto Executive Dir. 40 $56K
board members · 5
  • Ally Dommu — Secretary
  • Carrie Eisert — BOARDMEMBER
  • Christina Noyes — BOARDMEMBER
  • Kevin Bertholf — Treasurer
  • Susan Austin — Chairman
relationships · 25

Who they work with

  • Beacon City School District Partner — Collaborates with Land to Learn to integrate gardening and nutrition education into public schools.
  • Big Duck Network — Board member Ally Dommu is a consultant and board member at Big Duck, a worker-owned communications firm supporting nonprofits.
  • Boys & Girls Club of Newburgh Partner — Hosts the Garden Chef Series as part of Land to Learn's summer programming for youth.
  • Boys & Girls Club of Newburgh Partner — Partners with Land to Learn to provide gardening, cooking, and outdoor learning activities for Club members.
  • CDC Government — Cited for a 2021 study recommending programs that provide hands-on food and gardening education to increase vegetable consumption among young children.
  • Erin Giunta Partner — Outreach Manager at Land to Learn, contact for sponsorship inquiries
  • Foundation for Beacon Schools Partner — Land to Learn staff member serves as Communications Chair, indicating an organizational connection.
  • Gather & Grow Partner — Board member Christina Noyes leads Gather & Grow, an organization with aligned values in community-based learning and reciprocity with nature.
  • Horizons on Hudson Elementary School Partner — Engages students in garden journaling, salad-making, and planting through Land to Learn programming.
  • JV Forrestal Partner — Integrates Land to Learn's garden curriculum into classroom learning.
  • John F. Kennedy Elementary Partner — Hosts Land to Learn's SproutEd program and gardening instruction on school grounds.
  • Kingston Partner — Partner schools in Kingston participate in the Vegetable of the Month program with cafeteria integration and student voting
  • Kingston City School District Partner — Partners with Land to Learn to implement SproutEd and SproutEd Summer programs in public elementary schools.
  • Marist University Partner — Collaborates with Land to Learn through the Dig Internship program to provide college students with hands-on experience in garden-based education.
  • National Honor Society Partner — Collaborates with high school students affiliated with the National Honor Society for community service participation.
  • Robert R. Graves Elementary School Partner — Participates in Land to Learn's gardening and nutrition education initiatives.
  • Sargent Elementary School Partner — Hosts the SproutEd “Summer Sprouts” camp program in Beacon.
  • Sargent Elementary School PTO Partner — Land to Learn staff member previously served as Board President, indicating a community partnership in Beacon education.
  • Sargent School Partner — Includes Land to Learn's garden program to teach students about seasonal changes and healthy eating.
  • South Ave Partner — Hosts Land to Learn's Garden Time program as part of science and experiential learning.
  • Temple Hill Academy Partner — Participates in Land to Learn's garden-based education and cooking activities.
  • USDA Government — Cited as the source of dietary recommendations that inform program goals related to increasing children's vegetable consumption.
  • community groups Partner — Works with community groups to deliver accessible and inclusive family workshops.
  • food organizations Partner — Collaborates with food organizations to support authentic and grounded programming.
  • local farms Partner — Partners with local farms to source fresh, seasonal produce for workshops.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Driven and Family-Engaged Programming
    methodology: community_driven_programming
    By centering community voice and engaging families through teacher-mediated materials and inclusive cooking workshops, the organization strengthens program relevance and impact because involving caregivers and community members in learning and feedback loops promotes sustained engagement and shared ownership of health and education outcomes.
  • Experiential and Critical Environmental Education for Systemic Change
    methodology: critical_environmental_education
    By combining experiential, place-based, and democratic learning with restorative and critical environmental education, the organization addresses systemic oppression and builds community resilience because direct engagement with land and food systems enables critical reflection on historical inequities and fosters liberatory, interconnected ways of knowing.
  • Garden-Based Education for Holistic Youth Development
    methodology: garden_based_education
    By using garden-based education, the organization fosters health, ecological awareness, and social-emotional development in children because hands-on engagement with growing food and nature strengthens their connection to self, community, and the environment, reinforcing long-term behavioral change through longitudinal, scaffolded learning.