irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $0School Gardens - In 2022, we launched an online resource hub for all our school partners and beyond, increasing our impact beyond Erie and Niagara Counties, while supporting 28 school gardens through their programming and resources.
- #2 $0Buffalo Freedom Gardens - This residential gardening project provided free garden materials and education to a total of 57 households in 2022.
named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Buffalo Freedom Gardens
Residential gardening initiative providing free garden materials and education to households in underserved communities to combat food insecurity.
Community Gardens
Facilitates the creation and maintenance of community-managed gardens on public or leased land, prioritizing neighborhoods lacking access to fresh produce.
School Gardens
Supports school-based gardens through resources, technical assistance, and programming to teach students environmental responsibility, nutrition, and community engagement.
Therapeutic Gardens
Initiative that uses gardening to support emotional well-being, including the Grief in the Gardens program to help process trauma and systemic injustice.
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 6 activities
- Conducts garden consultations and site supportProvides direct garden consultations and on-site support, including greenhouse construction preparation and seasonal care events. Conducted 195 garden consultations during the 2024 season.
- Facilitates community gardening events and exchangesHosts garden swap events such as the BWELL Garden Swap and operates tool library service days at community locations to support resource sharing among gardeners.
- Operates an urban land trust for community gardensManages an urban land trust that facilitates leased land for a network of over 100 community and school gardens, achieving official accreditation in August 2021.
- Provides gardening education and workshopsOffers hands-on workshops and educational programs in gardening techniques such as plant maintenance, raised bed construction, and seasonal care. Hosted 58 educational workshops and programs during the 2024 season.
- Supports community gardens with materials and technical assistanceProvides clean organic soil and compost, seedlings, gardening tools, lumber for raised beds, and technical support to a network of over 100 community and school gardens. In 2024, distributed 5,725 seedlings, 240 cubic yards of soil and compost, lumber for 158 raised beds, and over 800 fall bulbs.
- Supports school garden development and programmingPartners to construct new school gardens and supports school garden networks with resources and programming. Partnered with Fidelis Care to build two new school gardens in Buffalo and launched an online resource hub in 2022 to support 28 school gardens.
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Community-Based Urban Agriculture 2 activities
- Implements the Buffalo Freedom Gardens projectProvides free garden materials and education to low-income households through the Buffalo Freedom Gardens project, supporting 57 households in 2022.
- Supports food access through school gardens during emergenciesKept one-third of school gardens open during the 2020 pandemic to provide free, fresh food to neighbors.
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Environmental Policy Advocacy & Litigation 1 activity
- Advances land conservation policy and advocacyEngages in advocacy through volunteer committees focused on land stewardship and long-term land trust sustainability, advances federal policies, and promotes a national goal to conserve an additional 60 million acres of land by 2030.
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Environmental Conservation Grantmaking 1 activity
- Builds capacity for land trusts and conservation practitionersSupports land trusts in conserving land and strengthening communities through the Conservation Resource Center, which provides learning, networking, and professional growth resources for conservation practitioners.
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Community Stewardship Volunteer Programs 1 activity
- Organizes volunteer programs for garden maintenanceOrganizes individual and group volunteer opportunities for planting, trimming, and general maintenance of community gardens, mobilizing over 200 volunteer hours during the 2024 season.
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Virtual Education Continuity Programs 1 activity
- Provides virtual gardening and nutrition educationDelivered virtual gardening and nutrition education to over 4,500 people in 2020, expanding access during the pandemic.
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Trauma-Informed Community Resilience Initiatives 1 activity
- Runs therapeutic gardening programsOperates the Grief in the Gardens program, which uses gardening as a therapeutic practice to help individuals process grief and cope with violence and systemic injustice. Hosts a task force for the Therapeutic Garden Initiative with community stakeholders and state agency representatives.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$650K
Contributions & grants$624K96%
Program service revenue$25K4%
Investment income$2K0%
Other revenue$218
expenses
Total expenses$649K
Program expenses80%
Admin / overhead10%
Fundraising10%
Salaries & benefits$408K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$589K
Cash$293K
Investments$0
Liabilities$49K
Net assets$540K
Liquid reserves5.4 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +1.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Chen | Executive Director | 40 | $71K |
board members · 13
- Alyssa Brouillet — Board member
- Brett Andrzejewski — Board member
- Daniel Roma — Chair
- Daun Nicholas — Board member
- Derek Nichols — Vice Chair
- Eitan Stant — Secretary
- Fiona Reid Roma — Board member
- Isabella Newman — Treasurer
- Kate Gorman — Board member
- Kate Willoughby — Board member
- Lindsey Haubenreich — Board member
- Marc Kabigting — Board member
- Raana Azam — Board member
relationships · 33
Who they work with
- AstraZeneca Funder — Awarded funding through the AstraZeneca US ACT on Health Equity 2025 Community Solutions Challenge to support community gardens.
- AstraZeneca US Funder — Awarded support to Grassroots Gardens WNY through the ACT on Health Equity 2025 Community Solutions Challenge to fund community garden resources.
- AstraZeneca US Funder — Provided funding through the ACT on Health Equity 2025 Community Solutions Challenge to support community gardens with soil, compost, seedlings, and tools.
- AstraZeneca US Funder — Provided grant funding through the ACT on Health Equity: Community Solutions Challenge to support community and school garden supplies.
- BWELL Partner — Cosponsors the Garden Swap Event to promote community gardening resources.
- Buffalo Marathon Partner — Collaborates on volunteer opportunities such as bartending for a cause during the event.
- Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Partner — Collaborates on watershed-wide restoration efforts, including the Scajaquada Restoration Plan.
- Buffalo PS 45 – International School Partner — Collaborated with Grassroots Gardens WNY and Mohawk Global on the Sowing Kindness Initiative at a community garden.
- Buffalo PS 45 – International School Partner — Collaborated with Grassroots Gardens WNY and Mohawk Global on the Sowing Kindness Initiative to celebrate a community garden.
- Conor J. Casey Foundation Partner — Features Grassroots Gardens WNY in its charitable “Love Machine” vending initiative to promote and support local nonprofits.
- Cup of Communitea Partner — Selected Grassroots Gardens WNY as a community partner for February 2026, supporting garden programs through tea sales.
- Cup of Communitea Partner — Selected Grassroots Gardens WNY as its Community Partner for February 2026, enabling supporters to contribute through the purchase of select teas.
- Cup of Communitea Partner — Selected Grassroots Gardens WNY as its community partner for February 2026, allowing customers to support garden programs through tea purchases.
- Fidelis Care Partner — Partnered to build two new school gardens in Buffalo through the Here for Your Health campaign.
- Fidelis Care Partner — Partnered with Grassroots Gardens WNY to fund the construction of new school gardens in Buffalo through the Here for Your Health campaign.
- Fidelis Care Partner — Partnering through the Here for Your Health campaign to fund and construct two new school gardens in Buffalo for 2026.
- Greenprint Niagara Partner — Sister organization that merged with Grassroots Gardens Buffalo in 2016 to form Grassroots Gardens Western New York.
- Just Salad Partner — Collaborates on Giveback Day to support Grassroots Gardens WNY programs.
- Just Salad Partner — Supported Grassroots Gardens WNY through a Giveback Day at the grand opening of its first Buffalo-area location.
- Land Trust Alliance Government — Applied for accreditation with the Land Trust Alliance in 2020.
- Mohawk Global Partner — Donated pawpaw trees and volunteer time to establish a new pawpaw patch at Lombard Clark Community Garden in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.
- Mohawk Global Partner — Partnered with Grassroots Gardens WNY and Buffalo PS 45 – International School on the Sowing Kindness Initiative at a community garden.
- Mohawk Global Partner — Partnered with Grassroots Gardens WNY and Buffalo PS 45 – International School to celebrate a community garden through the Sowing Kindness Initiative.
- Office of People with Developmental Disabilities Partner — Participates in the Therapeutic Garden Initiative task force to support therapeutic gardening programs.
- Stanley G. Falk School Partner — Collaborated with The Foundry and Grassroots Gardens WNY for a student giving ceremony involving metalworking projects.
- Stanley G. Falk School Partner — Partnered with The Foundry and Grassroots Gardens WNY on a giving ceremony showcasing student metalworking projects.
- The Foundry Partner — Collaborated with Stanley G. Falk School and Grassroots Gardens WNY on a giving ceremony featuring student-made metalwork.
- The Foundry Partner — Partnered with Stanley G. Falk School and Grassroots Gardens WNY for a student giving ceremony involving metalworking projects.
- Winslow F/K Block Club Partner — Co-hosts Earth Day clean-up event to improve neighborhood environments.
- agencies Network — Government or public agencies affiliated with the Land Trust Alliance for land conservation
+ 3 more
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 Gardening for Systemic Changemethodology: community_driven_systems_changeBy supporting community-led gardening initiatives, we produce systemic change and community empowerment because local ownership fosters agency, collaboration, and sustained engagement with land and food systems.
- Equitable Access to Nature as Community Well-Beingmethodology: equitable_access_to_natureBy prioritizing access to gardening and nature in underserved communities, we improve community well-being because equitable access to green space and fresh food addresses systemic inequities and promotes health regardless of socioeconomic status.
- Land Justice and Community-Led Conservationmethodology: land_justice_and_community_stewardshipBy integrating land stewardship with land justice and community-led conservation, we produce environmental remediation and resilience because collective ownership and partnership with Indigenous communities ensure culturally grounded, sustainable land use.