named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Harvest Preservation Program
Seasonal food preservation initiative involving canning, freezing, fermenting, and dehydrating surplus garden produce to ensure year-round access to nutritious food, including tomato sauces, fermented kimchi, dried herbs, and pickled vegetables.
Urban Permaculture Garden
Organic urban garden with 10 raised beds, fruit trees, and rain gardens that provides fresh produce for residents and supports composting and mushroom cultivation using inoculated logs from cleared trees.
Westcott Street House Renovation
Community-led renovation of a derelict Victorian house in Syracuse, NY, to create affordable, sustainable, and accessible housing with eco-friendly design features including high-efficiency insulation, reclaimed materials, and rainwater harvesting systems.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 2 activities
- Grow and preserve seasonal food cropsPlants and harvests seasonal vegetables including garlic, spinach, arugula, and cover crops; preserves food through freezing, canning, and fermenting; and shares surplus produce, with gardening and preservation activities spanning from January through October.
- Lead educational workshops on sustainable living skillsOrganizes and leads hands-on workshops in consensus decision-making, food preservation, composting, bike repair, natural product making, and other skills that support cooperative and ecologically sustainable living.
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Affordable Home Construction & Rehabilitation 1 activity
- Conduct house renovation and construction projectsUndertakes major renovation work including demolition of deteriorated structures, attic insulation upgrades to achieve high R-values, and long-term construction projects involving collective labor to improve housing infrastructure.
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Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
- Host community and cultural visitorsHosts traveling activists, musicians, and culturally creative individuals in Syracuse, providing accommodations and facilitating engagement through events such as potluck lunches and discussions on collective living.
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Community Composting & Organic Waste Diversion 1 activity
- Implement sustainable land and stormwater management practicesConstructs and maintains compost systems, collects organic waste from local businesses for composting, installs rain barrels to manage stormwater, and uses cover crops and frost seeding to support urban garden soil health as part of ecological stewardship efforts.
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Affordable Housing Development and Management 1 activity
- Provide eco-friendly, low-income cooperative housingOperates two houses in Syracuse, NY that provide affordable, ecologically sustainable housing through a cooperative model where residents share financial costs and responsibilities for housing, food, and collective tasks including gardening, cooking, and decision-making.
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Union-Affiliated Trade Apprenticeship & Training 1 activity
- Support member skill development in homeownership and renovationProvides experiential learning opportunities in home maintenance, construction, and renovation, supporting current and former members in acquiring skills that have led to homeownership and neighborhood reinvestment.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$61K
Contributions & grants$1140%
Program service revenue$59K97%
Investment income$330%
Other revenue$265
expenses
Total expenses$58K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
balance sheet
Total assets$372K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$53K
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -7.6%
relationships · 12
Who they work with
- Bitternut Homestead Partner — Collaborates on hosting educational discussions about collective living.
- Facebook Partner — Uses Facebook as a platform to share information and connect with interested individuals.
- Fedco Seeds Partner — Source of Giant Winter spinach seed used in frost seeding trials.
- National Center for Home Food Preservation Partner — Relies on guidance and recipes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation for boiling water and pressure canning techniques.
- Sandor Katz Partner — Recommends Sandor Katz’s guide _Wild Fermentation_ as a key resource for fermentation practices.
- Save the Rain campaign Partner — Collaborated on stormwater management through installation of rain barrels.
- University of Georgia Partner — Cites a primer on freezing vegetables from the University of Georgia.
- University of Minnesota Partner — References factsheets on freezing produce from the University of Minnesota Extension.
- Virginia Cooperative Extension Partner — References educational resources from Virginia Cooperative Extension on food dehydration.
- Westcott Street Cultural Festival Partner — Coordinates events in conjunction with the Westcott Street Cultural Festival.
- Worker’s Center of CNY Partner — Collaborates on community events, including participation in an annual soccer tournament.
- ic.org Network — Featured in Communities magazine published by ic.org, a network for intentional communities.
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.
- Climate-Resilient Food Production Through Adaptive Gardening Techniquesmethodology: climate_resilient_gardeningBy using frost seeding, cover cropping, season extension, and climate-adaptive crop selection, the organization increases food self-reliance and garden resilience because these methods work with natural cycles to maintain soil health and extend growing windows under variable conditions.
- Communal Living as Integrated Social and Ecological Practicemethodology: communal_livingBy organizing shared living with collective decision-making and resource pooling, the organization fosters social justice and ecological sustainability because communal structures enable both equitable participation and regenerative land use practices.
- Food-Based Mobilization for Community Engagementmethodology: food_based_mobilizationBy using shared meals and food preservation activities as organizing tools, the organization sustains volunteer labor and community involvement because food acts as both a cultural anchor and a practical incentive for collective action.