Mission & History
Our Mission
City Growers is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization based in New York City. City Growers uses urban agriculture to engage youth in experiential learning, nurturing a lifelong relationship to food, their health, and the natural world.
We are committed to ensuring that our programs engage young people who need them most by working to redistribute resources that have historically not been allocated equitably, especially within education systems and green spaces. Through our original curriculum design, aligned with New York State Department of Education STEM and Science Learning Standards, we use innovative growing spaces such as rooftop farms, school gardens, and public parks as living learning laboratories to foster a love of nature and encourage New York City youth to consider their place within the urban ecosystem and to inspire the next generation of leaders to protect the planet.
Our History
City Growers was established in 2011 by the founders of the Brooklyn Grange to explore the educational potential of a rooftop farm. Brooklyn Grange, a for profit farm, offered tours to youth who expressed amazement at everything from where carrots came from, to the idea that food could even be grown in a city. Many expressed that they felt nature did not belong to them, and that it was for “other people.” To combat this and establish equity by offering free educational tours and workshops, City Growers was formed and staffed with trained educators to build an experiential nature based curriculum that allows youth to see New York City as a thriving ecosystem, and give them tools to sustain that ecosystem.