American Community Garden Association (ACGA)
ACGA is a national nonprofit membership organization of professionals, volunteers and supporters of community greening in urban and rural communities. ACGA offers an annual conference and publications centered on community building and greening.
City Farmer Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture
Non-profit promoting urban food production and environmental conservation; includes information on rooftop gardens, composting toilets, air pollution, and community gardening, as well as on mental and physical health, entertainment, building codes, rats, fruit trees, herbs, and recipes.
Clinton Community Garden
Site includes comprehensive set of bylaws (based on 20 years experience), photos, garden history, event calendar, and plot registration information. Clinton is one of the few community gardens with a public lawn. (Hell's Kitchen, New York City)
Just Food
Just Food works to develop a just and sustainable food system in the New York City region by fostering new marketing and food-growing opportunities that address the needs of regional, rural family farms, NYC community gardeners, and NYC communities.
National Gardening Association
Promotes home, school, and community gardening as a means to renew and sustain the essential connections between people, plants, and the environment.
UCCE Common Ground Garden Program
The University of California's Cooperative Extension program in Los Angeles County has operated the Common Ground Program for twenty years. In addition to Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver Programs, they also assist community groups in founding gardens in their own neighborhoods. They have a terrific Community Garden Start Up Guide online.
Community Gardens & Low-Income Communities
Atlanta Food Bank Community Garden Initiative
The Food Bank's Community Garden Initiative helps neighborhood groups locate, plan, and organize gardens. It is an ongoing, year-round project that enables people to supplement their food supply by growing some of it themselves.
The Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound (CASA)
CASA is an organization that enables compassionate community volunteers, willing to share their resources, to fill gaps of unmet service needs of elderly and homebound people to maintain independence, dignity, health and safety. The program has been well recognized for its efforts. (Huntsville, Alabama)
Denver Urban Gardens (DUG)
There are over 60 DUG gardens in the metro-area of Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1985, DUG is a non-profit organization supporting the "transformation of vacant lots into vital community open spaces" through training, recruitment, organization, and seed/plant resources. The gardens are listed with contact information. (Denver, Colorado)
Gardeners In Community Development (GICD)
GICD is a Dallas area nonprofit organization of professionals, volunteers, and supporters of community gardening and neighborhood greening. This program works to improve the quality of life in Dallas' limited-resource and immigrant area neighborhoods through community gardening. They currently have six urban community gardens. This network of gardens includes 3 Southeast Asian refugee gardens; a school community garden; and two church gardens in diverse, low-income neighborhoods. The network donates a portion of their harvest to local food pantries.
Sustainable Food Center (SFC)
SFC offers community and youth gardens in Austin that increase access to fresh, local fruits and vegetables and decrease food expenses for low-income families.
Green Guerillas
Green Guerillas works with hundreds of grassroots groups throughout New York City to strengthen underserved neighborhoods through community gardening. The GG's provide ongoing support to community gardeners citywide, preserve community gardens for future generations and help garden leaders form strong neighborhood coalitions.
P-Patch Trust
P-Patch Trust, a nonprofit organization, works to acquire, build, preserve and protect community gardens in Seattle s neighborhoods. Through, advocacy, leadership and partnerships, The Trust expands access to community gardening across economic, racial, ethnic, ability and gender lines; promotes organic gardening and builds community through gardening.
Community Garden Policy and US Cities
Prison Gardens
Prison gardens offer people who want to turn their lives around a place to reconnect with their natural rhythms, get healthy exercise in the fresh air, work cooperatively with others and care for the earth in a healing way. Job preparation and increased social contribution are not the only benefits to getting prisoners gardening. Being close to nature also promotes good mental and physical health. Gardening is part of learning to live a healthier life style.The Garden Project, San Francisco, California
The Garden Project provides job training and support to former offenders through counseling and assistance in continuing education, while also impacting the communities from which they come.
GreenHouse , Rikers Island, New York
GreenHouse allows inmates to work in the garden and learn horticulture skills. Motivated participants are selected for internships with the GreenTeam, where they put their skills to work in local landscaping projects.
The Women's Garden Project, Evergreen Corrections, Canada
The garden project for the new Corrections Canada women's prison facility involved the women in-mates in planning and designing the gardens as well as other features on site. The purpose of the project was to create a programmatic landscape, increase civic-minded actions, develop a stewardship ethic and build community amongst the women. Go to the women's garden project to see photos and more information.
Youth Garden Organizations
Added Value
Added Value has youth working 17 hours a week to improve the neighborhood by creating and operating a socially responsible urban farming enterprise. They have founded the Red Hook Farmers' Market and a Community Advisory Council to support their efforts in neighborhood improvement and youth development.
The Food Project
The Food Project is a launching pad for new ideas about youth and adults partnering to create social change through sustainable agriculture.
Rooted in Community (RIC)
RIC is a national grassroots network that empowers young people to take leadership in their own communities.
Updated 4/2009
