City Growers Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Through our original curriculum design that uses innovative growing spaces on rooftop farms, in school gardens, and public parks - city growers fosters a love of nature and encourages nyc youth to consider their place, agency, and future within the greater ecosystem and the planet. Farm workshops at brooklyn grange rooftop farms are city growers premiere programs which offer unique stem-based experiences for prek-12 schools looking to deepen students understanding of food, agriculture, and the urban ecosystem. Farm workshops are highly subsidized for schools with the highest economic needs index. Thousands of nyc youth participate in city growers farm workshops annually. Family farm days take place at brooklyn grange rooftop farms in long island city and sunset park, and at the river street farm collective in williamsburg. Family farm days are city growers free weekend programming open to the public and designed to engage local families in exploration of their neighborhood urban farms. Farm to youth workshops bring urban ecology and agriculture education directly to schools, parks, and playgrounds using experiential and movement-based learning to engage young people in their neighborhood ecosystems. City growers offers these workshops to schools with the highest economic needs index for free and highly subsidized rates. Compass explore is city growers fully subsidized summer camp and afterschool program with 30 free slots for prek-5th grade brooklyn youth. In summer 2020 this program was offered as a free virtual camp in july and august. In spring 2021 this program ran from march through june and took place in-person and fully outdoors at ps20 the clinton hill school. Participants engaged in gardening, eco-arts, and movement based learning about food, agriculture, and the urban ecosystem. Green ambassadors is an afterschool partnership between city growers, hanac, and is141 in astoria queens. In spring 2021 from april through june, this program engaged 20 middle school students through deepening their exploration of agriculture and the urban ecosystem.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 74.2%; rating input score 74
• Program expense ratio: 62.7%; rating input score 63
• Fundraising efficiency: $3.46 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -18.4%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.32; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 12.7%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings