Empowering Austin’s Youth Through Leadership, Farming, and Community

Your belief in Urban Roots has planted the seeds of leadership that continue to grow across Austin.
Because of your partnership, we’ve empowered hundreds of young people to become confident, conscious leaders—deeply connected to community, food, and the land.

This year marks a pivotal moment in our journey — a time of reflection, renewal, and shared purpose.
Our new mission, “Farming to grow young minds and cultivate tomorrow’s leaders,” guides everything we do. It reminds us that growth takes time, care, and community — and that together, we can create lasting change.

But today, that work is at risk. Urban Roots has lost $900,000 in federal funding that will not be replaced. We’ve reduced expenses to a four-year low — as much as we can without compromising the quality of our youth development programs. Despite exhaustive efforts, we have not been able to replace that lost funding.

To keep our programs alive, we must raise $350,000 by December 31. Without it, we face the real possibility of not being able to continue providing the hands-on learning and enrichment experiences in food, farming, and leadership that define Urban Roots — or the farm-fresh food that nourishes our community.

To be blunt, we need commitments now. Without them, there may not be an opportunity to support Urban Roots in the future. At best, we would be forced to pause our programs; at worst, we could face closing the organization.

We’ve faced tough decisions before, pausing our capital campaign, investing our reserves to complete critical infrastructure, and adapting to reduced government funding. But this moment is different. We need immediate community action to sustain the programs that have shaped hundreds of young leaders and nourished thousands of families.

🌱 The Challenges We Face

Even as we celebrate our growth, Urban Roots faces a critical moment for sustainability and renewal.

Reduced Government Funding: Shifts in public priorities led to a loss of nearly half our government funding.
Invested Our Remaining Funds: We used our reserves to complete vital infrastructure on our East Farm and lay the foundation for operating out of our new South Farm.

These challenges have tested our resilience, but they’ve also strengthened our commitment to the young people and communities we serve.

🌾 The Impact of Your Support

Despite the headwinds, Urban Roots continues to thrive, thanks to supporters like you!

Your generosity has made this possible this past year:

🌻 24,835 people impacted through youth leadership, community engagement, and food access programs
🌿 73 youth leaders trained, 90% of whom now see themselves as leaders, and 100% feel capable of addressing food justice in their communities
🥕 88,485 servings of vegetables distributed to nourish Austin families
💪 775 volunteers contributing over 1,900 hours to keep our farms thriving

These aren’t just numbers—they’re lives changed, voices strengthened, and futures growing brighter.

🌻 Help Us Keep Growing

Our vision is clear: to center youth leadership in all we do while continuing to grow and share healthy food with our community.

But we can’t do it without you...

Your gift today will sustain and strengthen our youth leadership programs during this critical time.
Together, we can ensure that every seed planted, whether in our fields or in the hearts of our youth, flourishes for years to come.

🌞Join Us in Growing Tomorrow, Together🌞

Your contribution fuels the next generation of Austin’s young leaders.
Help us keep Urban Roots growing strong.

Growing Tomorrow, Together

By Urban Roots

Growing Tomorrow, Together

You’ve helped us grow — now we need your help to keep growing.

Team Members