Grace Farms Foundation

Grace Farms foundation, inc. (the "foundation"), formed in the state of delaware in december 2009, is a nonprofit organization exempt from federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code ("irc").our workgrace Farms is a cultural and humanitarian institution located in new canaan, connecticut. We bring people together to experience nature, encounter the arts, pursue justice, foster community, and explore faith. Comprising nearly 80 acres of natural landscapes and featuring the architecturally significant river building, designed by award-winning architecture firm sanaa, Grace Farms is open (at no cost) to the public six days a week for indoor and outdoor programs enjoyed by intergenerational audiences. These programs include nature tours of Grace Farms' diverse landscapes, comprised of meadows, woodlands and wetlands; architecture and sustainability tours; performances, including those that feature award-winning musicians and other artists; lectures and discussions; picnics for the community; and year-round educational and recreational activities. Some visitors enjoy the property of their own initiative, taking a quiet walk, reading in the library or enjoying a meal in the commons.the river building, with its five transparent volumes, includes abundant communal spaces and 360-degree views of the landscape. It has become widely recognized as an ideal environment and platform for leaders and changemakers to work on some of our most pressing humanitarian challenges and to advance good locally and globally.our five initiativesthe mission of Grace Farms foundation is based on five initiatives:nature: we facilitate the stewardship of our natural world through restoration, exploration, and preservation. Through the protection of the open meadows, woods, vital wetlands, and ponds on our site, and multigenerational programming, we encourage guests to experience the awe and wonder of nature and embrace stewardship of the natural environment - and to take back to their own communities and properties the same preservation and responsible practices. In 2024, more than 2,000 people participated in our nature programming, a highlight of which is our living classroom series, which teaches people about ecosystems and our role in stewarding them. Arts: we believe that art generates new perspectives, enhances our sense of beauty, and fosters the potential for individual and social transformation. At Grace Farms, the arts are designed to deepen each person's profound connection to community, architecture, and landscape within our 80-acre site. We present and commission works with individual artists while also collaborating with the arts sector to advance humanitarian causes. Since Grace Farms' founding in 2015, more than 300 visual, performing, and literary artists have presented to audiences here. This past year, we continued to explore different musical traditions from around the world, offering exceptional musical programming and experiences that were enjoyed by more than 5,100 people. In addition, our long-standing open arts studio welcomed 2,600 children and their caregivers to play and create, experimenting with sensory-rich materials and different modes of artmaking that respond to the river building and Grace Farms' natural landscape as a source of inspiration. Justice: our commitment to justice is based on the inherent right of liberty and equality for all. In 2020, we launched design for freedom, a global movement to create market transformation to remove forced labor from the building materials supply chain. In 2024, the impact of design for freedom grew further with the announcement of five new pilot projects. These projects boldly model more transparent and ethical supply chains. There are now 12 such pilot projects across three continents, and more than one Million people have visited or experienced design for freedom pilot projects since the program was launched in 2022. The fourth annual design for freedom summit, held on the grounds of Grace Farms in march 2024, galvanized more than 500 leaders, alongside more than 75 students from 30 universities, to come together, share their ideas and expertise, and reaffirm their commitment to advancing this work. Grace Farms tea & coffeegrace Farms tea & coffee advances the foundation's justice initiative and overall humanitarian mission by increasing transparency and accountability across global supply chains. A certified b corporation, Grace Farms tea & coffee directs 100% of its profits to support design for freedom. It is the first u.s.-based premium tea brand to partner with fairtrade international and the only one that gives back all profits to ending forced and child labor worldwide. Its coffee is exclusively sourced from women-led cooperatives in indonesia, ethiopia, and colombia, expanding economic opportunity for women farmers and their communities.in 2024, tea & coffee expanded its presence nationally with the launch of Grace Farms teas in several whole foods market's stores and grew its corporate partnership program with more than 20 leading organizations, including major financial institutions and hospitality groups. The t&c team also conducted first-party field audits and impact assessments at the ketiara coffee cooperative in sumatra, indonesia, exploring new community-based projects that extend impact beyond fairtrade premiums. Through these initiatives, Grace Farms tea & coffee continues to educate consumers and global organizations about the intersections of ethical sourcing, design, and human dignity.community: Grace Farms provides a warm, welcoming environment that fosters meaningful community and engagement among diverse groups of people. Our community initiative creates proximities to individuals and organizations with different perspectives to advance new ways of thinking, ignite partnerships, and catalyze new outcomes that can lead toward sustained social impact to advance good in the world. Grace Farms also fosters community through the foundation's space grant program, which offers free access to dedicated facilities at Grace Farms to nonprofits, school groups, and local government agencies. Drawing together diverse communities and opening lines of communication across barriers, use of our restorative and hopeful spaces expands possibilities and inspires new ideas. Beyond the use of physical space, each grantee is supported by the foundation's exceptional team and designated event lead, who facilitate the coordination of culinary, education, production, hospitality, and guest experiences. Under this guidance, grantees in some cases through multiple instances each year host board meetings, staff retreats, workshops, panel discussions, and educational activities. In 2024, Grace Farms hosted 39 space grants recipients, totaling more than 94 events, from organizations across many areas of non-profit work, such as: abilis, the nature conservancy, the Brooklyn children's museum, the trustees of columbia university, and the town of new canaan. Further, 604 students and educators visited Grace Farms, where our education team hosted groups from 18 area schools. In addition, Grace Farms' ongoing food relief program continued to give back to community members in need. Since launching the program in 2020, Grace Farms has provided tens of thousands of nutritious meals to our food relief partners who provide for those who are food insecure. Faith: we offer the reflective space of Grace Farms and opportunities for dialogue to explore the nature of flourishing and purposeful life. In pursuit of more Grace and peace in the world, we bring together leaders and educators for workshops to engage with the world's ancient and modern philosophies, beliefs, and faiths. In 2024, Grace Farms brought together faith leaders and the community for a discussion to explore how faith can play a pivotal role in mending divides in our communities.in addition, each year, during our season of light programming, we offer a peaceful respite for people of all ages and backgrounds. It's a celebration of community and giving, where Grace Farms offers opportunities to experience moments of joy, festivity, and community. We invite the community to gather to assemble hundreds of care packages and write cards in support of filling in the blanks during our annual gifting for good. We also invite the public to our songs of the season programming, our free, popular music series that creates a space to experience moments of peace and reflection through season.these initiatives and outcomes advance Grace Farms foundation's mission to foster more Grace and peace locally and around the world.