About Advocates for Urban Agriculture Nfp
AUA transforms food access, local economies, community wellness, and climate resiliency in Chicagoland through policy advocacy, education, and resources to safely grow medicine and food, primarily serving working-class residents and earth stewards on Chicago's south and west sides.
Focus Areas
Urban agricultureSoil health and lead screeningWater access for growersGrower capacity building and grantsFarmer mentorship programsCommunity education and trainingsUrban agriculture policy and planningMapping and data for urban farms
Who They Fund
urban residentscommunity gardenerssmall-scale/municipal urban farmerslow-income neighborhoods
About Advocates for Urban Agriculture Nfp
Advocates for Urban Agriculture Nfp concentrates on urban agriculture support, with recent grants tied to Chicago-area growers and one Cincinnati recipient. In 2025, the largest awards in the recent grants list were two $62,400 grants to NeighborSpace for support for urban agriculture, showing a pattern of sizable operating support for land and growing infrastructure. The foundation also backed other urban agriculture organizations and businesses with grants at levels that cluster around $20,000 and $10,000, suggesting a preference for practical, program-linked funding rather than one-time symbolic awards. The foundation’s stated work centers on food access, local economies, community wellness, and climate resiliency through policy advocacy, education, and resources that help people safely grow medicine and food. Its beneficiary base includes urban residents, community gardeners, small-scale urban farmers, and low-income neighborhoods, with a particular emphasis on working-class residents and earth stewards on Chicago’s south and west sides. Recent grantees include The Green Lots Project and Godly Farming LLC, both funded for urban agriculture support.
What Advocates for Urban Agriculture Nfp Funds
Urban agriculture is the core thread across the grant list. The foundation gave $22,222 to Godly Farming LLC for support for urban agriculture, and $20,000 to The Green Lots Project for the same purpose. Capacity and infrastructure also appear in the portfolio. NeighborSpace received two $62,400 grants for support for urban agriculture, while Sunflower Soule Farm LLC Gertrude Carter was awarded $20,000 for the same general purpose. The foundation’s local ecosystem work extends beyond Chicago. Urban Farming Initiative in Cincinnati received $20,000, and Run-a-way Buckers Club Inc in Pembroke, Illinois received $11,111, indicating support for urban agriculture organizations outside the city center while still staying within the broader local footprint. Its current focus areas also include soil health and lead screening, water access for growers, grower capacity building, farmer mentorship, community education, urban agriculture policy and planning, and mapping and data for urban farms.
How Advocates for Urban Agriculture Nfp Gives
Typical grant size is tightly grouped: the p25 is $10,000, the median is $20,000, and the p75 is $20,000. That points to a pattern where many awards sit at or near $20,000, with smaller grants at the $10,000 level and a few larger awards above that. The foundation appears to give through operating-style support, since recent awards repeatedly list the same general purpose language tied to urban agriculture. It also uses a community-led nomination process in its Capacity Building Grant program. The recent list shows repeated awards to the same recipients in 2025, including NeighborSpace, The Green Lots Project, Multiple Harvest LLC, and Bee-utiful Honey, indicating recurring support rather than strictly one-off gifts.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$183K
Total Assets
$1.3M
Total Revenue
$814K
Total Expenses
$963K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $20K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$20K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
VIVIAN OKAKPU
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