To City Blossoms, impact means fostering a world in which children and families can build healthy communities for themselves through the creation and cultivation of kid-driven green space. In 2025, 7,421 children and youth had access to safe, creative green spaces across 33 partner sites in Washington, DC.

Our Impact

2025 Annual Report

Resilient communities remain the cornerstone of sustainable, lasting change. In moments of uncertainty and volatility, this truth continues to guide us toward the most enduring solutions, those rooted in youth leadership, community voice, and local ownership. For over 17 years, City Blossoms has prioritized self-determination in the partnerships we build with our DC neighbors at early childhood centers, K-12 schools, and neighborhoods. Together, we create gardens rooted in community needs and co-design green spaces where young people experience safety and belonging.

2025 was a year of facing challenges head-on. As access to affordable fresh food became increasingly strained and educators and families faced growing pressure, communities continued to turn to City Blossoms for solutions grounded in care and dignity. Through our free programming centered on youth leadership, we reached over 7,400 children and youth and partnered with 33 early childhood centers, Title I K-12 schools, and neighborhoods to build and sustain kid-driven gardens. These gardens expanded food access, supported hands-on learning, strengthened life-skills, and offered consistency during a year when many systems felt unstable. In 2025, through our gardens and partnerships with local organizations, City Blossoms distributed more than 25,000 pounds of free fresh produce to youth and families across DC, addressing immediate food access needs while strengthening long-term food sovereignty.

When youth shape and take ownership of the green spaces where they gather and grow food, those spaces in turn sustain them. They reflect the lived experiences and histories of the young people and families who steward them. When power remains in the hands of local communities, families are less dependent on larger systems that are more vulnerable to political shifts, funding instability, and climate disruption. This is especially important in a city where more than 90% of park space is owned by the federal government and therefore more susceptible to shifting political agendas and priorities. As our region experiences more extreme weather, locally stewarded gardens play a critical role in neighborhoods most affected by the heat island effect, where communities of color and low-income residents are disproportionately exposed to higher temperatures and fewer cooling resources. Youth-led and community-owned green spaces ensure that access to land, food, and nature remains rooted in local control.

Our educators are central to the work we do. They are key supporters of youth and families across DC, yet budget cuts often affect education first and most significantly impact early childhood educators. In a landscape where DC educators continue to face chronic disinvestment and rising demands, City Blossoms is committed to supporting educator success and well-being. In 2025, over 380 educators participated in our professional development offerings and we provided stipends that support the wages of both early childhood and K-12 educators who take on additional responsibilities as garden champions at their schools. This investment recognizes the expertise and time that educators dedicate to supporting DC youth, and reinforces the long-term sustainability of youth-led gardens as building blocks for foundations of current and future learning.

City Blossoms remains committed to advancing a more resilient and connected DC. As we enter Year 3 of our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, we are focused on steady growth guided by community priorities and leadership. In 2026, we are committed to meeting the demands of youth in our communities by building four new school gardens, bringing us to 13 new youth-led gardens toward our five year goal of 20. Each new garden represents a long-term investment in youth leadership and agency. Since our founding, City Blossoms has worked toward a vision where all children and youth have access to the benefits that gardens and green spaces provide. As we look toward 2026, we do so grounded in community leadership, guided by youth.

Learn more about our impact in 2025 and the supporters who made it possible.

2025 Program Impact

In 2025, 7,421 children and youth had access to safe, creative green spaces across 33 active partner sites in Washington, DC. Keep reading to learn how we are continuing to amplify youth voices, make nature more accessible, and distribute educational resources to our community members and partner schools.

City Blossoms Financial Statements:

2018 CITY BLOSSOMS 990 PUBLIC COPY

2019 City Blossoms 990 Public Copy

2020 CITY BLOSSOMS 990 PUBLIC COPY

2021 CITY BLOSSOMS 990 PUBLIC COPY

2022 CITY BLOSSOMS 990 PUBLIC COPY

2023 CITY BLOSSOMS 990 PUBLIC COPY

2024 CITY BLOSSOMS 990 PUBLIC COPY

2025 Funding Partners

Thank you for helping make the gardens come to life!