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 2024, 6,126 children and youth had access to safe, creative green spaces across 30 partner sites in Washington, DC.
Our Impact
The City Blossoms 2024-2028 Strategic Plan has four strategic goals that build upon our previous plan to meet our vision for the next five years. Staff build and implement annual and quarterly plans informed by the goals, objectives, and outputs outlined in the strategic plan. In this next phase of growth, City Blossoms will strengthen successful program practices, hone our impact assessment and storytelling, continue to grow our brand, and deepen investment in our long-term organizational sustainability.
Created in consultation with Patrick Corrigan
Graphic design by Ali Kurnaz, www.alikurnaz.com
2024 Annual Report
Resilient communities are the cornerstone of sustainable, lasting change. For over 17 years, City Blossoms has prioritized self-empowerment and autonomy in the partnerships we build with early childhood centers, K-12 schools, and neighborhoods. Through these partnerships, City Blossoms has supported the growth of hundreds of gardens and green spaces that support the changing needs of our communities, and reflect our shared visions for the future. As a result, the District has many safe, accessible, kid-driven gardens where children and youth of all ages can thrive.
When we launched our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, we committed to building 20 new school and community gardens in DC by 2028. We are on track to meet this goal, with five new gardens built in 2024 and four to be built in 2025. Last year, across all 30 of our active garden partner sites, our garden-based programs impacted 6,126 children and youth - connecting them to nature from early childhood through high school and beyond.
In 2025, we are digging in and doubling down on the work we have always prioritized: food sovereignty, expanding safe, kid-driven green spaces, and investing in workforce development opportunities for youth and families.
As grocery prices rise, it’s essential to create opportunities for communities to grow their own food, and for children and youth to learn about and lead in our food systems —at school, home, and in the neighborhood. Communal, community gardens build connections to local food, and strengthen community systems around them. As we equip our community members with the tools necessary to establish food sovereignty, we also ensure the immediate impacts of food apartheid in our region are mitigated. Annually, through key strategic partnerships, City Blossoms distributes over 25,000 pounds of free produce to families across DC.
In schools, our partner educators express that anxiety and stress across their student populations is at an all time high. In and out of school, children and youth need safe, healing third spaces that bolster mental health, belonging, and community-building. Easily accessible green spaces are vital for the holistic well-being of young people in DC. This year, we will build four new school gardens at early childhood centers and Title I middle schools through our Early Growers and School Garden Partners programs.
As the job market shifts and policies that affect our climate and environment evolve, it’s crucial to provide the next generation with the professional development they need in civics and environmental justice that will allow them to confidently meet and shape their futures. This year, we will expand our investment in job-readiness across our programming. We will reach more youth through our Youth Entrepreneurship Cooperative program, and hire five early career professionals who will join the team for 8 months as our 2025 Fellowship Cohort.
Since our founding, City Blossoms has worked toward a vision where all children and youth have access to the holistic benefits that gardens and green spaces provide. Through our Pathways Model of age-specific programs, we will continue to connect youth of all ages to nature and its benefits at all stages of life. This year, we are committed to advancing our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan’s goals for a greener and better connected DC, and building on the incredible progress we've made.
Learn more about our impact in 2024 and the supporters who made it possible.
2024 Program Impact
The need to prioritize the well-being of our children, community, and planet has never been clearer. City Blossoms remains committed to our critical work to make the District a greener and more equitable city. In 2024, 6,126 children and youth had access to safe, creative green spaces across 30 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.
Safe, Inclusive, Outdoor Programming:
City Blossoms’ Community Green Spaces play an important role in our communities by providing access to nature, opportunities for safe community gatherings, and holistic programming. In 2024, we launched our fifth Community Green Space, The Farm at Fort Stanton’s Youth Garden. This site has been developed in partnership with Dreaming Out Loud and DC Parks and Recreation.
1,882 youth and adults accessed programming at our Community Green Spaces.
264 hours of free and affordable direct programming at five Community Green Spaces.
129 events, including weekly programs, volunteer days, cooking demonstrations and community celebrations at five Community Green Spaces.
18 field trips were hosted at our Community Green Spaces with nearby schools and community-based organizations that do not have green spaces of their own.
Over 25,000 lbs of free produce distributed to local families at City Blossoms gardens, in partnership with Capital Area Food Bank and Zion Baptist Church.
Youth Engagement:
We continued offering our Youth Entrepreneurship Cooperative program for all DC teens, with an emphasis on our partnerships with Eastern High School and Cardozo Education Campus. Programming included garden market pop-ups and participating in DC’s Summer Youth Employment Program.
77 youth participants attending Eastern Senior High School or Cardozo Education Campus participated in free, weekly programming.
392.5 hours of direct programming were provided, including virtual service opportunities for all DC teens.
163 pounds of produce was redistributed back into the community by the Mighty Greens youth-led garden business, through their market days, donations, and recipes made by the youth.
$2,209 in revenue made by the Mighty Greens youth-led garden business through produce and value-added products sold through CSAs and at markets.
Teacher & Student Engagement:
We supported our School Garden Partners and Early Growers partners with garden workdays, classroom workshops, and coaching sessions for educators.
434 educators engaged in interactive garden-based workshops and trainings.
17 early childhood centers in Wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 participated in garden excursions through our Early Growers program.
2,701 children attending Title 1 elementary and middle schools have access to a garden program through our School Garden Partners program.
Leadership & Organizational Highlights:
46 garden workdays were powered by over 600 unique volunteers across all of City Blossoms’ green spaces and partner sites.
Seven fellows joined our team this year through our fellowship program, which is designed to support the professional development of emerging leaders interested in community and youth engagement.
3 spotlights on our partnerships with Ida B Wells Middle School, Eastern Senior High School, and the Farm at Kelly Miller community.
394,000 visitors: City Blossoms and the U.S. Botanic Garden partnered to launch an exhibit showcasing four DC-based environmental and food justice organizations, attracting nearly 400,000 visitors. City Blossoms’ exhibit showcased youth-made art pieces from students attending Roosevelt High School and Liberty’s Promise programming.
2024 Funding Partners
Thank you for helping make the gardens come to life!
Aceso Foundation
Alvéole Inc.
Apple
Audi
Bainum Family Foundation
Benjamin Fund Inc.
Beyer Blinder Belle Foundation
Cafritz Foundation
Call Your Mother Deli
Capitol Hill Community Foundation
Cedar Tree Foundation
Charles H Miller Foundation
Clif Family Foundation
Crimsonbridge Foundation
DC Department of Energy and Environment
DC Parks and Recreation
DC United
Fieldstone Foundation
Hattie M Strong Foundation
Howard and Leslie Stein Family Foundation
Holy Trinity Tithe
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Ina Kay Foundation
Jefferson Ridge Farm
John Edward Fowler Memorial Award
Junior League of Greater Washington
Kennedy Counseling
Kiwanis Club of Washington DC
Maria Otero & Joseph Eldridge
Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs
MGM Grand Resorts
Mission North
National Wildlife Federation
Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes
Office of the State Superintendent of Education Division of Health and Wellness
Otero Strategy Group
OXO
Patagonia
PEPCO
Population Connection
Philip L Graham Fund
Toast Inc.
REWILD
Robert Jensen Dau Foundation
Rock Creek Conservancy
Share Fund
Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation
The Asia Group Foundation
The Environmental Protection Agency
The John G. & Jean R. Gosnell Foundation
The Kresge Foundation
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
The Nora Roberts Foundation
The Otto Whalley Family Foundation
The Rotary Foundation
United States Botanic Garden
United States Department of Agriculture
