Shelburne Farms

The mission of Shelburne Farms is to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future.

Our mission envisions Shelburne Farms as a beautiful place and living/working campus that serves as a source of inspiration for a sustainable future. At the same time, the Farm’s focus on cultivating learning extends around the world through a growing network of educators for sustainability, drawing on the unique resources of their own special places, neighborhoods, and communities.

The goal is for everyone to have access to a continuum of life-long learning activities that connect people of all ages with the land and engage them in exploring, understanding, and embracing their roles as catalysts for shaping a better world.

The vision of a healthy and just world grounded in stewardship and community is what guides all our land use practices and program development at Shelburne Farms.

Education is Shelburne Farms' core strategy.

1. We offer learning experiences that inspire young people to make informed decisions to build a sustainable society in the 21st century.
2. We steward and share our working landscape and historic property in ways that are environmentally, economically, and culturally sustainable, using it as a campus for learning.
3. We collaborate with educators, schools, and other partners to learn from each other so that we can transform education and extend our collective impact around the world.

A third of ours $10 million dollar annual budget is raised through charitable support, gifts and grants from more than 4,000 donors. The balance is generated through farm-based enterprises that include: a grass-based dairy and farmstead cheese-making operation, an organic market garden, maple sugaring and sustainable lumber production, a seasonal inn and farm-to-table restaurant, and special events. All of these enterprises also provide food, lodging and classroom space for our educational programs and community partners.

As a result of Shelburne Farms and our partners' work, the Greater Burlington area was officially designated as a Regional Center of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development by the United Nations in 2015.