Green City Market
Know Your Food, Know Your Farmer
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Farmers' Markets
At a traditional grocery store, US farmers only receive around 17 cents of every dollar you spend on food, according to the Farmers Market Coalition. At a farmers' market, farmers receive 100% of your dollar.
Green City Market believes farmers' markets are a powerful instrument of a local food system, and we're dedicated to creating widely accessible marketplaces for local food in Chicago where farmers can make a living wage.
We operate two physical farmers' markets — GCM Lincoln Park (April-November) and GCM West Loop (May-November) — to provide a pathway for local farmers and food producers to connect with over 270,000 Chicagoans each year.
Culinary Connections
Green City Market was born out of Chicago’s culinary community. Famed food writer and Green City Market founder, Abby Mandel worked together with chefs Sarah Stegner, Rick Bayless, and many others to catalyze the culinary community’s support of local food.
Green City Market believes the culinary community — executive chefs, bartenders, pastry chefs, sous chefs, culinary students, and more — is central to uplifting local, sustainable farmers. We are dedicated to serving as a conduit between farmers and the culinary community.
Our Culinary Connections program encompasses a wide array of activities including culinary demos, behind-the-scenes tours and vendor introductions, chef parking at GCM Lincoln Park, industry events and more — all geared to deepen relationships between Chicago’s food and beverage industry and our local farmers.
Farm Forward Fund
Although demand for locally- and sustainably-produced food is skyrocketing, only 41% of small farmers turn a profit every year, according to Modern Farmer. Given the significant costs associated with sustainable growing practices, Green City Market is dedicated to investing in local, small to midsize farms to strengthen the viability of their businesses.
The Farm Forward Fund | Market Mentors Award is available for Green City Market farmers in their first year of participation at Green City Market. The award supports beginning Green City Market farmers, helping them market their businesses, leverage their third-party certifications, and more effectively tap into consumer demand for local, organic, and/or sustainably-produced food at farmers’ markets.
The Farm Forward Fund | Crisis Response Award is available for Green City Market vendors experiencing extraordinary financial constraints due to a crisis. The award provides temporary, short-term financial assistance to current vendors
Club Sprouts
Green City Market’s kids’ programming, Club Sprouts, teaches children about how farmers grow the food they eat. From sustainability to seasonality, children enjoy engaging activities and seasonal tastings with the goal of building a love of local, sustainable food early in life.
Club Sprouts is designed for children 10 and under (although Club Sprouts activities are open to people of all ages) to have positive experiences with sustainably-grown food, while completing activity-based lessons designed to grow their awareness of the importance of shopping locally and the environmental impacts of agriculture.
Farm to Market Field Trips
Simply put, children do not know how food makes it from the land into their hand. This lack of knowledge puts children at a disadvantage, especially in terms of understanding how to maintain one’s health through nourishment. This knowledge is also critical to students’ understanding of how their food choices impact our communities and our planet.
Green City Market’s Farm to Market Field Trip program addresses this knowledge gap through interactive, experiential learning. The program will primarily serve elementary-aged children living in Chicago; however, field trips serving high school students can address locality, seasonality, and sustainability from a more advanced perspective. Priority scheduling of program participants will be made for children attending schools where at least 75% of children are eligible to receive free or reduced lunch.
GCM For All
Green City Market’s GCM For All program addresses hunger by matching SNAP benefits dollar-for-dollar for up to $25 per market day, increasing the purchasing power of those that use these benefits and making local food more affordable. The main objective of our program is to expand and deepen access to nutritious, local, sustainably-grown food.
When shoppers use $25 of SNAP benefits at GCM, they will receive an extra $50 to make their benefits go further. What begins as $25 transforms into $75 to be spent directly with farmers and to nourish Chicagoans facing hunger.
Increasing the purchasing power of folks facing food insecurity does far more than combat hunger. At GCM, customers hand their money directly to the person who grew the food that will nourish them. Matching SNAP benefits at GCM drives more money into the local food economy. It strengthens the livelihoods of our sustainable growers and helps to keep local, small-scale farmers in business.
Nourishing Neighbors
Food pantries and community fridges help to fill the gaps left by government assistance. However, these institutions lack access to fresh, local, sustainably grown food.
Community fridges, stocked by nonprofit organizations and/or mutual aid networks, are accessible to anyone in need. They can be accessed anonymously, 24/7. According to the Counter, “Community fridges are not a pandemic fad. They’ve become entrenched in neighborhoods as a way to fight hunger.”
Based on the identified barriers outlined above that prevent many individuals facing food insecurity from getting the help they need, GCM designed Nourishing Neighbors to target partnerships with food pantries, community fridges, and similar community-based food assistance models. GCM plants and maintains a 5,000 square foot urban garden that doubles as a teaching garden for its Farm to Market Field Trip program and a food access garden.
Farm-to-Food Bank
Farm to Food Bank, made possible by Feeding Illinois, connects food banks with farmers who vend at Green City Market to purchase products like fruits, vegetables, cheese, milk, meat, and eggs directly from farmers. The program is designed to fortify existing donations and serve as risk mitigation for local, sustainable farms by offering compensation for the produce that isn’t already being harvested, sold, or donated.
Farm to Food Bank is building a long-term market and infrastructure for Illinois farmers and Illinois food banks; Green City Market is excited to pilot this program in the 2022 season to support this work.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Area of land, in hectares, indirectly controlled by the organization and under sustainable cultivation or sustainable stewardship
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Farmers
Related Program
Farmers' Markets
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Green City Market's 50+ farmers sustainably stewarded nearly 3,000 acres of land in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana in 2021.
Total pounds of food rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Farm Forward Fund
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of people within the organization's service area accessing food aid
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Farm Forward Fund
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Individuals who participated in Green City Market's Link matching program, where we welcome and match Link (also known as SNAP) dollar-for-dollar up to $15 per household per market or pick-up day.
Number of youth programs offered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Culinary Connections
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
With 70+ at-market kids' programs each season, we're teaching Chicagoans where their food comes from and why it matters.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Green City Market envisions a future where sustainable farmers are thriving. In this future, everyone — in our community and across the nation — knows who grows their food, how it's grown, and why this knowledge matters. We imagine a future where all neighbors — regardless of zip code or income level — have access to locally-grown, sustainably-produced food.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We're on a mission to secure the sustainable future of food. Through a trio of farmer support programs, our strategy is centered on lifting up Midwest growers, by 1) building a vibrant market for local, sustainably-produced food in Chicago, 2) promoting widespread sourcing of local, sustainable food in the restaurant industry, and 3) investing in local, small to midsize farms to strengthen the viability of their businesses.
We're also passionate about educating our community about who grows their food, how it's grown, and why this knowledge matters. Our educational programs strategy is focused on providing enrichment for children and families right at the farmers' market that teaches youth about locality, seasonality, and sustainability.
Lastly, we're working to make sure that great, locally- and sustainably-sourced food is available and accessible to all, no matter where you live or what you make. Our food access strategy is centered on 1) supplementing existing food assistance benefits like SNAP, and 2) providing locally- and sustainably-produced food to food pantries and community fridges to help fill the gaps in hunger assistance programs and feed individuals and families facing food insecurity.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Green City Market
Board of directorsas of 06/10/2023
Jenn Lejano
Fresh Eyes Digital
Term: 2018 -
Mitchell Weinstein
Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC
Term: 2015 -
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data