Thank you for your supporting a 5th Year!
The Cooperative Gardens Commission is a project fiscally sponsored by the Experimental Farm Network Cooperative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Philadelphia, PA.
Founded in March 2020, the Cooperative Gardens Commission (CGC) is a grassroots collective working to support food sovereignty efforts in response to COVID-19. The pandemic heightened the persistent injustice in our food system, falling especially hard on BIPOC, poor, undocumented, and otherwise marginalized communities. Our primary work is focused on distributing seeds to Seed Hubs, who function as central distributors of free seeds and information to their communities. In this capacity, CGC focuses on historically oppressed communities by prioritizing hubs already working with those most affected by the injustices of the pandemic and encouraging seed hub organizers who aren’t working with those groups to do so.
Through over 400 local and regional hubs, reaching tens of thousands of people, we’ve distributed millions of free seeds (mostly donated by small-scale and organic seed companies). Our standard shipping rate is $15 per Seed Hub. One box, on average, can provide 300 family-sized seed bundles. Each bundle has at least 15 varieties of food crops. One bundle worth of winter squash is 20 seeds, and 1 winter squash seed can produce 7-15 pounds of squash. One bundle worth of tomatoes is 50 tomato seeds, each seed produces hundreds of pounds of tomatoes. With a $15 donation to the Cooperative gardens Commission, you can provide tens of thousands of pounds of food, directly to communities who lack access to food. With a $100 donation to CGC, you can provide hundreds of thousands of pounds of food, directly to communities in six different states, creating a significant impact in food access. Our seed donations are a treasure trove of opportunity, catalyzing community connections, a resilient local food system, and a diverse mixture of surprises.
Don’t underestimate how far your donation can go! In the spirit of building community through seed sharing, half of the funds needed in the last distribution cycle were donated by our Seed Hubs! In the 2022 Cycle, 71 Seed Hubs donated enough to cover their shipping costs, and 34 donated enough funds to cover not only their own but also additional Hub’s.
Yet, relying on our Seed Hubs’ contributions can only get us so far in our commitment to provide FREE SEEDS to ANYONE who asks. Our distribution effort relies predominantly on unpaid volunteers. The organizers spend hundreds of hours of work as volunteers, and will only be compensated for a fraction of the time they spend if we raise donations for their stipends. This mission to provide free seeds is only possible with your donations!
We humbly ask for your direct support to be able to do this for our 5th distribution.
If we raise $7,000, our facility and supply charges would be covered: including shipping costs from seed companies, shipping to the seed hubs, packaging supplies, and paying rent for our Central Seed Hub in Philly. Additionally, our efforts – while still largely headed by volunteers’ time – could be supported through stipends, allowing a dedicated crew of Commissioners to proceed on an expedited schedule - getting seeds to applicants sooner in the season!
If we raise $13,000, we can ensure further organizing support for everyone who relies on Cooperative Gardens Commission along with the ability to further grow our Seed Hub network. This extended support could include broader education initiatives into topics such as seed saving and garden planning as well as infrastructural help to hubs and gardens across the country. From planting calendars to seed packets to garden tools, reaching this goal would mean that we could be more active partners with our Hubs in meeting their communities’ needs.
Please dig deep and help us.
Thank you.
One Time Support Options
Do you prefer Venmo?
If you prefer to mail a check, please send to:
Cooperative Gardens Commission,
c/o Experimental Farm Network
506 S Pleasant Place
Philadelphia PA 19119