Urban Garden Project

About the Urban Garden Project

In 2023, Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) launched the Urban Garden Project. The Urban Garden Project is an initiative to unite, uplift, and amplify the community garden movement.

Community gardens are uniquely high ROI (return on investment) interventions and should be embraced by city builders as critical infrastructure for thriving cities. They deliver a host of benefits related to food, community and climate that help solve for some of the toughest problems facing our cities today.

We believe that everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy food, vibrant communities, and a sustainable future.

We invite you to join us in creating a flourishing network of community gardens across the nation – a movement that goes beyond just growing food, and focuses on nurturing relationships, empowering individuals, and healing the planet.

Tell Us About Your Organization

Our Project Goals and Impact

Goals of the Urban Garden Project

Establish community gardens as “must haves” instead of “nice to haves” in the eyes of city planners.
Unite, strengthen, and activate the national and global gardening community in thought partnership and advocacy.
Secure long-term funding and provide additional resources (back office support, group insurance, etc) to bolster the operational strength of new and existing organizations so they can focus on growing food and strengthening communities.

What We're Building

The heart of The Urban Garden Project is our comprehensive playbook. This invaluable resource covers all aspects of establishing and nurturing community gardens, including:

Back Office Management: Leveraging Salesforce for seamless garden administration
Garden Creation: Steps to initiate and maintain a thriving community garden
Leadership Guide: Empowering garden leaders with the tools they need
Food Access Strategies: Making fresh produce accessible to all
Land Use Agreements: Models for sustainable land usage
Therapeutic Gardens: Connecting mental health and well-being to gardening
Inclusion and Belonging: Creating diverse and welcoming spaces
Fundraising Essentials: Tips for sustainable financial support

If you’d like to get involved, contact DUG’s Executive Director, Linda Appel Lipsius

The Impact

DUG’s Impact across metro Denver area has already transformed neighborhoods, fostering community, providing access to fresh organic produce, and sequestering carbon. By extending our approach across the nation, we project significant impacts:

Strengthened Communities: Gardens bring neighbors together, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose.
Deeper Self-Sufficiency: Through gardening, individuals regain agency over their food supply and well-being.
Action Towards Climate Change: Gardens contribute to carbon sequestration, healthy soil, and reduced water consumption.
Increased Food Access: The produce grown in these gardens provides fresh, locally sourced food to those who need it most.

Upcoming Meetings

Events

Jun

Our Membership Model

How does UGP fit into DUG’s Education World?

The Urban Garden Project (UGP) is a national community of practice supporting the growth, resilience, and impact of community gardens across the U.S. through shared learning, mentorship, and policy collaboration, UGP empowers leaders and organizations to build resilient, equitable and activated urban green spaces.

UGP is a strategic initiative of Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) and is housed within its nonprofit structure. While UGP holds a distinct identity and national focus, it is firmly rooted in DUG’s 40+ year legacy of community-led gardening and urban agriculture.

The Executive Director of DUG serves as Lead Convener and Policy Liaison,
establishing a runway for a future staff member to manage program operations.
UGP is positioned for earned revenue and grant support, with membership fees funding future growth and leadership stipends.

What are the pillars of the Community of Practice?

Peer Learning: Quarterly virtual calls, MightyNetworks online community, and annual convening for community building, resource sharing, collective wisdom building, and solidarity
Access to Resources: Members receive exclusive access to knowledge, best practices, and Playbook resources amassed over DUG’s 40-year history.
Policy Solidarity: Members mobilize together on land access, funding, and climate policy during uncertain political times.
Leadership in Action: Members contribute content, including case studies, workshops, and pilot programs, to build support for The Growing Movement.

What are we at?

Active community already running with robust peer exchange
Quarterly calls build shared learning momentum
Growing interest across cities and orgs — but all support has been offered for free so far
Excitement building with big launch at ACGA

Why a Membership Model Now?

To create sustainability for the growing demand
To clarify how orgs can deepen their engagement
To provide tools, templates, and mentorship for those who are ready
To keep the core community open while creating opportunities for greater support

How could membership look?

Tier	SEED (Free)	CANOPY ($150–$300 / year, sliding scale)
For whom?	For individuals, small orgs, or anyone wanting to stay connected	For organizations ready to deepen their
Pricing	$0	Based on operating budget: <$250K → $150/year $250K–$750K → $200/year $750K+ → $300/year

Why go paid?

Benefit Area	SEED (Free)	CANOPY ($150–$300)
Quarterly CoP Calls	✔ Access	✔ Priority invites + facilitation roles
MN Community	✔ All channels	✔ All channels + moderation roles
Resource Library	❍ Public docs only	✔ Full access to UGP Playbook, templates, toolkits
Policy & Advocacy	Read-only updates	✔ Add to sign-ons, contribute to campaigns, submit policy request
Leadership Spotlight	✘	✔ Eligible to be featured (blog, call host, AMA)
Workshop Discounts	✘	✔ Free or discounted access to paid trainings and events
Consulting Discounts	✘	✔ 20% off custom support (site planning, policy review, etc.)
Recognition	✘	✔ Listed as Founding Member with logo on UGP site

What are Potential Resources for UGP at the Canopy Level?

Case Studies + Policy Briefs

“Intro to DUG” as a case study, including formation, history, programs, and revenue streams
Quarterly/annual policy shifts
Invitation for other members to submit and be featured

Operations Toolkits

How to Structure Agreements? ⟶ DUG Community Agreements
Fundraising Ideas
Setting up CRMs
Activating and Leveraging Volunteers

Training Guides

Garden Leader Training Guide
Tree Keeper Training Guide
Community Composter Training Guide

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Partner Organizations

Austin Parks & Recreation Community Gardening Program

Location: Austin, TX, USA

Mission: To help groups start new gardens and provide support for existing community gardens on city owned land.

Programs Offered: gardening resources (tools), on-site compost, community gardens

Learn More

City and County of Honolulu’s Recreational Community Gardening Program

Location: Honolulu, HI, USA

Mission: To provide people living in Honolulu’s densely populated communities access to garden plots.

Programs Offered: gardening resources (mulch, tools), community gardens

Learn More

Community Gardens Australia

Location: Australia (nationwide)

Mission: To connect city farms and community gardens around Australia. It is a community-based organisation linking people interested in city farming and community gardening across Australia.

Programs Offered: Community Gardens

Learn More

Community Gardens of Tucson

Location: Tucson, AZ, USA

Mission: To build community gardens where Tucsonans grow food, work and learn together, and nurture well-being in our communities.

Programs Offered: Community Gardens

Learn More

Denver Urban Gardens

Location: Denver, CO, USA

Mission: To provide access, skills, and resources for people to grow healthy food in community and regenerate urban green spaces.

Programs Offered: School gardens, food access, Giving Grove partnership, on-site compost, financial management, education, community gardens

Programs Offered: Community Gardens

Learn More

Los Angeles Community Garden Council

Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA

Mission: To strengthen communities by building and supporting community gardens where every person in Los Angeles County can grow healthy food in their neighborhood.

Programs Offered: Community Gardens

Volunteer

NYC Parks GreenThumb

Location: New York City, NY, USA

Programs Offered: school gardens, CSA, on-site compost, gardening resources (seeds, seedlings, and compost), community gardens

Volunteer

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA

Mission: To use horticulture to advance the health and well-being of the Greater Philadelphia Region.

Programs Offered: on-site compost, compost drop-off, tool library, community gardens

Volunteer

Seed St. Louis

Location: St. Louis, MO, USA

Mission: To empower people and communities to grow food.

Programs Offered: school gardens, gardening resources (seeds, seedlings, tools), community gardens

Volunteer

The Gardens on Spring Creek

Location: Fort Collins, CO, USA

Mission: To enrich the lives of people and foster environmental stewardship through horticulture.

Programs Offered: Botanic Gardens, Community Gardens

Volunteer

The Nashville Food Project

Location: Nashville, TN, USA

Mission: To bring people together to grow, cook and share nourishing food, with the goals of cultivating community and alleviating hunger in our city.

Programs Offered: Community Gardens, Food Recovery, Gardening Resources (water and tools), Education

Volunteer

Urban Harvest

Location: Houston, TX, USA

Mission: To be a catalyst in transforming food accessibility in Greater Houston. We aim to achieve this by fostering strong partnerships with local farmers and gardeners, operating vibrant Farmers Markets, initiating mobile markets, and providing comprehensive garden education.

Programs Offered: school gardens, kids’ programming, mobile markets, gardening resources (compost, seeds, and seedlings), community gardens

Volunteer

Wasatch Community Gardens

Location: Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Mission: To increase access to growing and eating organic produce, providing hands-on opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to learn and connect through six impactful programs: Advocacy and Justice, Community Gardens, Education, Job Training, Youth and School, and Volunteers.

Programs Offered: school gardens, food access, working farm, community gardens

Volunteer

2025 National GrowTogether Conference: Planting Seeds of Resilience