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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: August 2026 Expires: August 2028

Teens for Food Justice

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards
(833) 524-2742
33 West 60th Street, Suite 1211
New York, NY, 10023
https://teensforfoodjustice.org
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Teens for Food Justice meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to create access to healthy, fresh, affordable food through youth-led hydroponic farming."

Year, State Incorporated:
2011, NY

Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ) reports that it converts unused classroom space within Title I schools into high-capacity, indoor hydroponic farms, currently operating eight farms across four New York City boroughs and Denver, along with pre-farm programming on two other NYC campuses, serving 21 schools and 10,000 students annually. The fresh produce grown at the farms is served daily in school cafeterias and is distributed biweekly to campus families and, through community partners, to local food-insecure residents. Students seed, harvest, and distribute produce themselves, developing a direct relationship with the food systems shaping their neighborhoods. Through school-day classes, out-of-school-time programming, and work-based learning opportunities, TFFJ seeks to equip students from under-resourced communities with the knowledge and skills to grow healthy food, understand environmentally sustainable systems, and advocate for lasting change in their schools and communities. In 2025, the organization states that it grew 35,031 pounds of produce and fed 10,265 students.

For the year ended June 30, 2025, Teens for Food Justice's program expenses were:

Program services $2,019,762
Total Program Expenses $2,019,762

Chief Executive
Meghan Groome, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer

Compensation*
$225,000

Chair of the Board
Tara Smith Swibel

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Co-Founder, Managing Partner, Terra Regenerative Capital

Board Size
13

Paid Staff Size
17

*2025 compensation, as reported by the organization, includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Note: Co-Chair, Randolph Stern, President, Sternvest Capital

Method(s) Used:
Invitations to fund raising events, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements

Fundraising costs were 8% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $2,926,842, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Teens for Food Justice's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025.

Source of Funds
Contributions $1,300,535
Special events, net $623,732
Program income $480,422
Government grants $476,294
Government grant - ERTC $328,194
In-kind contributions $198,087
Investment income $143,994
Total Income $3,551,258

Programs: 68% Fundraising: 7% Administrative: 24%

Total Income $3,551,258
Total expenses: $2,967,119
  Program expenses $2,019,762
  Fundraising expenses $220,517
  Administrative expenses $726,840
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $584,139
Beginning Net Assets $2,895,930
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $3,480,069
Total Liabilities $82,715
Total Assets $3,562,784

Note: According to TFFJ's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025, the organization received $198,087 in contributed goods and services including legal fees ($190,973) and goods ($7,114).

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance