Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP
Advocates for Urban Agriculture (AUA) is a Chicago-based public charity that works to transform food access, local economies, community wellness, and climate resiliency in Chicagoland through policy advocacy, education, and resources for growing food and medicine. The organization says it primarily serves working-class residents and earth stewards on Chicago’s South and West Sides.
Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP at a glance
In short: Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP gave $183K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in Illinois. 67% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $183,056
- +142.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +71.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,255
- +41.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,278
- Total assets
- $1,278,407
- -9.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 67% first-time grantees (8 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP
- How to Apply
-
AUA’s website also described a September 25, 2026 application deadline; that date has passed.
- Review Cycle
- The program listing gives **October 3, 2026**.
- Deadline
- The program listing gives October 3, 2026.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 168083, Chicago, IL 60616
Phone: (708) 629-1425
Website: https://auachicago.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Neighborspace ($25K). Together the top 10 received $166K.
Grant Size Distribution
30 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 29 grants of 30 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
AUA is based in Chicago and describes its work as serving Chicagoland, particularly working-class residents and earth stewards on Chicago’s South and West Sides. Its 2025 grants all went to Illinois recipients. For the Capacity Building Grant, eligible operations must be in Cook, Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Will, or Kankakee County, Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP open to new grantees?
67%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 12 grantees (67%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $19K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 0% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $76K (2024) to $183K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $183K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Neighborspace Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $25,000 |
| Wood St Collective Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $20,000 |
| Getting Grown Collective Incorporated NFP Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $20,000 |
| Dusable City Botanical Farms LLC Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $20,000 |
| Cedillos Fresh Produce Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $20,000 |
| Little Village Environmental Justice Org Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $20,000 |
| Chicago Patchwork Farms Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $10,556 |
| Otis Fresh Market Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $10,000 |
| Mama Moore Regeneration Center NFP Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $10,000 |
| Sistas in the Village Chicago, IL | Support for Urban Agriculture | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,278,407 | $814,193 | $963,191 | $183,056 | 12 | $16,651 |
| 2024 | $1,413,653 | $925,088 | $803,435 | $75,557 | 7 | $12,262 |
| 2023 | $1,189,167 | $1,064,345 | $779,199 | $122,400 | 5 | $427 |
| 2022 | $885,449 | $977,594 | $639,459 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | $485,387 | $766,015 | $583,009 | $80,000 | 6 | $18 |
| 2020 | $300,995 | $674,770 | $529,611 | $107,500 | 8 | $22 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
AUA’s stated mission is to transform food access, local economies, community wellness, and climate resiliency in Chicagoland through policy advocacy, education, and resources to safely grow medicine and food. Its stated focus includes building a resilient, productive, and environmentally friendly urban-farming ecosystem.
AUA describes its Capacity Building Grant as supporting urban farms and community gardens to strengthen local food production, distribution, and the food economy in the Chicago area. Its soil-health program includes educational workshops, resource distribution, farm assessments, soil monitoring and testing, and crop nutrient-density work with urban farm partners.
The 2025 grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the kinds of organizations supported. NeighborSpace describes itself as a nonprofit urban land trust that preserves Chicago community gardens as locally managed assets. Wood St Collective describes work to create accessible urban green spaces, support food access and local food economies, and advance environmental efforts. Getting Grown Collective says it teaches young people gardening skills, including hydroponics, and agribusiness principles, particularly in urban and impoverished communities. Little Village Environmental Justice Org noted that it provided fiscal agency services to two initiatives.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, AUA reported 12 grants totaling $183,056. Grants ranged from $7,500 to $25,000, with a median grant of $15,278. Each listed grant was for “support for urban agriculture,” and all grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois.
The largest reported awards included $25,000 to NeighborSpace and $20,000 each to Wood St Collective, Getting Grown Collective Incorporated NFP, Dusable City Botanical Farms LLC, Cedillos Fresh Produce, and Little Village Environmental Justice Org. Other listed awards ranged from $7,500 to $10,556.
AUA’s Capacity Building Grant is offered in partnership with Food:Land:Opportunity and is described as a community-led grant fund for urban farms and community gardens. The program listing says applicants must be a farm, community garden, or collective of farms and/or community gardens; be a legal entity or become one within a year; and meet the program’s size and community-focus criteria. Eligible operations must have less than five growing acres and an annual budget below $250,000, and be located in one of the specified Illinois counties. The program prioritizes farms and community gardens owned and led by BIPOC people or people with disabilities.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Rosie Fitz as president, Elena Terry as treasurer, and Megan Wells as secretary. It lists Fawn Pochel, Dakarai Howard, Alex Franz, and Akilah Martin, PhD, as board members.
Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP is led by Rosie Fitz, President since 2024 (on filings since 2021); none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Rosie Fitz
President
Director → Secretary, 2023
Secretary → President, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Akilah Martin PhD
Board Member
Director → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alex Franz
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elena Terry
Treasurer
Board Member → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Fawn Pochel
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dakarai Howard
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Megan Wells
Secretary
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Pat Muench (2020–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Selma Sims (2020–2023) — President
- Former: Vivian Okakpu (2022) — Executive Director
- Former: Imron Bhatti (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Leah Lawson (2020–2021) — President
- Former: Aasia Mohanned Casteneda (2021) — Director
- Former: Harry Rhodes (2020) — Director
- Former: Patsy Benveniste (2020) — Director
- Former: Paul Krysik (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP
How much does Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP give each year?
Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP gave $183K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $76K across 7 grants.
What is Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP's typical grant size?
Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP's median grant in 2025 was $15,278, and its average grant was $15,255, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP that year got $14K on average.
Where does Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP give grants?
Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (11 grants).
Does Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support for Urban Agriculture" (12 grants).
Who are Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP's largest grantees?
Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP's largest 2025 grantees include Neighborspace ($25,000), Wood St Collective ($20,000) and Getting Grown Collective Incorporated NFP ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP?
Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $814K.
What does Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP fund?
AUA’s stated mission is to transform food access, local economies, community wellness, and climate resiliency in Chicagoland through policy advocacy, education, and resources to safely grow medicine and food. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP?
AUA’s website also described a September 25, 2026 application deadline; that date has passed. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP's EIN?
Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-0980528. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/advocates-for-urban-agriculture-nfp-morg_5e568382b03442f68322ce402622c900
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_810980528_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/advocates-for-urban-agriculture-nfp-morg_5e568382b03442f68322ce402622c900},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Advocates for Urban Agriculture NFP down — hundreds of funders to go?