In recent years there has been growing interest in growing food not just for profit, but for education. Most people think that a nonprofit is the only option for running an education farm. However, it turns out there are many different options and if you are entertaining the idea of an educational farm, you’ll want to understand these options. We have just the resource for you! Check out our guide, From the Field: An Educational Farm’s Path to Choosing Its Business Structure (11pgs.). Through the perspective of our case study, a group called Growing Food and Sustainability, you will learn about the various business entity options for farms, including non-profits, LLCs and worker cooperatives. Included at the end is a helpful chart comparing the different entities. Note: this resource and accompanying chart provides information specific to educational farms. For general farm business entity information, please use our Farmers’ Guide to Business Structures.
You may have also heard about B Corps or L3Cs as an alternative for-profit model that prioritizes social purpose. If you’re curious about those options for your educational farm, be sure to read Exploring Social Purpose Business Structures to learn about social purpose entities that function as alternatives to 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporations by incorporating a social mission into the organization’s structure.
