Green City Market's 2024 Impact Report

2024

IMPACT REPORT

Table of Contents Our Mission & Values

2

Letter from our Leader

3

Our Year in Numbers

4

Our Impact

5

Our Shared Vision

6

Farmer Support

7

Edible Education

11

Food Access

15

Investment Summary

19

Looking Ahead at 2025

21

Save the Date

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Our Mission Green City Market is securing the future of food by deepening support for sustainable farmers, educating our community, and expanding access to locally-grown food.

Our Vision Green City Market envisions a future where sustainable farmers are thriving. In this future, everyone — in our community and across the nation — knows who grows their food, how it's grown, and why this knowledge matters. We imagine a future where all neighbors — regardless of zip code or income level — have access to locally-grown, sustainably-produced food.

2

Letter from our Leader Dear GCM community,

For the past 26 years, supporters like you have partnered with Green City Market to help secure the future of food across the Midwest. By championing local farmers, educating our community on the importance of local food, and expanding access to local sustainable food, we nourish our neighbors and safeguard the future of our local food system for generations to come.

In 2024, Green City Market navigated a challenging year of transition and change, yet through it all, our commitment to our mission and to the Chicago community remained steadfast – thanks to the continued support from our community.

Thanks to you, our markets thrived — welcoming nearly 632,000 visitors and supporting 55+ local farmers who nourish our community. We facilitated 500+ chef visits, helping farmers build business-to-business revenue streams and strengthening their connection to Chicago’s vibrant culinary community.

We reimbursed more than $370,000 in SNAP benefits, serving 1,093 customers from 176 zip codes — a 527% increase since 2021. We reached over 800 youth and families through our Edible Education programming, and we recovered more than 13,000 pounds of fresh food to donate back into the community through local mutual aid organizations, community fridges, and food pantries.

The work we’ve accomplished this past year has been nothing short of inspiring – and it’s only the beginning.

As the urgency to address hunger and climate change, and the need to weather economic uncertainty grows, so too does our commitment to fulfilling our shared vision. With your continued support, we are building a stronger, more sustainable, and more equitable local food system — one that nourishes every Chicagoan and uplifts the farmers who feed us.

Together, we’re not just responding to challenges — we’re shaping the future of food in Chicago and beyond. Thank you for believing in this mission and for being a vital part of our community. Here’s to 2025 - the best is yet to come!

With gratitude,

3

Mitch Weinstein Chair, Board of Directors Green City Market

Our Year in Numbers

631K+ 13,700+ 515 800+ 55+

total number of customers across all three GCM markets pounds of food donated to local pantries & mutual aid groups

chefs & restaurants connected directly with GCM farmers youth introduced to the local food system

local, sustainable farmers connected with customers

$370K+ 2,269

SNAP funds spent & matched with GCM

total volunteer hours logged at market & special events

4

Our Impact Green City Market (GCM) is proud to be a nonprofit, local food leader whose mission is to secure the future of food by deepening support for sustainable farmers, educating our community, and expanding access to locally-grown food.

In 2024, the support of dedicated partners like you helped our community of sustainable Midwestern growers thrive through direct-to-consumer demand generation and revenue diversification.

It was with your help that Chicagoans of all ages learned from Green City Market how local, sustainable food can shape the future of our city and our planet. Finally, through your contributions, we tripled the purchasing power of local, sustainable food for our neighbors facing food insecurity.

5

Our Shared Vision Green City Market envisions a future where sustainable farmers are thriving. In this future, everyone — in our community and across the nation — knows who grows their food, how it's grown, and why this knowledge matters. We imagine a future where all neighbors — regardless of zip code or income level — have access to locally-grown, sustainably-produced food.

To make this vision a reality, we operate several programs. Read on for highlights from several of these programs to learn how your support has impacted our shared pursuit of this vision.

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FARMER SUPPORT Through Green City Market’s Farmer Support programs, we are lifting up Midwest growers by connecting them with more than 630,000 Chicagoans through year-round markets and culinary opportunities.

Impact at a Glance Collectively, your contributions to Green City Market: Supported 55+ local, sustainable farmers and food producers across 104 markets towards greater business stability, success, and growth Connected 273 local restaurants to local farmers, helping farmers establish wholesale relationships to diversify their revenue streams and generate reliable, large-scale business

The market provided a vibrant and consistent sales outlet in 2024 (& previously) for which our farm is very grateful!

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- Raya Carr, Mint Creek Farm

Markets

In 2024, GCM welcomed five new vendors to GCM Lincoln Park!

Lifting up local, sustainable farmers In 2024, your contributions helped connect more than 632,000 Chicagoans with 55+ local, sustainable food growers and producers at our farmers’ markets.

Between 2022 and 2024, Green City Market’s annual visitor count increased by nearly 267,000 shoppers.

With US farmers only receiving around 14 cents of every dollar spent on food in traditional grocery stores, turning a profit and sustaining their businesses via conventional retail channels is challenging. Your partnership with Green City Market last year connected more customers than ever to local, sustainable farmers. This ensured that farmers received 100% of every dollar spent with them to make their businesses thrive.

Sidekick Ferments

Cakohia Rice

Kaleido Greens

YOY Customer Count Chicago Farm Flowers

2023

2024

356,296 445,392 631,891 0 10 0 ,0 0 0 20 0 ,0 0 0 30 0 ,0 0 0 40 0 ,0 0 0 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 60 0 ,0 0 0 70 0 ,0 0 0

2022

Willowbrook Farms

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Our participating chefs at Green City Market’s 2024 Peak Season Celebration

Culinary Connections Strengthening sustainable farmers' businesses by serving as a conduit to the culinary community With the vast majority of local food sales in the US coming from wholesale opportunities like sales to restaurants, business to business (B2B) connections often hold the key to stability and success for farmers. However, just two of the largest foodservice management companies dominate the business of restaurant sourcing.

Your partnership with Green City Market helps connect local farmers with restaurant operators to shift business potential from giant foodservice corporations to sustainable farms.

Our Culinary Connections program encompasses a wide array of activities, including behind-the-scenes tours and vendor introductions, chef parking at GCM Lincoln Park, industry events like Chef BBQ - all geared to deepen relationships between Chicago’s food and beverage industry and our local farmers.

To support Chicago’s vibrant farm-to-table restaurant culture, Green City Market offers complimentary priority parking for chefs and restaurant buyers to increase to our markets for the culinary community. In 2024, Chicagoland restaurants attended Green City Market 511 times, with 273 unique Chicago restaurants visiting to build relationships with and source directly from our farmers.

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116 restaurants participated in Chef BBQ

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EDIBLE EDUCATION Educating our community on where their food comes from and who grows it is critical to empowering Chicagoans with the knowledge on how they can contribute to a more sustainable local food system.

Impact at a Glance Collectively, your contributions to Green City Market:

Introduced 380 youth to the local food system while generating $4,695 for local farmers through $1 Club Sprouts Gift Certificates provided to participants each market day

Welcomed 433 students to the farmers' market and connected them with their local farmers to foster an understanding of the local food system

Fostered a lifelong commitment to sustainability for 110 individuals who attended the Sustainable Supper Series

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Club Sprouts is one of our favorite parts of Green City Market.

Watching my young daughter try seasonal produce, learn how food is grown, and get excited about visiting the market each week has been such a joy. It’s hands-on learning in the best possible way.

Club Sprouts

- Meggan Teague, parent

Fostering understanding of the local food system in Chicago’s youth Understanding the local food system means knowing who grows our food and how it’s grown. It also means deeply connecting how to protect the future availability of food through protecting our planet as we nourish ourselves.

Although food is a common topic in early childhood education, curriculum tends to focus on what to eat rather than teaching children basic factual information about where food comes from.

In 2024, your support of Green City Market’s youth program, Club Sprouts, ensured that 380 children learned about how to support the local food system and its relationship to our environment.

In total, Club Sprouts received 6,083 visits - a 29% increase from the prior year.

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Farm to Market Field Trips Creating hands-on experiences with sustainable agriculture for students 40% of teens aged 13-17 say they have little to no knowledge on where their food comes from, and yet 84% said they would like to learn about the topic from someone who works in agriculture.

Youth across the country are eager to learn more about the food system.

In 2024, Green City Market’s Farm to Market Field Trips brought 433 students out of the classroom to develop relationships with local farmers and learn about how food gets from the farm to their plate.

Ten of the 15 groups were from Chicago Public Schools, with priority given to schools where at least 75% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, aligning with GCM’s commitment to equitable access to food education.

Personally the field trips are one of my most favorite parts of the market and a highlight of GCM as an organization.

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It is a unique opportunity for me to get to learn more about the challenges and experiences farmers face. Overall, it was an excellent dinner spent conversing with people of the same collective mindset and passion for our food system.

- Samantha Jones, SSS participant

Sustainable Supper Series Inspiring a lifelong commitment to sustainability As industrial agriculture and climate change become increasingly harmful to our planet, deepening support for sustainable farmers in the Midwest is critical to sustaining the local food system.

So much of this work happens through continuing education that ensures everyone understands how supporting sustainable farmers can directly benefit the environment.

110 individuals took part in our 2024 Sustainable Supper Series, Green City Market’s local-food-focused educational dining experiences.

Through this program, not only did you help establish relationships between community members, local farmers, and restaurant professionals, but you also inspired lifelong commitment to sustainability by educating individuals about the relationship between sustainable farmers, our local food system, and our planet.

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FOOD ACCESS Through our Food Access programs, we’re working to make sure locally- and sustainably- sourced food is available and accessible to all, no matter one’s background or zip code.

Impact at a Glance Collectively, your contributions to Green City Market: Generated $370,132 in local food purchasing power for 1,093 Chicagoans facing food insecurity through our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) matching that helps combat the hunger crisis in our community, a 60% increase from 2023 and a 527% surge since 2021 Recovered 13,701 pounds of food from our markets and provided it to communities facing food insecurity across the city by leveraging partnerships with food pantries and mutual aid networks

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This program is wonderful and allows me to bring fresh organic foods to my table and support the farmers at the same time.

- GCM For All participant

GCM For All Increasing access to local, sustainable food With the rising hunger crisis and inflation leading to grocery prices hitting record highs, your support ensured that more funds than ever were available for GCM For All participants to access local, nutrient-dense food.

Through Green City Market's GCM For All program, your support matched SNAP benefits 3:1 for 1,093 SNAP recipients to increase their purchasing power, stretch their benefits, and ensure the affordability of local, nutrient-dense food. This generated $370,132 in revenue for GCM farmers while increasing local food purchasing power for food-insecure neighbors.

GCM For All in Action When shoppers exchange $25 in SNAP/Link at GCM, they triple the value of their benefits and receive $75 in vouchers: $50 in GCM Link vouchers for any SNAP-eligible item and $25 in Link Up Illinois vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables. Any benefits exchanged with GCM past $25 will be doubled.

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Through our Farm to Fridge program, dedicated GCM volunteers purchased $4,870 worth of fresh, local sustainable produce from our farmers to our partners at CFSC in 2024

Food Recovery Nourishing neighbors across Chicago At Green City Market, we know that access to good food is a right, not a privilege.

With one in seven households in the Chicago area facing food insecurity, the need for fresh, local food that’s accessible to Chicagoans no matter where they live is critical. Plus, government nutrition assistance programs don’t reach everyone in need.

While our GCM For All program aims to serve GCM shoppers directly through our SNAP-matching benefits at our markets, our food recovery efforts aim to recover local, sustainably grown food and provide it to communities facing food insecurity beyond the market footprint and across the city.

Your contributions helped GCM recover 13,701 pounds of unsold products - about 26,000 servings – that otherwise may have gone to waste, and directed it to people through local food pantries and mutual aid groups, through partnerships with the Chicago Food Sovereignty Coalition (CFSC), the Love Fridge, and Nourishing Hope.

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13,701 pounds of fresh, local food recovered

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Investment Summary FY24 Financial Overview Annual Revenue by Year Since 1999, generous partners of Green City Market have made significant growth possible to deepen support for sustainable farmers, educate our community, and expand access to locally-grown food.

Together with your support, Green City Market surpassed $1M for the second time in the organization's history — and we're not stopping there.

$2,500,000 $2,000,000 $1,500,000

2023

$1,000,000

$1.4M Raised

$500,000 $0

19

2001

2011

2021

2022

2023

2024 $1.6M Raised

2024

Investment Summary FY24 Financial Overview Total Funding Snapshot Here's how our community came together to create a more local, sustainable, and equitable food system in FY24.

Corporations 9.9%

Individuals 18.4%

Earned Income 31.4%

Foundations 40.3%

Programmatic Investments In 2024, we invested $1.6M in deepening support for sustainable farmers, educating our community, and expanding access to locally-grown food.

Together, with your support, we: Connected 55+ local farmers and food producers with 631,000+ Chicagoans Increased sustainable food system knowledge of 800+ children Generated $370,000+ in purchasing power for over 1,000 food-insecure neighbors from 160+ zip codes In 2025, our budgeted need will grow to $1.9M as we work together to continue our critical work of securing the future of food.

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Looking Ahead at 2025 FY25 Financing Plan In total, program revenue accounts for just 28% of Green City Market’s total revenue. Vendor fees cover 31% of the cost to operate Green City Market's Market and GCM for All programs in Lincoln Park, West Loop, and Avondale. The remaining costs are funded through generous private donations and community support, which make it possible to sustain and expand our mission-driven programs.

Program Revenue 27.5%

Expenses

Individuals 14.9%

Markets 20.9%

Admin Costs 23.9%

Corporations 8%

Fundraising 13.8%

Foundations 27.2%

Special Events 22.4%

Revenue

GCM for All 31.3% Farm to Market Field Trips 5.1%

Charitable Income

72%

Individuals Foundations Corporations Special Events

15% 27% 8% 22%

Program Revenue 28% Farmer Support (Markets) 17% Edible Education (Field Trips) <1% Food Access (GCM for All) 10%

Total 2025 Income

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*Admin expenses include costs like office supplies, rent, insurance, program evaluation, utilities, etc.

$1,410,000

$290,000 $530,000 $155,000 $435,000

$535,500

$320,000 $8,000 $187,000

$1,945,500

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773-217-0776 giving@greencitymarket.org www.greencitymarket.org 3057 N Rockwell St | Chicago, IL | 60657 Follow us @greencitymarket

Green City Market's 501(c)(3) nonprofit mission is powered by the generous support of folks like you. Connect with us to learn how you can help build a more local, sustainable, and equitable food system.