We are official: Cultivate Toledo is a 501(c)(3)

We learned the hardway that the IRS does not send confetti with its determination letters, so consider this post the confetti: as of July 2026, Cultivate Toledo is a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The work this recognizes took nearly two years — a committee that became a program, a vacant lot that became Huron Street Farm, a second farm on ToledoGrows land, and last month, our first harvest sold.

Here is what changes, practically. Donations to Cultivate Toledo are now tax-deductible (EIN:42-2546633). We are now eligible for the foundation grants and federal programs that fund food infrastructure at real scale — the kind that builds food hubs, not just garden beds. And we now have a formal Board of Directors: Tom Waggoner, former Senior Vice President at The Andersons and Scotts Miracle-Gro; Nick Razzoog, Investment Executive at Fifth Third Securities; and John Schuett of Heartland Farms. Agriculture, finance, and commercial growing — the three kinds of judgment this next phase needs most.

Here is what does not change. The farms still run as businesses. The goal is still farmers earning a living on land that used to grow nothing. Nonprofit status does not mean the work stops paying for itself — it means we can finally build the infrastructure that gets more farms to that point, faster.

And for everyone who has asked “how can I help?” over the past two years: there is finally a proper answer. Help Us Grow — give once, or grow with us monthly. Every gift now comes with a receipt the IRS respects.

The second half of 2026 is already moving — the Huron Street hoop house, new buyer conversations, and the first pieces of the food hub. More on all of it soon!