Birmingham Awards $100K to Urban Growers

The City of Birmingham and Jones Valley Teaching Farm have awarded a total of $100,000 in Urban Farmer Grants to 10 local urban farming groups. The awards, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), aim to strengthen food access, build community resilience and support growers who faced pandemic challenges and long-standing economic inequities.

Each recipient received $10,000 to help sustain and expand operations. Leaders from the City and Jones Valley underscored the importance of this support for the city’s food system and small business ecosystem.

Mayor Randy Woodfin said the investment reflects Birmingham’s commitment to both economic growth and food access for residents. “These investments are proof of our commitment to both small business growth and food access for all residents,” he said. “Congratulations to all our grant recipients and thanks to Jones Valley for your dedication to the health, wellness, and economic growth of our city.”

Jessica Hill, Community Programs Manager at Jones Valley Teaching Farm, highlighted how the award will help both growers and the broader community. “I am thrilled to see how this investment increases our ability to feed each other and inspires folks to grow, cook, and share food,” Hill said. She noted many awardees include educational garden training in their work, extending the impact beyond the farms themselves.

Grant Recipients
The program awarded $10,000 each to the following urban farming and food access initiatives:

• A Beautiful Life Enterprises (ABLE): Community-centered education and whole-food nutrition gardening.
• Birmingham Eastside EcoGardens (B.E.E.): Promoting food, wellness and environmental stewardship.
• Birmingham Urban Gardeners: Sustainability and community gardening education.
• Bush Hills Connections Inc.: Revitalizing Bush Hills through urban farming and opportunity.
• Christian Service Mission: Expanding neighborhood gardens and food access.
• East Lake Recovery Center: Peer-led gardening for healing and connection.
• The Flourish: Merging art, food sovereignty and community health.
• LiftUp Alabama Foundation: Outdoor learning and student food education.
• Magic City Mushrooms: Sustainable mushroom growing and community education.
• Reviving Our Neighbor CDC: Advancing fresh food access and equity in Ensley.

Local growers shared how funding will help their work. Chef Ama Shambulia, owner of A Beautiful Life Enterprises, said the grant will support community food education and events in the West End and beyond.

Representatives from Birmingham Urban Gardeners said their award will go toward irrigation improvements and a new workstation to boost fresh produce production. They emphasized the funds will allow them to continue providing food to the community at no cost.

In October 2024, the Birmingham City Council awarded Jones Valley Teaching Farm $120,000 to regrant to urban farmers; the bulk of that went to this program. These funds are part of the city’s more than $141 million in ARPA investments aimed at economic recovery, food access, community development and small business support.

Jones Valley Teaching Farm was selected as a regranting partner because of its deep commitment to community food programming, especially through its Good Community Food initiatives that boost food access, offer culinary and agriculture training, and share resources across Birmingham.

Thirty-eight applications were reviewed by Jones Valley staff and a Community Advisory Board, with oversight and legal guidance from the City of Birmingham.

For more about the grant recipients, visit jvtf.org/urban-farmer-grant-awardees.