FunkyTown Food Project (FTFP) envisions a world where youth are active leaders, diverse communities feel connected to the land and each other, and everyone has access to fresh, local, healthy, affordable food.
FunkyTown Food Project is a local nonprofit that utilizes sustainable food as a powerful tool to build a stronger, more integrated, and healthier community. Established in 2021 to cultivate leadership skills in high school youth through food and farming, our programs help young people inspire, engage, and nourish their community.
FTFP's youth development program integrates agriculture, enterprise, and service to offer a 6-week paid internship each summer, and 12-week Saturday internships during the school year. Applications for the summer program open each spring, culminating in a face-to-face interview for every applicant. The resulting cohort represents a cross-section of Tarrant County youth from diverse neighborhoods and high schools, crossing racial, socio-economic and geographic boundaries. These students, known as the Seed Crew, spend their initial 6-week internship learning the basics of farming, understanding our local and global food systems, and appreciating the value of a hard days' work. Students who complete a summer internship may return as Dirt Crew during the school year, building on their farming skills and growing into leaders through community development, volunteer management, and Capstone Projects that marry their personal interests with food, farming, or community. Seed Crew graduates may also apply to return for subsequent summers as Root Crew, serving as Crew Leaders and Peer Leaders for the new class of Seed Crew interns.
"[FTFP] fostered my leadership skills and my personal confidence. The knowledge of farming practices and sense of community you get when you are an intern is only heightened when becoming a Crew Leader. Leading farm chores helped me understand both the how and the why when it came to different growing practices, and I felt like I was not only a part of the FTFP community but also was helping shape it. In addition, my leadership and confidence when leading a group improved and I became better at facilitating conversations." - 2025 Crew Leader
FunkyTown Food Project seeks to create powerful change that is rooted in community. We work to uplift the community by removing barriers to food access in partnership with residents, community groups, nonprofits, local government, and local businesses.
The mission of FunkyTown Food Project is to grow young leaders through food and farming, transforming lives while building a more connected, nourished, and resilient community.
We envision communities where youth lead with purpose, relationships to land and food are restored, and everyone is nourished by fresh, local food.
2026 marks our 5th successful year. We employed 26 local high school students for our six-week summer program, including 8 interns who returned in leadership roles. We also launched our first Academic Year Program, employing 10 returning interns for 12 weeks in the fall and another 12 in the spring. Our current needs:
- $2,000 will sponsor a youth/intern for one season of work/leadership development
- $500 will help us implement a farm-to-neighborhood mobile market for Fort Worth communities experiencing food insecurity.
- $100 sponsors a professional workshop or field trip for youth interns.
- ANY amount helps us grow more incredible youth leaders.
Funds may be utilized for items such as youth stipends and equitable wages; Farm-to-Market program development; Work materials such as t-shirts, caps, gloves, seeds, hand tools, mulch; Transportation for interns; Operational expenses for salaries and professional services.
With your support, FunkyTown Food Project is eager to make a bigger impact in Fort Worth, both through the youth we're able to inspire and the communities we're able to nourish.
FunkyTown Food Project is committed to centering equity on all the projects we manage. We acknowledge and value the importance of building an environment and community in which every employee and participant’s strengths are included and developed. We are responsible for creating an environment of mutual respect and acceptance of all people, regardless of race, gender, ability status, religion, health, zip code, or income.
Organization name
FunkyTown Food Project
other names
Urban Roots NTX
Tax id (EIN)
87-2293785
Causes
Youth & Children
Operating Budget
$250,000 - $499,999
Counties Served
Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Address
PO Box 11135