Groundworks.

Planning Library · Theory of change

From surplus to culture.

The nonprofit-funder-standard chain: what we put in, what we do, what we produce, what changes because of it, and the longer-term shift Groundworks contributes to.

Step 01

Inputs

  • →Founding director (Drew Keske) + phased operating team (cook, programming coordinator).
  • →$150K – $250K startup capital: earned-revenue design + grants + Founder's Table cohort.
  • →Board of directors (3 – 5 seats), fiscal sponsor bridge during IRS determination.
  • →1,500 – 2,500 sq ft site in Seaside or Marina with kitchen-capable buildout.
  • →Relationships with Salinas and Pajaro Valley farms; UCCE, RCD, and CFMC networks.
Step 02

Activities

  • →Purchase surplus and seconds from local farms at a fair, published farmer return.
  • →Operate a counter-service café with a seasonal, farm-sourced menu people eat often.
  • →Run a curated farm stand and marketplace; accept CalFresh / EBT from day one.
  • →Host weekly programming: workshops, film nights, cooking demos, youth work, guest talks.
  • →Publish pricing, sourcing, and impact numbers — transparency as a practice, not a report.
Step 03

Outputs

  • →Year-1 target: ~$295K – $360K revenue with ~25 café transactions/day.
  • →500+ EBT transactions processed in Year 1.
  • →40+ programming events/year owned and curated by Groundworks.
  • →Multi-farm sourcing relationships with published pay-per-pound reporting.
  • →Founder's Table cohort of 100+ named supporters underwriting the open.
Step 04

Outcomes

  • →Low-income neighbors on the Peninsula regularly access fresh, local produce with EBT.
  • →Local farms recover value from surplus that would otherwise be disposed of at a loss.
  • →A durable everyday gathering point exists where food is treated as culture, not category.
  • →New food-and-farm leaders learn on-site through workshops, apprenticeships, and youth work.
Step 05

Impact

  • →The Monterey Peninsula's food system shifts modestly but measurably toward the farmers who grow here — with a farmer return well above the conventional system's 11.8¢-per-dollar baseline.
  • →The idea of a community food culture space becomes visible, replicable, and boring in the best possible way.

Underlying assumptions

What has to be true for the chain to hold.

  • A well-run café with a farm-sourced menu will do the transaction volume needed to anchor operations.
  • Local farms are willing to sell surplus and seconds at a scheduled cadence when pricing is fair and paid promptly.
  • CalFresh customers will use a farm stand that welcomes them without ceremony.
  • Grant funders on the Central Coast will underwrite programming (not baseline operations) once earned revenue is real.
  • Board recruitment is possible on this timeline given the region's food-systems talent density.

Population served

Residents of Seaside, Marina, and the broader Monterey Peninsula — with intentional focus on CalFresh-eligible households, families with young children, and the working farmers of Salinas and Pajaro Valley who supply the space.