- eli@tyeshouse.org
- 330 Changebridge RD Suite 101 Pine Brook, NJ 07058
$250,000 Northeast SARE research grant (funded by USDA) gives us 18 months to prove regenerative agriculture creates viable careers. Your support ensures we can continue after November 2026
The Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, awarded Local Food Heroes a competitive $250,000 research grant. Out of hundreds of applications nationwide, they chose us to TEST whether regenerative agriculture creates viable careers while strengthening community food security.
This is our chance to prove the model works.
The Research Question: Can intensive market garden methods create viable agricultural businesses on small parcels of land? We have 18 months to answer definitively.
The Challenge: The grant ends November 30, 2026. If our research proves the model works (and we believe it will), what happens to veterans who want training in 2027? In 2028? In 2030?
That’s where you come in.
We’re not building a program that relies solely on grants and donations. We’re creating strategic partnerships and earned revenue that support ongoing operations:
Corporate Partnership Example: We’ve partnered with Sweet Bulb LLC for fundraising through product sales. Hot Garlic Sauce sales through this partnership help fund our first apprentice mission home – demonstrating how creative corporate partnerships make nonprofit sustainability possible.
Additional Revenue Development:
The Nonprofit Model: Even successful nonprofits typically generate only 40-50% of their operating budget from earned revenue and partnerships. The other 50-60% comes from donor support. This isn’t failure – it’s the nonprofit model working as designed.
Your Investment Creates Local Impact: Whether you’re a corporate partner or individual donor, your support funds veterans who will serve your community, strengthen local food security, and create economic opportunity in your neighborhood.
Why Organizations Partner With Us:
You’re not just donating – you’re investing in:
Corporate Partnership Tiers:
Fund our Lead Farmer position for one full year, enabling all training operations
Support our Agricultural Teaching Apprentice position, maintaining hands-on training capacity
Fund complete training for two veterans, launching two potential businesses
Support critical operations, equipment, and facility maintenance
Help maintain training facilities and ongoing graduate support
Each tier includes recognition, impact reports, and partnership benefits. Detailed information provided in donation form.
Why Individual Support Matters:
The veterans we train will:
This is personal. This is local. This is your community’s resilience.
Individual Giving Levels:
Sponsor one veteran’s complete training and business launch
Fund half a veteran’s training (co-sponsored)
Support critical operations and equipment
Enable program essentials and supplies
Support daily operations and community impact
Every dollar builds sustainable operations serving veterans and communities
Each level includes recognition and updates. Detailed benefits provided in donation form.
Appreciated Securities: Avoid capital gains taxes while receiving full deduction
IRA Charitable Rollover: Ages 70½+, transfer up to $100K annually tax-free
Employer Matching: Double your impact through corporate matching programs
Planned Giving: Include Tye’s House in estate planning for lasting legacy
Contact:
A Personal Message from Eli Slossberg:
When we started the Local Food Heroes Program in 2023 as Tye’s House’s first major initiative, we had little more than a grassy courtyard and a vision to help veterans rediscover purpose through agriculture. Today, that space has been transformed not just physically into gardens, but into a place of healing and opportunity.
I’ve witnessed veterans who came to us struggling with transition find new hope through working the soil and growing food for their community. The Northeast SARE grant (funded by USDA) gave us the opportunity to prove this model works at scale through rigorous research and documentation.
But research grants end by design. They fund proof of concept, not ongoing operations. Our job now is to prove the model during the grant period AND build sustainable operations through creative partnerships and earned revenue.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Sweet Bulb for fundraising – similar to how other nonprofits create product partnerships. That’s why we’re developing consulting services and institutional partnerships. We’re building sustainability through multiple channels.
But here’s the reality: even with strong partnerships and earned revenue, nonprofits need donor support. Your partnership – whether corporate or individual – doesn’t just fund a program. It invests in veterans who will serve your community, strengthen your local food security, and create economic opportunity in your neighborhood.
Thank you for believing in this vision and helping it grow.
Eli Slossberg
Director, Local Food Heroes Program
Vice President, Tye’s House
Local Food Heroes is a program of Tye’s House, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to rebuilding resilient communities one home at a time through our Four Pillars framework:
Tye’s House Tax Information: 501(c)3 nonprofit organization
EIN: 92-2392040
All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law
A: The Northeast SARE grant (funded by USDA) supports research and program development through November 2026. It gives us the opportunity to prove the model works but doesn’t fund ongoing operations. We’re building partnerships (like Sweet Bulb) and services for earned revenue, but nonprofits typically need 50-60% of their budget from donations even with strong partnerships.
A: Sweet Bulb LLC is a separate for-profit company that partners with us for fundraising through product sales. Hot Garlic Sauce sales through this partnership help fund our first apprentice mission home, demonstrating how creative corporate partnerships contribute to nonprofit sustainability.
A: We document what we learned and adjust. That’s the point of research grants – to test, learn, and improve. However, our preliminary work since 2023 strongly indicates this model succeeds. The grant funds rigorous documentation and scaling.
A: Approximately 85% funds direct program operations (training, equipment, facilities). 15% supports essential administration and fundraising that enables program delivery.
 A: Yes! Contact us to discuss restricted gifts for specific positions, equipment, or program components.
A: Absolutely. All donors receive quarterly newsletters with program updates, veteran stories, and impact metrics. Major donors ($5,000+) receive personalized impact reports.
A: Yes! We welcome volunteers for certain roles. However, the core positions (Lead Farmer, Teaching Apprentice, Assistant PM) require full-time professional commitment that volunteer roles can’t replace.
A: Tye’s House operates with Christian values as our foundation, and faith is central to our mission of discipleship through practical service. However, Local Food Heroes training is open to all veterans and community members regardless of faith background.
Grant Disclosure: This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number CNE25-001.
Tax Information: Tye's House, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. EIN: 92-2392040. Housing Hero contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Product purchases include product value and are not tax-deductible.
