2025 Annual Report

2025 Annual Report

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Founder’s Letter by Sharon Prince

We can all be architects of change, each lighting the way

When we opened Grace Farms on October 9, 2015, we published a commemorative book, and souls are candles. A one-line poem from renowned poet Gennady Aygi reminds us that we are lighting the way for each other. As Grace Farms celebrated its 10-year anniversary on October 11, I was reminded how shared light multiplies.

What we could not fully anticipate was just how vital this new-kind-of-public space would become — how turning 80 acres of once privately held land into a public place, free and open to all, could generate good for generations to come. Since opening, we’ve welcomed one million people from all over the world, hosting world-class performers, artists, and leaders, fostering a peaceful, yet active space for meaningful dialogue and groundbreaking outcomes that align with our work in nature, the arts, justice, community, and faith.

The celebration curated by Chelsea Thatcher, our Founding Creative Director, centered around the theme ‘We all build.’ The season, which runs September 2025 through May 2026, launched with the unveiling of ParaPosition, a sculpture by artist Alicja Kwade. Made of slim interlocking steel frames supporting large boulders and a blue chair made of bronze, the sculpture invites us to expand our perspective by asking questions.

Other highlights included a classical music ensemble led by cellist and Artist-in-Residence Arlen Hlusko, an artist talk with award-winning photographer James Florio, also an Artist-in-Residence, who unveiled a permanent photographic work in our Library, Haida Gwaii, 2025, and Hannah Rose Thomas, PhD, who painted a commissioned portrait of Nasreen Sheikh, a modern slavery survivor and social entrepreneur, in the new iteration of With Every Fiber | Pigment, Stone, Glass, which asks us to consider the nearly 28 million people in forced labor extracting and making our building materials. We also opened Dancing Trees in the Plaza. SANAA’s Kazuyo Sejima, one of the Pritzker-Prize winning architects of the River building, returned for the anniversary to introduce her new seating installation, designed to foster community and conversation, while harmonizing with nature and the landscape.

This milestone day culminated with a standing-ovation performance by GRAMMY®-winning violinist Joshua Bell, accompanied by Peter Dugan, pianist and host of NPR’s From the Top.

Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, a Certified B Corp™ that prioritizes ethical sourcing, sustainability, and collaborations with women-owned collectives, expanded its reach by partnering with more than 20 global organizations including JPMorganChase, Bloomberg, and Google. This mission-driven social enterprise gives back 100% of profits to support Design for Freedom, our global work to end forced labor in the building materials supply chain.

The trajectory of Grace Farms Tea & Coffee has been extraordinary, which Adam Thatcher, Co-Founder and CEO, shared in the inaugural Origin Stories series. In early December, we began a relief effort for Sumatra Resilience & Rebuilding, an urgent humanitarian initiative supporting the Ketiara Cooperative, a Fair Trade Certified™, women-led coffee farming collective in the Gayo Highlands of Sumatra, Indonesia, after a tropical cyclone triggered catastrophic mudslides across the region. The Cooperative, led by founder and chairwoman Ibu Rahmah, is one of our longest and most trusted sourcing partners, with more than 1,700 farmers, including 1,100 women. This is another example of how our values guide everything we do — not only what we build, but how we build.

We procured Western red cedar for the River building’s fascia installed this past spring, chosen for its longevity and alignment with Design for Freedom principles. I traveled to Haida Gwaii, the ancestral territory of the Haida Nation in British Columbia, Canada, to source the cedar. It was an immersive journey to Taan Forest, which is ethically and sustainably maintained by the Haida Enterprise Corporation, 100% owned by the Haida, the First Nations people.

As Leticia Hill, CEO of HaiCo, reminded us at our sold-out Design for Freedom Summit in March, “We take only what we need.”

Further advancing Design for Freedom, we partnered with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture to launch a student design competition. Over 300 students and faculty participated from schools including Boston Architectural College, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Yale University. More than 75 students from 25 universities attended the Design for Freedom Summit, underscoring the importance of engaging the next generation of leaders.

Design for Freedom also expanded its public engagement, reaching more than 30,000 people through With Every Fiber last year alone, in addition to reaching more than 55,000 through public presentations. Grace Farms was also honored to participate in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Intelligens CANON, curated by Carlo Ratti. More than 84,000 young people and students under the age of 26, or 28% of all visitors, engaged with the With Every Fiber exhibit in Venice.

Kimberly Kelly, Director of Horticulture, and our Education Team continue to create meaningful ways to connect to the awe and wonder of nature. From our annual Earth Day celebration to the Amazing Butterflies Exhibit, which engaged more than 4,000 people in the exploration of these remarkable pollinators.

The Sanctuary, the only fully glass-enclosed performing arts space in the world, is a space for renowned musicians and performers to transform our perspectives. From singer and songwriter Mon Rovîa’s sold-out performance on the United Nations International Day of Tolerance to Broadway Inspirational Voices, developed by Connecticut native Allen René Louis, Broadway Inspirational Voices Artistic Director and GRAMMY®-nominated Creative Director and Producer, their music reflected on the journey of humanity.

As the season transitions into 2026, other marquee events include a sold-out recital by the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma performing with Solon Gordon, Grace Farms Lectures with Concert with visionary leaders who shape our world, accompanied by a curated concert performed by some of today’s most celebrated musicians. We’ll also continue to explore the journeys of leaders who reimagine the world around us.

As we build and redefine what’s possible, we can all be architects of change, each lighting the way.

With grace and peace,

Sharon Prince
CEO and Founder

Grace Farms Foundation