M.A.C. Project Spotlight:
Urban Creators
Urban Creators has spent more than a decade transforming underutilized spaces into centers of food production, education, and community leadership throughout North Philly. What began as a small effort to reclaim abandoned lots has grown into one of the city’s most recognizable models for community led urban agriculture.
This month (September ’24), M.A.C. Project voters selected Urban Creators to receive the monthly donation, citing the organization’s ability to address food access, youth development, and neighborhood stability through hands on, locally rooted work.
…rooted, see what I did there? haha.
Who They Are
Urban Creators was founded in 2010 by Brendán Ó Caollai and community collaborators who saw both the challenges and the potential in North Philadelphia’s landscape. They viewed vacant lots not as blight, but as opportunity. From the start, the organization emphasized community ownership, leadership development, and sustainability.
Today, Urban Creators operates primarily out of North Philadelphia, where it manages urban farms, educational programs, and community spaces that center food justice and self determination. The organization’s work is grounded in the belief that residents should play a direct role in shaping their neighborhood’s future.
What the Organization Does in Practice
Urban Creators’ most visible work takes place on its farms, where fresh produce is grown and distributed within the community. These farms provide access to healthy food in areas that have long been underserved by traditional grocery infrastructure. But food production is only one piece of a broader approach.
The organization runs youth development programs that combine agricultural training with leadership skills, entrepreneurship, and environmental education. Participants learn how to grow food, manage projects, and understand the systems that shape food access and land use in Philadelphia.
Urban Creators also engages in workforce development, offering pathways for residents to gain experience in urban agriculture, construction, and community organizing. Through partnerships with local organizations and institutions, they help participants translate hands on skills into long term economic opportunity.
Why M.A.C. Subscribers Elected Juntos
The M.A.C. Project prioritizes organizations that deliver direct impact while addressing systemic challenges. For many voters, Urban Creators demonstrates this balance. Their work responds to immediate needs such as food access and employment while also tackling deeper issues related to land use, environmental justice, and neighborhood investment.
Voters were particularly drawn to the organization’s emphasis on community leadership. Rather than importing solutions, Urban Creators builds capacity from within, ensuring that residents are central to decision making and program design. This approach aligns with the M.A.C. Project’s commitment to grassroots, community driven change.
How We Anticipate the Funds Will Be Used
Funds from the M.A.C. Project will support Urban Creators’ core programming, including farm operations, youth education, and workforce development initiatives. This support helps cover materials, program coordination, and resources that allow the organization to maintain consistent engagement with community members.
While the monthly fund is still modest, it plays a meaningful role in sustaining work that depends on continuity and trust. Contributions help ensure that programs remain accessible and responsive to local needs, particularly during periods when funding gaps can disrupt operations.
Equally important, the recognition helps elevate Urban Creators’ work to a wider audience across Philadelphia.
A Voice From The Work
Urban Creators has long emphasized that food justice is inseparable from land justice and community power. By reclaiming space and investing in people, the organization demonstrates how neighborhoods can generate their own solutions. Support from initiatives like the M.A.C. Project reinforces that vision and helps maintain momentum in a challenging funding landscape.
How to Support
Juntos
Beyond This Month
Those interested in supporting Urban Creators can do so in several ways. Community members can volunteer on the farms, attend public events, donate directly, or advocate for policies that protect urban agriculture and community land use. Sharing the organization’s work and staying engaged with local food justice efforts also contributes to long term impact.
Support, like cultivation, is most effective when it is ongoing.
Looking Ahead
The selection of Urban Creators highlights the interconnected nature of food access, economic opportunity, and neighborhood resilience. As Philadelphia continues to grapple with development pressures and inequitable access to resources, organizations rooted in community leadership remain essential.
Live CarePhilly is grateful to the M.A.C. Project community for recognizing Urban Creators and for continuing to invest in organizations that are reshaping Philadelphia one block at a time.
Subscribe To The M.A.C. Project
$6,000+ donated to over a dozen
Philly headquartered non-profits.
We start with $100,
Then add $5 for every subscriber.
Subscribers nominate Philly non-profits.
Subscribers vote for Philly non-profits.
The monthly donation goes
to Philly non-profits.
Visit The M.A.C. Page for Updates & Details
Live CarePhilly
The above editorial / article was written by Live CarePhilly Publishing, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
It is intended to respectfully highlight the work of the organization named above based on publicly available information and community context. Live CarePhilly welcomes correspondence from the featured organization or any individuals referenced herein regarding questions, clarifications, or concerns. We view these spotlights as part of an ongoing conversation and always look forward to what dialogue may come of them.
