About Us

About Grace Farms

Grace Farms is a cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, Connecticut, that brings people together across sectors to explore nature, arts, justice, community, and faith at the SANAA-designed River building and Barns on 80 acres of publicly accessible natural landscape.

Since opening in 2015, it has garnered numerous prestigious awards for contributions to architecture, environmental sustainability, and social good and has become a destination for arts, culture, and community. Grace Farms has welcomed 1 million visitors from around the world to experience innovative programming in music, visual and performing arts, while fostering contemplation and connection through architecture and nature.

Grace Farms’ humanitarian work includes leading the Design for Freedom movement to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain and advancing initiatives to foster more grace and peace locally and globally. This commitment extends to Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, a certified B Corp that models ethical and sustainable sourcing while supporting Design for Freedom.

The integration of cultural programming and humanitarian action reflects Grace Farms’ collaborative approach to generating new outcomes and meaningful change.

Space Communicates

Grace Farms, comprised of the River building and surrounding nature preserve, was established with the idea that space communicates and can inspire people to collaborate for good. To realize this vision, Grace Farms Foundation set out to create a multipurpose building nestled into the existing habitat that would enable visitors to experience nature, encounter the arts, pursue justice, foster community, and explore faith.

Our Work

Our work is collaborative. We invite public and private sectors to Grace Farms to consider what’s possible through diverse perspectives. The River building was intentionally designed within nature to create a reflective and restorative space to consider innovative ways to advance the common good. Our experts across disciplines, in collaboration with our local and global partners, create unprecedented outcomes.

Nature

We facilitate the stewardship of our natural world through restoration, exploration, and preservation. Through the protection of the open meadows, woods, vital wetlands, and ponds on our site, and by providing year-round exploratory opportunities and multi-generational programming, we encourage visitors to experience the awe and wonder of nature and embrace stewardship of the natural environment.

Arts

We believe that art generates new perspectives, enhances our sense of beauty, and fosters the potential for individual and social transformation. Here, the arts are designed to deepen each person’s profound connection to community, architecture, and landscape within our 80-acre site. We present and commission works with individual artists while also collaborating with the arts sector to advance humanitarian causes.

Justice

Our commitment to justice is based on the inherent right of liberty and equality for all. In 2020, we launched Design for Freedom, a global movement to create market transformation to remove forced labor from the building materials supply chain and reimagine architecture as a driver of humanitarian outcomes.

Community

Faith

We offer the reflective space of Grace Farms and opportunities for dialogue to explore the nature of flourishing and purposeful life. In pursuit of more grace and peace in the world, we bring together leaders and educators for workshops to engage with the world’s ancient and modern philosophies, beliefs, and faiths.

Design for Freedom

We launched the Design for Freedom movement to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain, create true market transformation, and build a more equitable future. Design for Freedom has brought together an expanding group of leaders who have committed their expertise and means to eliminate modern slavery in the built environment.

Narrated by actor, singer, and producer Tony Goldwyn

Learn more about Grace Farms

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Programs including performances, discussions, nature education programs, recreational activities, tours, and more convene a variety of perspectives and provide platforms for activists and advocates to pursue new outcomes for some of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time.

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All of us have unique agency to make real and positive change. Discover our impact and read our latest annual report.