Bodytruth Family Farms Educational Foundation, Inc. · 2026
An Invitation to Invest
We invite you to partner with us
by investing in the kind of
economic mobility that creates flourishing communities.
We are seeking farmland with existing structures, or a former school or church with acreage — acquired and converted into a self-sustaining community campus.
The Artie Short Community Learning Center
Named for the man who showed us what it means to grow something, tend it, and give it away.
Artie Short Vietnam Veteran · Gardener · The Beginning
The Root
It started with a man who found peace in a garden.
Artie Short — Vietnam veteran, born in the South — spent his life fishing, cooking, growing, and showing people how to do all of it. Whether he realized it or not, those grounding acts provided a quiet healing that lifted the weight of what he carried.
His daughter Stephanie watched. And never forgot what she saw. Everything she has built since — the community gardens, the soap apothecary, the Kansas food pantry network, the FundReady methodology, this Foundation — traces its root to one man in a garden, at peace.
Can't shrink while teaching others to believe in what's possible. We must model what we teach.
The building that carries Artie's name is not a monument. It is a living classroom — designed to do for entire communities what Artie's garden did for one family. Grow things. Teach people. Feed the future.
The Ecosystem
Three Entities. One Vision. Designed for Self-Sustainability.
This is not a single nonprofit with a single program. It is an integrated ecosystem — each entity serving a distinct function, all three connected by the same founder, the same mission, and the same commitment to building something that outlasts any one funding cycle.
FundReady LLC · For-Profit
The Enterprise Architecture Framework
The methodology engine. Curriculum IP holder. Patent-pending capital readiness platform built to move organizations from concept to fundable. Licenses curriculum to the Foundation and provides the systems infrastructure that makes the entire ecosystem work.
Bodytruth Family Farms Educational Foundation · 501(c)(3) Pending
The Steward of the Learning Ecosystem
The nonprofit. The campus. The programs. Dedicated to the belief that capacity building is not simply organizational — it is cognitive. BFFEF exists to move individuals and emerging enterprises from concept to implementation through education, systems development, mentorship, and applied experience.
Bodytruth Family Farms Ventures LLC · For-Profit
The Demonstration Enterprise
The farm. The soap apothecary. The production enterprise. Ventures exists not only as a revenue-generating entity but as a living example of what participants are working toward — where learners observe systems in operation, decision-making in practice, and implementation beyond theory.
The self-sustainability model: The Foundation owns the building and the land. Resident partners, co-working members, program participants, and Bodytruth Ventures all contribute to a revenue base that funds the mission across multiple streams. As earned revenue grows, grant dependency decreases.
The Physical Vision
A former school. A community ready to grow.
A surplus institutional property in the rural South — 70,500 square feet across three buildings on 4.6 acres. Acquired at a fraction of replacement cost. The model works because the asset is already there. The community is what makes it live.
70,500
Total Square Feet Across 3 Structures
4.6
Acres — Grounds, Gardens & Training Beds
$319K
Acquisition Price vs. $10.5M+ Replacement
12+
Revenue Streams From Day One
Structure 1 · 33,000 SF
The Learning and Enterprise Hub
Former high school, 2 stories + full basement. Bootcamp classrooms, Foundation offices, co-working, resident partner suites, business development labs, media lab, tech lab, career development lab, library and reading room, entrepreneur suites, gymnasium.
Structure 2 · 37,500 SF
The Community Center
Former middle school, single story. Community gathering hall, auditorium and event space, conference rooms, commercial kitchen incubator (Phase 2), and community distribution point for harvest and workshop outputs.
Structure 3 · 5,800 SF
The Farm Systems Workshop
Former machine shop with overhead garage doors, concrete floors, and modern electrical service. Built for exactly what the 40-Hour Farm Systems Training requires. Also leasable to Ventures LLC.
The campus is not the end goal. It is the container. Every program, every tenant, every community distribution event, every acre tended — all of it happens here. The school closed because a community didn't have enough to sustain it. We are reopening it because a community is ready to build something that sustains itself.
The Builder
Stephanie Willis — Founder & Executive Director.
Stephanie Willis spent seventeen years building the proof of concept for everything this Foundation formalizes. A community garden in Detroit. A soap apothecary. A teaching program at the Detroit Public Library. A Kansas brick-and-mortar store that became a community gathering place. A citywide food pantry network. A $180,000 COVID-response grant.
She built FundReady LLC — a capital readiness methodology now patent-pending — because she saw that the infrastructure knowledge that makes organizations fundable was locked inside professional networks that most community builders never enter. She built the Foundation because FundReady needed a home that could deliver it to the people who need it most.
She has lived the experience of every population this Foundation serves. She did not read about this problem. She lived it. And she built the answer she needed — so others don't have to wait as long as she did.
Participants leave with a completed Capital Plan, documented operational systems, and connections to CDFIs, lenders, and partner organizations. The model tracks outcomes beyond graduation — enterprise survival, funding secured, jobs created, and revenue growth. We measure what participants build, not just what they complete.
The Programs
Three Bootcamps. One Methodology. No Boxes.
Most programs require you to already be somewhere. A specific city. A revenue threshold. A business already running. We don't. If you have an idea, a roadmap, and the commitment to do the work — you're in.
For Small Businesses
FundReady for Small Businesses — Capital Readiness Bootcamp
8 weeks · 40 hours · Online · $99 co-pay. Participants build a Capital Plan, Fundable Assets, documented systems, and a Dual-Capital Map — the complete infrastructure that makes a small business fundable.
For Nonprofits
FundReady for Nonprofits — Grant Readiness Bootcamp
8 weeks · 40 hours · Online · $99 co-pay. Builds corporate-level grant readiness infrastructure into mission-driven organizations — repeatable systems, documented capacity, and a Grant Readiness Package funders can say yes to.
For Growers
FundReady for Growers — Land Enterprise Bootcamp
8 weeks · 40 hours · Online · $99 co-pay. Business plan and capital strategy bootcamp for urban farmers and intentional land stewards. The Land Enterprise Collaborative launches on-site when the campus opens — The campus site is the implementation environment.
On-Site · Campus Programs
40-Hour Farm Systems Training + LEC Certification
Hands-on training in the Farm Systems Workshop — building structures, equipment operation, growing systems, and outdoor farm practicum. Certifies participants as Land Enterprise Collaborative implementers.
Earth Keepers Volunteer Mentorship Program — wraps all programs. Experienced practitioners — master growers, business mentors, grant coaches, workshop facilitators — contribute their knowledge to bootcamp participants and community members. Earth Keepers are recognized permanently on the Foundation's Honor Wall after a full season of service.
The Revenue Model
Multiple streams. No single dependency.
The Foundation owns the building and leases to resident partners, co-working members, and Bodytruth Ventures. Lease revenue, program fees, and event income combine to fund operations across multiple streams simultaneously.
Resident Partner Suites
Mission-Aligned Organizations & Practitioners
$800–$1,200+/mo per suite
Organizations and professionals occupy space and contribute expertise back into the ecosystem — workshops, office hours, mentorship, and subject matter guidance.
Entrepreneur Suites & Office Leasing
Emerging Businesses & Growing Organizations
$600–$1,000+/mo per office
Dedicated office space for businesses moving from concept to operation. Proximity to bootcamp participants creates a built-in referral and mentorship ecosystem.
Co-Working
Day Passes & Monthly Memberships
$150–$300/mo
Open to entrepreneurs, remote workers, freelancers, and community members. Professional workspace in a mission-aligned environment.
Teaching Kitchen & Event Space
Kitchen Rental, Auditorium, Conference Rooms
$50–$150/hr per session
Per-session rentals for community members, organizations, and external groups. Workshops, events, content production, and community gatherings.
Ventures LLC Lease
Growing Beds + Lab Access
Fair market value
Bodytruth Ventures leases defined growing beds on the grounds and lab space. Board-approved, founder-recused, documented at arm's length.
Program Revenue
Bootcamp Co-Pays + Community Workshops
$99 co-pay + workshop fees
Program participants pay a $99 co-pay with grant, WIOA, and VR&E funding covering the balance. Community workshops at $15–$25 per session.
35–45%
Target: Earned Program Revenue
The target revenue mix is 35–45% earned programs, 20–30% leases and occupancy, 10–20% events and kitchen, and 15–25% grants. No single stream carries the campus. Grant dependency decreases as earned revenue grows.
The Campaign
Acquire. Activate. Operate.
One campaign. One property. A surplus institutional building acquired, activated in phases as revenue grows, and operated from a position of stability from Day 1.
Campus Acquisition & Activation · $2.0M–$2.2M
Listed at $319,000. Three months on market. Negotiating toward $280K–$295K. Acquisition cost is approximately $4.52/SF against a replacement value of $3.5M–$10.5M.
Not all 70,500 SF activates at once. Year 1 opens the operational zones: life safety and building systems first (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire safety, ADA, security), then core learning infrastructure (reception, offices, classrooms, library, co-working, tech and media labs), then outdoor grounds (growing beds, hoop houses, irrigation). The balance of the building activates as revenue grows. Estimate based on $50–$150/SF for the activated zone; final scope confirmed through building assessment before closing.
Skeleton crew through the first full year of campus operation: Executive Director, Program Manager, Campus Operations Manager, Facilities Technicians, Groundskeeper, Horticulture Lead, Media Coordinator, and Welcome Coordinator. Benefits, payroll taxes, and outsourced HR and bookkeeping included. WIOA and VR&E workforce contracts offset a portion of HR costs for qualifying hires.
501(c)(3) application is in progress — filing cost partially incurred. Remaining: board development and governance infrastructure, audit-ready financial systems and bookkeeping setup, D&O insurance, HR compliance infrastructure, and legal counsel for the FundReady license agreement and related-party lease documentation.
Twelve months of operating buffer. Standard practice for a building of this age — unexpected findings during renovation and the ramp-up period before earned revenue stabilizes both require financial runway. Reserves are not discretionary; they are what keep the organization stable and funder-credible through Year 1.
Total Campaign$1.4M–$2.3M · Working figure: $2.0M–$2.2M
The Ask
The Campaign.
One campaign. One property. A surplus institutional campus — acquired, activated, and operated as a self-sustaining community hub.
$2.0M–$2.2M
Total Campaign · Acquire · Activate · Operate
$280K–$319K
Property Acquisition
70,500 SF across 3 structures on 4.6 acres. Identified and under active negotiation.
$500K–$1.2M
Year 1 Renovation & Activation
20–35% of campus activated in Year 1. Life safety, core learning infrastructure, and outdoor grounds. Remaining campus activates as revenue grows.
$400K–$600K
Year 1 Staffing & Operations
Skeleton crew at living wage through the first full year. 8–12 direct jobs created. WIOA and VR&E contracts offset a portion of HR costs.
$200K–$350K
Operating Reserves
Twelve months of operating buffer. Standard practice for a building of this age and the ramp-up period before earned revenue stabilizes.
How the Campaign is Funded
USDA Community Facilities Program
Direct loan + grant · Rural classification clean · Acquisition and renovation eligible for qualifying nonprofits
Primary
Michigan MEDC Adaptive Reuse
State grant and incentive · Surplus school redevelopment is an active MEDC priority
Grant
Michigan Historic Preservation Tax Credits
1920 construction · Designation eligibility check in progress
Credit
Philanthropic Capital Campaign
Major gifts from aligned funders and philanthropic partners
Campaign
WIOA / VR&E Workforce Contracts
Fund free program access for qualifying participants · offset HR costs for veteran hires
Offset
Earned Revenue — Day One
Resident partner leases, co-working, and workshop fees begin at occupancy
Earned
501(c)(3) status is pending. Fiscal sponsorship arrangements are available for time-sensitive gifts. The target revenue mix at stabilization is 35–45% earned program revenue, 20–30% leases and occupancy, 10–20% events and kitchen, and 15–25% grants and philanthropy. No single stream carries the campus.
The Invitation
This is the conversation we want to have with you.
Artie Short is still fishing. Still cooking. Still growing things. Still showing people how. We are building a center that carries his name while he is here to walk through the door — and we intend to finish it.
If you see what we see — if you believe that the right training, delivered to the right people, in the right building, with the right infrastructure behind it, produces outcomes that compound for generations — we want to hear from you.
We don't count the jobs the Foundation creates. We count the jobs the people we train create. The impact doesn't stop when the cohort ends. It compounds.
Stephanie Willis
Founder & Executive Director
Bodytruth Family Farms Educational Foundation, Inc.
