Vida Verde was founded in 2001 by two former Teach for America classroom teachers who saw a pressing need for youth experiencing poverty to have meaningful educational experiences outside of the classroom. Their original vision has been carefully developed into a highly effective and acclaimed educational program. Vida Verde has provided our core program, a three-day, two-night camping trip taken as a class,  for over 12,500 students and teachers from low-income Bay Area schools, and we are currently launching our 21st year of programming. In 2020, we launched the Summer Leadership Project (SLP) as a second and complimentary Vida Verde program that serves teens with a one-week immersive camping trip, followed by the opportunity for leadership and engagement throughout the school year.

In 2015, we were thrilled to purchase our own educational farm property in San Gregorio (Ramaytuch Ohlone land) and to create an endowment for the ongoing care of that property. In 2018 we purchased local housing for eight staff members, and in the coming year we will begin construction on an Education Barn on our new property.  These accomplishments are all fulfilling our long-term vision to create a “Home for Educational Equity” for generations to come.