Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Defense Fund is a US-founded nonprofit (est. 1967) that combines science, economics, legal advocacy, and corporate partnerships to deliver climate, clean air, water, and sustainability solutions across nearly 30 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1967
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Environmental Defense Fund does
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1967 and headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Washington, San Francisco, Austin, Boulder, Boston, and Raleigh, plus regional operations in China, Europe, India, and Brazil. EDF delivers environmental solutions through four reinforcing capabilities: rigorous science, economic analysis, legal advocacy, and partnerships with corporations and governments. It addresses climate change, methane and other super-pollutants, air and water quality, sustainable agriculture and fisheries, chemicals safety, and flood risk.
EDF's core offerings include MethaneSAT, a satellite for quantifying oil-and-gas methane emissions globally; the FireSat satellite constellation (with Earth Fire Alliance) for wildfire detection; EDF Climate Corps, a fellowship placing sustainability professionals in host organizations; EDF+Business, a corporate sustainability partnership platform; and the SAFc Registry, an independent sustainable aviation fuel certificate registry co-developed with RMI and SABA that has surpassed 500,000 metric tons of CO2e abated. Notable proprietary data assets include neighborhood-level air quality mapping developed with Google Street View cars and Kaiser Permanente, and satellite-based agricultural water-use analytics with NASA and the Desert Research Institute.
EDF's revenue model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack: individual donations and memberships (over 3.5 million supporters), foundation and corporate grants, corporate sustainability partnerships with companies such as FedEx, McDonald's, Walmart, Danone, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, and PepsiCo, planned giving and bequests, and program-specific incentive pools such as the $13 million Regenerative Agriculture Finance Program backed by PepsiCo and ADM. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees under CEO Fred Krupp, with no parent company, and operates under Section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code as Environmental Defense Fund, Inc., incorporated in New York.
Environmental Defense Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Environmental Defense Fund
- Legal name
- Environmental Defense Fund, Inc.
- Website
- https://edf.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1967
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Environmental Defense Fund is a US-founded nonprofit (est. 1967) that combines science, economics, legal advocacy, and corporate partnerships to deliver climate, clean air, water, and sustainability solutions across nearly 30 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Environmental Defense Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Advocacy and Climate Solutions
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds (FSANAJAA)
Keywords
Where Environmental Defense Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices12 records
Markets served
Environmental Defense Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual donations and membership: EDF is funded primarily through contributions from individual donors and members. The organization states it has over 3.5 million members and supporters.
- Foundation and corporate grants: EDF receives grants from foundations and corporate partners to support specific programs and initiatives.
- Corporate partnerships: EDF partners with leading companies including FedEx, McDonald's, Walmart, Danone, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, and PepsiCo to develop sustainability solutions that benefit both business and environment.
- Planned giving and bequests: EDF offers planned gift options allowing donors to include EDF in their wills.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels19 records
Environmental Defense Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Environmental Defense Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers practical environmental solutions through scientific research, economic analysis, policy advocacy, legal action, and corporate partnerships. EDF develops satellite-based monitoring platforms (MethaneSAT, FireSat), operates the Climate Corps fellowship program, and engages with corporations and governments to drive measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and ecosystem degradation.
Product overview
Environmental Defense Fund is a nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) focused on environmental protection and climate solutions rather than a traditional product company. Its offerings consist of advocacy programs, scientific research initiatives, fellowship programs, and satellite-based monitoring platforms. Key offerings include: MethaneSAT (satellite technology for measuring methane emissions globally), FireSat (planned satellite constellation for wildfire tracking), EDF Climate Corps (fellowship program for climate leadership), EDF+Business (corporate sustainability partnership services), and research publications on environmental issues including methane, clean transportation, sustainable agriculture, water security, and climate policy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EDF Climate Corps: Fellowship program that places sustainability professionals in organizations to drive environmental improvements.
- EDF+Business
- MethaneSAT
- FireSat
- Tom Graff Fellowships
Products and services
- MethaneSAT A satellite designed to detect and quantify methane emissions from oil and gas production regions worldwide, providing transparency into methane pollution with wide field of view, high precision, and fine spatial resolution.
- FireSat A planned satellite constellation for spotting and tracking wildfires faster and more accurately, advancing global wildfire management through early detection and monitoring capabilities.
- EDF Climate Corps A fellowship program that places skilled professionals in host organizations to advance sustainability initiatives, building climate leadership across businesses and communities.
- EDF+Business A corporate partnership platform providing businesses with EDF's science, policy, and financial expertise to drive sustainability across operations, supply chains, and products.
- Data Center Sustainability Due Diligence Framework A joint research framework providing investors with over 75 due diligence questions on data center environmental and social impacts, covering energy consumption, water usage, and community effects.
Quantifiable outcome
- Bald eagle recovered from near extinction in lower 48 states - from a few hundred nesting pairs to hundreds of thousands of birds
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Environmental Defense Fund
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Environmental Defense Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Environmental Defense Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
36 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Soil and Water Outcomes FundcoreThe Soil and Water Outcomes Fund serves as an operational partner in managing the RegenLend program for strip-till equipment financing.
- Soil and Water Outcomes FundcoreThe Soil and Water Outcomes Fund serves as operational partner managing the RegenLend program for strip-till equipment financing.
- Business, finance, government, and civil society partnerscoreEDF announced participation in London Climate Action Week 2026, hosting and co-hosting multiple events covering methane abatement, net zero standards, climate risk, biofuels, wildfire resilience, and aviation decarbonization.
- World Bank, CCRIF, Regional Risk PoolscoreEDF advocates for innovations such as World Bank-facilitated platforms and regional risk pools like CCRIF to expand access to catastrophe risk transfer beyond traditional insurance markets.
- NuveencoreEDF and Nuveen co-authored a report providing investors with over 75 due diligence questions on data center environmental and social impacts.
- Confederation of Indian IndustrycoreThe Confederation of Indian Industry and Environmental Defense Fund launched the Resilient Dairy Alliance to protect India's dairy sector from climate impacts.
- Raya PowerminorEDF backed Raya Power as a proof of concept, deploying portable solar-battery systems for residential use in Culebra, Puerto Rico.
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)coreNRDC and EDF jointly released a report identifying six funding and financing mechanisms for state and local governments to finance voluntary buyout programs for hazard-prone properties.
- Lloyd's Register Maritime Decarbonisation HubcoreEDF partnered with Lloyd's Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub to advance sustainable finance for maritime shipping decarbonization, hosting a workshop at the International Maritime Organization.
- RMIcoreEDF and RMI launched the SAFc Registry in 2023 as an independent not-for-profit registry for sustainable aviation fuel, which has surpassed 500,000 metric tons of CO₂e abated.
- Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA)coreEDF and RMI launched the SAFc Registry in collaboration with the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA) and Energy Web.
- KKR and The Carlyle GroupcoreEDF teamed up with KKR and The Carlyle Group to make measuring, managing and improving environmental performance a core part of value creation across the private equity industry.
- BP, ExxonMobil, ShellcoreEDF brought together major oil and gas companies in an agreement to reduce some of the most harmful pollution from oil and gas production by as much as 90%.
- FedExcoreEDF corporate partnership with FedEx to improve sustainability and reduce environmental impact in logistics operations.
- McDonald'scoreEDF partnership with McDonald's that saved the company and consumers money, reduced packaging and other waste, and made everyday products safer.
- WalmartcoreEDF partnership with Walmart that brought big change through supply chain sustainability improvements.
- Danone, General Mills, Kraft HeinzcoreEDF partnered with major food companies including Danone, General Mills, and Kraft Heinz to increase sustainability of dairy products.
- Google Street View and Kaiser PermanentecoreEDF pioneered new technology for high-resolution health risk detection and analysis at the neighborhood level using Google Street View cars in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente.
- Desert Research Institute and NASAcoreEDF developed satellite-based analysis of agricultural water use, made available to Western farmers to better manage crops, in partnership with Desert Research Institute, NASA and others.
- Earth Fire AlliancecoreEDF is advancing wildfire mitigation through the FireSat satellite constellation led by Earth Fire Alliance, a vision for spotting and tracking wildfires faster and more accurately.
- MethaneSATcoreEDF developed MethaneSAT, a satellite designed to quantify methane emissions from oil and gas producing regions worldwide, providing unprecedented transparency into emissions.
- American Public Health Association, American Lung Association, NRDC, Sierra ClubcoreEDF joined with American Public Health Association, American Lung Association, NRDC, and Sierra Club in filing suit challenging EPA's rescission of the Endangerment Finding.
- Union of Concerned ScientistscoreEDF and Union of Concerned Scientists sued the DOE over the secret formation of the Climate Working Group, with a federal court ruling the group violated Federal Advisory Committee Act.
- Earthjustice and Clean Air Task ForcecoreEarthjustice and Clean Air Task Force represent the Sierra Club and 18 other health and environmental organizations in challenging EPA's repeal of the Endangerment Finding and clean vehicle emissions standards.
- Climate Action Network CanadaminorEDF collaborates with Climate Action Network Canada and other environmental groups on climate policy issues.
- India Water Foundation, CICERO, AKO FoundationminorEDF participated in a High-Level Policy Dialogue on water security at SB64 in Bonn, Germany, convened by India Water Foundation in partnership with CICERO and AKO Foundation.
- Kazakhstan Ministry of Ecology, UNEP Climate and Clean Air CoalitioncoreEDF participates in regional technical roundtables co-organized by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology and the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition under its Super Pollutants Country Accelerator Programme.
- Cuban scientists, government officials, and fishing communitiescoreEDF has been working with Cuban scientists, government officials, and fishing communities since 2000 to support sustainable fisheries management, culminating in Cuba passing its first national fisheries law in 2019.
- Clean Energy WorkscoreClean Energy Works, commissioned by EDF, released a report advising U.S. rural electric cooperatives to proactively plan for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle adoption.
- Tesla, Electrify America, BMWcoreEDF joined Tesla, Electrify America, BMW, and others at Trellis Group's VERGE 2024 conference to discuss improving EV charging infrastructure reliability and scalability.
- Black & VeatchcoreEDF commissioned Black & Veatch to study proactive electric grid upgrades for medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks and buses, yielding cost savings of $20 million in Con Edison's territory.
- Hisham Mundol, Chief Advisor EDF IndiacoreHisham Mundol has over 25 years of experience and leads climate strategy and sustainable development initiatives in India.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)coreEDF scientists co-authored a paper published in Science with NOAA scientists finding 15% of human-driven global warming stems from indirect atmospheric interactions of pollutants not tracked under international climate treaties.
- Center for NYC Neighborhoods, NYC Mayor's Office, SBP USAminorEDF partnered with Center for NYC Neighborhoods and the Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice to help protect vulnerable NYC residents from flood risk.
- Clover SonomacoreClover Sonoma is a certified B Corporation and the first regional dairy to join EDF's Dairy Methane Action Alliance, committing to reduce on-farm dairy methane emissions by 10% over three years.
- California Air Resources BoardcoreEDF works with California Air Resources Board on state-level climate policy including cap-and-trade program updates and clean vehicle standards.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights9 records
Environmental Defense Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): NRDC is a US-based environmental nonprofit advocacy organization operating at similar scale with parallel focus areas (climate, air, water, energy) and frequent co-litigation; one of EDF's closest direct comparables in mission, structure, and donor base.
- The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit with similar scale, science-led approach, and corporate partnership model, though with greater emphasis on land conservation versus EDF's policy/litigation focus.
- Sierra Club: Sierra Club is a US environmental advocacy nonprofit with overlapping climate, clean air, and clean energy programs and a grassroots membership model directly comparable to EDF's.
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF): WWF is a global environmental nonprofit working on climate, ecosystems, and species protection with comparable international footprint (~30+ countries) and corporate partnership approach.
- Union of Concerned Scientists: UCS is a science-based nonprofit advocacy organization that co-litigates with EDF (e.g., the DOE Climate Working Group case) and shares a research-driven, policy-focused mission across climate and energy.
- Earthjustice: Earthjustice is a nonprofit environmental law organization that frequently co-counsels with EDF on major federal litigation including the Endangerment Finding and methane protections challenges.
- RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute): RMI is a clean-energy-focused nonprofit that co-developed the SAFc Registry with EDF and shares a market-based, corporate-engagement model for decarbonization in energy, transport, and buildings.
- Greenpeace: Greenpeace is a global environmental advocacy organization with a comparable international footprint and climate/forestry focus, but uses a more confrontational campaign model than EDF's science-led corporate engagement.
Emerging players
- Clean Air Task Force: CATF is a smaller, technically-focused nonprofit that collaborates with EDF on methane, power-sector, and clean air litigation and policy, sharing EDF's market-based, technology-driven approach.
- 350.org: 350.org is a grassroots climate advocacy organization that overlaps with EDF on climate mobilization and fossil fuel campaigns but focuses more on mass mobilization and less on scientific research and corporate engagement.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Environmental Defense Fund social profiles
Digital presenceEnvironmental Defense Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Environmental Defense Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
Environmental Defense Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Environmental Defense Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Environmental Defense Fund
What does Environmental Defense Fund do?
Environmental Defense Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers practical environmental solutions through scientific research, economic analysis, policy advocacy, legal action, and corporate partnerships. EDF develops satellite-based monitoring platforms (MethaneSAT, FireSat), operates the Climate Corps fellowship program, and engages with corporations and governments to drive measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and ecosystem degradation.
Is Environmental Defense Fund a public or private company?
Environmental Defense Fund is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Environmental Defense Fund founded?
Environmental Defense Fund was founded in 1967. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Environmental Defense Fund based?
Environmental Defense Fund is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Environmental Defense Fund make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual donations and membership is the primary driver. The others are foundation and corporate grants, corporate partnerships and planned giving and bequests.
Who are Environmental Defense Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Union of Concerned Scientists, Earthjustice, RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute) and Greenpeace. Emerging players are Clean Air Task Force and 350.org.
Does Environmental Defense Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Environmental Defense Fund.
What industry is Environmental Defense Fund in?
Environmental Defense Fund's product category is Environmental Advocacy and Climate Solutions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAD, Forestry & Reforestation, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAM, Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813312.