What Cascade Climate does

Cascade Climate is a philanthropy-backed nonprofit organization headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, that accelerates high-potential climate solutions through ambitious initiatives spanning markets, policy, and science. Its primary focus is Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) carbon dioxide removal, alongside parallel programs in Refrigerant Management and Transition and Policy and Market Development. The organization operates as a neutral field convener rather than a commercial vendor, providing open-access tools, data infrastructure, and research coordination to a global ERW ecosystem comprising project developers, farmers and agricultural landowners, policymakers and regulators, academic researchers, and carbon removal buyers.

The organization's core technology stack centers on the ERW domain and consists of four integrated assets: (1) the ERW Metal Accumulation Calculator, a conservatively parameterized mass-balance model that evaluates metal accumulation risks across 16 metals against existing global soil regulations; (2) the Weathering Potential Explorer, an interactive global map built on Google Earth Engine that screens agricultural regions using a normalized weathering flux potential framework based on temperature, soil moisture, and soil water pH; (3) the ERW Data Quarry, the first-ever commercial ERW data sharing platform with 26 commitments from project developers and a public component hosted via CarbonPlan's CDRXIV repository; and (4) the Foundations for CDR Quantification framework, a community-developed MRV consensus built with approximately 50 academic scientists and 20 ERW project developers. The Bedrock Initiative and its Coordinated Research Network extend this stack with a planned 15 standardized global field sites.

Cascade Climate's business model is nonprofit and philanthropy-backed, with no commercial products, pricing, or revenue from sales. The organization funds operations through charitable donations and grants and provides all tools, frameworks, and research outputs publicly to advance the ERW field. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on coalition building, research coordination, and policy development rather than traditional sales motions. Key commercial signals include the Frontier $57M offtake with Lithos for ~150,000 removed tons (described as the world's first large-scale multi-year purchase of durable carbon removal via an open-system pathway), Frontier and MilkyWire requiring Data Quarry contributions in future offtakes, and the EU Commission's exploration of ERW under the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming regulation where Cascade is actively providing input.

Name

Cascade Climate

Legal name

Cascade Climate

Website

https://cascadeclimate.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cascade Climate is a philanthropy-backed nonprofit that accelerates Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) carbon removal through open-access analytical tools, data sharing platforms, and coordinated global research networks, serving project developers, farmers, policymakers, academics, and carbon removal buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Research and Carbon Removal Policy Coordination

akta.pro primary industry

Climate & Emissions Data Management (Data Lake, Integration, APIs) (EUABAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audit-Ready Controls, Assurance & Compliance Workflow Tools (CSRD/SEC/ISSB) (EUABAEAG), Benchmarking, Ratings & Stakeholder Reporting Portals (Scorecards, Dashboards) (EUABAEAJ)

Keywords

• Enhanced rock weathering
• Carbon dioxide removal
• Climate research coordination
• Carbon removal policy
• Refrigerant management

Headquarters

HQ city

Somerville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: As a philanthropy-backed nonprofit organization, Cascade Climate is funded through charitable donations and grants rather than commercial revenue generation. The organization accelerates high-potential climate solutions through initiatives spanning markets, policy and science, relying on philanthropic support to operate.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cascade Climate is a philanthropy-backed nonprofit that accelerates high-potential climate solutions (primarily Enhanced Rock Weathering, refrigerant lifecycle management, and carbon removal policy) by leading initiatives spanning markets, policy and science. It operates the ERW Data Quarry, the ERW Metal Accumulation Calculator, the Weathering Potential Explorer, and the Coordinated Research Network, and produces community frameworks (Foundations for CDR Quantification in ERW) used as reference standards by project developers, researchers, policymakers, and carbon removal buyers.

Product overview

Cascade Climate is a philanthropy-backed nonprofit organization that accelerates high-potential climate solutions by leading ambitious initiatives in markets, policy, and science. The organization operates across four interconnected program areas: Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), The Bedrock Initiative, Refrigerant Management and Transition, and Policy and Market Development. Supporting these programs are several analytical tools and data platforms including the Weathering Potential Explorer (global mapping tool), ERW Metal Accumulation Calculator (risk assessment tool), ERW Data Quarry (data sharing platform), and the Coordinated Research Network (research coordination initiative).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bedrock Initiative: A coordinated global research program to unlock the climate and agricultural potential of Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), providing standardized field trials across diverse global geographies.

Products and services

• Enhanced Rock Weathering Program Cascade Climate's core program area, accelerating deployment of ERW — spreading crushed silicate or carbonate rocks on agricultural fields to capture and store atmospheric CO2 — through tool development, data sharing, and stakeholder coordination.
• The Bedrock Initiative Coordinated global research program providing independent, long-term, standardized ERW research that the whole field can rely on, unlocking the climate and agricultural potential of enhanced rock weathering.
• Refrigerant Management and Transition Program Program sequencing financing, policy, and markets to destroy potent refrigerants in Article 5 countries under the Montreal Protocol and to build practical refrigerant recovery systems in Southeast Asia.
• Policy and Market Development Program Initiative advancing carbon removal policy, credible market development, and stakeholder education on enhanced weathering and refrigerant management.
• ERW Data Quarry Web platform for sharing commercial ERW deployment data to accelerate scientific progress while protecting commercial and farmer interests; includes a publicly accessible data source and a permissioned data catalog accessible via proposal.
• Weathering Potential Explorer Interactive Google Earth Engine map that visualizes relative weathering potential across agricultural regions based on temperature, soil moisture, and soil water pH to support ERW deployment site selection.
• ERW Metal Accumulation Calculator (ERW-MAC) Web-based mass-balance model that compares potential metal accumulation in soils from ERW deployments against existing global soil regulations across 16 metals, including Ni, Cr, and V, using conservative risk-maximizing assumptions.
• Coordinated Research Network (CRN) Global network of standardized ERW experimental field trials across diverse geographies with shared protocols, measurement strategies, and experimental designs enabling comparable datasets across sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Commercial ERW deployments expected to top 20,000 hectares, representing over 200x more area than all academic field trials combined
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and new.

• Enhanced Weathering (EW) AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025Coalition convened by the Carbon Business Council that includes leading companies and organizations in enhanced weathering. Cascade Climate announced plans to increase activities and expand the coalition to promote ERW as a carbon dioxide removal method, advancing policy, creating credible markets, and educating stakeholders.
• AndesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 leading ERW companies committed to sharing specific datasets tied to individual deployments within a set timeframe through the ERW Data Quarry system, contributing to advancing ERW science through commercial data sharing.
• CarbonaughtflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 leading ERW companies committed to sharing datasets through the ERW Data Quarry system to enable deployment-led learning and scientific advancement of the ERW field.
• EionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 leading ERW companies committed to sharing datasets tied to individual deployments through the ERW Data Quarry system as part of the first-ever ERW data sharing initiative.
• FluxflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 leading ERW companies committed to sharing specific datasets tied to individual deployments within a set timeframe through the ERW Data Quarry system.
• InPlanetflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 leading ERW companies committed to sharing specific datasets tied to individual deployments within a set timeframe through the ERW Data Quarry system, helping advance the state of ERW science.
• MatiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 leading ERW companies committed to sharing specific datasets tied to individual deployments within a set timeframe through the ERW Data Quarry system.
• TerradotflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 leading ERW companies committed to sharing specific datasets tied to individual deployments within a set timeframe through the ERW Data Quarry system.
• v6 AgronomyxflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 leading ERW companies committed to sharing specific datasets tied to individual deployments within a set timeframe through the ERW Data Quarry system.
• ZeroExflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 leading ERW companies committed to sharing specific datasets tied to individual deployments within a set timeframe through the ERW Data Quarry system.
• Frontier (catalytic buyer coalition)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading catalytic buyer coalition that has committed to requiring dataset contributions to the Data Quarry as part of recent pre-purchases and future ERW offtakes, signaling the importance of community-wide data sharing in growing a quality ERW market.
• MilkyWirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatalytic ERW buyer that will incorporate data sharing requirements in their next major ERW purchase, helping drive adoption of data sharing practices across the ERW market.
• CarbonPlan (CDRXIV)coreTechnology or IntegrationLeading development of CDRXIV, a new centralized hub for open academic and commercial CDR preprints and data, which serves as the public repository for the ERW Data Quarry's publicly accessible data component.
• Basic DustnewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry, joining the expanding network of organizations committed to sharing commercial ERW deployment data for scientific advancement.
• Carbon Drawdown InitiativenewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry as part of the expanding ecosystem of organizations supporting open data sharing in the ERW field.
• CarbonynewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry, joining the network of organizations committed to advancing ERW science through data sharing.
• University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignnewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry through its Energy Farm research facility, contributing academic field trial data to advance ERW science.
• SilicanewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry, joining the expanding network of organizations supporting data sharing in the ERW field.
• South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARPP)newStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry, contributing research data from Southeast Asia region to support diverse geographic coverage.
• TerrasolsnewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry, joining the expanding ecosystem of organizations supporting open data sharing.
• Rock Flour CompanynewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry, joining the network of organizations committed to advancing ERW science through data sharing.
• UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative ExtensionnewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry through its Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center, contributing academic research data.
• UNDOnewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry, joining the expanding ecosystem of organizations supporting ERW data sharing.
• VarahanewStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew contributor to the ERW Data Quarry, joining the network of organizations committed to advancing ERW science through data sharing.
• Carbon Business CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Carbon Business Council convenes the Enhanced Weathering Alliance, of which Cascade Climate is a member. The alliance promotes enhanced weathering as a carbon dioxide removal method and aims to advance policy, create credible markets, and educate stakeholders.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CarbonPlan: Nonprofit research organization focused on carbon removal and climate solutions accountability. Operates a similar convener model producing open-access tools and analyses that inform CDR buyers, policymakers, and project developers — closely comparable to Cascade's mission and operating approach.
• Carbonfuture: Verified carbon removal credit platform providing MRV infrastructure and traceability for CDR projects. Comparable as it develops verification infrastructure for nature-based and tech-based CDR pathways that intersect with Cascade's scope.
• Puro.earth: Carbon removal registry and marketplace issuing certified CDR credits across multiple methodologies. Comparable as a CDR certification and standards-setting organization operating adjacent to Cascade's framework-development work.
• Carbon Removal Alliance: Coalition of carbon removal companies and organizations working to scale responsible CDR deployment. Comparable to Cascade as a convening body that coordinates across CDR developers, buyers, and policymakers.
• Isometric: Carbon dioxide removal verification platform issuing science-based CDR certificates. Comparable to Cascade as it builds MRV and certification infrastructure that buyers rely on to assess CDR quality, including for ERW.
• Carbon180: Nonprofit focused on building durable carbon removal policies and markets through research, coalition building, and policy advocacy. Comparable to Cascade as a climate nonprofit shaping CDR category development through convening and thought leadership.
• Carbon Drawdown Initiative: Nonprofit advancing carbon removal through ecosystem coordination, contributing datasets and research to the ERW Data Quarry. Comparable to Cascade as a fellow nonprofit research contributor in the ERW field.
• Enhanced Weathering Alliance: Coalition convened by the Carbon Business Council to advance enhanced weathering as a CDR pathway. Comparable to Cascade as a peer coalition focused exclusively on the ERW category that Cascade actively participates in and helps expand.
• Carbon Business Council: Industry trade association for the carbon removal industry that convenes the Enhanced Weathering Alliance (a Cascade partner). Comparable as a coordinating body for ERW developers and policy advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• Frontier (Stripe-led buyer coalition): Advance market commitment of major tech companies collectively committing $1B+ to durable CDR purchases. Comparable to Cascade as a strategic partner and counterpart — Frontier requires Data Quarry contributions in its ERW offtakes, making it both a customer and ecosystem shaper.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cascade-climate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cascade Climate