Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB)

What Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB) does

Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Rafael, California, that delivers paid workforce development to approximately 200 young adults (ages 18-30) annually while providing conservation and zero-waste services to government, nonprofit, and commercial clients across Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties. Most corpsmembers come from underserved North Bay communities—San Rafael's Canal neighborhood, Marin City, Novato, Petaluma, Cotati, Santa Rosa, and Windsor—and more than 60% have dropped out of or aged out of high school. CCNB describes itself as the oldest local nonprofit youth conservation corps in the United States and is governed as an independent nonprofit with no parent or controlling entity.

CCNB operates two main field programs: Natural Resources Crews (trail building and maintenance, fire fuel reduction, habitat restoration, flood control, vegetation management, pile burning) and Zero Waste Crews (e-waste, tire, mattress, carpet, solar panel, and CRV recycling plus edible food recovery). These are delivered through regional offices in Marin (San Rafael, 27 Larkspur Street), Sonoma (Santa Rosa, 3555 Airway Drive), and a development office in Novato. Corpsmembers can earn nearly 30 industry-recognized certifications—including Forklift, Sawyer I-III, Chipper, OSHA-10, HAZWOPER 40, First Aid/CPR, DTSC Universal Waste, CRV Recycling Specialist, Confined Space, and Storm Drain Marking—and can pursue a high school diploma through the on-site John Muir Charter School. Operational infrastructure runs on Salesforce for corpsmember applications and CRM, Google Analytics and DMP feeds for donor management, and downstream processing partnerships with Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), the Mattress Recycling Council, and the North Bay Zero Waste Collective.

CCNB's revenue model is a hybrid nonprofit funding stack: government and municipal service contracts (Marin County Parks' $179,976 six-month pilot; Marin County Flood Control District work across all eight Flood Control Zones; Sonoma County Regional Parks; Town of Tiburon; California State Parks; Novato Sanitary District; City of Santa Rosa; Marin Water), recurring state and federal grants (CalRecycle for zero-waste initiatives; Proposition 68; California Coastal Commission Whale Tail; Wildlife Conservation Board; National Parks Foundation), drop-off recycling fees (carpet recycling at $28/visit), closed-loop aggregation revenue (North Bay Zero Waste Collective with Sigma Stretch Film/iSustain/Polyfit serving 100+ wineries), and individual giving through online sustaining donations, donor-advised funds, employer matching (CFC #19873, CA State Employees #12361), stock, cryptocurrency (The Giving Block), vehicle, and planned gifts. Service revenue is reinvested into corpsmember wages (raised to $14/hour effective January 2020) and credentials, producing a labor-cost recovery dynamic that funds the workforce development mission.

Name

Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB)

Legal name

Conservation Corps North Bay

Website

https://ccnorthbay.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB), founded 1982, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing paid training, certifications, and a diploma pathway to ~200 underserved young adults annually across California's North Bay, while delivering conservation and zero-waste services to public agencies and nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Conservation Corps and Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (23711), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Site Preparation Contractors (23891), Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (23821)

SIC

Electrical Work (1731), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG), Construction, Engineering & Skilled Trades Licensure Prep (EDAAANAL), Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH)

Keywords

• Youth conservation corps
• Natural resource management
• Zero waste recycling
• Workforce development
• Habitat restoration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Novato

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government and Municipal Service Contracts: CCNB contracts with government agencies (Marin County Parks - $179,996 pilot; Marin County Flood Control District; City of Santa Rosa; Sonoma County Regional Parks; Town of Tiburon; California State Parks) to provide paid crew labor for trail, fuels reduction, flood control, habitat restoration, and parks projects. Recurring and project-based.
2. State and CalRecycle Grants: CCNB receives annual grant funding from CalRecycle for Zero Waste programs (Edible Food Recovery, wine country recycling, carpet recycling, e-waste events). Additional grant funding from Zero Waste Sonoma purchased a refrigerated truck for the food recovery program.
3. Foundation and Federal Grants: Foundation grants support CCNB's conservation projects, including National Parks Foundation (Marin Headlands), California Coastal Commission Whale Tail grants, and State of California Proposition 68 (Azalea Hill Mt. Tamalpais Watershed).
4. Individual Donations (One-Time and Recurring): CCNB accepts individual donations via online portal (Sustaining Donor monthly recurring option), mailed checks, donor-advised funds, Amazon wish list, employer matching (Local Independent Charities, United Way Wine Country, CFC #19873, CA State Employees #12361), vehicle donation, stock donations through Stock Donator, cryptocurrency via The Giving Block, and planned/bequest gifts.
5. Drop-Off Recycling Service Fees: CCNB charges drop-off fees for recycling services (e.g., carpet recycling at $28 per visit) and accepts e-waste, tires, mattresses, and other materials. Significantly below municipal landfill tipping fees (~ $158/ton).
6. Closed-Loop Recycling Aggregation Program Revenue: Member/participation-based recycling aggregation revenue through the North Bay Zero Waste Collective closed-loop stretch film program with Sigma Stretch Film, iSustain, and Polyfit, recovering 20-30 truckloads annually for 100+ wineries and regional businesses.
7. Workforce / Corpsmember Wage Subsidy via Service Delivery: CCNB reinvests service revenue and grant funds into corpsmember wages (raised to $14/hour starting in January 2020), LevelUP pay incentives, and credentials; revenue is effectively a labor-cost recovery model supporting workforce development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CCNB operates a paid youth workforce development program (ages 18-30) that delivers two integrated service lines: Natural Resources Crews (trail maintenance, fire fuel reduction, habitat restoration, vegetation management, creek stewardship) and Zero Waste Crews (e-waste, tire, mattress, carpet, solar panel recycling and edible food recovery). Corpsmembers earn wages, industry-recognized certifications (nearly 30), and a high school diploma pathway via the on-site John Muir Charter School, while CCNB contracts crew labor to government agencies, land trusts, and businesses across the North Bay.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CCNB Chronicles: Conservation Corps North Bay's blog/newsletter publication featuring corpsmember and project spotlights.
• North Bay Bin Game

Products and services

• Natural Resources Crews
• Zero Waste Crews
• Career Pathways
• Education / John Muir Charter School
• Hire a Crew (Contracting Services)
• Recycle with Us (Public Drop-off & Collection Services)
• Free E-Waste Pickup for Novato Residents Free electronics pickup service for Novato residents operated in partnership with the Novato Sanitary District since July 2021, expanded in July 2022 to include pickups on Mondays or Thursdays year-round (excluding holidays). Processed through Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), which holds NAID AAA, R2, and e-Stewards certifications.
• Solar Panel Recycling Program Solar panel collection, testing, reuse, and recycling service launched June 2023 in response to California DTSC's designation of photovoltaic modules as the eighth category of toxic waste. Panels are tested with multimeters; reusable units are donated to nonprofits (Cow Shades, GreenLynx, Habitat for Humanity); non-reusable units are sent to certified solar panel recyclers. Funded by CalRecycle grant, in partnership with Zero Waste Sonoma.
• Carpet Recycling Program Carpet and padding recycling service launched June 2021 in partnership with Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), diverting material from landfills to Southern California recycling centers for production of new carpet or padding. Drop-off rate of $28 per visit vs. landfill tipping fees around $158/ton. Initially offered at the Cotati location.
• Edible Food Recovery Program Food rescue and redistribution service operated under California Senate Bill 1383 with Zero Waste Sonoma and CalRecycle funding. Collects edible food from Tier 1 generators (Whole Foods, Safeway, Nugget Markets) and distributes locally through partners including Redwood Empire Food Bank, ExtraFood, Farm to Pantry, and Una Vida. Recovered over 100,000 pounds of food in January-June 2024. Includes farm gleaning operations.
• Wine Country Recycling Program Collection service for wineries and tasting rooms throughout Sonoma and Napa counties, accepting glass bottles, cardboard, and PET/plastic wrap. Established in response to California Beverage Container Recycling Program (Bottle Bill) updates covering wine and distilled spirits containers. Operates two full collection routes and has collected over 22,000 pounds of glass, 5,000+ pounds of cardboard, and 6,000+ pounds of PET/plastic wrap. Funded by an annual CalRecycle grant.
• Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps (SCYEC) County-wide workforce training and ecosystem education program aimed at employing young adults and teaching environmental stewardship. CCNB partners with the County of Sonoma to provide educational and work development opportunities with partners including Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, Sonoma County Ag+Open Space, and City of Santa Rosa Creek Stewardship.
• Marin County Flood Control District Partnership Long-standing partnership with Marin County Flood Control District (since 1982) covering annual projects across all eight county Flood Control Zones, including selective vegetation removal, invasive species control, and flood mitigation along 21 miles of urban creeks and streams annually.
• Mulch Madness Program Free sheet mulching program with Marin Water to convert irrigated lawns into water-conserving landscapes. CCNB crews received training from Daily Acts and complete one household conversion per day. Marin Water launched the program in response to drought conditions declared a local emergency by the Marin County Board of Supervisors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Diverted 601,585 pounds of e-waste from landfill in the prior year
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

41 partnerships are on record, tiered core / flagship, core, major and minor.

• CalRecyclecore / flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalRecycle provides recurring annual grant funding that powers CCNB's wine country recycling program (glass, cardboard, PET/plastic wrap collection from wineries), solar panel recycling collection at Zero Waste Sonoma events, food recovery (with a refrigerated truck grant), and broader Zero Waste initiatives. Funded at multiple touchpoints across the program portfolio.
• Zero Waste Sonomacore / flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongtime Sonoma County partner co-funding CCNB's Edible Food Recovery program (refrigerated truck grant), carpet recycling, e-waste, tire, mattress recycling, and SCYEC. Joint recipient (with CCNB) of the 2020 CRRA Outstanding Electronic Recycling Award.
• Novato Sanitary DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunds and co-delivers a free E-waste pickup program for all Novato residents on Mondays and Thursdays; partnership renewed in July 2022 with a second pickup day.
• Marin County Parkscore / flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner$179,976 six-month pilot (Sep 2019) for a four-person trail maintenance crew; deepened partnership to develop a pipeline of road and trail specialists from CCNB corpsmembers.
• Marin County Flood Control Districtcore / flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of CCNB's longest-standing partnerships (since response to 1982 San Anselmo flooding); now spans all eight county Flood Control Zones with 2-3 CCNB crews daily; reduced flooding risk along 21 miles of urban creeks in one year.
• Sonoma Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year fire fuel reduction and forest/grassland health work on Little Black Mountain and Estero Americano Preserve, including Monterey pine management for coho salmon/steelhead habitat.
• Marin WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementation of the 'Mulch Madness' sheet mulching program across Marin County during the drought; CCNB crews received Daily Acts training to deliver lawn-to-mulch conversions at one household per day.
• Daily ActscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPetaluma-based Land Resilience Partnership project: installation of rain gardens, rainwater tanks, laundry-to-landscape and grey-water reuse systems, drip irrigation, and sheet mulching; Daily Acts staff oversee projects while CCNB crews learn sustainable installation skills.
• Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps (SCYEC) / County of Sonomacore / flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear-round county-wide workforce training and ecosystem education program for young adults. CCNB delivers educational and work-development opportunities alongside SCYEC's partners (Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, Sonoma County Ag+Open Space, City of Santa Rosa Creek Stewardship).
• Sonoma County Regional ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-running trail-building and trail-maintenance partner (Helen Putnam Regional Park; new Dutch Bill Creek park near Monte Rio); training provided in partnership with Sonoma County Trails Council.
• Davey TreemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoadside fuels reduction project along Deer Park Road in St. Helena; 23 service days of ladder-fuel and dead-vegetation removal; gives corpsmembers advanced fuels reduction experience alongside a professional contractor.
• Friends of Corte Madera Creek WatershedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLower College of Marin Corte Madera Creek Habitat Restoration: ~0.6 acres new tidal wetland and 0.8 acres new transitional/upland riparian habitat by removing or lowering 625 lineal feet of concrete flood channel wall.
• Watershed Research & Training Center and Sonoma Land TrustmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided immersive pile burning training to CCNB crew supervisors (spring 2023) covering burn pile tools, techniques, and safety protocols; applied in California State Parks (Trione-Annadel State Park).
• Occidental Arts and Ecology CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWhale Tail grant partner providing hands-on vegetation management and habitat restoration workshops (Whale Tail first cohort).
• The Corps NetworkmajorOthersAccreditation body for Service and Conservation Corps; CCNB holds the Accredited Corps designation and has had corpsmembers named finalists for the Corpsmember of the Year award.
• Electronic Recyclers International (ERI)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDownstream e-waste recycling partner holding NAID AAA, R2, and e-Stewards certifications; ensures all collected e-waste has data destroyed before being responsibly recycled in California.
• Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarpet and padding recycling partnership that diverts material to Southern California recycling centers to be processed into new carpet/padding products.
• Mattress Recycling CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership (since ~early 2019) to collect and recycle used mattresses and box springs, deterring illegal dumping.
• Sonoma Water (Sonoma County Water Agency)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts CCNB Intern Crew members; trains corpsmembers on interim stream maintenance crew work, providing a path to employment in the water/utility sector.
• City of Santa Rosa Creek StewardshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPre-rainy-season SCYEC partner; CCNB crews remove invasive species, reduce hazardous fuels, and create/restore waterways.
• Stewards of the Coast and RedwoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCYEC partner for environmental stewardship projects in Sonoma County.
• Sonoma County Ag+Open SpaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCYEC partner for environmental projects across Sonoma County.
• North Bay Zero Waste Collective, Sigma Stretch Film, iSustain, PolyfitmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional closed-loop stretch film recycling collaboration in Napa and Sonoma wine regions serving 100+ wineries and businesses; expected to recover 20-30 truckloads annually, diverting 800,000 to 1.2 million pounds of material from landfill.
• Hanford ARCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal ecological restoration contractor that hosts a special CCNB workforce crew, providing skills and confidence for corpsmembers applying for jobs outside CCNB.
• WRA Landscape ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcological employer that recruits CCNB alumni at Ecological Workforce Initiative job fairs; recent hires include Elmer G. and Daniel R.
• Bartlett Tree ExpertsminorOthersPost-CCNB employer that hired corpsmember Zicri into a professional arborist role.
• Watershed Progressive (Land Resilience Partnership)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides the Land Resilience Partnership model implemented by Daily Acts and CCNB crews in Petaluma.
• John Muir Charter School (JMCS)core / flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCNB's on-site charter high school; enables corpsmembers without a high school diploma to graduate while working (e.g., Omar A. walked the stage in September 2022).
• Audubon Canyon Ranch (Fire Forward)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFire Forward is a training and mentoring fire line fellowship; Sergio T. was one of 15 selected from over 40 applicants for the program in 2022.
• Redwood Empire Food BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdible Food Recovery distribution partner; received ~12,500 jars of applesauce from the Farm to Pantry gleaning partnership in early 2022.
• ExtraFoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdible Food Recovery partner distributing recovered food locally within Sonoma County.
• Farm to PantryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGleaning partner that converts locally grown apples into ~12,500 jars of applesauce for Redwood Empire Food Bank distribution.
• Una VidaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdible Food Recovery distribution partner receiving recovered food locally within Sonoma County.
• Ecological Workforce InitiativemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosts job fairs connecting CCNB corpsmembers with employers in the ecological field; recent fairs have produced hires at WRA Landscape Consultants.
• Redefine AllianceminorOthersFeatured partner logo on the CCNB homepage (Redefine Alliance).
• Candid (GuideStar / Seal of Transparency)minorOthersCCNB displays a Candid Seal of Transparency (GuideStar profile #8409143) on its homepage.
• Stock DonatorminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSecurities donation processing partner enabling CCNB to receive stock contributions.
• The Giving BlockminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCryptocurrency donation processing partner for CCNB.
• CarEasy (CAREasy)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVehicle donation processing partner for CCNB.
• United Way of Wine Country / Local Independent CharitiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorkplace giving campaign partners for employer matching donations to CCNB.
• College of MarinminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducational partner where corpsmembers like Luis and Gaby enroll in ESL classes to improve English skills.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Year Up: Large national workforce-development nonprofit providing young adults with training and corporate internships leading to living-wage jobs. Comparable target population and outcome metrics (employment, wage gains), but focused on tech/business careers rather than conservation.

Others

• REDF: National social enterprise intermediary that invests in employment-focused nonprofits, including CCNB. Same workforce-development space (helping underserved populations gain living-wage employment) but with a national Funder/consulting role rather than direct service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Groundwork USA: National network of local Trusts delivering environmental improvement projects with youth engagement. Comparable mission around youth-led conservation; operates through affiliated local entities rather than direct service delivery.
• AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC): Federal residential service program for young adults performing conservation and disaster-response projects. Shares the youth-workforce-plus-conservation-service model with CCNB but operates at national scale with federal funding.
• Student Conservation Association (SCA): National nonprofit placing youth and young adults in conservation service roles with government agencies. Comparable youth-conservation employment model; broader geographic reach and longer tenure than CCNB.
• California Conservation Corps: State-run conservation corps serving thousands of young adults across California with similar paid conservation and emergency-response work. Directly comparable mission and program model but at materially larger scale and with state-government backing.

Direct peers

• Civicorps: Oakland-based nonprofit serving disconnected young adults with paid job training in conservation, recycling, and reentry services. Closely comparable workforce-development-plus-environmental-services model in the same Bay Area region.
• San Francisco Conservation Corps: Bay Area-based youth conservation corps offering paid job training and conservation/recycling services to young adults. Nearest direct geographic peer to CCNB with overlapping program offerings and similar target population.
• Los Angeles Conservation Corps: LA-based youth conservation corps providing paid job training, education, and environmental/emergency-response services. Operates a near-identical integrated workforce-development-plus-conservation-service model, though in Southern California.

Regional players

• Utah Conservation Corps: AmeriCorps-affiliated conservation corps operating in Utah and the Intermountain West with similar fuels reduction, trail work, and habitat restoration programs. Comparable program model but serves a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ConservationCorpsNorthBay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ccnorthbay
• Instagraminstagram.com/conservationcorpsnorthbay

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB)