CarbonPlan
CarbonPlan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds open-source data tools and harmonized databases analyzing the scientific integrity of carbon offsets, carbon removal pathways, and climate risks for government agencies, researchers, journalists, and climate-focused companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What CarbonPlan does
CarbonPlan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation founded in 2019 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. The organization analyzes the design and implementation of climate programs across the public and private sectors, focusing on three areas: carbon offsets, carbon removal, and climate risks. Its mission is to ensure the scientific integrity and transparency of climate services and solutions, with an explicit emphasis on gigaton-scale carbon removal and sound climate adaptation strategies alongside deep emission reductions.
CarbonPlan's core product portfolio is delivered as open-source interactive web tools and harmonized databases. OffsetsDB consolidates data from seven major registries (ACR, ART, CCB, CAR, GLD, OVC, VCS), covering 11.7K projects, 2.82B credits issued, and 1.59B credits retired. Open Climate Risk provides present-day and future wildfire risk for buildings across the contiguous United States at building-level resolution. Forest Offsets Fires maps intersections between forest carbon offset projects and active fires. DOR Efficiency and OAE Efficiency are interactive tools mapping the efficiency of direct ocean removal and ocean alkalinity enhancement across 690 modeled ocean regions. The CDR Verification Framework evaluates carbon dioxide removal pathways, and CDRXIV operates as a preprint server for CDR research. The technology stack centers on open data engineering, reactive transport modeling, geospatial visualization, and ocean biogeochemical modeling run on NERSC supercomputing resources.
The organization's go-to-market is community-led and free at point of use, with all tools and code publicly available under open-source licenses (CC BY 4.0 for articles). Revenue is sourced from a mix of unrestricted individual donations (suggested at $10–$100), recurring foundation grants (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAF, Grantham Foundation, The Navigation Fund, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Sergey Brin Family Foundation), and project-specific contracts (such as the [C]Worthy collaboration). CarbonPlan operates with a 14-person core team and a 5-person board, and its primary audiences are government organizations, climate-focused companies, climate researchers, and journalists covering climate accountability. The nonprofit relies on earned media in CNN, Bloomberg, Politico, the New York Times, the Washington Post, MIT Technology Review, and The Guardian as its primary distribution channel beyond direct research publication.
CarbonPlan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CarbonPlan
- Legal name
- CarbonPlan
- Website
- https://carbonplan.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CarbonPlan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds open-source data tools and harmonized databases analyzing the scientific integrity of carbon offsets, carbon removal pathways, and climate risks for government agencies, researchers, journalists, and climate-focused companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CarbonPlan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Climate Data Analytics Software
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital MRV & Traceability Platforms (dMRV, APIs, Data Pipelines, Tokenization Support) (EUABACAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Data Assurance, Audit & Attestation (ISAE 3000/3410, SOC, Chain-of-Custody) (EUABACAJ), Carbon Market Data, Indexing & Price Reporting (Benchmarks, indices, market data feeds) (EUABAAAD), Carbon Registries & Issuance Platforms (Project/credit lifecycle, serials, issuance, retirement) (EUABAAAA), Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification) (IMAMAJAE), Carbon Neutrality/Claims Strategy & Communications (claims substantiation, greenwashing risk) (EUABAKAK)
Keywords
Where CarbonPlan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CarbonPlan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Donations: Unrestricted donations from individuals and foundations. The organization accepts donations via credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and stock donations. Gift amounts suggested at $10, $20, $50, $100 on the website.
- Foundation Grants: Project-specific and unrestricted grants from foundations including Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAF, Grantham Foundation, The Navigation Fund, and others listed on their funding page
- Corporate Contracts: Project-specific funding through contracts with organizations like [C]Worthy for developing CDR tools and research collaboration
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Donation options |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
CarbonPlan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CarbonPlan builds and distributes free, open-source interactive web tools and harmonized databases that analyze climate solutions with scientific rigor. Its portfolio centers on carbon offset transparency (OffsetsDB covering 11.7K projects across seven registries), wildfire and climate risk mapping (Open Climate Risk, Forest Offsets Fires), ocean carbon removal efficiency modeling (DOR and OAE Efficiency Maps), cap-and-trade compliance tracking (Compliance Users), a CDR preprint server (CDRXIV), and the CDR Verification Framework.
Product overview
CarbonPlan is a nonprofit organization that offers a suite of open-source research tools and interactive databases focused on climate solutions analysis. The portfolio includes OffsetsDB (a harmonized database of carbon offset projects and credits across seven major registries), Open Climate Risk (wildfire risk mapping for buildings across the contiguous US), Forest Offsets Fires (wildfire monitoring for forest carbon offset projects), DOR Efficiency and OAE Efficiency (interactive maps for marine carbon removal efficiency), Compliance Users (tracking offset usage in California's cap-and-trade program), CDRXIV (a preprint server for CDR research), and the CDR Verification Framework (comparing carbon dioxide removal pathways). These tools work together to improve transparency and scientific integrity in carbon offsets, carbon removal, and climate risk assessment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OffsetsDB: A harmonized database of carbon offset projects and credits that collects and standardizes data from seven of the largest offset registries.
- CDRXIV
- Open Climate Risk
- CDR Verification Framework
- Forest Offsets Fires
- Compliance Users
Products and services
- OffsetsDB
Quantifiable outcome
- 500+ forest offset projects now have geographic boundary data in OffsetsDB enabling more robust market oversight
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CarbonPlan
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CarbonPlan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
CarbonPlan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- [C]WorthycoreCollaboration with [C]Worthy to build the DOR Efficiency Map and OAE Efficiency tools. [C]Worthy provided grants from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, The Navigation Fund, and Grantham Foundation to implement the interactive tool and write explainer articles. CarbonPlan contributed data transformation and visualization expertise.
- Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)minorHosted interdisciplinary workshop on physical climate risk and financial regulation together with EDF and Initiative on Climate Risk and Resilience Law (ICRRL).
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CarbonPlan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sylvera: Sylvera is a commercial carbon credit ratings and analytics firm that evaluates offset quality across registries—directly competing with CarbonPlan's OffsetsDB and offset integrity work, though using proprietary (rather than open-source) methodologies.
- BeZero Carbon: BeZero provides independent carbon credit ratings and market intelligence on voluntary carbon offsets. Directly comparable to CarbonPlan's OffsetsDB and offset quality analysis, operating as a commercial alternative.
- Pachama: Pachama combines satellite-based forest carbon verification with a carbon credit marketplace. Comparable to CarbonPlan's Forest Offsets Fires tool and offset integrity work, with a more commercial marketplace focus.
- NCX (Natural Capital Exchange): NCX is a forest carbon marketplace that quantifies and verifies forest carbon projects using satellite and ground data. Directly comparable to CarbonPlan's Forest Offsets Fires tool and forest offset integrity work.
Emerging players
- Watershed: Watershed is a corporate carbon accounting platform that helps enterprises measure and reduce emissions. Adjacent to CarbonPlan's offset and emissions work but focused on enterprise software rather than independent verification.
- Persefoni: Persefoni offers a climate management and accounting platform for enterprises to calculate their carbon footprints. Adjacent to CarbonPlan's emissions work but operates as commercial SaaS rather than open-source research.
- Climate TRACE: Climate TRACE is a coalition using satellites and AI to track greenhouse gas emissions globally. Overlapping with CarbonPlan's emissions and climate risk work; CarbonPlan team members contributed to its Time Best Invention 2020 recognition.
- WattTime: WattTime provides emissions data and analytics for climate action, including real-time grid emissions. Comparable to CarbonPlan's climate data tools but focused on energy sector emissions rather than carbon markets and CDR.
Broad incumbents
- Verra: Verra operates the VCS registry—one of the largest carbon credit standards bodies globally. As a registry operator, Verra's data and methodology decisions directly shape the dataset CarbonPlan's OffsetsDB aggregates.
- Gold Standard: Gold Standard is a leading carbon credit certification body that issues and tracks verified emission reductions. One of the seven registries CarbonPlan tracks; comparable as a carbon standards infrastructure provider.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CarbonPlan social profiles
Digital presenceCarbonPlan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CarbonPlan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
CarbonPlan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CarbonPlan M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CarbonPlan
What does CarbonPlan do?
CarbonPlan builds and distributes free, open-source interactive web tools and harmonized databases that analyze climate solutions with scientific rigor. Its portfolio centers on carbon offset transparency (OffsetsDB covering 11.7K projects across seven registries), wildfire and climate risk mapping (Open Climate Risk, Forest Offsets Fires), ocean carbon removal efficiency modeling (DOR and OAE Efficiency Maps), cap-and-trade compliance tracking (Compliance Users), a CDR preprint server (CDRXIV), and the CDR Verification Framework.
Is CarbonPlan a public or private company?
CarbonPlan is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CarbonPlan founded?
CarbonPlan was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CarbonPlan based?
CarbonPlan is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does CarbonPlan make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation Grants and corporate Contracts.
Who are CarbonPlan's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sylvera, BeZero Carbon, Pachama and NCX (Natural Capital Exchange). Emerging players are Watershed, Persefoni, Climate TRACE and WattTime. Broad incumbents are Verra and Gold Standard.
Does CarbonPlan have an API?
No public API is recorded for CarbonPlan.
What industry is CarbonPlan in?
CarbonPlan's product category is Climate Data Analytics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABACAK, Digital MRV & Traceability Platforms (dMRV, APIs, Data Pipelines, Tokenization Support), with a secondary code of EUABACAJ, Data Assurance, Audit & Attestation (ISAE 3000/3410, SOC, Chain-of-Custody). Its NAICS code is 54162 and its SIC code is 7370.