Coalitions & Collaboratives

What Coalitions & Collaboratives does

Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc. (COCO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, that operates a portfolio of interconnected programs addressing wildfire mitigation, forest and watershed health, and community resilience. The organization functions as a bridging intermediary between federal/state funders and place-based grassroots conservation groups, rather than a direct service provider to end beneficiaries. Core programs include the Action, Implementation & Mitigation (AIM) grant program ($10K-$75K awards to qualifying nonprofits, fire safe councils, tribal authorities, and local governments with 100% match required); the Community Mitigation Assistance Team (CMAT), a national interagency technical assistance resource co-developed with the US Forest Service in 2015; the Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices (CWMBP) training program (free, IQCS N9073-certified); the Community Navigator Initiative, which partners with five national nonprofits to expand federal funding access into underserved communities; and the Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Loan Fund (launched 2025), a Colorado pilot providing below-market bridge loans averaging ~$146K to grant-funded conservation organizations facing cash flow challenges from reimbursement-based federal grants.

COCO's business model is grant-dependent and relationship-driven, with no commercial product or software offering. Primary revenue streams are federal grants (predominantly US Forest Service through AIM, IFNF, and Community Navigator funding), state agency funding (Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado Water Conservation Board), private foundation program-related investments and grants (capitalizing the Revolving Loan Fund), and individual donations through PayPal. The organization supports 90+ downstream organizations and has six affiliates operating under its fiscal umbrella (Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative, Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health Partnership, Purgatoire Watershed Partnership, Fire Adapted Colorado, EmergencyRV, Central Colorado Forest Collaborative). Geographic footprint is Colorado-anchored with national reach across at least nine states plus Guam and Palau. The technology stack is minimal: WordPress website, Mailchimp newsletter, PayPal donations, and standard social media. COCO traces its institutional lineage to the Coalition for the Upper South Platte (founded 1997 following the 1996 Buffalo Creek fire), inheriting over two decades of conservation relationships and programmatic expertise.

Name

Coalitions & Collaboratives

Legal name

Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc.

Website

https://co-co.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

COCO is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as a bridging intermediary between federal/state funders and place-based conservation groups, operating grant programs (AIM), technical assistance (CMAT), training (CWMBP), community navigator services, and a revolving loan fund to advance wildfire mitigation and forest/watershed health across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation and Wildfire Mitigation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wildfire Risk Assessment, Prevention & Suppression Services (IMAMAJAG)

Keywords

• Wildfire mitigation services
• Collaborative conservation support
• Forest health programs
• Community resilience funding
• Conservation capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Grants: Primary revenue from federal grants, primarily US Forest Service funding through programs like AIM, CMAT, and Community Navigator Initiative. Also funded by Colorado State Forest Service and Colorado Water Conservation Board.
2. Private Foundation Funding: Program-Related Investments (PRIs) and grants from private foundations to capitalize the Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Loan Fund.
3. Donations: Individual donations through PayPal and direct contribution programs. Publicly stated on website donation page.
4. Loan Interest Income: Below-market rate bridge loans through Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Loan Fund generate interest income to sustain the revolving fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

COCO is a 501(c)(3) conservation nonprofit that funds, trains, and supports place-based organizations and wildfire-prone communities through the AIM grant program, the Community Mitigation Assistance Team (CMAT), Community Navigators, the Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices (CWMBP) training, and the Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Loan Fund. It functions as an umbrella/bridging organization that provides fiscal sponsorship, mentorship, technical assistance, and bridge financing to multiply the impact of grassroots conservation groups.

Product overview

Coalitions & Collaboratives (COCO) is a conservation nonprofit organization operating a portfolio of interconnected programs focused on wildfire mitigation, forest and watershed health, and community resilience. The core offerings include: the AIM Program (grants and mentorship for wildfire mitigation organizations), CMAT (on-the-ground technical assistance teams for high-risk communities), CWMBP Training (national certification-level training for mitigation specialists), and Community Navigators (federal funding access support). Supporting these are the Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Loan Fund (bridge financing for conservation organizations), the Riparian Book Club (educational programming), regional collaboratives like CCFC, and an Affiliate Program providing fiscal sponsorship. COCO functions as an incubator and capacity-building organization rather than a software product company, serving as a bridging organization that multiplies the efforts of grassroots conservation groups through funding, training, technical assistance, and collaborative facilitation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Action, Implementation & Mitigation (AIM) Program: Program that increases local capacity and supports wildfire risk reduction in high-risk communities through pass-through grant funding, on-site engagement, mentoring, and training on proven best mitigation practices.
• Community Navigator Initiative (CNI)
• Community Mitigation Assistance Team (CMAT)
• Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Loan Fund
• Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices Training (CWMBP)
• After The Flames (ATF)

Products and services

• Action, Implementation & Mitigation (AIM) Program A wildfire mitigation grant program that provides pass-through grant funding ($10,000-$75,000 per award), on-site engagement, mentoring, and training to place-based wildfire mitigation organizations, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits, conservation districts, fire safe councils, fire departments, tribal authorities, and city/county governments. Recipients must contribute a 100% match.
• Community Mitigation Assistance Team (CMAT) A national interagency technical assistance resource that supports communities facing wildfire risk by strengthening local capacity for community wildfire mitigation through facilitation, technical guidance, and mentorship delivered by deployed teams.
• Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices Training (CWMBP) A national-level training program (IQCS N9073) that teaches mitigation specialists, wildfire professionals, residents, and communities science-based methods and tools for community engagement and on-the-ground mitigation effectiveness. All courses are free to attend in virtual and in-person formats, with an IQCS N9073 Training Certificate available upon completion with additional requirements.
• Community Navigators (CN) A partnership service with the US Forest Service and national nonprofits (American Indigenous Tourism Association, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, First Nations Development Institute, Hispanic Access Foundation, Watershed Research and Training Center) that delivers Community Navigator support to help communities access federal funding for wildfire risk reduction and resilience building.
• Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Loan Fund A revolving loan fund providing below-market rate bridge loans to accelerate watershed, forest health, and wildfire mitigation projects. Average loan request $146,582, median $100,000; average preferred duration 1.89 years, median 2 years; 70% of respondents requested interest rate below 3%. Colorado pilot with $1 million minimum capitalization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 90+ organizations with $12.3M total investment over 5 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• US Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary federal partner providing major funding through AIM program, CMAT development (created in 2015), and Community Navigator Initiative. USFS developed CMAT as national interagency resource. Partnership supports wildfire mitigation capacity building across the country.
• Colorado State Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Loan Fund pilot design and as potential funders for reimbursement-based grants. State agency partner for Colorado-based programs.
• Colorado Water Conservation BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering on Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Loan Fund pilot as potential funders. State agency partner for watershed and water conservation programs.
• American Indigenous Tourism AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering Navigator Organization for Community Navigator Initiative. AITA establishes bridges of access for Latino leaders and connects tribes to conservation opportunities.
• Federation of Southern CooperativesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering Navigator Organization for Community Navigator Initiative. 57-year-old regional cooperative serving Black farmers, landowners, and cooperatives in the South with coop development and land retention.
• First Nations Development InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering Navigator Organization for Community Navigator Initiative. Supports American Indian economies through innovative institutions that strengthen asset control and economic development.
• Hispanic Access FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering Navigator Organization for Community Navigator Initiative. Establishes bridges connecting 1,200+ Latino-serving organizations to wildfire resilience resources.
• Watershed Research and Training CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering Navigator Organization. WRTC operates at local, state, and national scales to steward landscapes and connect people. Stewards Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network.
• Trees, Water & PeoplemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganized the New Mexico Tribal Forest and Fire Summit with COCO Community Catalyst Fund support. Focuses on Indigenous forest stewardship and tribal capacity building.
• Conservation LegacyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation through staff connections and contractors. Conservation Corps model applied to reduce gun violence and foster resilient communities and healthy urban forests.
• The Nature ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated with Fire Adapted Community Learning Network (FAC Net) which is supported through partnership among TNC, WRTC, and USFS.
• Arkansas River Watershed CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOCO affiliate organization covering 23,000 square miles of Arkansas River Basin. Works on fire mitigation, post-fire recovery, stream management, and collaborative development.
• Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOCO affiliate addressing wildfire risk in Clear Creek watershed across four counties. Formed to meet need for stakeholder coordination on wildfire planning.
• Purgatoire Watershed PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOCO affiliate working on restoration, protection, and enhancement of Purgatoire River Watershed through stakeholder engagement and on-the-ground work.
• Fire Adapted ColoradomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOCO affiliate providing statewide platform for wildfire information sharing. Born from Fire Adapted Community Learning Network (FAC Net).
• Central Colorado Forest CollaborativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOCO affiliate fostering collaboration for wildfire resilience across Pike National Forest region and Jefferson, Douglas, El Paso, Teller, and Park counties.
• PowerCorpsPHLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner referenced in community navigator stories. Applied Conservation Corps model to reduce gun violence and foster resilient communities in Philadelphia.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP): CUSP is the legacy predecessor from which COCO was launched in 2014 and shares identical mission focus on Upper South Platte watershed, forest health, and post-fire recovery. It is the most directly comparable organization in terms of origin, geography, and program mix.
• Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (FAC Net): FAC Net is the national peer learning network on wildfire resilience, supported by The Nature Conservancy, Watershed Research and Training Center, and USFS. COCO's Fire Adapted Colorado affiliate was born from FAC Net and shares the same fire-adapted communities framework and stakeholder model.
• Watershed Research and Training Center (WRTC): WRTC is a direct COCO Navigator partner that stewards FAC Net and operates at local, state, and national scales on landscape stewardship and fire resilience. WRTC and COCO share fire-adapted community work and federal partnership models in the western US.
• Conservation Legacy: Conservation Legacy runs multiple Conservation Corps programs and shares the workforce-development and federal-partnership ethos with COCO, especially through COCO's Mitigation Mentors and Navigator programs. Both build capacity for place-based conservation through embedded crews and federal contracting.
• Trees, Water & People: Trees, Water & People is a Navigator partner that focuses on tribal and Indigenous forest stewardship. COCO co-organized the New Mexico Tribal Forest and Fire Summit with TWP, addressing the same fire-mitigation and Indigenous-leadership intersection COCO works on through CNI.

Broad incumbents

• National Forest Foundation: NFF is the official nonprofit partner of the US Forest Service and routes significant federal pass-through funding for on-the-ground forest restoration. COCO's AIM Program operates a similar pass-through model at a smaller scale, making NFF a direct category analog.
• The Nature Conservancy (Colorado / Fire Programs): TNC operates at much larger scale across conservation, but COCO's Audrey Ek-Psomas came from TNC and the organizations share FAC Net stewardship and USFS partnership. TNC's fire programs are the broadest incumbent in wildfire mitigation and conservation finance.
• American Forests: American Forests is a national forest-conservation nonprofit with comparable wildfire-resilience, urban-forestry, and federal-advocacy work. It shares COCO's forest-health thematic focus but operates as a broader advocacy organization rather than a service-delivery intermediary.
• Trust for Public Land: TPL is a national conservation nonprofit that has pioneered innovative conservation finance tools (conservation easements, climate-smart cities). COCO's Revolving Loan Fund positions it as a smaller analog using creative finance to scale conservation outcomes.

Regional players

• Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative: Y2Y is a large-scale landscape conservation nonprofit connecting habitat from Yellowstone to Yukon. Y2Y's cross-boundary collaboration model and federal grant pass-through approach parallel several of COCO's regional collaboratives (e.g., CCFC) at a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cocoinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/coco_inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Coalitions & Collaboratives