American River Parkway Foundation

What American River Parkway Foundation does

American River Parkway Foundation (ARPF) is a Sacramento-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of the American River Parkway, a 23-mile, 4,800-acre urban natural park in Sacramento County. Founded approximately 43 years ago (with founding year referenced as either 1983 or 1993 across sources) and headquartered in the William B. Pond Recreation Area at 5700 Arden Way, Carmichael, ARPF is the only nonprofit focused on active conservation of all 23 miles of the Parkway. The organization mobilizes over 6,000 volunteers annually through structured programs including Clean-Ups, the Invasive Plant Management Program, Mile Stewards, Trail Maintenance, Fire Safe Council, Parkway CONNECT, and the River Bend Outdoor Educational Site / River Bend Science Center.

ARPF's revenue model is multi-stream: individual donations (one-time, Monthly Giving, Planned Giving), annual Foundation Membership, corporate Parkway Partners tiered sponsorships, event-driven ticket sales and auction proceeds (Summer Solstice Dinner & Auction, American River Burger Battle, Run the Parkway, Spring Clean-Up, GARCU, Howlin' on the Parkway), grants (notably the TEICHERT-Parkway Fund awarding up to $100,000 annually), and merchandise sales through a WooCommerce-based e-commerce storefront (shop.arpf.org) and Bonfire. The underlying technology stack is standard nonprofit SaaS: WordPress CMS, WooCommerce, VolunteerLocal for volunteer scheduling, Constant Contact and Mailchimp for email, USAePay for payment processing, and YouTube for the Discover the Parkway TV series. Annual quantitative outcomes include 65,968 pounds of trash removed, 259,472 invasive plants cleared, and 15,000+ volunteer hours contributed.

The Foundation serves Sacramento County residents and visitors (5-8 million annual Parkway visitors per source), Title I students and underserved youth, corporate sponsors (PG&E, Golden 1, Sutter Health, SMUD, Teichert, and others), and major donors. It is led by Executive Director Dianna Poggetto with Dustin Luton serving as Board President, and operates as an independent, privately-held 501(c)(3) with no parent organization or institutional investors.

Name

American River Parkway Foundation

Legal name

American River Parkway Foundation

Website

https://arpf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

American River Parkway Foundation is a Sacramento 501(c)(3) nonprofit that conserves the 23-mile, 4,800-acre American River Parkway through volunteer programs (Clean-Ups, Invasive Plant Management, Mile Stewards, Trail Maintenance), education (River Bend Science Center, Parkway CONNECT), and annual fundraising events, serving 5-8 million annual visitors and over 6,000 volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reforestation & Afforestation Services (Planting, Site Prep, Regeneration) (IMAMAAAE)

Keywords

• Parkway conservation programs
• Volunteer stewardship services
• Environmental education programs
• Community fundraising events
• Urban park preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Carmichael

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals via the Donate Now portal, Monthly Giving program, and Planned Giving.
2. Membership Dues: Annual Foundation Membership program with a free t-shirt benefit; new membership brochure published July 2024.
3. Corporate Sponsorships (Parkway Partners): Multi-tiered corporate partnership program with three financial investment levels; also tiered event sponsorships (Presenting $20,000, Cocktail $10,000, Starlight $5,000, Willow $3,500, Wine $2,500, etc.).
4. Grants (TEICHERT-Parkway Fund): Annual grant fund up to $100,000 disbursed to qualifying proposals for Parkway visitor experience, education, recreation, and access projects. Funded by TEICHERT through gravel mining operations.
5. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, hats, long-sleeve shirts), accessories (mugs, fanny packs, stickers), maps, and Gregory Kondos art prints through shop.arpf.org. Prices range from $5 (sticker/map) to $30 (long-sleeve shirt/hat).
6. Event Ticket Sales & Auction Revenue: Ticket sales for fundraisers such as Summer Solstice Dinner & Auction (largest fundraiser, raised $110,000+ in 2022), American River Burger Battle ($75 general, $150 VIP tickets), Run the Parkway (raised $30,000 in 2022), Spring Clean-Up, and Howlin' on the Parkway.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The American River Parkway Foundation (ARPF) is a Sacramento 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that operates volunteer-driven conservation, education, and community-access programs for the 23-mile, 4,800-acre American River Parkway. It mobilizes thousands of volunteers annually for clean-ups, invasive plant removal, trail maintenance, fire mitigation, and outdoor STEM education, and it sustains these programs through individual donations, memberships, corporate sponsorships, grants, signature fundraising events, and a branded merchandise storefront.

Product overview

American River Parkway Foundation (ARPF) is a Sacramento 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization, not a typical software product company. Its offering is a portfolio of community programs, facilities, and digital touchpoints that together support conservation of the 23-mile, 4,800-acre American River Parkway. The portfolio is structured as a core set of volunteer-driven conservation programs (Clean-Ups Program, Invasive Plant Management Program, Mile Stewards, Trail Maintenance, Parkway Enhancement Project, Fire Safe Council, Native Plant Garden, Tribute Tables) layered with education programs (Parkway Adventure Days, River Bend Outdoor Educational Site / River Bend Science Center, Junior Ranger Activity Booklet, Educational Videos), community access initiatives (Parkway CONNECT, Pups in the Park, Internship Program), fundraising/grant programs (Membership, Planned Giving, Parkway Partners, TEICHERT-Parkway Fund, Voice of the Parkway Coalition), and major annual events (Great American River Clean-Up, Spring Clean-Up, American River Burger Battle, Run the Parkway, Summer Solstice Dinner & Auction). The website (arpf.org) and the WooCommerce-powered ARPF Merchandise Shop (shop.arpf.org) act as the unifying digital front door, integrating Constant Contact and Mailchimp for email outreach, VolunteerLocal for volunteer scheduling, USAePay for payment processing, and YouTube for the Discover the Parkway video series. The American River Parkway Interactive Map provides visitor navigation, while the #LoveTheParkway campaign ties social, newsletter, and merchandise channels together.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARPF Shop: Online merchandise store operated by the American River Parkway Foundation, selling Parkway-branded apparel, accessories, prints, maps, and other branded items (shop.arpf.org).

Products and services

• Clean-Ups Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 65,968 pounds of trash removed from the Parkway by volunteers in 2025
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic advocacy partner, media partner, operational partner, co-production partner, advocacy coalition partner, community program partner, featured program partner, core technology vendor, email marketing vendor, payment processing vendor, site hosting/maintenance vendor, merchandise partner, event partner, co-event partner, media/podcast partner and government/public affairs partner.

• Five Star Bankstrategic advocacy partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive Star Bank partnered with ARPF's Voice of the Parkway Coalition to help find land for shelters addressing homelessness on the Parkway.
• KCRA 3 / My58media partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia Sponsor of the Summer Solstice Dinner & Auction. KCRA 3 Meteorologist Tamara Berg is also a celebrity judge at the American River Burger Battle.
• Comstocks Magazinemedia partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia Sponsor of the Summer Solstice Dinner & Auction; published feature 'Creating Visitor Experiences on the American River Parkway!' in May 2026.
• Junk King Sacramentooperational partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJunk King partnered with ARPF volunteers for the Great American River Clean-Up 2025, providing trucks and crew to pack and haul collected garbage from cleanup sites along the American River Parkway.
• Sacramento Media Center (John Christensen)co-production partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produces the 'Discover the Parkway' four-part TV series with ARPF, in partnership with funding from the Sacramento Metro Cable Commission.
• Sacramento Coalition to End Homelessnessadvocacy coalition partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdopted the March 31 deadline pushed by ARPF and the Voice of the Parkway Coalition for removing illegal campers from the American River Parkway.
• Refugee Enrichment and Development Association (REDA)community program partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with ARPF's Parkway CONNECT program at a weaving event attended by Leanne Gangler in May 2026.
• Hooked on Fishingfeatured program partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in 'Discover the Parkway' Episode 2 alongside Single Mom Strong and Parkway CONNECT program.
• Single Mom Strongfeatured program partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in 'Discover the Parkway' Episode 2 alongside Hooked on Fishing and Parkway CONNECT program.
• VolunteerLocalcore technology vendorTechnology or IntegrationVolunteer scheduling platform powering ARPF's volunteer sign-up at arpf.volunteerlocal.com across all volunteer programs.
• Constant Contactemail marketing vendorTechnology or IntegrationEmail newsletter service powering ARPF monthly newsletter sign-ups at lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/b5k5d73.
• USAePaypayment processing vendorTechnology or IntegrationCredit card payment processing gateway integrated with the ARPF WooCommerce online merchandise storefront.
• Outback Solutionssite hosting/maintenance vendorTechnology or IntegrationHosts and maintains the ARPF website (arpf.org) and shop.arpf.org storefront.
• Bonfiremerchandise partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorARPF operates a Bonfire Store at bonfire.com/store/american-river-parkway-foundation/ for additional merchandise fundraising.
• Sacramento Running Associationevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerRun the Parkway is operated via runsra.org; ARPF serves as beneficiary. Former SRA President John Mansoor created an elite training grant supporting post-collegiate runners.
• Sacramento Metro Fire / Sacramento City Fireevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompeting chefs at the American River Burger Battle (May 16, 2026). Sacramento Metro Fire and Sacramento City Fire competed and Metro Fire's jalapeño inferno burger placed near the top.
• Kimpton Sawyer Hotelevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSam Shafer represented Kimpton Sawyer Hotel at the 2026 American River Burger Battle; 2025 Judge's Choice Winner.
• 7th Street Standardevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPedro Depina represented 7th Street Standard at the 2026 American River Burger Battle; 2025 People's Choice Winner.
• Hawk's Public House and Moksa Barrel Houseevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael Fagnoni represented Hawk's Public House and Moksa Barrel House at the 2026 American River Burger Battle.
• Origami Asian Grill / Gami Burgerevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerScott Ostrander represented Origami Asian Grill and Gami Burger at the 2026 American River Burger Battle.
• Husick's by Foresterevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerMatt Brown represented Husick's by Forester at the 2026 American River Burger Battle.
• Good Neighborevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGregory Desmangles represented Good Neighbor at the 2026 American River Burger Battle; their Pangaea Bier Cafe burger was the overall winner.
• The Firehouse Restaurantevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnthony Contreras represented The Firehouse Restaurant at the 2026 American River Burger Battle.
• Druthers Sutter Parkevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNickolas Duren represented Druthers Sutter Park at the 2026 American River Burger Battle.
• California Coastal Commissionco-event partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerARPF's Great American River Clean-Up is held in conjunction with the California Coastal Cleanup Day, normally the third Saturday of September.
• NonProfit Podcast Network (Jeff Holden)media/podcast partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted the 'A Sense of Space' podcast episode featuring Executive Director Dianna Poggetto about the Parkway.
• Sacramento County / City of Sacramentogovernment/public affairs partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerARPF submitted a Demand Letter to Sacramento County and City of Sacramento (January 2022) demanding action on illegal camping and restoration funding; partnered on the passage of the American River Parkway Ordinance in August 2022 (5-0 vote).

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• River Network: National nonprofit hub supporting local river and watershed groups across the US. Comparable through river-parkway stewardship mission and resource-providing role for volunteer-driven waterway conservation.
• City Parks Alliance: National nonprofit advancing urban parks through advocacy, research, and partnerships. Comparable in the urban-park advocacy and corporate-partnership dimensions of ARPF's work, especially relevant to the Voice of the Parkway Coalition model.
• The Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit creating parks and protecting land in cities across the US. Comparable through urban park conservation mission, donor and corporate partnership model, and policy advocacy, though at far greater scale and geographic reach than ARPF.
• American Rivers: National river conservation nonprofit focused on protecting and restoring rivers and connecting people to waterways. Directly comparable through river-focused conservation framing and advocacy, though operating at national scale rather than single-parkway.
• National Park Trust: National nonprofit dedicated to preserving parkland through acquisition, education programs, and youth engagement. Comparable mission around park conservation and youth outdoor education, with overlapping Parkway CONNECT-style equity programming.

Direct peers

• East Bay Regional Park District Foundation: Foundation supporting an urban regional park system in the San Francisco Bay Area. Closely comparable operating model: small staff, volunteer-driven clean-ups and trail maintenance, corporate sponsorships, event-based fundraising, and educational programming for an urban natural asset.
• Appalachian Mountain Club: Member-supported nonprofit conserving trails and natural areas in the Northeast, with volunteer-driven trail maintenance, conservation programs, and outdoor education. Closely comparable volunteer-mobilization, education, and conservation model.
• Chattahoochee Riverkeeper: Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River through advocacy, water quality monitoring, and volunteer stewardship. Closely analogous urban river conservation model with volunteer clean-ups, education, and policy advocacy.

Regional players

• Sacramento Valley Conservancy: Regional land conservancy operating in the greater Sacramento Valley focused on conservation easements and habitat protection. Highly comparable as a Sacramento-area environmental nonprofit with overlapping conservation mission and donor base, though focused on land acquisition rather than parkway stewardship.
• Sacramento Audubon Society: Sacramento-area chapter focused on bird conservation and habitat protection, including programs on the American River Parkway. Comparable regional conservation scope, volunteer base, and overlapping donor ecosystem in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arpfsac
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCej-RWJhqqZy_Uo6UsCqeA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ARParkway
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-river-parkway-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/arpfsac

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 American River Parkway Foundation