Openlands

What Openlands does

Openlands is a 501(c)(3) metropolitan conservation organization and Land Trust Alliance accredited land trust founded in 1963 and headquartered at 25 East Washington Street, Chicago. It serves northeastern Illinois and adjacent regions, with operating geographies spanning Illinois, the Illinois-Wisconsin border, and select Indiana areas. Its core programmatic surface covers land acquisition and preservation (including over 70,000 acres protected and 15,000+ acres restored), conservation easements for private landowners, technical assistance to government entities (municipalities, conservation districts, Illinois DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), urban forestry workforce development through the TreeKeepers certification course (2,200+ graduates since 1991) and the U.S. Department of Labor-approved Arborist Registered Apprenticeship (3-year program with 94% post-completion retention), and grant administration through the ComEd Green Region Grant (over $2.5M to nearly 300 projects since 2013) and TreePlanters Grants. Supporting assets include the Get Outside Map (400+ parks and preserves), the Paddle Illinois Water Trails system (10 waterways), and Regional Trails documentation.

Underlying technology is primarily non-AI interactive mapping and content infrastructure (Get Outside Map, Paddle Illinois, Regional Trails) rather than a unified software platform; the technology stack is differentiated more by content scope and curation (regional coverage of natural assets, waterways, and trails) than by proprietary algorithms. No public API, SDK, or AI features are disclosed; geospatial work is supported by an in-house GIS Analyst.

The revenue model is diversified nonprofit funding: individual donations (recurring monthly $5 / annual $60 plus planned giving via the Green Legacy Society), corporate giving and event sponsorships (Annual Luncheon, Team Openlands charity runners with a $2,100 minimum fundraising commitment), foundation and government grants (ComEd Green Region Grant as flagship), paid tuition for TreeKeepers English certification ($150 with scholarships available; Spanish course currently free), apprenticeship wages paid by Openlands in Year 1 and by partner employers in Years 2-3, and event/program revenue. Customer segments include local communities and residents, government entities, non-profits and schools, private property owners seeking conservation easements, and outdoor enthusiasts. GTM motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on volunteer recruitment, certification cohorts, advocacy campaigns (16,000+ messages to officials since 2017), and direct grant application portals.

Name

Openlands

Legal name

Openlands

Website

https://openlands.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Openlands is a Chicago-based nonprofit land trust, founded in 1963, that protects natural and open spaces across northeastern Illinois through land acquisition, conservation easements, urban forestry workforce programs, public mapping tools, and grant administration for communities and government agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Timberland Conservation & Easement Management (AFAMAKAI), Recreation, Ecotourism & Access Rights (Hunting, Fishing, Camping) (AFAMAMAD)

Keywords

• Conservation services
• Land preservation
• Urban forestry programs
• Environmental grant programs
• Conservation education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Openlands generates revenue through individual donations including monthly donor programs, one-time gifts, and legacy/planned giving through the Green Legacy Society. The organization encourages $60/year or $5/month commitments.
2. Corporate Giving and Sponsorships: Corporate partners support Openlands through direct giving, employee matching programs, and event sponsorships including the Annual Luncheon.
3. Grant Programs: Openlands administers grant programs including the ComEd Green Region Grant which has awarded over $2.5 million to nearly 300 conservation projects. The organization also receives foundation and government grants.
4. Event Fundraising: Charity running programs including Team Openlands for the Chicago Marathon require minimum fundraising commitments of $2,100 per runner.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Openlands is a nonprofit land conservation organization that protects natural and open spaces in northeastern Illinois through land acquisition, conservation easements, urban forestry training (TreeKeepers Certification and Arborist Registered Apprenticeship), grant administration (ComEd Green Region Grant, TreePlanters Grant), policy advocacy, and public outdoor recreation tools such as the Get Outside Map and water trail guides. Revenue is generated primarily through individual and corporate donations, foundation and government grants, sponsorships, course tuition, and event-based fundraising.

Product overview

Openlands operates as a conservation organization offering a portfolio of interconnected environmental programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the TreeKeepers Certification Course and Arborist Registered Apprenticeship for urban forestry workforce development, the Get Outside Map and Regional Trails for outdoor recreation access, the ComEd Green Region Grant and TreePlanters Grant for community tree planting and conservation funding, Lands in Harmony for property-owner conservation guidance, and Conservation Easements for permanent land protection. These programs are complemented by advocacy campaigns, technical assistance for government entities, and special initiatives like the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and Chicago Lakefront Protection projects. The organization serves communities across northeastern Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana through direct programming, grants, and partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TreeKeepers®: A community of tree ambassadors that care for the urban forest in Chicagoland through certification courses and volunteer programs.
• Arborist Registered Apprenticeship
• TreePlanters Grants
• Lands in Harmony®
• ComEd Green Region Grant

Products and services

• Get Outside Map Interactive online mapping tool that enables Chicago-region residents and visitors to discover and plan visits to 400+ parks, preserves, and natural areas, with filtering by county, activity type, and accessibility features.
• Paddle Northeastern Illinois Interactive online guide to the Northeastern Illinois water trails system encompassing 10 waterways (including the Chicago, Des Plaines, and DuPage Rivers), with route information for kayaking and canoeing at all skill levels.
• Regional Trails Online collection of regional trail systems across northeastern Illinois, including the Grand Illinois Trail (nearly 500 miles), Illinois Prairie Path, American Discovery Trail, and Wolf Lake Trails, with maps and trip-planning information.
• TreeKeepers Certification Course Month-long paid certification program ($150 tuition for the English course) that trains community volunteers in urban forestry, tree biology, planting, pruning, and advocacy, producing certified TreeKeepers who care for, protect, and plant trees in the Chicago region.
• Arborist Registered Apprenticeship 3-year U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship program (2021-IL-81294) providing paid on-the-job training and classroom instruction in arboriculture and urban forestry, with wages progressing from $19/hour (Year 1) to $23-$24/hour (Year 3).

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected over 71,000 acres of land for public parks, wildlife refuges, greenways, and urban farms
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• ComEd (An Exelon Company)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013ComEd and Openlands partner on the Green Region Grant Program, created in 2013 to support open space projects in Northern Illinois. The program has awarded over $2.5 million to nearly 300 conservation projects. Grants of up to $10,000 are awarded annually for planning, acquisition, and improvements to local parks, natural areas, and recreation resources.
• U.S. Department of LaborcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arborist Registered Apprenticeship (2021-IL-81294) is a 3-year, Department of Labor-approved program providing an accessible career pathway for aspiring tree professionals. Openlands screens, interviews, hires, and trains apprentices with on-the-job training and related instruction.
• Davey TreecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary employer partner for the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program. Apprentices transfer to Davey Tree after completing Year 1 with Openlands to continue on-the-job training and refine skills.
• SavATreecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary employer partner for the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program providing continued training and employment for arborist apprentices in Years 2 and 3.
• The Morton ArboretumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary employer partner for the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program, providing industry expertise and curriculum development input.
• Chicago Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary employer partner for the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program and collaborator on urban forestry initiatives.
• CantignyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary employer partner for the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program.
• ETCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary employer partner for the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program.
• KTSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary employer partner for the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program.
• Winkler Tree & Lawn CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary employer partner for the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner for open space preservation and conservation efforts including Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.
• Illinois Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner receiving technical assistance from Openlands for open space preservation and conservation planning.
• Forest Preserves of Cook CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner supporting TreeKeepers program and collaborating on regional forestry and conservation initiatives.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Scenic America: National nonprofit focused on land conservation, scenic byways, and community livability. Comparable as a nonprofit conservation and advocacy organization with mixed funding model (grants, donations, corporate sponsors); smaller than Openlands in staff and reach.
• The Morton Arboretum: Regional tree science and conservation institution in the Chicago area, partner in Openlands' Arborist Registered Apprenticeship. Directly comparable in urban forestry focus, tree planting, and arboriculture training; an existing Openlands partner and overlapping employer of apprentices.
• American Forests: National conservation organization focused on urban and rural forests, tree canopy, and forest equity. Closely comparable in urban forestry mission and workforce development (Tree Equity Score); competes for the same corporate and foundation grant dollars.

Broad incumbents

• The Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit land trust working on park creation, land conservation, and community access. Highly comparable mission (conservation easements, urban parks, voter-approved funding) with much larger national footprint; Openlands operates as the regional counterpart for the Chicago metro.
• The Conservation Fund: National nonprofit focused on conservation land acquisition, working forests, and conservation finance. Directly comparable in mission and in providing technical assistance and interim financing for open space transactions, which is a core Openlands service to government entities.
• The Nature Conservancy (Illinois Chapter): Global conservation organization with a strong Illinois presence focused on land and water protection. Operates in the same conservation easements and land acquisition space as Openlands but at a much larger scale, with overlapping state-level partnerships (IDNR, USFWS).

Emerging players

• Trust for Land Restoration: Smaller regional restoration-focused nonprofit. Comparable as a community conservation organization, though narrower in scope (restoration focus) and operating at a smaller scale than Openlands.

Regional players

• Forest Preserves of Cook County: Government entity managing 70,000+ acres of public preserves in Cook County. A long-standing partner of Openlands on the TreeKeepers program and regional conservation; comparable in protected acreage but operates as a public agency rather than a nonprofit, and serves a more limited geographic remit.
• Conservation Foundation of the Midwest: Regional land trust and conservation nonprofit serving the Chicago region and northeastern Illinois. Most direct mission and geography overlap with Openlands, though smaller in scope and operating without Openlands' apprenticeship and grant administration scale.

Others

• Land Trust Alliance: National membership organization that represents and accredits land trusts including Openlands. Not a direct competitor but the sector body whose accreditation standards Openlands meets; useful for benchmarking governance and credibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/openlands
• Facebookfacebook.com/openlandschicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/openlands
• Instagraminstagram.com/openlands

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments13 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Openlands