Environmental Entrepreneurs

What Environmental Entrepreneurs does

Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2000 by Nicole Lederer and Bob Epstein, headquartered in San Francisco and operating across eight regional U.S. chapters (Northern California, Los Angeles, San Diego, Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast). The organization serves business leaders, investors, and professionals who advocate for environmental and clean energy policies that are economically beneficial, providing a platform for direct engagement with state and federal lawmakers through advocacy trips, briefings, member events, and policy campaigns. E2 is fiscally affiliated with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with all member contributions routed through NRDC (Federal Tax ID: 13-2654926) and NRDC providing dedicated full-time staffing, administrative, communications, legislative, and analyst/policy support. E2 has built a network of more than 12,000 members and supporters across every U.S. state, with members collectively managing over $100 billion in venture and private equity capital and having founded or funded 2,500+ companies that have created 600,000+ jobs.

E2's core products and services center on member advocacy programs, professional development, and research publications rather than technology. Membership is structured in six tiers from $500/year (Emerging Leaders / Associate) up to $25,000+/year (Executive), with benefits scaling from Slack access and advocacy training through exclusive eco-trips with NRDC experts. The organization also operates the Emerging Leaders Program for early/mid-career professionals, the 1 Hotels Fellowship (annual $10,000 awards to six clean energy business leaders, funded by 1 Hotels founder Barry Sternlicht since 2017), and a suite of research products including the Clean Jobs America annual report, Clean Jobs Midwest regional report, Clean Economy Works monthly and quarterly tracking analysis of clean energy project announcements and cancellations (developed with Atlas Public Policy using U.S. EIA data), and the Clean Project Tracker online tool. E2 does not develop proprietary software or AI/ML capabilities; its digital footprint consists of content publishing and data presentation on e2.org. Strategic research partnerships include BW Research (economic analysis), Atlas Public Policy (clean energy project data), and joint advocacy partnerships with Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE), Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI), Clean Energy Trust, and New Yorkers for Clean Power.

E2's business model is funded entirely through tax-deductible contributions to NRDC, with no disclosed equity, debt, or independent earned-revenue streams. The organization operates with 11-50 employees led by Executive Director Bob Keefe, Deputy Director Gail Parson, and a regional structure of Directors of Federal Advocacy, State Advocacy, Research & Publications, and Membership Engagement. E2 does not disclose specific revenue figures; however, its member-driven funding structure, NRDC fiscal sponsorship, and lean staffing model are consistent with a small-to-mid-size nonprofit operating budget. Distribution is direct-to-member through regional chapters and the e2.org website, with the federal advocacy trip to Capitol Hill serving as the marquee annual engagement event and the Clean Jobs America / Clean Economy Works reports functioning as the primary public-facing thought leadership outputs.

Name

Environmental Entrepreneurs

Legal name

E2 | Economy+Environment

Website

https://e2.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a 25-year-old national nonprofit advocacy organization that mobilizes a network of 12,000+ business leaders, investors, and professionals to advocate for clean energy and environmental policies through eight U.S. regional chapters, research publications, and direct engagement with state and federal lawmakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Policy Advocacy

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• Environmental policy advocacy
• Clean energy research
• Climate policy lobbying
• Sustainable business advocacy
• Clean economy research

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Donations: E2 operates as a nonprofit advocacy organization supported by tax-deductible membership contributions. Contributions are made directly to NRDC, a 501(c)(3), and are fully tax-deductible. NRDC provides full-time staffing dedicated to E2, as well as administrative, communications, legislative and analyst/policy support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a national, nonpartisan advocacy organization of business leaders, investors, and professionals that advocates for smart environmental and clean energy policies at the state and federal levels. E2 sells tiered membership subscriptions ($500–$25,000+ annually) and delivers research publications, professional development programs, a fellowship, and regional chapter events that enable business voices to engage with lawmakers and shape climate policy.

Product overview

E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) is a national, nonpartisan advocacy organization, not a technology company with traditional products. Its offerings consist of membership programs (Associate through Executive tiers), research publications (Clean Economy Works, Clean Jobs America, Clean Jobs Midwest reports), professional development programs (Emerging Leaders Program), and the 1 Hotels Fellowship. The organization also provides a Clean Project Tracker tool that monitors clean energy project announcements and cancellations nationwide. These programs enable business leaders to advocate for smart environmental and clean energy policies through networking, education, and direct engagement with policymakers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 1 Hotels Fellowship: Fellowship program supporting young entrepreneurs and emerging business leaders who seek to make the world a better place through projects that accelerate smart climate policies. Includes $10,000 award and support from E2 and NRDC staff.
• Emerging Leaders Program
• Clean Jobs America
• Clean Economy Works

Products and services

• Clean Project Tracker Interactive online tool tracking clean energy project announcements and cancellations across the United States, monitoring manufacturing, generation, and grid infrastructure investments. Used by members, policymakers, and the media.
• Clean Jobs America Annual comprehensive report analyzing clean energy employment across the United States, with state-by-state data on clean energy jobs, growth rates, and economic impact. The 10th annual edition reported 3.56 million Americans working in clean energy as of 2024.
• Clean Economy Works Monthly and quarterly analysis tracking large-scale clean energy project announcements, cancellations, closures, and downsizes across the United States, including private-sector investment in clean energy manufacturing, generation, and grid infrastructure.
• Emerging Leaders Program
• E2 1 Hotels Fellowship Annual fellowship supporting young entrepreneurs and emerging business leaders who create projects accelerating smart climate policies. Fellows receive $10,000 awards, mentorship, media exposure, and access to E2's network of business leaders and NRDC experts. Launched in 2017.
• Clean Jobs Midwest Regional analysis tracking clean energy employment across Midwestern states, providing data on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle manufacturing jobs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members have created more than 600,000 jobs through involvement in 2,500+ companies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• 1 HotelsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20171 Hotels founded by Barry Sternlicht supports the E2 1 Hotels Fellowship program. The fellowship helps support and invest in young entrepreneurs and emerging business leaders who seek to make the world a better place through projects that accelerate smart climate policies. Each year, E2 selects 6 new clean energy business leaders for the fellowship which includes a $10,000 award.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000E2 was founded in 2000 and is a partner of NRDC. With more than 500 lawyers, scientists and other professionals and the strength of 2 million members, NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action organization. This affiliation gives E2 access to NRDC's analytical and policy expertise, government affairs insight and relationships, communications platform and support. NRDC provides dedicated full-time staffing to support E2's efforts.
• BW ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE2 partners with BW Research for the Clean Jobs America report and other research initiatives. BW Research provides economic analysis and data on clean energy employment and projects.
• Atlas Public PolicycoreTechnology or IntegrationE2 partners with Atlas Public Policy for data analysis on clean energy projects, providing the underlying data for the Clean Economy Works tracking analysis using U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data.
• Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerE2 partnered with CICE on the survey of businesses on impact of IRA investments.
• Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerE2 partnered with CELI on research regarding business impact of IRA policies.
• Clean Energy TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerE2 partnered with Clean Energy Trust on Clean Jobs Midwest report.
• New Yorkers for Clean PowerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerE2 partnered with New Yorkers for Clean Power on Clean Jobs New York report.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ceres: Ceres is a nonprofit that mobilizes business and investor leadership on climate and sustainability policy, including the Investor Network on Climate Risk. It is the closest direct functional peer to E2 — business-led environmental advocacy — but with a stronger investor/financial-institution orientation.
• Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA): CESA is a nonprofit coalition of state clean energy funds and agencies that publishes reports and convenes stakeholders on clean energy policy. Comparable as a clean-energy-policy advocacy and research nonprofit, though membership is state agencies rather than individual business leaders.
• ClearPath: ClearPath is a 501(c)(3) that develops and advances conservative clean energy policy solutions, educating lawmakers and staff. Directly comparable as a business-aligned clean energy advocacy organization, though oriented toward right-of-center policy makers while E2 is nonpartisan.
• Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE): CICE is a national network of local chambers of commerce that advocates for clean energy adoption. E2 lists CICE as an active research partner. Directly comparable as a business/community advocacy organization on clean energy policy, though narrower in scope (chamber network vs. individual business leaders).

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Club: One of the largest U.S. environmental organizations with 3M+ members and active federal/state advocacy on climate and clean energy. Comparable in policy advocacy mission and chapter network, though membership is individual/grassroots rather than business-leader focused.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): E2's parent affiliate and fiscal sponsor. NRDC is one of the largest U.S. environmental advocacy organizations with 2M+ members and 500+ staff. While E2 focuses on mobilizing business leaders, NRDC runs the broader legal, scientific, and policy apparatus that E2 leverages — making it both parent and closest functional peer.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a global research organization that works at the intersection of environment and economic development, producing high-profile datasets (CAIT, Climate Watch) used by policymakers. Comparable in producing authoritative data and engaging in policy advocacy, but operates at global scale with a research-grant model rather than membership.

Emerging players

• R Street Institute: R Street is a nonprofit, centrist public policy research organization working on energy, environment, and economic policy. Comparable as a research-driven policy advocacy nonprofit engaging business audiences, though with a free-market orientation that contrasts with E2's clean economy framing.
• US Green Building Council (USGBC): USGBC runs the LEED green building rating system and convenes businesses around sustainable built-environment policy. Comparable as a business-membership advocacy nonprofit with research output, but focused on buildings/sustainability rather than broad clean energy/climate policy.
• Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC): BPC is a nonprofit that drives policy solutions on energy, economy, and infrastructure through cross-aisle engagement. Comparable as a policy-research and advocacy nonprofit that convenes business leaders and former officials, though it spans many policy domains beyond environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/e2org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/841976

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Environmental Entrepreneurs