Frontier Group

What Frontier Group does

Frontier Group is a private, nonprofit research and policy organization founded in 1996 that produces reports, data visualizations, and policy analysis on environmental, energy, transportation, consumer protection, and public-interest issues. Its work is conducted through the legal entity Center for Public Interest Research, Inc. (Massachusetts), and the organization operates as the research arm of The Public Interest Network, co-publishing with Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund.

The organization publishes interactive dashboards (The State of Renewable Energy Dashboard, Renewables On The Rise Dashboard), state-by-state policy scorecards (Solar Permitting Scorecard), and topical reports covering renewable energy, fossil fuel pollution, data centers, critical minerals, cryptocurrency mining, and state park funding. These products are distributed free of charge via the frontiergroup.org website, social media channels, email newsletters, and earned media, and have been cited in outlets including the New York Times, NPR, CBS Mornings, and USA Today.

Frontier Group's business model is donation-based: operations are funded through tax-deductible contributions to the Center for Public Interest Research. The organization maintains offices in Boston (headquarters), Denver, Los Angeles, and Northern California, and serves policymakers, the general public, journalists, and advocacy organizations as primary audiences. With 1–10 reported employees and a small named team of policy analysts and associates, the organization operates a lean policy-research model with no disclosed revenue, no pricing structure, and no traditional ownership or shareholder base.

Name

Frontier Group

Legal name

Center for Public Interest Research, Inc.

Website

https://frontiergroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Frontier Group is a nonprofit research and policy organization that produces reports, interactive dashboards, and analysis on environmental, energy, transportation, and consumer protection issues for policymakers, the public, and advocacy organizations, operating as the research arm of The Public Interest Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Policy research
• Environmental advocacy
• Clean energy research
• Data visualization dashboards
• Public interest reports

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and contributions: Tax-deductible contributions to the Center for Public Interest Research support Frontier Group's operations. The organization encourages donations from the public to fund research and advocacy work.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Frontier Group is a nonprofit research and policy organization that produces research reports, interactive data visualizations, policy scorecards, and articles on environmental, energy, consumer protection, and public interest issues. Its outputs are distributed free of charge to policymakers, journalists, advocacy organizations, and the general public to support evidence-based decision-making.

Product overview

Frontier Group is a non-profit research and policy organization that produces reports, data visualizations, and policy analysis on environmental and public interest issues. Their offerings include interactive dashboards (The State of Renewable Energy Dashboard, Renewables On The Rise Dashboard), policy scoring tools (Solar Permitting Scorecard), and topical research reports covering clean energy, fossil fuel pollution, critical minerals, and the environmental impacts of technology such as data centers and cryptocurrency mining. These resources are freely available to the public and policymakers to support evidence-based decision-making on environmental protection and sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The State of Renewable Energy Dashboard An interactive data visualization tool that tracks the growth of clean energy technology across all 50 U.S. states, showing progress in wind power, solar power, battery storage, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles. Available free to the public and policymakers.
• Renewables On The Rise Dashboard Interactive dashboard showing America's progress in renewable energy production from sun, wind, and earth sources, with growth data across all 50 states and information on electric vehicles and battery storage. Distributed free to the public.
• Solar Permitting Scorecard A report grading all 50 U.S. states on policies that remove obstacles to rooftop solar and home batteries, evaluating permitting processes, inspection requirements, and regulatory barriers.
• Fossil Fuel Power Plants Research Research documenting how data center expansion is keeping old fossil fuel power plants online, with analysis of air pollution emissions and public health impacts.
• Energy Transition at Risk Research Analysis of coal retirement trends, natural gas infrastructure growth, and rising electricity demand from data centers, EVs, and industrial electrification.
• False Emergencies, Real Pollution Report on diesel generator use at data centers, examining backup power capacity, emissions tiers, and regulatory loopholes affecting air quality.
• Critical Minerals Research Analysis of battery technology innovation and its insufficient impact on critical minerals demand, including projections for copper, nickel, cobalt, and manganese.
• Crypto Mining Environmental Impact Research on proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining's environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from fossil fuel-powered mining operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research on renewable energy showed the U.S. produced nearly three times as much solar, wind, and geothermal power in 2025 compared to 2016, with renewables accounting for 21.4% of national retail electricity sales.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Environment America Research & Policy CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026Frontier Group and Environment America Research & Policy Center co-produce and release reports on clean energy, environmental protection, and related policy issues. Notable joint outputs include 'The State of Renewable Energy Dashboard' tracking clean energy progress across all 50 states. Both organizations are part of The Public Interest Network.
• U.S. PIRG Education FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Frontier Group collaborates with U.S. PIRG Education Fund on environmental research, including joint reports on data center energy demand, fossil fuel power plant retirements, and clean energy transitions. Both organizations are part of The Public Interest Network and frequently co-publish policy research.
• The Public Interest NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrontier Group is part of The Public Interest Network, a network of consumer and environmental advocacy organizations that includes Environment America, U.S. PIRG, and others. Frontier Group works hand-in-hand with these organizations to insert research and ideas into public policy debates and corporate decision-making.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/frontiergroupus
• Facebookfacebook.com/FrontierGroupUS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/frontier-group-non-profit-think-tank-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Frontier Group