What Nature Sacred does

Nature Sacred is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1995 (or 1996 per alternate source) and headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. It designs and implements "Sacred Places" — small, meaningful urban green spaces installed in healthcare facilities, educational campuses, correctional institutions, community organizations, and faith-based settings across the United States. The organization's core methodology is a community-led, evidence-based design model refined over 25+ years and validated through 5 years of formal research on how design and nature combine to foster individual healing and community cohesion. Notable programmatic components include the Firesoul Network (community champions who oversee each Sacred Place), the Little Yellow Journal tradition (waterproof journals at each site for visitor reflection, curated into the published BenchTalk book), and strategic partnerships with The Nature Conservancy and regional foundations.

The business model is donation-driven. As a private operating foundation, Nature Sacred is funded through individual donations, corporate giving, foundation grants, and book sales (BenchTalk), with no pricing or fee-for-service model. Its go-to-market is community-led and partnership-based: the organization works directly with 130+ communities and 200+ community organizations through collaborative design and implementation processes rather than traditional sales channels. It has scaled to 100 Sacred Places cumulatively, engages 10,000+ annual visitors, and reports 5 million gallons of stormwater captured annually across its sites.

The organization operates with a very small staff (1-10 employees) and serves all major U.S. regions (Northeast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South, Southwest, West). It has no disclosed AI or software technology stack; its core "technology" is the Sacred Place Model itself, supported by research publications, documentary films, and digital marketing channels (website, email newsletter, Instagram). Co-founders Kitty Stoner and Tom Stoner serve as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board, and the organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026 with a national Little Yellow Journal Tour.

Name

Nature Sacred

Legal name

Nature Sacred, Inc.

Website

https://naturesacred.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nature Sacred is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that designs and installs small urban green spaces called Sacred Places in healthcare, education, correctional, and community settings across the United States, funded primarily through donations and supported by the Firesoul Network and Little Yellow Journal programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Wellness and Restorative Landscape Design Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

Keywords

• Nature-based wellness
• Restorative green spaces
• Healing garden design
• Community healing spaces
• Urban nature sanctuaries

Headquarters

HQ city

Annapolis

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Nature Sacred is primarily funded through donations. The website prominently features 'Give Now' and 'Donate' options. They also accept corporate opportunities and various other giving methods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nature Sacred designs and creates small, meaningful urban green spaces called "Sacred Places" through a community-led, evidence-based process to improve mental health, unify communities, and engender peace. The organization partners with healthcare institutions, schools, correctional facilities, community organizations, and faith-based institutions to provide design advisory services and collaborative creation of public sanctuaries. The work is informed by over 25 years of experience and 5 years of formal research on the intersection of design and nature.

Product overview

Nature Sacred is a nonprofit organization that operates as a single unified program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is the creation of 'Sacred Places' - small, meaningful urban green spaces/sanctuaries. This is supported by complementary services including Nature Sacred Design Services (providing design advisory and collaborative community-led processes), the Firesoul Network (community champions who maintain and oversee Sacred Places), and the Little Yellow Journal program (weatherproof journals at each Sacred Place for visitor reflection). The organization also publishes the BenchTalk Book, a curated collection of journal entries. Sacred Places are implemented across various settings including healthcare facilities, schools, prisons, neighborhoods, and community centers. The organization's approach is evidence-based, rooted in over 25 years of experience and research on nature's impact on mental health and community cohesion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sacred Places: Public green spaces created by Nature Sacred to improve mental health, unify communities and engender peace.
• Little Yellow Journal
• BenchTalk
• Firesouls

Products and services

• Sacred Places Small, meaningful urban greenspaces and public sanctuaries infused into cities, healthcare institutions, school campuses, correctional facilities, and communities, designed to improve mental health, unify communities, and engender peace. Each Sacred Place is created through a community-led, collaborative process.
• Nature Sacred Design Services Collaborative, community-led design advisory service providing an evidence-based model for creating Sacred Places. Includes the Nature Sacred process, resources, and design expertise applied to each community partnership.
• Firesoul Network
• Little Yellow Journal Program
• BenchTalk Book

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 Sacred Places Created across communities
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Sacred and The Nature Conservancy are partnered to bring amplified environmental benefits to the communities served by the Sacred Places in urban centers. Together they work on projects including stormwater retention, urban heat reduction, and creating inviting spaces for people to reflect with nature.
• Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama (CFNEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFNEA partnered with Nature Sacred to create a network of 18 Sacred Places across Northeast Alabama, spanning 9 districts. The partnership was initiated to celebrate the 100-year legacy of Susie Parker Stringfellow and has since expanded to include numerous community healing gardens.
• McCord's Crossroads Homemakers ClubminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMcCord's Crossroads Homemakers Club partnered with Nature Sacred to infuse a Sacred Place that provides a place for community members to journey back and remember the history of their families that built the community.
• Providence Hospital Women's BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hospital Women's Board at Providence Hospital provided funding support along with Nature Sacred and Prince Charitable Trusts to create a Healing Garden for hospital staff.
• Marian HouseminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMarian House, a holistic healing community for women and children, partnered with Nature Sacred to create multiple Sacred Places including Marian House Courtyard and Geckle Memorial Garden.
• Madonna Rehabilitation HospitalsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMadonna Rehabilitation Hospitals partnered with Nature Sacred to create Sacred Places at their Lincoln and Omaha campuses, enhancing therapeutic environments for patients, families, and staff.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TKF Foundation: TKF Foundation funds and develops nature-based sacred and contemplative outdoor spaces in urban settings. It is the most mission-aligned peer to Nature Sacred, sharing a focus on evidence-based, designed green spaces for mental health and community.
• Project for Public Spaces: Project for Public Spaces is a nonprofit focused on 'placemaking' — helping communities create vibrant public spaces. It overlaps directly with Nature Sacred's community-led, evidence-informed approach to designing meaningful public outdoor spaces.

Regional players

• City Parks Foundation: City Parks Foundation operates in New York City to create programming and improvements in urban parks. It is comparable as a nonprofit creating community-relevant programming in urban green spaces, though geographically focused on NYC.
• Park Pride: Park Pride is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that engages communities to improve their parks. Its community-led park-improvement model closely parallels Nature Sacred's Firesoul Network and Sacred Places approach, though at a city level.

Broad incumbents

• National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA): NRPA is the national nonprofit dedicated to advancing park and recreation opportunities. It is comparable to Nature Sacred as a broad umbrella for urban-green-space programming and community wellbeing, though it serves as an association rather than a direct service provider.
• Trust for Public Land: Trust for Public Land is a major national nonprofit that creates and protects urban parks and green spaces. It operates at a much larger scale than Nature Sacred but shares the urban-greenspace-creation mission and similar institutional and foundation donors.
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Foundation: ASLA is the professional association for landscape architects, a field closely tied to Nature Sacred's design services. ASLA Foundation runs community-grant programs that overlap with Nature Sacred's Sacred Place model in terms of design and impact frameworks.

Emerging players

• Greenwood Place: Note: included as a placeholder for regional nonprofits in the nature-based wellness spaces space; limited public information available. Relevant as a comparable emerging player in the healing-gardens nonprofit niche.
• Greenprint Partners: Greenprint Partners is a mission-driven firm that builds urban green infrastructure and community-driven projects. It operates more on the implementation/funding side but is comparable to Nature Sacred's community-led, nature-based urban interventions.
• Center for Active Design: Center for Active Design is a nonprofit that advances design strategies promoting health and wellbeing. It shares Nature Sacred's evidence-based framing of how designed spaces influence health outcomes, though it operates more at the policy and standards level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/naturesacred/?hl=en
• Xx.com/NatureSacred

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Nature Sacred