The Gulch Environmental Foundation

What The Gulch Environmental Foundation does

The Gulch Environmental Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2020 and headquartered in Noble County, Oklahoma, where it operates Rainmaker Farm, a 160-acre regenerative agriculture demonstration site. The foundation's core technical work centers on no-till farming, multi-species cover cropping (hairy vetch, barley, native grasses, turnips), managed rotational grazing of up to 39 head of cattle, integrated biodiversity monitoring via iNaturalist, and a 30,000-gallon rainwater catchment system serving a 100+ tree orchard. Soil health and carbon-sequestration outcomes are measured through a five-year research partnership with Oklahoma State University's Soil and Water Management Department, and the foundation is pursuing both USDA Organic and A Greener World (AGW) Certified Regenerative certifications.

The foundation serves individual donors, corporate volunteer groups, K-12 and university student programs, and disaster-relief supporters, with education and Farm Day events as the primary community-engagement channel alongside conference presence at New York Climate Week, Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts meetings, and the Scissortail Foundation Farming Symposium. Its only revenue stream is donations received via PayPal on its website and through direct outreach; 100% of donations are pledged to on-the-ground projects, while all administrative costs are covered separately by founder Angel Lance personally and by sister organizations Motive Power and 10/6 Professional Services. Leadership includes Angel Lance (Founder), Julie Hewitt (Executive Director, Q2 2026), Aviva Rossi, Ph.D. (Research Director), Marty Williams (Agriculture Advisor, 2023 Leopold Conservation Award recipient), Cheyenne Gaff (Special Projects & Event Manager), and Kellan Hostetler (Farm Manager).

Name

The Gulch Environmental Foundation

Legal name

Gulch Environmental Foundation

Website

https://gulchfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Gulch Environmental Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating Rainmaker Farm, a 160-acre regenerative no-till farm in Oklahoma pursuing carbon sequestration, soil health research, and sustainability education funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation & Regenerative Agriculture

NAICS

Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation Agriculture (Erosion Control, Contour/Strip Cropping, Mulching) (AFAGAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD), Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD), Grassland/Rangeland Management & Restoration (EUABABAF), Reforestation & Afforestation Services (Planting, Site Prep, Regeneration) (IMAMAAAE), Monitoring, Survival Surveys & Carbon/MRV Services (Remote Sensing, Field Audits) (AFAMACAO)

Keywords

• Regenerative agriculture
• Carbon sequestration farming
• No-till conservation
• Environmental nonprofit foundation
• Sustainable farm education

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The Gulch Environmental Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies entirely on donations. 100% of donations go directly to on-the-ground project actions. The foundation's administrative costs are covered through sponsorship donations from sister organizations (Motive Power, 10/6), ensuring maximum impact per donated dollar.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Gulch Environmental Foundation operates Rainmaker Farm, a 160-acre no-till regenerative farm in Noble County, Oklahoma, that functions as a conservation laboratory for carbon-sequestration practices. It supplements the farm with sustainable education programs for K-12, university, and corporate groups, runs a Maui wildfire relief initiative channeling donations to local organizations, and publishes Seeing Green, a book by founder Angel Lance on sustainability and business.

Product overview

The Gulch Environmental Foundation operates as a nonprofit organization with a single unified focus: regenerative agriculture and climate action through carbon sequestration. The core offering is Rainmaker Farm, a 160-acre working conservation laboratory where regenerative farming practices are developed and tested. The foundation complements its farm operations with Sustainable Education Programs providing hands-on learning experiences for corporate groups and K-12 students, a Maui Wildfire Relief initiative, and the publication of Angel Lance's book 'Seeing Green' on sustainable business practices. The organization does not offer a software platform or modular product suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rainmaker Farm: The cornerstone project of The Gulch Environmental Foundation, a 160-acre working farm in Noble County, Oklahoma dedicated to regenerative farming, carbon sequestration, and conservation research.

Products and services

• Rainmaker Farm A 160-acre regenerative, no-till working farm in Noble County, Oklahoma, where regenerative farming practices are refined for larger-scale deployment. The farm is the foundation's central conservation laboratory for carbon sequestration, biodiversity restoration, and applied regenerative agriculture research, and serves as the venue for educational Farm Day visits.
• Sustainable Education Programs Hands-on educational programs delivered at Rainmaker Farm for K-12 students, university students, and corporate groups. Participants learn about regenerative farming, carbon sequestration, and climate change mitigation through Farm Day visits, including team-building activities for corporate sustainability groups.
• Maui Relief Wildfire-relief initiative channeling 100% of donations to local on-the-ground Maui community organizations following the devastating Maui wildfires, with matched support from sister organizations Motive Power and 10/6 to amplify impact.
• Seeing Green (Book) A book by founder Angel Lance published by Forbes Books on how to save the planet and profit from sustainability, combining environmentalism and business guidance to complement the foundation's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 120+ acres of no-till winter wheat managed
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• A Greener World (AGW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Certification agency for regenerative agriculture certification. The foundation has formally established completing the AGW Certified Regenerative application as a strategic organizational priority, reflecting the farm's progression in its regenerative journey.
• Oklahoma Conservation CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Presented at Farm Day events about soil health and conservation practices. Provides educational content on cover crops and land stewardship principles.
• North Central Oklahoma Beekeeping AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Attended association meetings and building relationships to find support for honeybee colony management. Exploring internal beekeeping responsibility to keep pollinators thriving on the farm.
• Maui Local OrganizationsminorOthers · 1 January 2025Local on-the-ground organizations in Maui receiving wildfire relief donations. Foundation's founder Angel Lance is a longtime Maui community member working with people on the ground to identify pressing needs.
• Scissortail FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Hosted Farming Symposium where foundation participated, exchanging ideas on sustainable agriculture with keynote speaker Forrest Pritchard and other attendees.
• Kiss the GroundminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Online educational hub for regenerative agriculture. Foundation team members completed the Kiss the Ground Regenerative Agriculture Essentials course to strengthen team expertise in regenerative practices.
• Motive PowercoreOthers · 1 January 2023Sister organization that matches donations for Maui relief efforts and provides administrative cost sponsorship for the foundation. Employees regularly participate in Farm Day volunteer events. Founder Angel Lance also founded Motive Power.
• 10/6 Professional ServicescoreOthers · 1 January 2023Sister organization that matches donations for Maui relief efforts. Founder Angel Lance also founded 10/6. Employees participate in Farm Day volunteer events.
• Oklahoma State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Long-term soil research partnership with Oklahoma State University's Soil and Water Management Department. Includes five-year follow-up soil studies (baseline established in 2021) to quantify carbon sequestration and soil health improvements. OSU researchers conduct field trials on sorghum weed management strategies and process soil samples for laboratory analysis. The partnership supports regenerative certification goals and carbon market evaluation.
• Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with NRCS conservationists to implement soil-enriching cover crops and develop conservation plans. NRCS provides technical guidance on soil health practices and conservation techniques for regenerative agriculture implementation at Rainmaker Farm.
• Hostetler RanchminorOthersProvides composted cattle manure for soil fertilization. Kellan Hostetler, farm manager, is a full-time owner operator of this neighboring family farm/ranch. Collaboration enables prescribed grazing in grassland areas.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• A Greener World: Third-party certification body issuing the Certified Regenerative label that Gulch is pursuing; included as an adjacent ecosystem participant that defines the standards Gulch's farm will be measured against.

Direct peers

• Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment: Nonprofit operating a working farm (over 600 acres in Maine) that combines regenerative agriculture, on-farm education for K-12 and adults, and applied soil-health research; mirrors Rainmaker Farm's farm-plus-education-plus-research model and target donor base.
• Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture: Nonprofit farm in New York pioneering regenerative silvopasture and no-till vegetable production; offers on-site education and public engagement around ecological farming, making it a strong functional peer for Gulch's farm-as-laboratory model.
• Kiss the Ground: 501(c)(3) advocacy and storytelling organization dedicated to regenerative agriculture, with farmer training programs and curriculum partnerships - a direct peer given Gulch team members have completed Kiss the Ground coursework and both organizations target similar donor and policy audiences.
• Quivira Coalition: New Mexico-based nonprofit advancing regenerative ranching and land health through on-the-ground apprenticeship, education, and land steward networks; highly comparable to Gulch's rotational grazing demonstration and conservation-education focus.
• Trees for the Future: Nonprofit focused on agroforestry and perennial planting systems for smallholder farmers, supported by donations; closely comparable to Gulch's agroforestry/orchard establishment, donation-based funding model, and tree-planting mission.
• White Oak Pastures: A multi-generation regenerative farm using rotational cattle grazing and cover-cropping, with a recognized brand in regenerative meat and on-farm education; comparable to Rainmaker's integrated livestock and educational programming.

Emerging players

• Carbon180: Nonprofit focused specifically on natural climate solutions and soil-carbon policy; an emerging peer for the carbon-sequestration mission that overlaps with Gulch's soil-research work, though Gulch's on-farm execution differentiates it.

Broad incumbents

• The Soil Health Institute: Established, broadly-funded nonprofit coordinating soil-health measurement standards and research across the U.S., including nature-based carbon assessment - a larger-scale incumbent operating in the same soil-carbon evidence space as Gulch's OSU partnership.

Regional players

• Noble Research Institute: Oklahoma-based (Ardmore) agricultural research organization focused on soil health and regenerative ranching; regionally adjacent and thematically aligned given both operate in Oklahoma and on soil/regenerative agriculture, but Noble serves as a research and education institution rather than a donation-driven farm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/the_gulch
• Facebookfacebook.com/gulchfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-gulch-environmental-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/gulchfoundation

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 The Gulch Environmental Foundation