Oil Change International

What Oil Change International does

Oil Change International is a Washington, DC-based research, communications, and advocacy nonprofit founded in 2005 that exposes the economic, environmental, and social costs of fossil fuels and advocates for a just transition to clean energy. The organization operates across seven program areas — Africa, Asia, North Sea, United States, Global Industry, Global Public Finance, and Global Policy — and serves a heterogeneous audience of climate-conscious individual supporters, movement partner organizations (Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, Platform, Friends of the Earth Scotland), policymakers, and journalists. Its published research is regularly cited in coverage of fossil fuel financing, production trajectories, and carbon-capture public subsidies, including flagship outputs such as Planet Wreckers, Banking on Climate Chaos, Pipe Dreams, Spillover Effects, and Mapping the Money Behind Carbon Capture.

Its core 'products' are research publications, policy briefs, blog posts, press releases, a podcast ('Burned'), and a long-form documentary (Shell Shocked Land, 2024). The underlying technology stack is conventional nonprofit digital infrastructure: a WordPress-based website at oilchange.org that functions as the central hub for content distribution, donations, and action alerts, supplemented by an ActBlue donation processing integration and presence across Bluesky, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. There is no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability disclosed.

The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. The organization solicits individual contributions through its website with a suggested giving ladder of $10, $20, $25, $30, $50, and $100 monthly and one-time gifts, processed through ActBlue. Specific revenue, grant inflow, funder composition, and budget figures are not disclosed in the available sources, and the organization is not engaged in private fundraising, M&A, or institutional investment activity. Distribution of research and campaign content relies on direct digital channels (website, email newsletter, social platforms) as well as coalition-amplified reach through partner organizations' networks.

Name

Oil Change International

Legal name

Oil Change International

Website

https://priceofoil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Oil Change International is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit (founded 2005) that produces data-driven research, policy advocacy, and media to expose the true costs of fossil fuels and support a just transition for climate activists, partner NGOs, policymakers, and journalists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Advocacy and Research Services

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Climate Change Mitigation/Adaptation & Natural Resource Management Technical Assistance (BPADAEAJ)

Keywords

• Fossil fuel advocacy
• Climate policy research
• Environmental campaign organization
• Public finance analysis
• Energy transition advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization receives donations from individual supporters through its website, with options for monthly recurring donations ($10, $20, $30, $25, $50, $100) or single contributions. Donors can also enter custom amounts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Oil Change International is a research, communications, and advocacy organization that exposes the true costs of fossil fuels and works to facilitate a just transition to clean energy. It produces research reports, a podcast, a documentary, and policy advocacy campaigns, and convenes coalitions of partner organizations to influence climate and energy policy.

Product overview

Oil Change International is a research and advocacy organization, not a product-based company. Its offerings consist of research publications (reports on fossil fuel finance, debt impacts, and climate policy), a documentary film, a podcast, and policy advocacy campaigns. The organization works to expose the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitate a just transition to clean energy through research, advocacy, and supporting frontline campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Burned: Podcast by Oil Change International.

Products and services

• Shell Shocked Land (Documentary) A feature documentary produced by Oil Change International to mark the 30th anniversary of the murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 9, honoring their legacy and the ongoing fight for justice in the Niger Delta.
• Burned Podcast A podcast produced by Oil Change International covering climate and fossil fuel issues for the general public and climate-conscious audiences.
• Planet Wreckers: The Global North Countries Fueling the Fire Since the Paris Agreement A research report examining how four Global North countries (U.S., Canada, Australia, and Norway) have increased oil and gas production by nearly 40 percent since the Paris Agreement, hindering global efforts to phase out fossil fuels.
• Pipe Dreams: How Oil and Gas Fail to Deliver Economic Development in Africa A research report drawing on evidence from 13 producing countries in Africa, finding that decades of oil and gas extraction have failed to reduce poverty or drive economic growth and instead have lined the pockets of an elite few.
• Spillover Effects: The Fossil Fuel-Debt Trap in the Global South A research report demonstrating that the linkage between fossil fuel dependence and sovereign debt is systemic, including case studies from five countries in the Global South.
• Mapping the Money Behind Carbon Capture: Public Subsidies and Industry Ties A research publication analyzing nearly €17.3 billion in public subsidies committed by the EU, Norway, and member states to carbon capture and storage (CCS) and fossil-based hydrogen projects since 2001, including industry ties.

Quantifiable outcome

• Credited with driving the UK's near-total ban on new North Sea oil and gas licensing through years of legal challenges, grassroots activism, and advocacy

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 core.

• Sierra ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization partnered on fossil fuel campaigns including LNG export opposition and the Banking on Climate Chaos report coalition. Sierra Club co-endorsed the Sustainable International Financial Institutions Act of 2025 legislation.
• Friends of the Earth UScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental advocacy organization co-endorsing the Sustainable International Financial Institutions Act of 2025 and collaborating on fossil fuel policy campaigns.
• PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based organization credited alongside Oil Change International for driving the UK's near-total ban on new North Sea oil and gas licensing through years of legal challenges and grassroots activism.
• Friends of the Earth ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish environmental organization credited alongside Oil Change International for driving the UK's near-total ban on new North Sea oil and gas licensing.
• Better BrazoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization in Freeport, Texas working with Oil Change International to oppose LNG exports and hold Japanese banks accountable for funding Freeport LNG.
• Freeport Haven ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization in Freeport, Texas working alongside Oil Change International organizers to oppose LNG exports and demand accountability from Japanese financial institutions.
• Fossil Fuel Treaty InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative co-producing the Spillover Effects report with Oil Change International examining the fossil fuel-debt trap in the Global South.
• MENA Fem MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional women's organization co-authoring the Spillover Effects report with Oil Change International on fossil fuel dependence and sovereign debt.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Greenpeace USA: Greenpeace USA runs high-profile fossil fuel and climate campaigns using research, advocacy, and direct action—directly comparable to OCI's data-driven research + grassroots advocacy model.
• Earthworks: Earthworks focuses on the environmental and social costs of fossil fuel extraction, especially natural gas and LNG. It mirrors OCI's fossil fuel accountability framing and frontline-community partnerships.
• 350.org: 350.org is a global grassroots climate movement that campaigns against fossil fuel expansion and for a just transition, structurally similar to Oil Change International's fossil fuel phase-out advocacy and coalition-driven model.
• Friends of the Earth US: Friends of the Earth US is a core coalition partner of Oil Change International and operates similar environmental advocacy programs including climate, fossil fuel finance, and international financial institution reform—making it a directly comparable peer.
• Rainforest Action Network: Rainforest Action Network campaigns against fossil fuel financing, deforestation, and corporate climate inaction—comparable to OCI's Banking on Climate Chaos-style finance-focused research and corporate accountability work.
• Center for Biological Diversity: Center for Biological Diversity is a US advocacy organization using scientific research, legal action, and campaigns to address fossil fuel development and climate impacts, aligning closely with OCI's research-to-advocacy pipeline.
• Sierra Club: Sierra Club is a US environmental organization partnering with OCI on LNG opposition and the Banking on Climate Chaos report, with overlapping fossil fuel and climate advocacy programs and a similarly large national footprint.
• Indigenous Environmental Network: Indigenous Environmental Network is a climate justice and fossil fuel resistance organization working with frontline communities, overlapping with OCI's frontline community partnerships and just transition framing.

Emerging players

• Climate Action Network: Climate Action Network is an international network of over 1,900 civil society organizations coordinating climate advocacy. It shares OCI's coalition-driven, internationally-focused advocacy model but operates as a network coordinator rather than a direct campaigner.

Broad incumbents

• Union of Concerned Scientists: Union of Concerned Scientists combines rigorous scientific research with policy advocacy on climate, energy, and fossil fuels, providing a broader-incumbent comparison point to OCI's research-driven advocacy model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/priceofoil
• Facebookfacebook.com/priceofoil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oil-change-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/priceofoil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Oil Change International