Romero Institute

What Romero Institute does

Romero Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law and public policy center founded in 1980 (as the Christic Institute; reorganized under its current name in 1997) and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California. The organization combines public education, grassroots organizing, policy initiation, and high-impact litigation to advance social and environmental justice causes. Its work is anchored by co-founders Daniel Sheehan (Chief Counsel, President) and Sara Nelson (Executive Director), whose careers include the record-setting Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee judgment, the Iran-Contra RICO action, the Three Mile Island radioactive-waste injunction, and the Greensboro Massacre civil suit.

The organization operates three flagship program brands: Let's Green California (climate justice, launched 2015), the Lakota People's Law Project (Indigenous rights advocacy), and the New Paradigm Institute (UFO/UAP disclosure, launched 2021). Supporting infrastructure includes a tiered annual membership program ($1,000-$100,000), an e-commerce merchandise store at store.romeroinstitute.org, and multi-channel donor engagement via website, blog, social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube), email newsletter, peer-to-peer fundraisers, and earned media. Technology stack is limited to standard nonprofit web platforms and third-party donation processors (FreeWill, CryptoForCharity) — no proprietary technology or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

As a 501(c)(3), Romero generates revenue through donations, grants, and membership contributions rather than product sales. Fundraising infrastructure includes cash, check, stock, DAF, cryptocurrency, IRA, and bequest giving vehicles. With 11-50 employees and no publicly disclosed financials, the organization operates as a lean, founder-led advocacy entity. The 2025 transition of Let's Green California into an independent initiative signals a structural realignment toward program-level autonomy.

Name

Romero Institute

Legal name

Romero Institute

Website

https://romeroinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Romero Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law and public policy center that combines public education, grassroots organizing, and high-impact litigation to advance climate justice, Indigenous rights, and UAP disclosure, supported by donations and a tiered membership program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Interest Law and Social Justice Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Policy, Advocacy & Litigation (BPAGAGAG), Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN), Law School Research Centers & Institutes (e.g., Law & Economics, Human Rights) (EDAHAIAJ)

Keywords

• Public interest litigation
• Social justice advocacy
• Environmental law policy
• Grassroots organizing
• Nonprofit legal services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Romero Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law and public policy center that combines public education, grassroots organizing, policy initiation, and high-impact litigation to advance social and environmental justice. It operates three flagship programs: Let's Green California (climate justice), Lakota People's Law Project (Indigenous rights advocacy), and New Paradigm Institute (UFO/UAP disclosure), and sustains its work through individual donations, a four-tier membership program, and an online merchandise store.

Product overview

The Romero Institute is a nonprofit law and public policy center that combines public education, grassroots organizing, policy initiation, and high-impact litigation to promote social and environmental justice. The organization operates three flagship programs: Let's Green California (climate justice), the Lakota People's Law Project (Indigenous rights advocacy), and the New Paradigm Institute (UAP disclosure). Additional offerings include a membership program with tiered giving levels and an e-commerce store for merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Let's Green California: A climate justice movement with the goal of creating a carbon-neutral California.
• Lakota People's Law Project
• New Paradigm Institute

Products and services

• Let's Green California A climate justice movement program with the goal of creating a carbon-neutral California, focused on holding Big Oil accountable and promoting safe and sustainable energy solutions through campaigns and public action.
• Lakota People's Law Project A legal advocacy initiative providing support for the Indigenous justice movement, focused on protecting Native American rights and sovereignty through legal action, public education, and Lakota-led advocacy.
• New Paradigm Institute An initiative focused on UFO/UAP disclosure, working to educate the public and mobilize citizens for full and responsible disclosure of information surrounding the UFO/UAP phenomenon.
• Romero Institute Membership Program A sustaining supporter membership program with four annual tiers: Circle of Unity ($1,000/year), Omega of Resistance ($10,000/year), Flame of Hope ($25,000/year), and Luminary Council ($100,000/year). Members receive acknowledgement in the Annual Report, access to exclusive online member events, biannual strategic briefings, and (at higher tiers) enhanced engagement, website listings, in-person engagement invitations, and prominent website recognition.
• Romero Institute Online Store An e-commerce storefront at store.romeroinstitute.org selling merchandise and resources to support the organization's programs and mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won $10.5 million judgment in Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee case, the largest in American judicial system history at that time, which effectively ended construction of all new nuclear power plants in the US
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Earthjustice: The largest nonprofit public-interest environmental law organization in the U.S. Directly comparable as a 501(c)(3) that combines high-impact environmental litigation, advocacy, and grassroots organizing—paralleling Romero Institute's Let's Green California work.
• Public Citizen: Public-interest nonprofit that combines litigation, lobbying, and grassroots organizing to advance progressive causes. Directly comparable as a multi-issue advocacy and litigation organization with donation-based funding.
• Earth Island Institute: Nonprofit incubator that supports multiple independent environmental justice projects under one organizational umbrella—a strong structural parallel to Romero's model of housing Let's Green California, Lakota People's Law Project, and New Paradigm Institute.
• Center for Constitutional Rights: Progressive public-interest legal nonprofit that combines impact litigation, advocacy, and organizing on civil liberties and social justice—directly comparable to Romero's litigation-plus-organizing model.
• Indigenous Environmental Network: Grassroots Indigenous-led environmental justice nonprofit combining organizing, advocacy, and legal support. Directly comparable to the Lakota People's Law Project's Indigenous-rights mission.

Broad incumbents

• Friends of the Earth: International environmental advocacy nonprofit that combines litigation, campaign organizing, and policy work on climate and environmental justice—comparable to Romero's environmental advocacy programs.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Large environmental advocacy nonprofit combining litigation, policy, and public education. Comparable to Romero's climate justice program but at significantly greater scale and with a broader environmental mandate.
• Sierra Club Foundation: Large environmental nonprofit combining education, advocacy, and litigation support for climate and conservation issues. Comparable to Romero's Let's Green California climate justice work.
• ACLU: Major civil rights litigation and advocacy organization with broad issue coverage and a federated structure. Comparable to Romero Institute as a public-interest legal-advocacy nonprofit, though at far greater scale.

Emerging players

• 350.org: Grassroots climate movement nonprofit combining organizing, public education, and advocacy to address the climate crisis. Comparable in mission to Let's Green California's carbon-neutral California goal but focused on a global grassroots model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RomeroInstitute
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/RomeroInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/romeroinstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/romeroinstitute

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Romero Institute