What Seal Awards does

SEAL Awards (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) is an independent, privately-held environmental advocacy non-profit founded in 2017 by Matt Harney. The organization is headquartered in the United States and operates annual Business Sustainability Awards, Environmental Journalism Awards, and Environmental Research Grants programs, with operations claimed as global.

The core product is an annual award cycle that recognizes corporate sustainability leadership across categories including Environmental Initiative Award, Sustainable Innovation Award, Sustainable Product Award, Sustainable Service Award, and Organizational Impact Award. Rather than building proprietary assessments, SEAL aggregates and analyzes two existing third-party ESG datasets - the CDP A-List (covering 21,000+ companies) and S&P Global ESG Scores covering the former Corporate Sustainability Assessment (9,400+ companies) - with a 69% weighting on the environmental dimension. This methodology powers the Organizational Impact Award honoring the top 50 most sustainable companies globally and supports Environmental Initiative and category-specific awards selected in part through application-based entries.

Monetization occurs via corporate award entry fees, which are then redistributed: 100% of entry fees are contributed to Environmental Impact Campaigns (including #UpTheCup and Eco Rewards), Environmental Journalism Awards, and Environmental Research Grants, which have funded 19 researchers across institutions such as UC-Berkeley, Duke, MIT, UCLA, and a researcher in Ethiopia. The go-to-market is sales-led, with direct outreach to corporate sustainability and ESG executives via the SEAL website (RSVP forms) and an event-driven annual ceremony that publicizes winners through press releases and social media. The organization is not affiliated with CDP, CSA, or S&P Global, and has no disclosed external funding, headcount, or revenue figures.

Name

Seal Awards

Legal name

SEAL Awards

Website

https://sealawards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SEAL Awards is an independent U.S. environmental advocacy non-profit founded in 2017 that runs annual Business Sustainability Awards, Environmental Journalism Awards, and Research Grants by aggregating CDP A-List and S&P Global ESG data to recognize global corporate sustainability leaders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Awards & Recognition

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation (BPADANAI)

Keywords

• Sustainability awards program
• ESG assessment services
• Environmental research grants
• Corporate sustainability recognition
• Environmental journalism awards

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Award Entry Fees: Companies pay entry fees to participate in the SEAL Business Sustainability Awards. These fees are then contributed to environmental causes.
2. Environmental Impact Campaigns and Research Grants: Entry fees fund environmental research grants and impact campaigns such as #UpTheCup and Eco Rewards.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Seal Awards is an environmental advocacy non-profit that operates annual Business Sustainability Awards, Environmental Journalism Awards, Environmental Research Grants, and Impact Campaigns. Corporate participants pay entry fees to be considered for the Business Sustainability Awards, and those fees are redistributed to fund environmental research grants, journalism awards, and impact campaigns such as #UpTheCup and Eco Rewards.

Product overview

Seal Awards (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) is an environmental advocacy organization that operates primarily through awards programs and research funding. The core offerings include the Business Sustainability Awards (honoring the most sustainable companies globally through categories like Environmental Initiative, Sustainable Innovation, Sustainable Product, Sustainable Service, and Organizational Impact), Environmental Journalism Awards (recognizing journalists from outlets like Guardian, New York Times, and Grist), Environmental Research Grants (funding researchers at institutions like Duke, MIT, and UCLA), and Impact Campaigns (including #UpTheCup and Eco Rewards). The organization uses an analytical approach leveraging existing ESG databases (CDP A-List and S&P Global CSA ratings) rather than creating new assessments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Sustainability Awards Annual awards program honoring companies demonstrating leadership, transparency, and commitment to sustainable business practices through environmental and ESG excellence. Includes categories such as Environmental Initiative Award, Sustainable Innovation Award, Sustainable Product Award, Sustainable Service Award, and Organizational Impact Award (Top 50 Most Sustainable Companies). Designed for large global brands and corporations seeking external recognition for sustainability performance.
• Environmental Journalism Awards Annual awards recognizing journalists who produce exceptional environmental reporting and coverage for major outlets such as The Guardian, New York Times, and Grist. Funded by entry fees from the Business Sustainability Awards program.
• Environmental Research Grants Funding program providing grants to environmental researchers at leading institutions including UC-Berkeley, Duke, MIT, UCLA, and Marine Conservation Institute. Has funded 19 researchers to date, including a researcher in Ethiopia in 2022.
• Impact Campaigns Environmental advocacy campaigns including #UpTheCup and Eco Rewards programs, funded by Business Sustainability Awards entry fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 50 Most Sustainable Companies globally identified each year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• GreenBiz Group: Media and events company serving corporate sustainability professionals with research, awards, and conferences (e.g., VERGE). Comparable as it monetizes enterprise sustainability recognition and community-building through events and awards.
• Ethical Corporation: Publishes sustainability news, runs awards programs, and hosts events for corporate ESG leaders. Comparable as it combines corporate ESG journalism, awards, and recognition revenue models.
• Sustainability Magazine: B2B publication covering corporate sustainability leaders, including awards and rankings. Comparable as a media platform that combines ESG journalism with enterprise sustainability recognition.
• GlobeScan: Sustainability insights and research consultancy that surveys corporate sustainability leaders and publishes rankings. Comparable as it leverages sustainability data to produce public corporate recognition/rankings.

Direct peers

• EcoVadis: Provides corporate sustainability ratings and awards/recognition to enterprises globally. Closely comparable to SEAL Awards as both monetize third-party ESG assessment and recognition of enterprise sustainability performance.
• B Lab (B Corporation): Certifies and recognizes companies meeting verified sustainability and social/environmental performance standards. Directly comparable as a non-profit recognition platform that assesses and rewards corporate sustainability leadership.
• Corporate Knights: Publishes the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations ranking using third-party ESG/sustainability data. Directly comparable as it produces an analytically-driven 'most sustainable companies' ranking similar to SEAL's Top 50.

Broad incumbents

• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Global nonprofit running the largest corporate climate/environmental disclosure system, which SEAL Awards itself uses. Comparable as a sustainability data/recognition authority, with deeper data coverage and brand authority.
• MSCI ESG Research: Provides ESG ratings and indices for institutional investors. Comparable as a benchmark enterprise sustainability assessment and recognition provider operating at significantly larger scale.
• S&P Global ESG Scores (formerly CSA): Provides enterprise ESG scores used by institutional investors and corporates; one of SEAL's underlying data sources. Comparable as a sustainability ratings and recognition incumbent with much broader distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SEALAwards
• Facebookfacebook.com/SEALAwards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seal-awards
• Instagraminstagram.com/sealawards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Seal Awards