Houston Wilderness

What Houston Wilderness does

Houston Wilderness is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2003 that operates as a regional conservation alliance facilitator across the Greater Houston, Galveston Bay, and Texas Coast areas — a 20+ county geography encompassing 10 distinct ecoregions. The organization convenes business, environmental non-profit, and government stakeholders to advance regional environmental policy and execute large-scale nature-based infrastructure projects, with 250+ active regional partners engaged through its Collaborative Grant-Organizing (CGO) Program, which has channeled millions of dollars in federal and state grant funding into the region.

Its core programmatic offerings include the Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Plan (RCP) — a decade-long initiative tracking resiliency benchmarks — and the Super Trees for Sustainability Initiative, which encompasses the Houston Ship Channel & Adjacent Ports (HSC+AP) TREES Program targeting 25 miles of ship channel plantings and the Riverine Targeted-Use-of-Buyouts (TUBs) Program spanning 3,000+ acres of riparian corridor restoration across 32+ contiguous buyout properties. Additional programs include the Southeast Texas Native Seed Mix Initiative (a 12-grass native replacement for non-natives like St. Augustine and Bermudagrass), the Texas Monarch Flyway Strategy, the Texas Coast Targeted-Use-of-Beneficial-Uses (TxCoast TUBUs) Initiative, and the MPC Ecoregion Experiences (MPC E3) events series targeting Master Planned Communities. The organization also publishes the Wilderness Passport mobile app and runs the Great Green Quest annual challenge as community-engagement tools.

Houston Wilderness operates on a grant-funded, community-led model rather than a commercial revenue model. Its 1–10 person team facilitates grant proposals, stakeholder convenings, volunteer plantings, and technical resource publication (including peer-reviewed papers and standardized BMP manuals). The organization is governed by a board of directors and recognized annually through its Wild Life Awards program honoring regional conservation leaders.

Name

Houston Wilderness

Legal name

Houston Wilderness

Website

https://houstonwilderness.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Houston Wilderness is a Houston-based nonprofit alliance founded in 2003 that convenes 250+ regional partners across 20+ Texas counties to deliver nature-based infrastructure, native tree and grassland restoration, and collaborative grant programs protecting the Greater Houston region's 10 ecoregions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education & Community Programs (Junior Ranger, Citizen Science, School Programs) (THAAAGAK), Biodiversity Conservation & Habitat Banking (AFAMAMAC)

Keywords

• Environmental conservation services
• Nature-based infrastructure
• Regional conservation planning
• Native vegetation programs
• Ecosystem restoration programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding & Collaborative Program Funding: Non-profit organization funded through collaborative grant proposals with federal/state agencies. The CGO Program has brought millions of additional dollars to over 250 partners in the region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Houston Wilderness is a nonprofit environmental alliance that facilitates regional conservation across the 20+ county Gulf-Houston area encompassing 10 ecoregions. It coordinates nature-based infrastructure programs including large-scale native tree plantings, native seed mix initiatives, riparian corridor restoration on buyout properties, monarch butterfly habitat work, and a collaborative grant-organizing program that channels federal and state funding to over 250 regional partners. Public-facing offerings include the Wilderness Passport mobile app, the Great Green Quest challenge, volunteer planting events, and educational resources such as the Regional Conservation Plan and ecosystem services primers.

Product overview

Houston Wilderness operates as a nonprofit environmental organization with a broad-based alliance of business, non-profit, and government partners. The organization offers a portfolio of conservation programs rather than traditional commercial products. The primary offerings include the Wilderness Passport & Mobile App for exploring the 10 ecoregions, the Great Green Quest Challenge, and major conservation initiatives such as the Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Plan, Super Trees for Sustainability Initiative (encompassing the HSC+AP TREES Program and Riverine TUBs Program), Southeast Texas Native Seed Mix Initiative, Collaborative Grant-Organizing Program, Texas Monarch Flyway Strategy, and various educational events including the Annual Luncheon and Regional Environmental Videos. These programs work together to protect, promote and enhance the 10 diverse ecoregions of the Greater Houston, Galveston Bay, and Texas Coast area through nature-based infrastructure, native vegetation planting, and environmental education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wilderness Passport & Mobile App A hard copy, electronic, and mobile phone application guide to the 10 diverse ecoregions found in the 13+ county region surrounding Greater Houston, designed for residents, visitors, and students to explore and track visits to outdoor locations.
• Great Green Quest Challenge An annual challenge accompanying the Wilderness Passport, inviting participants to visit all 10 ecoregions in one year, featuring outdoor locations and nature exploration activities for individuals, families, and groups.
• Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Plan (RCP) A decade-long collaborative initiative facilitated by Houston Wilderness, working toward three key resiliency goals: more protected/preserved lands, green and blue nature-based infrastructure, and substantial annual installation of native vegetation.
• Super Trees for Sustainability Initiative A multi-year, large-scale native tree planting collaborative incorporating the Houston Ship Channel & Adjacent Ports TREES Program and the Riverine Targeted-Use-of-Buyouts Program, enhancing biodiversity and reducing health risks associated with urban heat, air and water pollution, and flooding.
• Collaborative Grant-Organizing Program Works with multiple stakeholders and federal/state agencies on collaborative grant proposals and funded projects in pioneering areas of environmental planning and resilience, bringing millions of additional dollars to over 250 regional partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ acres of riparian corridors enhanced/restored on 32+ contiguous buyout locations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Steering Committee of Environmental, Business and Government EntitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDecade-long collaborative Steering Committee working toward RCP's 3 key resiliency goals: more protected/preserved lands, green and blue nature-based infrastructure, and substantial installation of native vegetation annually
• Federal and State AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative grant proposals and funded projects in pioneering areas of environmental planning and resilience. CGO Program has brought millions of additional dollars to regional partners
• Private and Public Partners (HSC+AP TREES Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year collaborative project focused on large-scale tree plantings along 25 miles of Houston Ship Channel, targeting native tree species with priority ranking based on ecosystem services
• RANSM Coalition (Regional Access to Native Seed Mix)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative effort facilitating awareness and access to Southeast Texas Native Seed Mix (SET NSM) - mix of twelve native grasses replacing widely-planted non-native grasses
• Regional Access to Native Grasses (RANG) Growers GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrowers group coordinated with Texas Coast Targeted-Use-of-Beneficial-Uses (TxCoast TUBUs) Initiative for native grass access
• 250+ Regional Partners (CGO Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners across the region who have received collaborative grant funding through the CGO Program since its creation

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas-based native plant and habitat conservation organization. Comparable through shared focus on native species, native seed and plant propagation, regional planting frameworks, and Texas-scale conservation education programs.
• Native Prairies Association of Texas: Statewide nonprofit dedicated to the conservation, restoration, and appreciation of Texas native prairies. Overlaps directly with Houston Wilderness' prairie restoration work within the 10-ecoregion framework, especially Gulf Coast Prairie systems.
• Trees For Houston: Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to urban tree planting and forest restoration. Closely comparable given overlapping mission in large-scale native and urban tree planting, volunteer-driven events, and municipal partnerships in the same region.
• Scenic Houston: Houston-focused nonprofit advocating for green space, scenic conservation, and quality-of-life improvements. Comparable as a Houston-area environmental advocacy nonprofit engaging civic, business, and government stakeholders on regional land use.
• Bayou Preservation Association: Houston-area nonprofit focused on preserving and restoring the region's bayou systems. Directly comparable as a local watershed and riparian-corridor advocacy/restoration organization serving overlapping geography and stakeholder base.
• Galveston Bay Foundation: Houston-area environmental nonprofit focused on Galveston Bay watershed protection, restoration, and education. Directly comparable as a regional conservation and waterway-restoration nonprofit operating in the same geographic footprint with overlapping riparian and estuary programs.

Broad incumbents

• Conservation Fund: National nonprofit that acquires and conserves working lands and natural areas. Comparable in coordinating conservation finance, federal/state partnerships, and landscape-scale habitat protection programs.
• Ducks Unlimited: Large national wetlands and waterfowl habitat conservation nonprofit. Comparable in mission around wetland and riparian habitat restoration at landscape scale, with significant Texas and Gulf Coast presence.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit focused on land conservation and creating parks and protected areas. Comparable in mission around permanent land protection for community benefit, though operating at national scale rather than a single metro region.
• The Nature Conservancy (Texas Chapter): Global conservation nonprofit with substantial Texas operations. Comparable as a much larger environmental nonprofit working on land protection, habitat restoration, and science-based conservation across overlapping ecoregions and waterways.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/houwilderness
• Xx.com/HouWilderness
• Facebookfacebook.com/HouWilderness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/houwilderness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Houston Wilderness