UPROSE

What UPROSE does

UPROSE is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and environmental justice organization founded in 1966, operating primarily from a Climate Justice Center in the Sunset Park neighborhood. It is Brooklyn's oldest Latino community-based organization and serves as a frontline climate justice hub for residents, youth, small businesses, indigenous communities, and the Puerto Rican diaspora through four integrated program verticals: Environmental Health and Resiliency, the Community Planning and Just Transition Training Center (including the GRID 2.0 plan, Sunset Park Greenway Plan, Small Business Resiliency, and Transportation Justice), Energy Democracy (anchored by New York City's first cooperatively-owned 685-kilowatt community solar project on the Brooklyn Army Terminal rooftop), and Youth Leadership and Empowerment (Climate Justice Summer Fellows and Youth Summit).

The organization's underlying technology is community-organizing methodology grounded in the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing, combined with physical infrastructure (Climate Justice Center opened August 18, 2023) and tangible energy assets (Sunset Park Solar cooperative serving approximately 200 households with 15% energy bill savings). It does not operate a software platform, API, or proprietary AI/ML systems. Its distinguishing technical contributions are architectural/methodological: a cooperatively-owned solar subscription model, a multi-year community climate resilience plan (GRID 2.0), and a Just Transition workforce training program spanning offshore wind, solar installation, maritime, and food sovereignty sectors.

UPROSE's business model is a nonprofit grant-and-donation funding model. It generates no commercial revenue from its free community programs. Revenue streams include foundation grants (Kresge, Nathan Cummings, New York Women's Foundation, Nicholson Family Foundation, The Solutions Project, Winward Fund, Chorus Foundation, Energy Foundation), government grants (U.S. Department of Energy), corporate contributions (Equinor for offshore wind–related work), and individual donations across $50–$1,000 tiers. Go-to-market is community-led: door-to-door outreach, learning circles, festivals, and coalition campaigns delivered through regional alliances including the Climate Justice Alliance (where Executive Director Elizabeth Yeampierre serves as Co-Chair), NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, NY Renews, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, and the Last-Mile Coalition.

Name

UPROSE

Legal name

UPROSE

Website

https://uprose.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UPROSE is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental justice organization founded in 1966 that serves Sunset Park residents, youth, indigenous communities, and small businesses through climate justice organizing, community-owned solar, youth leadership programs, and just transition workforce training, funded primarily by foundation grants, government grants, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Justice Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAGAF

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

Keywords

• Environmental justice advocacy
• Climate justice organizing
• Community solar energy
• Youth leadership development
• Community resiliency planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: UPROSE receives funding from foundations including Kresge Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, New York Women's Foundation, Nicholson Family Foundation, The Solutions Project, Winward Fund, Chorus Foundation, and Energy Foundation.
2. Government Grants: Funding from Department of Energy and other government programs supporting climate justice and environmental initiatives.
3. Individual Donations: Donations accepted via Venmo @UPROSE-BK, with suggested contribution tiers supporting specific programs: $50 for climate education, $100 for native plant initiatives, $500 for intergenerational leadership training, $1000 for youth organizer stipends.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Funding and support from corporate entities including Equinor, a Norwegian energy company involved in offshore wind development in New York.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UPROSE is a Brooklyn-based, BIPOC- and Latina-led nonprofit that runs environmental and climate justice programs in Sunset Park. Its core offerings include community organizing, a subscription-based community solar cooperative (Sunset Park Solar), youth leadership development, climate resiliency planning, and advocacy campaigns addressing local pollution and equitable development. The organization anchors its work in the Jemez Principles and intergenerational leadership, connecting local action to city, state, and federal climate policy.

Product overview

UPROSE is a community-based environmental justice organization offering an integrated portfolio of programs focused on climate justice, energy democracy, youth leadership, and community organizing. The core offerings include Environmental Health and Resiliency, Community Planning and Just Transition Training Center (featuring GRID 2.0 and Sunset Park Greenway), Energy Democracy (with Community Solar and Offshore Wind advocacy), and Youth Leadership and Empowerment programs. These are complemented by collaborative campaigns including OurPowerPRNYC, Transform Don't Trash, Last-Mile Coalition, and the flagship Sunset Park Solar initiative (NYC's first cooperatively-owned community solar project at 685 kilowatts). UPROSE operates as a unified organization rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, with all programs supporting the mission of promoting sustainability and resiliency in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunset Park Solar Community-owned community solar subscription service for residential and small commercial electricity customers in Con Edison territory, primarily in Sunset Park. Subscribers receive a 15% discount on their electricity supply through a community solar cooperative model, with no rooftop installation required.
• Youth Leadership and Empowerment Program Paid fellowship, training, and organizing pipeline for high school and college-aged youth in NYC focused on climate, environmental, and social justice leadership. Includes summer institutes, leadership development, and youth-led campaigns.
• Community Planning and Just Transition Training Center Training, convening, and planning resource center that equips Sunset Park residents and partner organizations with skills for community-led planning and a Just Transition away from fossil fuel infrastructure.
• Environmental Health and Resiliency Program Community program that addresses local pollution, climate resilience, and environmental health priorities in Sunset Park through resident engagement, education, and policy advocacy.
• Energy Democracy Program Program advancing community-owned renewable energy and an equitable, democratic energy system in NYC, including community solar and energy equity advocacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15% reduction in monthly energy bills for community solar subscribers
• +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.

• Last-Mile CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2023City-wide coalition of environmental justice and public health advocates supporting frontline community leadership to address unregulated growth of last-mile trucking facilities and health impacts.
• OurPowerPRNYC Coalition PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2017Coalition of over two dozen New York-based community organizations united to provide assistance to Puerto Rico dealing with Hurricane Maria and Irma aftermath, and to address Puerto Rican self-determination and sovereignty.
• Climate Justice AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPROSE is a member organization of Climate Justice Alliance, a national coalition of frontline communities and movements building towards a Just Transition. Elizabeth Yeampierre serves as Co-Chair of the Climate Justice Alliance Board. This partnership provides strategic coordination for climate justice campaigns and movement building.
• NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYCEJA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYCEJA is a network of NYC environmental justice organizations working together on shared climate and environmental justice goals. UPROSE participates in coalition campaigns and initiatives through this alliance.
• NY RenewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA coalition focused on climate policy and just transition in New York State, working on legislation like the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act implementation.
• Grassroots Global Justice Alliance (GGJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational alliance of grassroots organizations working on climate justice, connecting UPROSE with global movements for environmental and social justice.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 350.org: Global grassroots climate movement organization running fossil fuel divestment and renewable energy campaigns — comparable climate advocacy framing but at international scale and focused on broader public mobilization rather than hyperlocal EJ organizing.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Major national environmental advocacy organization with NYC presence working on climate, energy, and environmental justice — operates overlapping issues (offshore wind, energy democracy, EJ policy) but at far greater scale and through legal/technical advocacy rather than community organizing.

Direct peers

• WE ACT for Environmental Justice: Northern Manhattan-based environmental justice nonprofit operating on similar model — community organizing, policy advocacy, and environmental health programs for low-income communities of color facing disproportionate climate impacts. Highly comparable in mission, structure, and NYC geography.
• The Point CDC: Hunts Point (Bronx)-based community development corporation running youth leadership, arts, and environmental justice programs for Latino residents in a frontline environmental justice community — directly comparable operating model and demographic focus to UPROSE's Sunset Park work.
• South Bronx Unite: South Bronx coalition of community organizations fighting air pollution, waste facilities, and industrial encroachment in a frontline environmental justice community. Comparable grassroots organizing, EJ advocacy, and coalition-driven campaign model to UPROSE's Last-Mile and Transform Don't Trash work.
• El Puente: Brooklyn-based Latino community organization running youth leadership development, arts, and human rights programs in Williamsburg — directly comparable as a Brooklyn-rooted, intergenerational, Latino-led nonprofit with community organizing as its core method.
• Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES): Lower East Side community-based organization addressing housing, environmental justice, and disaster recovery for low-income residents of color — comparable NYC-based community organizing nonprofit with environmental justice and resiliency programming.
• Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy (CEED): Minnesota-based nonprofit focused on energy democracy and community-led climate solutions for Indigenous, Black, and immigrant communities — closely aligned to UPROSE's energy democracy and Just Transition framework, and a peer member of the Climate Justice Alliance network.

Others

• NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYCEJA): Citywide coalition of NYC environmental justice organizations that UPROSE is a member of — not a direct competitor but a structural peer network whose members operate comparable community-based EJ programs across all five boroughs.

Emerging players

• Mothers Out Front: National grassroots organization mobilizing mothers and caregivers around climate and clean energy advocacy — comparable movement-building and volunteer-led community organizing model, though operating statewide chapters rather than hyperlocal neighborhood work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UPROSE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-aWk5crWU-fPCzhKdZfmgQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/uproseBk
• Instagraminstagram.com/uprosebrooklyn/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uprosebk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 UPROSE