The Green Belt Movement

What The Green Belt Movement does

The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is a Kenyan-anchored, non-profit environmental restoration organization founded in 1977 by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Wangari Maathai under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya. Headquartered in Nairobi with a US fundraising arm (Green Belt Movement International – US, a registered 501(c)(3), EIN 94-3178913) in Brooklyn, GBM runs a community-driven restoration model centered on a network of 5,000+ Tree Nursery Groups (TNGs) that produce 8 million indigenous seedlings annually, with cumulative impact claims of 510 million trees planted and 40 million hectares restored. Its proprietary GBM Ten-Step Procedure structures projects from community awareness through long-term stewardship, and is applied across priority water towers including Mau Forest Complex, Mount Kenya, Aberdares, Cherangani Hills, and Mount Elgon.

GBM's product surface spans community tree-planting programs, watershed restoration projects (Mau Restoration Project, Mount Kenya Greening Project, Water Tower Restoration), agroforestry with ~3,400 smallholder farmers, an Improved Cookstoves initiative funded by Green Climate Fund and BMZ, and Nature-Based Enterprises (bamboo, beekeeping, eco-tourism). The organization also runs advocacy campaigns (Saving Kenyan Forests, Urban Green Spaces, #Plant20forWangari), the award-winning 'Taking Root' documentary, a Gift-A-Tree global e-commerce campaign at $10 per tree, and a Nairobi training center with safari visits. Underlying operational tooling is conventional: two in-house GIS Officers supported by geo-spatial dashboards supplied by partners (WRI, Ecosia, Mainichi, TerraFund).

The business model is donation- and grant-driven with no commercial revenue. Income streams include individual donations (PayPal, M-Pesa paybill 880100, bank transfer, cheque, Donor Advised Funds, CFC #35418, $10 Gift-A-Tree units) and institutional grants from a concentrated set of funders — Bezos Earth Fund (Great Rift Valley), Green Climate Fund and BMZ (cookstoves), French Development Agency (Mau), TerraFund for AFR100, Ecosia, and Mainichi (Mount Kenya). Customers are split between a long tail of individual donors globally and approximately 5,000 community nursery groups plus smallholder farmers as program beneficiaries across five Kenyan counties.

Name

The Green Belt Movement

Legal name

The Green Belt Movement

Website

https://greenbeltmovement.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Green Belt Movement is a Kenyan non-profit founded in 1977 by Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai that runs community-driven tree planting, watershed restoration, and agroforestry programs through 5,000+ nursery groups, funded by individual donations and institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (1132), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD), Reforestation & Afforestation Services (Planting, Site Prep, Regeneration) (IMAMAAAE)

Keywords

• Environmental conservation services
• Community tree planting
• Watershed restoration
• Sustainable livelihood programs
• Environmental advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Accepts donations from individuals globally via website (PayPal), M-Pesa (Kenya), bank transfer, cheque by mail, and Donor Advised Funds (US). Gift-A-Tree campaign sells trees at $10 each as meaningful gifts.
2. Institutional Grants & Funding: Receives funding from international organizations and foundations for specific conservation projects (e.g., Bezos Earth Fund for Great Rift Valley restoration, TerraFund for AFR100, Green Climate Fund for cookstoves project).
3. Gift-A-Tree Campaign: For $10 (US), donors can plant a tree in Kenya as a meaningful gift for friends/loved ones. Donors receive tax-deductible receipt and recipients get a postcard.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Green Belt Movement is a nonprofit environmental conservation organization that runs community-driven tree planting, reforestation, and watershed protection programs across Kenya through a network of 5,000+ community Tree Nursery Groups (TNGs) producing 8 million indigenous seedlings annually. It supplements conservation work with agroforestry and sustainable livelihood programs, environmental advocacy campaigns, the Gift-A-Tree global donation campaign, educational media (Taking Root documentary, books by Wangari Maathai), and training/safari experiences at its Nairobi center.

Product overview

The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is a non-profit environmental conservation organization that offers a multi-faceted approach to environmental restoration and community empowerment. The core offering centers on community-driven tree planting and forest conservation programs, including water tower restoration projects (Mau, Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon), agroforestry initiatives, and a network of 5,000+ community nurseries producing 8 million seedlings annually. GBM supplements its conservation work with advocacy campaigns to protect Kenya's forests and urban green spaces, nature-based enterprise programs for sustainable livelihoods, educational resources including the Taking Root documentary and Wangari Maathai's books, and the Gift-A-Tree global donation campaign. The organization also operates a training center and safari program in Nairobi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tree Planting & Reforestation Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 510 million+ trees planted across Kenya
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 and minor.

• World Resources Institute (WRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for landscape restoration projects. Through WRI partnership, GBM has planted 645,293 indigenous trees in the Makuli-Nzaui Landscape since 2021. WRI provides geo-spatial dashboard tools for project monitoring.
• Mainichi (The Mainichi Newspapers)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing partnership (over 3 decades) supporting Mount Kenya Greening Project. Mainichi has provided unwavering support for environmental stewardship and sustainable communities. Provides geo-spatial dashboard for project monitoring.
• Kenya Forest Service (KFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for forest protection activities. KFS collaborates with GBM and Kenya Defense Forces to safeguard water towers including Mount Kenya and Aberdare through the GBM Ten-Step Procedure.
• Kenya Defense Forces (KDF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner collaborating in safeguarding water towers like Mount Kenya and Aberdare through forest protection and restoration activities.
• MXAminorOthersPartner organization supporting GBM's work as shown in partner logos section of website.
• RestoreminorOthersPartner organization supporting GBM's restoration work as shown in partner logos section of website.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• One Tree Planted: Nonprofit running a low-friction $1-per-tree donation model globally with a similar digital donor funnel. Comparable to GBM in using e-commerce-style giving (e.g., GBM's $10 Gift-A-Tree) to fund reforestation.
• Justdiggit: Africa-focused regreening NGO that uses community-driven landscape restoration in Tanzania, Kenya, and other countries. Directly comparable to GBM as a grassroots African reforestation nonprofit combining land restoration with community livelihoods.
• WeForest: International nonprofit focused on landscape restoration in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, partnering with corporates and communities. Comparable to GBM in nature-based restoration with corporate and institutional funder base.
• Trees for the Future: US-based nonprofit running the Forest Garden Approach with smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable to GBM in combining agroforestry, food security, and farmer-led restoration.
• Eden Reforestation Projects: Global nonprofit employing local community labor (often paid wages) to plant trees at large scale across multiple countries. Closely comparable to GBM in mission, model, and donor-driven economics.

Emerging players

• 4 Returns Landscape Initiative: European-backed initiative funding large-scale degraded landscape restoration with a multi-stakeholder model. Comparable to GBM's integrated approach of combining restoration, livelihoods, and community engagement in Africa.
• Trillion Trees: Joint venture of BirdLife, WCS, and WWF focused on restoring and protecting forest landscapes globally. Comparable to GBM as a forest restoration nonprofit with corporate partnerships and large-scale planting targets.

Broad incumbents

• Fauna & Flora International (FFI): Long-established international conservation NGO working across multiple countries and species. Comparable to GBM as a legacy conservation nonprofit with global brand and diversified institutional funding.
• World Agroforestry (ICRAF): CGIAR research institution advancing agroforestry science and policy in Africa and globally. Comparable to GBM's agroforestry and tree-based livelihoods work but as a science/policy body rather than grassroots operator.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization operating across climate, forests, water, and food; a current GBM partner via geo-spatial dashboards. Comparable as a broad institutional actor in landscape restoration rather than a community-led specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GreenBeltMovmnt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheGreenBeltMovement
• Facebookfacebook.com/greenbeltmovement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-green-belt-movement
• Instagraminstagram.com/greenbeltmovement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Green Belt Movement