As You Sow
As You Sow is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1992 that uses shareholder advocacy, research reports, and screening tools to compel publicly traded companies to address material ESG risks including climate, toxins, diversity, and racial justice, serving individual and institutional investors, donors, and coalition partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What As You Sow does
As You Sow is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit shareholder advocacy organization founded in 1992 and headquartered in El Cerrito, California, with a secondary mailing address in Berkeley. It operates as the nation's leading nonprofit practitioner of shareholder advocacy, using shareholder engagement, coalition building, and legal strategies to compel publicly traded corporations to address material environmental, social, and governance risks including climate change, toxins in the food system, ocean plastics, diversity and inclusion, racial justice, and wage equity. The organization's portfolio centers on recurring research publications and screening tools: annual reports including Proxy Preview (co-produced with Proxy Impact), Clean200 / Carbon Clean 200 (co-produced with Corporate Knights), Pesticides in the Pantry, Racial Justice Scorecard, From the Ground Up, and Compute and Consequence; self-service investor screening platforms Invest Your Values, Gender Equality Funds, and As You Vote; a Proposition 65 toxic enforcement program (Toxic Chocolate) that produced a 2018 settlement with 31 chocolate manufacturers including Cargill, Hershey, Mars, and Nestle; and a data licensing arm (As You Know / asyouknow.com). Quantified outcomes include over 300 companies adding female board directors and 20+ companies committing to gender pay gap analysis following shareholder pressure, alongside eBay's pay parity commitment.
The organization monetizes through a nonprofit funding stack: donations from individuals, foundations, and aligned institutional investors, supplemented by grants and the As You Know data licensing business. It does not sell software products or services at fixed pricing, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Customer and stakeholder engagement is primarily digital and content-led via asyousow.org, investyourvalues.org, genderequalityfunds.org, email newsletters, webinars, and earned media coverage in outlets including Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, New York Times, USA Today, Forbes, and Fast Company. Governance is provided by a board of directors under California nonprofit law, with leadership comprising CEO Andrew Behar (also author of The Shareholders Action Guide) and President Danielle Fugere (named to the 2023 inaugural TIME100 Climate List). The organization has accumulated registered trademarks including As You Sow®, Proxy Preview®, Clean200®, and Carbon Clean 200®, plus a recurring slate of recognitions including Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies #3 (2022), Kiplinger's #1 ESG Tool (2021), and Ethos's #1 Top Corporate Watchdog (2020-2021).
As You Sow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- As You Sow
- Legal name
- As You Sow
- Website
- https://asyousow.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- As You Sow is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1992 that uses shareholder advocacy, research reports, and screening tools to compel publicly traded companies to address material ESG risks including climate, toxins, diversity, and racial justice, serving individual and institutional investors, donors, and coalition partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
As You Sow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Shareholder Advocacy and ESG Research Services
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (541620)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Stewardship & Active Ownership (Engagement, Proxy Voting, Shareholder Advocacy) (FSAAALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL), ESG Reporting, Disclosure & Regulatory Compliance (SFDR, EU Taxonomy, TCFD/ISSB) (FSAAALAK), Stakeholder Engagement & ESG Governance (Policies, KPIs, incentives) (EUAHAJAJ), ESG & Sustainability Research (FSACAGAH)
Keywords
Where As You Sow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
As You Sow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and charitable contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, As You Sow relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and aligned institutional investors to fund its shareholder advocacy programs, research reports, and engagement activities.
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
As You Sow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
As You Sow is a nonprofit shareholder advocacy organization that empowers shareholders to hold corporations accountable on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues through filing shareholder resolutions, direct corporate engagement, authoritative research reports (Proxy Preview, Clean200, Pesticides in the Pantry), corporate scorecards, and self-serve screening tools (Invest Your Values, Gender Equality Funds). It also pursues innovative legal strategies including Proposition 65 enforcement against chocolate manufacturers for lead and cadmium contamination.
Product overview
As You Sow is a nonprofit shareholder advocacy organization that operates as a platform of research-based tools, scorecards, and reports rather than a single software product. Its portfolio includes: Proxy Preview (annual ESG shareholder resolution tracking with Proxy Impact); Clean200 (joint ranking with Corporate Knights of 200 clean energy companies); Pesticides in the Pantry (food company pesticide practices scorecard); Gender Equality Funds (investment screening tool for mutual fund gender equality); Invest Your Values (retirement account screening tool); Toxic Chocolate (Proposition 65 testing and enforcement program); Racial Justice Scorecard and Corporate Retirement Plan Sustainability Scorecard (corporate assessments); and thematic research reports such as Compute and Consequence (AI energy demand) and From the Ground Up (regenerative agriculture). These offerings function as independent reports, databases, and tools unified by the organization's shareholder advocacy mission.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Carbon Clean 200: A ranking of 200 publicly traded companies by their total clean energy revenues, published annually since 2016 in partnership with Corporate Knights.
- Invest Your Values
- Gender Equality Funds
Products and services
- Proxy Preview Annual report and webinar tracking ESG shareholder resolutions filed at U.S. companies during proxy season, produced jointly with Proxy Impact for institutional investors, asset managers, and advocacy organizations.
- Clean200 (Carbon Clean 200) Annual ranking of 200 publicly traded companies worldwide selected from over 8,200 firms based on total clean energy revenues, produced jointly with Corporate Knights to highlight corporate leaders in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
- Pesticides in the Pantry Annual scorecard benchmarking major food manufacturers and suppliers on practices to measure and mitigate harm from synthetic pesticides in agricultural supply chains, scored on 9 key performance indicators.
- Gender Equality Funds Self-serve investment screening tool enabling individual investors to align mutual fund investments with gender equality values, scoring nearly 5,000 commonly-held U.S. mutual funds on gender balance and equality metrics.
- Racial Justice Scorecard Corporate assessment scorecard evaluating companies on racial justice practices and disclosures for use by institutional investors, shareholders, and the public.
- Corporate Retirement Plan Sustainability Scorecard Assessment tool evaluating corporate retirement plans on sustainability and ESG criteria, enabling employees and plan sponsors to evaluate climate and ESG exposure of 401(k)-style offerings.
- Toxic Chocolate (Toxic Enforcement Program) Testing and legal enforcement program testing chocolate products for lead and cadmium contamination and enforcing California Proposition 65 through legal notices and settlements with chocolate manufacturers.
- Invest Your Values Self-serve web-based investment screening tool allowing investors to identify exposures to sectors such as fossil fuels, tobacco, or weapons manufacturers within their mutual funds, ETFs, and retirement accounts.
- Compute and Consequence Research report examining AI energy demand implications for technology companies, utilities, and investors, providing a framework for understanding data center electricity demand versus corporate climate commitments.
- From the Ground Up: Transparent Pathways to Regenerative Food Systems Scorecard benchmarking 20 major food companies on regenerative agriculture programs, policies, and goals across 15 key performance indicators to assess long-term value and industry performance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 300 companies added female board directors in response to shareholder pressure including State Street Global Advisors campaign
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use As You Sow
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
As You Sow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
As You Sow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Proxy ImpactcoreCo-producer of the annual Proxy Preview report tracking ESG shareholder resolutions at US companies. The 2026 report showed a nearly 50% decline in ESG resolutions amid political pressure.
- Mercy Investment ServicescoreCo-filed shareholder resolutions at Amazon questioning AWS data center climate impact disclosures and at other major corporations on climate and ESG topics.
- Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR)coreJointly filed a complaint against the SEC regarding the No-Objection Policy for shareholder proposals, arguing it violates procedural requirements and alters established rules related to shareholder proposals.
- Democracy ForwardcoreJointly filed a complaint against the SEC regarding the No-Objection Policy for shareholder proposals.
- Corporate KnightscoreCo-producer of the annual Carbon Clean 200 (Clean200) list, which identifies 200 companies leading in clean energy revenue. Corporate Knights provides research and analysis expertise for this flagship publication that tracks clean economy companies globally.
- Sunrun Inc.flagshipThe nation's largest residential solar company became the first solar company to join a business coalition calling for a moratorium on deep seabed mining, coordinated by As You Sow alongside 70 other companies including Google, Apple, Samsung, BMW, Volvo, and Salesforce.
- National Confectioners Association and leading chocolate manufacturers (Cargill, Hershey, Mars, Nestle, and 31 others)flagshipIn 2018, As You Sow reached a landmark settlement with 31 chocolate companies to fund an independent expert committee to investigate sources of lead and cadmium in chocolate and develop feasible reduction measures. This was the culmination of Proposition 65 enforcement litigation.
- As You KnowcoreExclusive licensee of As You Sow data with rights to sublicense that data to others. Operates asyoutknow.com platform for data licensing.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
As You Sow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ceres: A nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization that works with institutional investors and major companies on climate and water risk. Ceres operates in the same investor-engagement and ESG-policy space as AYS, with a comparable nonprofit advocacy model.
- InfluenceMap: A nonprofit research organization that tracks corporate climate lobbying and policy influence. Overlaps with AYS's climate and energy advocacy research and serves a similar investor and media audience.
- Corporate Knights: A research and media organization that co-produces the Clean200 list with AYS and produces the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations ranking. Closely aligned research mission and joint flagship publication.
- Green America: A nonprofit advocating for social and environmental responsibility through consumer engagement, responsible supply chains, and shareholder advocacy. Comparable nonprofit advocacy model targeting corporations on ESG issues.
- US SIF (Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment): The US membership association for sustainable and responsible investing, serving institutional investors, asset managers, and research firms. AYS sits within the same SRI ecosystem and competes for institutional mindshare and donor attention.
- Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR): A 300+ member coalition of faith- and values-driven institutions that files shareholder resolutions and engages corporations on ESG issues. ICCR is AYS's closest direct peer in mission and methodology, and the two organizations regularly co-file resolutions and jointly litigate against regulatory actions.
- Proxy Impact: A nonprofit shareholder advocacy and research organization that co-produces the annual Proxy Preview report with AYS. Operates in the same shareholder-engagement category with overlapping investor and coalition networks.
Regional players
- ShareAction: A UK-based nonprofit mobilizing responsible investment through shareholder advocacy, policy work, and investor campaigns. Geographic peer executing the same shareholder-advocacy playbook in European markets.
Broad incumbents
- Glass Lewis & Co. A major proxy advisory firm providing voting recommendations and governance research to institutional investors. Adjacent to AYS's investor-engagement model but operating as a commercial, larger-scale incumbent serving the same end-investor audience.
- Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS): The largest proxy advisory firm globally, providing governance analytics, voting policy, and ESG research. A larger commercial incumbent in the same shareholder-governance information ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
As You Sow social profiles
Digital presenceAs You Sow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
As You Sow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
As You Sow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
As You Sow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about As You Sow
What does As You Sow do?
As You Sow is a nonprofit shareholder advocacy organization that empowers shareholders to hold corporations accountable on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues through filing shareholder resolutions, direct corporate engagement, authoritative research reports (Proxy Preview, Clean200, Pesticides in the Pantry), corporate scorecards, and self-serve screening tools (Invest Your Values, Gender Equality Funds). It also pursues innovative legal strategies including Proposition 65 enforcement against chocolate manufacturers for lead and cadmium contamination.
Is As You Sow a public or private company?
As You Sow is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was As You Sow founded?
As You Sow was founded in 1992. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is As You Sow based?
As You Sow is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does As You Sow make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and charitable contributions.
Who are As You Sow's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ceres, InfluenceMap, Corporate Knights, Green America, US SIF (Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment), Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and Proxy Impact. ShareAction is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Glass Lewis & Co. and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).
Does As You Sow have an API?
No public API is recorded for As You Sow.
What industry is As You Sow in?
As You Sow's product category is Shareholder Advocacy and ESG Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAALAD, Stewardship & Active Ownership (Engagement, Proxy Voting, Shareholder Advocacy), with a secondary code of BPAHALAL, ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research. Its NAICS code is 541620 and its SIC code is 8600.