Save The Bay

What Save The Bay does

Save The Bay is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1961 and headquartered in Oakland, California, operating across the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Its mission is to protect and restore San Francisco Bay for people and wildlife through three integrated programs: Advocate (policy campaigns, flood resilience strategy, and ballot-measure advocacy), Restore (wetland and tidal marsh restoration, invasive species removal, native plant propagation across four nursery facilities), and Connect (student education, corporate volunteer engagement, and community events including the Climate Conversations series). It also operates a sister 501(c)(4), the Save The Bay Action Fund, that handles political lobbying separately.

The organization runs a multi-modal revenue model funded primarily by individual donations (including the Bay Sustainer monthly program and Legacy Society planned gifts), corporate partnerships (team volunteer days, event sponsorships, grants, workplace giving), government grants (notably the EPA San Francisco Bay Program at over $50 million annually to the broader program, Measure AA, and Proposition 4), and alternative giving vehicles (stock, IRA rollovers, vehicle donations, Donor Advised Funds). Its operational footprint includes four native plant nurseries, six restoration sites stewarded across Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Marin counties, and an education program reaching 1,600+ youth annually through shoreline field trips and OLO online learning.

Save The Bay is governed by a board chaired by Christopher Hockett and led by Executive Director David Lewis (in role since 1998), with a C-suite comprising a Chief Advancement Officer and Chief Financial Officer and a leadership bench spanning Habitat Restoration, Communications, Individual Giving, Policy, and Corporate Partnerships. The organization has driven major legislative and funding outcomes including banning Bay fill (1960s), California's plastic bag ban (2014 original; 2024 full checkout ban via SB 1053), Measure AA ($500M for wetlands, 2016), the San Francisco Bay Restoration Act (2022), SB 272 (2023), and Proposition 4 (2024, $10B climate resilience bond with $1B for coastal resilience), positioning it as the regional anchor for Bay climate adaptation and habitat restoration.

Name

Save The Bay

Legal name

Save The Bay

Website

https://savesfbay.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Save The Bay is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1961 and headquartered in Oakland that protects and restores San Francisco Bay through advocacy, tidal marsh restoration across four counties, four native plant nurseries, and student and volunteer education programs serving Bay Area communities, students, and corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI), Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD), Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Wetland restoration services
• Environmental advocacy
• Climate resilience programs
• Environmental education
• Habitat conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Save The Bay generates revenue primarily through donations from individual supporters, including one-time gifts, monthly Bay Sustainer recurring donations, and legacy/bequest gifts.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partnerships including team volunteer days, event sponsorships, grants, matching workplace giving, and cause marketing programs with Bay Area companies.
3. Government Grants and Funding: Federal funding through EPA's San Francisco Bay Program (over $50 million annually), state climate bonds like Proposition 4 ($1 billion for coastal resilience), and Measure AA for wetlands.
4. Vehicle and Stock Donations: Vehicle donation program through third-party services, appreciated stock gifts, Donor Advised Fund grants, and IRA charitable rollovers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Save The Bay is a nonprofit environmental organization that protects and restores San Francisco Bay through three integrated programs: Advocate (policy campaigns and flood resilience strategy), Restore (wetland restoration and native plant propagation), and Connect (environmental education, volunteer engagement, and corporate partnerships). It operates four native plant nurseries, runs six active restoration sites, and delivers shoreline education programs reaching thousands of students and volunteers annually.

Product overview

Save The Bay is a nonprofit environmental organization (501(c)(3)) offering three integrated core programs: Advocate (policy campaigns and flood resilience strategy), Restore (wetland restoration with four native plant nurseries), and Connect (student education and community engagement). The product portfolio includes sub-programs such as Shoreline Education and OLO: Outdoor Learning Online for students; Bay Sustainer monthly giving and Legacy Society for donors; Corporate Partnership Programs including team volunteer days and event sponsorships; the Fellowship Program for professional development; Climate Conversations panel series; Save The Bay Games for supporter engagement; and the Sea Level Rise and Flood Resilience Snapshots tool for evaluating city preparedness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocate program Policy advocacy and political campaigns to protect San Francisco Bay from pollution, sea level rise, and harmful development, including the Sea Level Rise and Flood Resilience Strategy and efforts to secure federal and state climate funding.
• Restore program Hands-on wetland restoration across the Bay Area, including tidal marsh recovery, invasive species removal, and native plant propagation, operating four native plant nurseries and engaging thousands of volunteers annually to restore shoreline habitat.
• Connect program Community engagement programs that connect people to the Bay through student education, volunteer events, corporate partnerships, and the Climate Conversations panel series.
• Shoreline Education field trips In-person and virtual field trips for Bay Area students to experience San Francisco Bay shoreline directly, led by the Habitat Restoration Team and aligned with California Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.
• OLO: Outdoor Learning Online Digital education portal offering hands-on science lessons for remote learning environments, downloadable classroom activities, and virtual experiences of San Francisco Bay.
• Bay Sustainer monthly giving program Monthly recurring donation program providing consistent, year-round funding for Save The Bay's advocacy, restoration, and education work, with engagement benefits for a dedicated community of monthly donors.
• Legacy Society estate giving program Estate planning giving program inviting donors to include Save The Bay in wills, trusts, retirement accounts, or donor-advised funds, with special events and recognition for Legacy Society members.
• Corporate Partnership programs Corporate team-building volunteer days, event sponsorships, matching and workplace giving programs, and grants that support Save The Bay's habitat restoration, education, and climate advocacy.
• Fellowship Program Paid professional development fellowship offering hands-on experience in habitat restoration, native plant nursery management, communications and development, and public policy, with a 20 hours/week commitment over 6-12 months.
• Sea Level Rise and Flood Resilience Snapshots Interactive evaluation of each Bay Area city on climate-driven flooding preparedness, providing tailored recommendations for flood resilience policies and nature-based solutions.
• Climate Conversations event series Series of panel discussions and community events featuring Bay Area climate leaders, exploring regional climate challenges and showcasing real-world solutions through webinars and in-person gatherings.
• Volunteer Programs Shoreline restoration volunteer activities including transplanting native seedlings, removing invasive species, and participating in corporate or community group events across Bay Area restoration sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• 53,000 acres of healthy tidal marsh restored and protected
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• South Bay Salt Pond Restoration ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest tidal marsh restoration effort on the West Coast. Save The Bay partnered on the Ravenswood levee breach that reconnected 300 acres of former industrial salt pond to the Bay tides for the first time in over a century.
• Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency regulating Bay development. Save The Bay works with BCDC on Sea Level Rise and Flood Resilience Strategy and Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP) Atlas for flood risk mapping.
• East Bay Regional Parks DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on shoreline access, trails, and environmental education programs. Save The Bay supports district initiatives and coordinates volunteer activities in East Bay parklands.
• Don Edwards National Wildlife RefugemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge where Save The Bay conducts restoration at Ravenswood Unit and All-American Canal sites, adjacent to Bedwell Bayfront Park.
• Ravenswood-West Bay Sanitary DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner hosting Save The Bay's onsite division bed nursery providing extra capacity to significantly scale up propagation numbers and grow plants for large wetland restoration projects.
• Restore America's EstuariesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational advocacy organization that Save The Bay coordinated with alongside Representative Huffman and Senators Padilla and Schiff to protect EPA SF Bay Program funding from proposed 75% budget cuts.
• Audi of AmericamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond year of partnership on Audi's Restore our Bays initiative supporting and promoting coastal restoration across the nation with habitat restoration contributions.
• Save The Bay Action FundcoreOthers501(c)(4) sister organization for political advocacy and lobbying activities separate from the 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Share mailing lists and coordinate on policy priorities.
• City of HaywardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on the First Mile Levee Project, an innovative horizontal levee providing flood protection against sea level rise while removing nutrients from treated wastewater.
• City of Palo AltomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on restoration at Palo Alto Baylands and the new Horizontal Levee project. Save The Bay operates nursery facilities at this site.
• San Francisco Bay Wildlife SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on public programming including Discover Don Edwards Day events planned with Councilmember Eve Marie Little.
• Earth Share CaliforniaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNonprofit workplace giving campaign partner that connects Save The Bay with over 200 corporate and public employers across California through workplace giving campaigns.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Club: One of the oldest U.S. environmental nonprofits, with strong Bay Area chapters engaged in local conservation advocacy. Overlaps on grassroots volunteer mobilization and policy advocacy.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Major national environmental advocacy organization that engages in Bay Area climate, water, and coastal policy. Comparable advocacy-led environmental mission but operating at national scope.
• The Nature Conservancy (California): Global environmental nonprofit with a significant California chapter that funds and executes Bay Area conservation projects. Comparable in mission scope and donor base, though operating at much larger scale.
• Restore America's Estuaries: National alliance of coastal restoration organizations. Save The Bay partners with them on federal funding defense and shares the estuary-restoration advocacy and policy focus.

Direct peers

• Surfrider Foundation: National nonprofit protecting oceans and coasts through advocacy, beach cleanup volunteer programs, and coastal restoration. Highly comparable volunteer-driven, advocacy-plus-restoration coastal nonprofit model.
• Heal the Bay: Santa Monica-based nonprofit focused on Southern California coastal water quality, advocacy, and education. Closely comparable operating model combining science-based advocacy, volunteer programs, and youth education.
• Point Blue Conservation Science: Bay Area-based conservation science nonprofit focused on birds, ecosystems, and climate resilience in the San Francisco Bay and Pacific flyway. Overlaps on shoreline restoration science and monitoring.
• San Francisco Baykeeper: Bay Area nonprofit focused on protecting San Francisco Bay water quality through advocacy, pollution enforcement, and litigation. Direct peer serving the same geography and overlapping on water-quality advocacy.
• California Coastkeeper Alliance: Statewide network of Waterkeeper organizations protecting California's coastal waters. Direct peer on water-quality advocacy and policy engagement with state regulators.

Others

• EarthShare California: Workplace-giving federation connecting environmental nonprofits with California employers. Save The Bay's distribution partner for matching-gift and workplace-giving revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/savesfbay
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@saveSFbayOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/saveSFbay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/savesfbay
• Instagraminstagram.com/savesfbay

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Save The Bay