Gridwise Alliance

What Gridwise Alliance does

GridWise Alliance, Inc. is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit industry coalition founded in 2003 that convenes 200+ member organizations across the U.S. electric grid supply chain — investor-owned utilities, public utilities, rural cooperatives, technology providers, ISOs/RTOs, state energy offices, and academic institutions — to advance grid modernization policy and practice. Its core assets are the Grid Modernization Index (GMI), a state-by-state assessment covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia across State Support, Customer Engagement, and Grid Operations (nine editions since 2013), and GridMap™, an interactive web tool that maps technologies used in electric grid infrastructure. The organization also runs the annual gridCONNEXT conference, the DC Fly-In advocacy program, working groups on AI, EV, and Resilience, and the GridWise Forum member engagement platform launched in 2025.

The business model is membership-based with tiered annual dues ranging from $1,000 (academic affiliate) to $25,000 (full membership for organizations with more than $1B in annual revenue), supplemented by event sponsorships and grants from partners such as the U.S. Department of Energy and the Energy Foundation. GridWise monetizes its policy influence and convening role rather than a software product; it has no app, no API, and no disclosed paid data product, although it has a registered GridWise® trademark and sub-brands (gridCONNEXT®, GMI™, GridMap™, GridWise Forum). Recent product activity has expanded into AI applications for utilities, FERC Order 2222 implementation guidance, and GRIP program recommendations.

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, led by CEO Karen Wayland, with Jane Zaretskie serving as Executive Director since 2024, and operates with 1–10 employees from its headquarters at 1800 M Street NW, Suite #400S, Washington, D.C. It holds strategic partnerships with the U.S. DOE, the Energy Foundation, EY, E9 Insight, Clean Edge, and recent member envelio, Inc., giving it both funding support and intellectual reach across the policy and research value chain.

Name

Gridwise Alliance

Legal name

GridWise Alliance, Inc.

Website

https://gridwise.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GridWise Alliance is a 2003-founded, Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit coalition of 200+ electricity-sector members that produces the Grid Modernization Index, runs the gridCONNEXT conference, and advocates for U.S. grid modernization policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Industry Coalition & Advocacy Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Grid Data, Monitoring & Analytics (PMU, Power Quality, Event Detection, Digital Twins) (EUAMAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

DER & Microgrid Interconnection / Grid Edge Integration Services (EUAEANAF)

Keywords

• Grid modernization advocacy
• Energy industry coalition
• Utility policy research
• Electric grid consulting
• Membership association

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: GridWise Alliance generates revenue through tiered membership dues based on organization size. Full Membership ranges from $3,750 to $25,000 annually depending on annual revenue. Associate and Affiliate memberships are also available at different price points.
2. Event Sponsorships: Revenue from sponsorships and attendance at annual conferences including gridCONNEXT and DC Fly-In events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GridWise Alliance is a Washington, D.C.-based industry coalition that convenes electricity sector stakeholders—utilities, technology providers, grid operators, and policymakers—to accelerate U.S. electric grid modernization. The alliance delivers value through tiered memberships, the Grid Modernization Index (GMI) research framework, the GridMap interactive tool, white papers, working groups, the annual gridCONNEXT conference, and the DC Fly-In advocacy event.

Product overview

GridWise Alliance is a Washington, D.C.-based industry coalition founded in 2003, representing electricity stakeholders focused on accelerating innovation for a secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable grid. The organization operates as a platform of programs and tools rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Grid Modernization Index (GMI), a state-by-state assessment framework evaluating grid modernization progress across three categories (State Support, Customer Engagement, and Grid Operations), and GridMap, an interactive web-based exploratory tool for understanding grid infrastructure technologies. The Alliance also organizes the annual gridCONNEXT conference and DC Fly-In events, and convenes working groups including an AI and the Grid Working Group that produces white papers on AI applications in utilities. The organization publishes reports including technology portfolios, AI and grid analyses, FERC Order 2222 investment guides, and GMI reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• gridCONNEXT: Annual conference hosted by GridWise Alliance focusing on grid evolution and modernization
• GMI
• GridMap
• GridWise Forum

Products and services

• Grid Modernization Index (GMI) A research and benchmarking framework that evaluates and ranks all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on grid modernization progress across three categories: State Support, Customer Engagement, and Grid Operations. Designed for state energy offices, regulators, and utilities.
• GridMap An interactive online tool that allows users to explore technologies used in electric grid infrastructure and how they support grid modernization today and in the future. Targeted at electricity industry stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers.
• gridCONNEXT Conference Annual flagship conference bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and key stakeholders to address challenges and opportunities in grid modernization, with sponsorship opportunities available.
• GridWise Alliance DC Fly-In Annual member-exclusive advocacy event bringing members to Washington, D.C. for Capitol Hill meetings with congressional offices and federal agency representatives.
• GridWise Alliance Membership Program Tiered membership structure (Full, Associate, Affiliate) targeting utilities, technology providers, government entities, and academic institutions involved in grid modernization. Full Membership dues range from $3,750 to $25,000 annually based on organization revenue, with voting rights, board eligibility, and participation in working groups.

Quantifiable outcome

• GMI reports benchmark all 50 states and DC on grid modernization policies, investments, and accomplishments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• envelio, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026envelio joined the GridWise Alliance as a provider of advanced grid planning and interconnection software for electric utilities. Through membership, envelio participates in working groups focused on grid investment, technology policy, and distributed energy resource (DER) integration, positioning within a network influencing U.S. electric grid priorities.
• EY (Ernst & Young)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGridWise partnered with EY to examine trends in the accelerated energy transition, producing a comprehensive report on the rapid changes taking place in the electricity sector.
• E9 InsightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrid Modernization Index reports produced in collaboration with E9 Insight, including the 2018 GMI report assessing and ranking all 50 states and DC on grid modernization progress.
• Clean EdgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrid Modernization Index reports (GMI-3 in 2016 and GMI-4 in 2017) produced in collaboration with Clean Edge, Inc., assessing and ranking all 50 states and DC on grid modernization.
• U.S. Department of EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOE supported the Grid Modernization Index 2024/2026 with funding, and GridWise provides technical input to DOE on grid modernization priorities including GRIP program implementation.
• Energy FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Energy Foundation provided support for the Grid Modernization Index data collection and reporting efforts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC): Association of state utility regulators that influences grid modernization policy and ratemaking — overlap with GridWise on convening state officials around grid investment frameworks.
• Edison Electric Institute (EEI): The principal trade association for U.S. investor-owned utilities, also focused on grid modernization, federal advocacy, and industry convening — overlaps directly with GridWise on policy advocacy for electricity stakeholders.
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA): National trade association for rural electric cooperatives, representing member-owned utilities on federal policy and grid modernization — overlapping constituency with GridWise's full-membership tier for cooperatives.
• National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO): Membership association for state energy offices that convenes on federal-state grid policy — directly comparable as a multi-state convening and advocacy platform aligned with GridWise's State Energy Office segment.
• WIRES: Industry group promoting investment in electric transmission infrastructure — directly comparable convening-and-advocacy mission focused on a subset of the grid ecosystem GridWise represents.
• Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA): Membership-based organization focused on grid modernization, DER integration, and utility transformation — closely comparable mission and constituency to GridWise Alliance.
• American Public Power Association (APPA): Trade association serving U.S. public power utilities, with advocacy and education programs that overlap with GridWise on grid modernization and federal engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI): Large R&D consortium funded by utility members producing grid-modernization research — broader, research-oriented counterpart that shares GridWise's utility-membership constituency.
• American Clean Power Association (ACP): Trade association representing wind, solar, and storage companies — adjacent to GridWise on clean-energy policy and grid integration of renewables and storage.

Emerging players

• Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC): Nonprofit focused on clean-energy regulatory policy and grid integration of DERs — partial overlap with GridWise on DER aggregation and state-level regulatory advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gridwise-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Gridwise Alliance