Clean Energy Business Network

What Clean Energy Business Network does

The Clean Energy Business Network (CEBN) is a 501-style nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by The Pew Charitable Trusts that serves as the small business voice of the clean energy economy. In May 2017 it transitioned to become an independent initiative of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). CEBN operates a membership network spanning more than 8,700 small business and community leaders across all 50 U.S. states and 400+ congressional districts, focused on democratizing access to federal energy and climate policies and funding for SMBs, community-based organizations, education and workforce providers, and economic development nonprofits.

The core operational assets are content- and network-based rather than software-based. These include the CEBN Funding Database (865+ opportunities representing $91.1 billion in funding resources), a member directory of cleantech service providers, an extensive content library (335+ newsletters, 90+ webinars, policy memos, case studies), advocacy resources (SBIR Action Center), and educational content on federal programs (IRA, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Justice40). The technology backbone is a WordPress website with Google Analytics integration; no proprietary AI/ML, no apps, and no public API.

CEBN operates a freemium membership model. The free tier delivers the weekly newsletter, funding database access, and ecosystem resources. Premium Executive Circle membership is priced at $350/year for companies under $1.5M revenue (or nonprofits) and $1,500/year for larger companies, adding insider events, featured promotion in the member directory, quarterly Executive Circle Calls, bi-annual D.C. Forums, and policy memos. An Executive Circle+ add-on ($700-$2,000/year depending on revenue) layers on ~5 hours/year of curated staff assistance for policy/funding research and policymaker introductions. Distribution is direct, via cebn.org and through advocacy-generated referrals; the staff is tiny (3 named: President Lynn Abramson, VP Andy Barnes, Outreach Associate Nadia Gallimore), operating from a single Washington, DC office shared with parent BCSE. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Clean Energy Business Network

Legal name

Clean Energy Business Network

Website

https://cebn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clean Energy Business Network (CEBN) is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit founded in 2009 that runs an 8,700+ member network across all 50 U.S. states advocating for small businesses and community leaders in the clean energy economy through policy advocacy, a $91.1B funding database, and tiered Executive Circle memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Energy Advocacy Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) & Clean Energy Standards Compliance (EUAMANAF)

Keywords

• Clean energy advocacy
• Cleantech business network
• Federal funding database
• Policy advocacy services
• Membership networking

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Circle Membership Dues: Annual membership dues for the Executive Circle tier, with pricing based on company annual revenue. Tiered pricing: $350/year for companies under $1.5M revenue (or nonprofits); $1,500/year for companies $1.5M+. The premium Executive Circle+ add-on costs $700/year or $2,000/year depending on revenue size.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CEBN is a nonprofit membership network serving as the small business voice of the clean energy economy, providing small and community-based clean energy stakeholders with access to a curated cleantech funding database (865+ opportunities worth $91.1B+), a searchable member directory of clean energy providers, policy advocacy and Congressional engagement services, and tiered Executive Circle membership with individualized staff support, policy memos, and networking forums in Washington, DC.

Product overview

The Clean Energy Business Network (CEBN) is a membership-based organization that serves as the small business voice of the clean energy economy, offering a platform of interconnected resources rather than a single software product. The core offerings include the Cleantech Funding Database (a searchable database of 865+ funding opportunities worth $91.1 billion), the Member Directory (a searchable directory of clean energy technology providers), and premium Executive Circle Membership tiers providing insider access to policy memos, quarterly calls, and individualized support. These products are complemented by educational content resources including Insight into Federal Programs, Faces Behind the Facts profiles, and Policy Engagement Resources covering topics like the Inflation Reduction Act and SBIR/STTR programs. The platform also offers advocacy tools through the SBIR Action Center and connects members through technical dialogues and business matchmaking services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cleantech Funding Database A searchable database of sources of funding and ecosystem support for early-stage clean energy companies across technologies and services. Features 865+ funding opportunities and $91.1 billion in resources, searchable by technology, stage, and funding type. Used by 7,700+ database users to identify grants, loans, competitions, venture capital, and incubator programs.
• Member Directory A searchable directory of clean energy technology and service providers. Premium members can access transactional search functions to identify business partners with specific capabilities and target markets for business development and partnership formation.
• Executive Circle Membership Premium annual membership offering insider access to thought leaders, featured promotion in the Member Directory, 5 staff logins, quarterly Executive Circle Calls, bi-annual Forums in Washington D.C. (hybrid), CEBN Policy Memos, and individualized support from CEBN Staff. Designed for small and medium-size clean energy businesses and community organizations seeking amplified policy access and networking.
• Executive Circle+ Membership Add-on tier to Executive Circle offering curated assistance from CEBN staff via periodic 1:1 calls and follow-up research, providing approximately five hours of staff time per year on topics including policy/funding research, assistance setting up meetings with policymakers, and suggested networking/business development connections.
• Free Membership Tier Free tier providing access to the weekly newsletter, policy alerts, funding database, and cleantech ecosystem resources list. Serves as the top-of-funnel acquisition mechanism for paid Executive Circle membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,200+ businesses mobilized through CEBN's policy campaigns; 3,900+ signatures/messages delivered to Congress; 240+ meetings with policymakers arranged
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCSE is CEBN's parent organization. Founded in 1992, BCSE is a coalition of companies and trade associations that deploy clean energy and decarbonization solutions, with a sector focus on energy efficiency, natural gas, and renewable energy. CEBN was founded by The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2009 and transitioned in May 2017 to become an independent initiative of BCSE. CEBN serves as a bridge to promote policy and industry collaboration between small businesses and the highly-connected group of clean energy influencers represented by BCSE. The two organizations share office space in Washington, DC and governance overlap: CEBN's President and Vice President serve on the CEBN Board, while BCSE's President and a BCSE member serve as the other two board representatives.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA): Coalition of state clean-energy funds and agencies that share program information and coordinate on clean-energy deployment. Comparable to CEBN as a coalition/advocacy organization in the clean-energy ecosystem, though CESA operates at the state agency level rather than small-business level.
• Advanced Energy Economy (AEE): National business association advancing policies that make energy secure, clean, and affordable, with state-level affiliate organizations. Directly comparable to CEBN as a clean-energy business advocacy and policy organization, though AEE skews toward larger corporate members and state-level chapters.
• Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC): Nonprofit focused on clean-energy workforce, regulatory policy, and interconnection standards, operating across U.S. states. Comparable to CEBN as a nonprofit clean-energy advocacy and capacity-building organization, though IREC's focus is workforce/utility regulation rather than small-business funding navigation.
• American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE): National renewable energy trade association that convenes financiers, developers, and corporate members to advocate for renewable energy policy in Washington. Comparable to CEBN as a clean-energy advocacy organization, though ACORE is finance/investor-focused rather than small-business-focused.
• Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE): CEBN's parent organization and a long-standing trade coalition representing energy efficiency, natural gas, and renewable energy companies in Washington. Highly comparable in mission (clean-energy policy advocacy) though BCSE focuses on larger corporate members while CEBN focuses on small businesses.
• Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA): Nonprofit facilitating the integration of clean, renewable energy and distributed resources into the grid, with a focus on utility-side transformation. Comparable to CEBN as a clean-energy industry convening organization, though SEPA is utility-centric rather than small-business-centric.
• Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI): Nonprofit dedicated to promoting sustainable energy and environmental policy through education and Congressional engagement. Comparable to CEBN as a clean-energy policy and education nonprofit, with similar fly-in and Congressional engagement programming.

Emerging players

• Ceres: Sustainability nonprofit working with investors, companies, and policymakers on climate and clean-energy policy. Comparable to CEBN as a clean-energy advocacy organization, though Ceres focuses on investor/ESG engagement rather than small-business navigation.

Broad incumbents

• American Clean Power Association (ACP): National trade association representing wind, solar, storage, and transmission companies. Comparable to CEBN as a clean-energy advocacy organization, though ACP focuses on utility-scale wind/solar/storage developers rather than small clean-energy businesses.
• Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): National trade association for the U.S. solar energy industry, advocating for solar policy and market growth. Comparable to CEBN as a clean-energy business advocacy organization, though SEIA focuses on the solar value chain rather than cross-technology small-business support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/8646007
• Xx.com/CleanEnergyBiz

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Clean Energy Business Network