Eco-unesco
ECO-UNESCO is an Irish non-profit (founded 1986, Dublin) that delivers environmental education, youth development programmes, and QQI-accredited training to young people aged 10-25 and educators across Ireland and Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Eco-unesco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Eco-unesco
- Legal name
- ECO-UNESCO
- Website
- https://ecounesco.ie
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ECO-UNESCO is an Irish non-profit (founded 1986, Dublin) that delivers environmental education, youth development programmes, and QQI-accredited training to young people aged 10-25 and educators across Ireland and Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Eco-unesco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Education Services
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)
Keywords
Where Eco-unesco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Eco-unesco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Government Grants and Core Funding: ECO-UNESCO's primary revenue source is government funding from multiple Irish departments (Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; Department of Rural and Community Development; Department of Environment, Climate and Communications; Department of Foreign Affairs via Irish Aid) and agencies including the EPA, Pobal, Erasmus+ (via Léargas), and Local Authorities. This constitutes the organisation's core operational funding.
- Programme Fees and Training Courses: Revenue from QQI-accredited training courses (priced at €250-€500 per learner), summer camp fees (€195 per week per child), sale of programme manuals and activity packs, and the ECO-Sustainability Award fees (€45-€80 per organisation).
- Donations and Supporter Programme: Individual donations via idonate.ie and the supporter programme with annual membership tiers (Young Person €10, Adult €40, Group €120). Corporate supporter enquiries are directed to a dedicated email. Legacies and bequests are also sought.
- Consultancy and Partnership Services: ECO-UNESCO earns consultancy revenue by providing specialist environmental education, youth work, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) consulting services to groups and agencies. Sponsorship revenue is also generated through the Young Environmentalist Awards programme.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Youth Supporter Annual membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Adult Supporter Annual membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Group Supporter Annual membership |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ECO-Explorers Summer Camp (ages 10-12) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Green Teen Summer Camp (ages 13-16) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | QQI Level 3: Community Participation |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | QQI Level 5: Sustainable Development |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | QQI Level 5: Peer Education |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | QQI Level 6: Ecology and the Environment |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | ECO-Sustainability Award (3-year progressive programme) |
| Freemium | Annual | Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
Eco-unesco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ECO-UNESCO is Ireland's environmental education and youth organisation delivering programmes such as the Young Environmentalist Awards (ages 10-18), environmental workshops, ECO-UNESCO Clubs, ECO-Camps, and the Youth Climate Justice and Youth for Sustainable Development programmes. It also provides QQI-accredited training courses at NFQ Levels 3, 5, and 6, an online learning portal called ECO-Academy, and the ECO-Sustainability Award framework for organisations. Revenue comes primarily from Irish government grants, supplemented by programme fees, individual donations and supporter memberships, and corporate sponsorship.
Product overview
ECO-UNESCO is Ireland's Environmental Education and Youth Organisation offering a portfolio of interconnected programmes and services. The core offerings include the Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) - an all-Ireland environmental awards programme for ages 10-18, the ECO Academy online learning portal, environmental workshops, and youth clubs. Supplementary programmes include ECO-Camps (summer camps for ages 10-16), ECO-Week (online environmental awareness events), the Youth for Sustainable Development Programme, Youth Climate Justice Programme, and ECO-Choices well-being programme. The organisation also provides QQI-accredited training courses at NFQ Levels 3-6 (Community Participation, Sustainable Development, Peer Education, Ecology and the Environment), the ECO-Sustainability Award framework for organisations, Climate & Environmental Literacy Programme, Green Youth Employability programme, and Educator Training. These products work together to deliver environmental education, youth development, and sustainability action across Ireland.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA): An all-Ireland environmental awards programme that recognises and rewards young people aged 10-18 who take environmental action in their community.
- ECO Academy
- ECO-Camps
- ECO-Week
- ECO-Sustainability Award
Products and services
- Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) An all-Ireland environmental awards programme that recognises and rewards young people aged 10-18 who take environmental action in their community through project-based learning across categories including biodiversity, climate change, transport, water, energy, food, waste, ECO-art and design, ECO-entrepreneurship, ECO-health and wellbeing, and ECO-community development. Free to enter, open to groups of 2-25 young people in Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- ECO Academy Online learning portal delivering QQI-accredited courses, the 6-Steps-to-Success self-paced course, Youth Action for Nature and Wellbeing e-learning, and climate literacy modules to learners across Ireland.
- Environmental Workshops
- ECO-UNESCO Clubs Network of affiliated environmental youth clubs providing a focus for activities and identity for young people interested in environmental issues across Ireland. Free to join.
- ECO-Camps
- ECO-Week
- Youth for Sustainable Development Programme
- Youth Climate Justice Programme
- ECO-Choices
- QQI Accredited Training Courses
- ECO-Sustainability Award
- Climate and Environmental Literacy Programme
- Green Youth Employability (Green Steps)
- Educator Training
- Youth Action for Nature and Wellbeing
Quantifiable outcome
- 75,000+ young people have participated in environmental action since 1999 through the Young Environmentalist Awards.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Eco-unesco
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Eco-unesco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Eco-unesco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations (WFUCA)coreECO-UNESCO is the official WFUCA affiliate in Ireland and is responsible for coordinating an all-island network of ECO-UNESCO environmental youth clubs. WFUCA, founded in 1981 and supported by UNESCO, informs, coordinates, and mobilises its members across 3,700+ associations in 100+ countries.
- UNESCOcoreECO-UNESCO was selected in 2015 as a Key Strategic Partner for the implementation of the UNESCO Global Action Programme in Education for Sustainable Development. This partnership was active 2015-2019 and the affiliation continues. ECO-UNESCO has delivered UNESCO GAP flagship youth leadership training for the European region, including a 2-day training in Dublin attended by 27 young people from 10 countries.
- Gaia EducationminorGaia Education is a Scotland-based international provider of Education for Sustainable Development with a particular focus on community-led initiatives. They are a partner in the Youth Action for Nature & Wellbeing consortium led by ECO-UNESCO.
- Youth 4 SmileminorYouth4Smile is a youth organisation in Latvia striving to be a resource for sustainability in local communities, providing experiences for young people at local and international levels. Partner in the Youth Action for Nature & Wellbeing consortium.
- OZ VIPA SKminorOZ VIPA SK is a civic association in Slovakia that supports integrated rural development, connecting rural citizens to national organisations and markets to promote sustainable circular ecosystems. Partner in the Youth Action for Nature & Wellbeing consortium.
- Resilience.EarthminorResilience.Earth is a non-profit cooperative of community educators, researchers, and consultants in Catalonia, Spain, dedicated to strengthening community resilience and ecological sustainability. Partner in the Youth Action for Nature & Wellbeing consortium.
- Ecowellness ConsultingminorEcowellness Consulting Ltd is a 'Profit for Purpose' nature-based enterprise that designs, delivers, and evaluates nature-based interventions to promote positive mental health. Partner in the Youth Action for Nature & Wellbeing consortium.
- FeachtasminorFeachtas partnered with ECO-UNESCO on the Youth Climate Justice Programme 2025, contributing to the collaborative delivery of climate justice workshops and activities for young people.
- The No Name ClubminorThe No Name Club partnered with ECO-UNESCO on the Youth Climate Justice Programme 2025, contributing participants and expertise to the programme.
- Poppintree Youth ProjectminorPoppintree Youth Project partnered with ECO-UNESCO on the Youth Climate Justice Programme 2025, providing a local youth work setting and participant base.
- SpunOutminorSpunOut collaborated with ECO-UNESCO on the 2024 Youth Climate Justice Survey, contributing to questionnaire design and the amplification of youth climate voices.
- WorldWise Global SchoolsminorWorldWise Global Schools, Ireland's Global Citizenship Education programme for post-primary schools, co-funds ECO-UNESCO's workshops programme on Climate Justice, Food for Future, Fashion Focus and more, promoting a local-to-global approach.
- Friends of the EarthminorFriends of the Earth collaborated with ECO-UNESCO on ECO-WEEK 2020, co-delivering some of the 25 events that made up that year's programme.
- National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI)minorNYCI contributed a guest speaker session on STEM pathways to climate justice as part of the Youth Climate Justice Programme 2025. ECO-UNESCO was originally admitted into the Department of Education's Youth Service Grant as part of NYCI in 1985.
- Kilkenny & Carlow ETBminorKilkenny & Carlow Education and Training Board partnered with ECO-UNESCO on the Adult Literacy for Life Climate & Environmental Literacy Programme, co-designing and co-delivering workshops to literacy learners in the ETB region.
- Laois Offaly ETBminorLaois Offaly Education and Training Board partnered with ECO-UNESCO on the Adult Literacy for Life Climate & Environmental Literacy Programme, co-delivering workshops to literacy learners in the ETB region.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves2 records
Eco-unesco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Project WET Foundation: Global water, weather and climate education network delivering teacher training and youth resources — directly comparable to ECO-UNESCO's environmental workshops, Educator Training and youth-led project model (incl. 6-Steps).
- An Taisce: Ireland's oldest and largest environmental charity, running environmental education, heritage and conservation programmes across the same schools, youth and community audience as ECO-UNESCO. Direct overlap in ESG education, training and national advocacy on climate/sustainability.
- Green-Schools Ireland (An Taisce): Ireland's leading schools-based environmental education programme, with deep reach into the same primary and secondary school networks that ECO-UNESCO engages through YEA, ECO-Clubs and workshops. Closest functional peer for school-level environmental action programmes.
- Environmental Education Association of Ireland (EEAI): Ireland's national membership body for environmental educators, sharing ECO-UNESCO's teacher CPD, curriculum support and ESD training focus. Overlaps with ECO-UNESCO's Educator Training and YEA Six Steps Training offerings.
- Friends of the Earth Ireland: Ireland's Irish-Environmental-Network-funded environmental campaign and education NGO, collaborating with ECO-UNESCO on ECO-Week. Similar funder base, target audience and policy engagement on sustainability.
- Tidy Towns Ireland (Department of Rural and Community Development): National community sustainability and environmental improvement competition funded by the same Department of Rural and Community Development that funds ECO-UNESCO. Direct overlap in community-level environmental action programmes for Irish schools and neighbourhoods.
- Youth and Environment Europe (YEE): Pan-European member network of youth environmental organisations, structurally analogous to ECO-UNESCO's WFUCA-facing role. Shares ECO-UNESCO's youth-led environmental education, training and grant-funded consortium delivery model.
Regional players
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT): UK-focused wetland conservation and environmental education charity with strong school/youth engagement programmes. Comparable operational model to ECO-UNESCO but UK-based with visitor-centre delivery rather than nationwide schools network.
- Scouting Ireland: Ireland's largest national youth organisation with comparable youth-development programmes, volunteer-driven delivery and government funding channels. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but operates alongside ECO-UNESCO for the 10–18 youth audience.
Broad incumbents
- The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation NGO with significant youth and education programming; broader portfolio than ECO-UNESCO but overlapping mission on environmental literacy, sustainability education and youth engagement.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Eco-unesco social profiles
Digital presenceEco-unesco compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Eco-unesco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Eco-unesco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Eco-unesco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Eco-unesco 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 Eco-unesco
What does Eco-unesco do?
ECO-UNESCO is Ireland's environmental education and youth organisation delivering programmes such as the Young Environmentalist Awards (ages 10-18), environmental workshops, ECO-UNESCO Clubs, ECO-Camps, and the Youth Climate Justice and Youth for Sustainable Development programmes. It also provides QQI-accredited training courses at NFQ Levels 3, 5, and 6, an online learning portal called ECO-Academy, and the ECO-Sustainability Award framework for organisations. Revenue comes primarily from Irish government grants, supplemented by programme fees, individual donations and supporter memberships, and corporate sponsorship.
Is Eco-unesco a public or private company?
Eco-unesco is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Eco-unesco founded?
Eco-unesco was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Eco-unesco based?
Eco-unesco is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Eco-unesco make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Government Grants and Core Funding is the primary driver. The others are programme Fees and Training Courses, donations and Supporter Programme and consultancy and Partnership Services.
Who are Eco-unesco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Project WET Foundation, An Taisce, Green-Schools Ireland (An Taisce), Environmental Education Association of Ireland (EEAI), Friends of the Earth Ireland, Tidy Towns Ireland (Department of Rural and Community Development) and Youth and Environment Europe (YEE). Regional players are Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and Scouting Ireland. The Nature Conservancy is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Eco-unesco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Eco-unesco.
What industry is Eco-unesco in?
Eco-unesco's product category is Environmental Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAH, Environmental Education & Outreach. Its NAICS code is 712 and its SIC code is 8200.