Woodwell Climate Research Center

What Woodwell Climate Research Center does

Woodwell Climate Research Center is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit climate science organization founded in 1985 in Falmouth, Massachusetts (originally as Woods Hole Research Center, renamed in 2020). With 101–250 employees and staff distributed across more than 20 U.S. states and several countries, it operates five research programs—Arctic, Carbon, Risk, Tropics, and Water—and conducts field and laboratory science, remote sensing, computer modeling, and geospatial analysis to produce climate intelligence for policymakers, the scientific community, and vulnerable populations. Its work spans six continents and more than 20 countries, with named long-term field operations in the United States, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Norway, Mongolia, and Myanmar.

The center's product surface includes proprietary tools such as the Permafrost Discovery Gateway (big geospatial data and AI for permafrost monitoring), the Climate Risk Viewer, the LEARN tool for forest carbon assessment, soil spectroscopy workflows, and FishEye (a deep-learning computer vision system for automated river herring monitoring built with MIT Sea Grant). It also runs the Just Access program, which delivers free climate risk assessments to frontline communities and developing countries, and publishes the "Not a Climate Scientist" podcast. Research outputs, tools, and risk assessments are provided at no charge to advance climate science and policy adoption.

Woodwell is funded primarily by individual donors and foundations (more than half of revenue), supplemented by federal and international grants, foundation and corporate partnerships (e.g., Google.org), and planned giving vehicles. It does not sell products or services and reports no pricing model. Revenue mechanics center on philanthropic and grant fundraising rather than commercial transactions, with strategic value delivered through direct policy engagement at the U.S. Congress and UNFCCC COP conferences, financial-sector partnerships (Wellington Management, CalPERS), and academic co-development with Harvard Kennedy School, MIT Sea Grant, Yale, and others.

Name

Woodwell Climate Research Center

Legal name

Woodwell Climate Research Center

Website

https://woodwellclimate.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Woodwell Climate Research Center is a U.S. 501(c)(3) climate science organization operating five research programs—Arctic, Carbon, Risk, Tropics, and Water—across more than 20 countries, delivering free climate risk tools and assessments to policymakers, financial institutions, and frontline communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Science Research and Environmental Policy

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate & GHG/Emissions Modeling & Scenario Analysis (Inventories, Projections, Net-Zero Pathways) (EUAHAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Benchmarking, Ratings & Stakeholder Reporting Portals (Scorecards, Dashboards) (EUABAEAJ), Climate Risk & Scenario Analysis (TCFD/IFRS S2) (EUAHAJAD), Climate Data Measurement & IoT/Telemetry Enablement (Energy/Meter/Asset Data Ingest) (EUABAEAI), Climate Finance, Carbon Markets & MRV Systems (BPADALAB)

Keywords

• Climate science research
• Climate risk assessment
• Permafrost monitoring
• Carbon monitoring systems
• Environmental policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Falmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Primary funding source - more than half of funding comes from individual donors and foundations who share the vision of a healthy, equitable, and sustainable world. Includes one-time gifts and monthly Climate Champion recurring donations.
2. Foundation and Corporate Giving: Strategic partnerships with foundations and corporations funding specific initiatives or providing unrestricted funding. Partners include Google.org and other major foundations.
3. Government and Institutional Grants: Funding from federal agencies, international organizations, and public institutions supporting climate research programs and policy work.
4. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Estate planning vehicles including bequests, charitable remainder trusts, and other planned giving instruments for long-term support.
5. Stock and Asset Gifts: Gifts of appreciated stock, cryptocurrency, and other assets allowing donors to claim charitable deductions without capital gains tax.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Woodwell Climate Research Center conducts climate science research and develops tools that translate scientific findings into actionable climate risk assessments, policy briefs, and ecosystem monitoring solutions. It operates programs spanning Arctic, Carbon, Risk, Tropics, and Water research areas, offering public tools like the Climate Risk Viewer, Permafrost Discovery Gateway, LEARN Tool, Just Access program, and AI-powered fish monitoring systems. The organization bridges rigorous climate science with nonpartisan policy advocacy to inform decision-makers at all levels of government.

Product overview

Woodwell Climate Research Center operates as a climate science research organization offering a portfolio of tools and programs rather than a single unified product. The organization provides climate risk assessment tools (Climate Risk Viewer, Just Access, CONSERV), permafrost monitoring platforms (Permafrost Discovery Gateway), ecological monitoring systems (FishEye, Science on the Fly), forest carbon assessment tools (LEARN Tool), and public engagement resources (Not a Climate Scientist podcast). These offerings work together to translate climate science into actionable insights for communities, policymakers, and organizations, with research areas spanning Arctic, Carbon, Risk, Tropics, and Water systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Not a Climate Scientist: Climate podcast featuring real people whose lives and livelihoods are being impacted by climate change and people making a difference by doing their jobs.

Products and services

• Permafrost Discovery Gateway A web-based platform providing access to permafrost data and visualization tools to help communities monitor and plan for permafrost thaw using big geospatial data and AI. Targeted at communities, researchers, and policymakers concerned with Arctic permafrost.
• Just Access A program providing free climate risk assessments for communities and countries on the front lines of the climate crisis, serving as an empowerment tool for building pathways to resilience. Targeted at climate-vulnerable communities and developing nations.
• Climate Risk Viewer An interactive tool that communicates climate risk information in understandable and actionable formats, tailored to various audiences including municipalities and countries. Targeted at policymakers, municipal authorities, and the public.
• Science on the Fly A community science initiative that partners with fly-fishers and local communities to monitor river health and fish populations through citizen science and data collection. Targeted at fly-fishing communities and local environmental monitors.
• FishEye A fish monitoring project that uses computer vision and AI to identify, track, and count river herring populations from underwater video. Targeted at fisheries managers, ecologists, and conservation organizations.
• CONSERV A climate risk assessment and conservation planning tool developed in partnership with private sector organizations. Targeted at conservation organizations and private sector partners.
• LEARN Tool A forest assessment and carbon monitoring tool that includes capabilities for assessing mature and old-growth forests, developed for tracking aboveground carbon stores. Targeted at forest managers, researchers, and carbon market participants.
• Not a Climate Scientist Podcast A climate podcast featuring real people whose lives and livelihoods are being impacted by climate change and those making a difference through their work. Targeted at general public and climate-interested audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• First U.S. congressional hearings on climate change threat in 1986
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• MIT Sea GrantmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Partnership to demonstrate deep learning-based system for automated fish monitoring. Team collected underwater videos from rivers in Massachusetts and used AI to identify, track, and count river herring populations.
• Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program (YASSP)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration to quantify impacts of climate-smart agricultural practices on ecosystem carbon sequestration and soil health, benchmarking measurement protocols with other organizations.
• Wellington ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the world's largest independent investment management firms. Collaboration on climate risk research resulted in investor tools and analytical methods that improve climate risk assessment and investment outcomes. Led to development of guidelines for corporate disclosure of physical climate risk.
• IPAM AmazoniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute for Environmental Research in the Amazon working on tropical forest conservation and sustainable development.
• Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for policy research and climate security analysis, including the Arctic Initiative program.
• Environmental Defense FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in YASSP collaboration working to improve transparency in the agricultural carbon marketplace.
• Ecosystem Services Market ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in YASSP collaboration assessing carbon storage in various agroecosystems and refining verification methods.
• Ocean Spray CranberrymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in YASSP collaboration on climate-smart agriculture and carbon sequestration research.
• California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResulted in first-ever guidelines for corporate disclosure of physical climate risk, influencing investment practices.
• Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Permafrost Pathways to collect best data on Arctic carbon emissions.
• Alaska Institute for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Permafrost Pathways focusing on Arctic communities and environmental justice.
• Center for Climate & SecuritymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to produce focused case studies providing high-resolution, actionable climate-security analyses for security policy.
• Probable FuturesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward-winning climate storytelling partner translating Woodwell research into engaging, accessible formats for public understanding of climate risk.
• McKinsey Global InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoodwell contributed data and analyses to groundbreaking report 'Climate risk and response: Physical hazards and socioeconomic impacts'.
• Indigenous Peoples and Local CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep partnerships with Indigenous peoples and local communities where Woodwell conducts research, ensuring local knowledge and culture are valued and sovereignty supported.
• MountainfilmmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFilm festival partnership to inspire, educate, and motivate audiences on climate change through art and storytelling.
• Net Zero Asset Managers InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoodwell partner is a founding member of initiative advancing net zero commitments in asset management.
• Niskanen CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolicy partner working with Woodwell to call attention of policymakers to risks of extreme weather linked to Arctic warming.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Climate Central: U.S.-based nonprofit climate science research organization that translates scientific findings into accessible communications for the public and policymakers. Highly comparable mission, structure, and audiences to Woodwell.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research nonprofit that turns climate and environmental research into policy and practical solutions for governments and companies. Comparable scale, funding model, and policy-engagement motion.
• Resources for the Future (RFF): Independent nonprofit research institution focused on environmental, energy, and natural resource economics with strong policy engagement. Comparable applied climate-economics and policy translation focus.
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI): International nonprofit policy research organization focused on environment and development, with significant climate, GHG, and sustainability work comparable to Woodwell's tropical and carbon programs.
• Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK): German research institute producing cutting-edge climate impacts, scenario, and Earth-system modeling. Highly comparable in scientific depth on GHG modeling and net-zero pathway analysis.
• Climate Policy Initiative (CPI): Global climate finance and policy analysis organization that provides data and analysis to governments and financial institutions. Overlaps with Woodwell's financial-sector climate risk work (Wellington, CalPERS).
• Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS): U.S. nonprofit that combines rigorous climate and energy science with policy advocacy and public communication. Highly comparable mission, structure, and science-to-policy motion to Woodwell.

Broad incumbents

• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): U.S.-based federally funded research and development center for atmospheric and Earth system science. Wider scope than Woodwell but highly comparable on climate science research depth and talent.
• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): Large environmental nonprofit combining science, economics, and advocacy to shape climate and environmental policy. Overlaps with Woodwell on agricultural carbon partnerships (YASSP) and climate policy advocacy.
• RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute): Independent nonprofit working on clean energy transition and climate solutions with deep engagement of corporate and financial-sector partners. Comparable partnership model with corporate donors and policy engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/WoodwellClimateResearchCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/WoodwellClimate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/woodwellclimate
• Instagraminstagram.com/woodwellclimateresearchcenter
• Xx.com/WoodwellClimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Woodwell Climate Research Center