Foundations of Success

What Foundations of Success does

Foundations of Success (FOS) is a mission-driven nonprofit organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, that operates as a capacity-building intermediary for the global conservation community. FOS develops and disseminates the Conservation Measures Partnership's (CMP) Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation — an adaptive-management framework providing a structured cycle for planning, implementation, monitoring, and learning across conservation projects — supported by methodological artifacts such as results chains, conceptual models, and the IUCN-CMP Threat and Action Classifications. The organization delivers its impact through three core service lines: Training & Coaching (in-person and virtual programs teaching the Open Standards), Collaborative Learning (facilitated peer networks such as the Conservation Coaches Network/CCNet and the Conservation Learning Initiative), and Frameworks & Tools (guidance documents, how-to guides, and support for the Miradi software platform). FOS operates a regional branch structure covering FOS US, FOS Europe, FOS LAC, and FOS Africa, and has been fully virtual for over twenty years, operating with a disclosed headcount of 1–10 employees.

FOS's commercial model is hybrid: foundation grants (historically anchored by MAVA Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and USAID) provide core operating support, while fee-for-service training and coaching engagements with conservation practitioners, government agencies, and academic institutions supplement revenue. Distribution is direct-to-organization rather than through resellers, with multi-channel marketing via the fosonline.org resource library, LinkedIn/Bluesky/Facebook social presence, email newsletters, webinars, and participation in conferences such as ICCB and ICTC. Notable leadership includes founder and Co-Director Nick Salafsky, with regional leads such as Nico Boenisch in FOS Europe; governance is overseen by a board of directors typical of a 501(c)(3) structure.

The most significant recent inflection points are the 2021 launch of the Conservation Learning Initiative (a three-way program with MAVA Foundation and Conservation Evidence applying a five-step evidence-based learning approach to conservation decision-making) and the 2022 closure of MAVA Foundation — FOS's long-standing anchor funder — whose adaptive management guidance documents FOS retained and now hosts. The CCNet Europe leadership was refreshed in 2017, and product milestones include the 2005 publication of 'Measures of Success' with Island Press, the 2008 IUCN-CMP Threat and Action Classifications V1.0, and more recent deliverables such as the Open Standards Self-Paced Tutorial and the Outdoor Recreation Planning Guidance.

Name

Foundations of Success

Legal name

Foundations of Success Inc.

Website

https://fosonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FOS is a Bethesda-based nonprofit that builds conservation practitioner capacity through training, coaching, and the CMP Open Standards framework, serving NGOs, government agencies, funders, and academic institutions across the US, Europe, Latin America, and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: As a mission-driven non-profit organization, FOS is funded through grants from foundations (such as MAVA Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation) and other donors in the conservation community.
2. Training and Coaching Services: FOS provides training and coaching services to conservation practitioners, government agencies, and funders, potentially on a fee-for-service basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Foundations of Success (FOS) is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that delivers training, coaching, and collaborative learning services to conservation practitioners worldwide. Its core product is the Conservation Measures Partnership's Open Standards framework for conservation planning and adaptive management, complemented by facilitated learning networks, coaching programs, and publications such as the Pathways to Success book.

Product overview

Foundations of Success (FOS) is a mission-driven conservation organization that provides a suite of services including Training & Coaching, Collaborative Learning, and Frameworks & Tools. The core offerings center on the Conservation Measures Partnership's Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation framework, supplemented by guidance documents (Planning for Conservation How-To Guide, M&E How-To Guide, MAVA Adaptive Management Guidance series, Outdoor Recreation Planning Guidance), training programs (Open Standards Self-Paced Tutorial), and software tools (Miradi Desktop and Miradi Share). FOS also runs learning networks including CCNet (Conservation Coaches Network) and the Conservation Learning Initiative, along with publications like the Pathways to Success book.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Training & Coaching Services In-person and virtual training programs and coaching on adaptive management, conservation planning, and the Open Standards framework, delivered to conservation practitioners, government agencies, and funders.
• Collaborative Learning Programs Facilitated learning networks and communities of practice that connect conservation practitioners, funders, and educators to share lessons and best practices.
• Frameworks & Tools (Open Standards) Conservation planning frameworks including the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation, results chains, conceptual models, and associated tools for adaptive management.
• Taking Conservation to Scale Framework A framework for achieving conservation impact at scale through strategic partnerships and adaptive management practices.
• Conservation Learning Initiative Five-step evidence-based learning approach for conservation decision-making, developed jointly with MAVA Foundation and Conservation Evidence.
• Book: Pathways to Success Foundational book on conservation project planning and management methodology.
• Open Standards Self-Paced Tutorial Three-module (12 lesson) self-paced online training program teaching Steps 1 and 2 of the Conservation Measures Partnership's Open Standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conservation teams working together using common framework and vocabulary results in consistent and reliable funding for successful projects

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MAVA FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021MAVA Foundation partnered with FOS and Conservation Evidence in late 2021 for the Conservation Learning Initiative. FOS Europe had worked with MAVA for over ten years assisting with strategic partnerships, tools, and processes for adaptive management. MAVA closed in 2022 but their guides remain accessible via FOS.
• Conservation EvidencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Conservation Evidence joined FOS and MAVA Foundation in the Conservation Learning Initiative to formulate assumptions and collect evidence to answer key learning questions about conservation strategies.
• Conservation Measures Partnership (CMP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOS is a member of CMP and co-developed the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. FOS staff contribute to developing classifications for threats and actions used across the conservation field.
• Conservation Coaches Network (CCNet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCNet is a global network that promotes the use of Open Standards. FOS supports CCNet Europe franchise and collaborates on case study competitions and adaptive management case studies.
• Duke Environmental Leadership ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOS partnered with Duke University's Environmental Leadership Program to offer graduate courses on Adaptive Management for Conservation Projects.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Nelson InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOS collaborated with UW-Madison's Nelson Institute to offer Conservation Standards courses as part of their educational programs.
• Fundació Catalunya La PedreraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted CCNet Europe 10-year anniversary rally at their nature education center in the Pyrenees mountains of Catalonia, Spain.
• Swedish Agency for Marine and Water ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOS Europe collaborated with Swedish experts and agency to develop the Framework and Method for MPA Network Design and Management.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: TNC is one of the world's largest environmental nonprofits, operating conservation programs globally. As a CMP member and FOS partner, it adopts the Open Standards framework at scale and represents a broad incumbent that validates FOS's methodology while operating much larger direct programs.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: WCS is a major global conservation NGO with field programs across 100+ countries. It is a long-standing FOS partner and a broad incumbent that both consumes FOS's training/coaching services and operates conservation programs at much larger scale.
• Conservation International: Conservation International is a major global conservation NGO implementing large-scale field programs. It is a CMP member and FOS partner, applying Open Standards across its portfolio and serving as a broad incumbent that institutionalizes FOS-developed methodologies.
• WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature): WWF is the world's largest conservation organization, operating in 100+ countries with broad programmatic scope. As a CMP member and FOS partner, it institutionalizes Open Standards within a far larger conservation portfolio than FOS directly manages.
• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): IUCN is the global authority on the conservation status of species and natural resources, setting widely adopted international standards (including the Red List). It co-publishes the CMP classifications with FOS-co-developed methodology and serves as the broad incumbent in conservation standards governance.

Direct peers

• Conservation Evidence: Conservation Evidence synthesizes scientific evidence on the effectiveness of conservation interventions. Already a strategic partner of FOS in the Conservation Learning Initiative, it is a direct peer in evidence-based conservation methodology and serves overlapping practitioner audiences.
• Conservation Strategy Fund: CSF trains conservation leaders in financial and economic analysis to design more effective conservation strategies. It is directly comparable to FOS as a capacity-building/training organization for conservation practitioners focused on improving project effectiveness.
• Rare: Rare is a conservation behavior-change organization that trains and coaches local practitioners globally to run campaigns for sustainable resource use. Like FOS, Rare focuses on practitioner capacity-building, training, and field-tested methodologies rather than direct conservation delivery.
• The Biodiversity Consultancy: TBC provides technical advisory and capacity-building on biodiversity impact assessment for corporations, financial institutions, and conservation NGOs. It mirrors FOS's advisory/training model applied to conservation outcomes measurement and corporate biodiversity strategy.

Emerging players

• Catalyst Environmental Solutions: Catalyst provides strategic advisory and capacity-building support to environmental foundations and NGOs on grantmaking strategy, monitoring, and evaluation. It overlaps with FOS's work supporting conservation funders and grantees in evidence-based impact assessment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/foundationsofsuccess
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foundations-of-success
• Xx.com/foundofsuccess

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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