What Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide does

Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Eugene, Oregon (EIN 94-3116602), founded by John E. Bonine to support public interest environmental lawyers worldwide. It operates as a global alliance in 88 countries, providing legal, scientific, economic, organizational, and security expertise to advocates working on clean air, clean water, and ecosystem protection. Its operations span grassroots defenders, environmental NGOs, and public interest law firms, with named partners such as Instituto Cordilheira (Brazil), Frank Bold (Czech Republic), CEMDA (Mexico), DAR (Peru), and IDAMHO (Honduras).

ELAW's core 'product' is a suite of self-serve web-based resource platforms plus two flagship human-capital programs. The technical stack comprises six resource centers — Resources for Advocates Database (934+ resources), Climate Litigation Strategies, Coal Litigation Strategies, Plastic Law (including the Global Plastic Laws Database), Mangrove Law & Science (legal database plus science database of 65+ papers), and Notable Cases (88+ decisions) — anchored by the EIA Law Matrix, a comparative database analyzing environmental impact assessment frameworks in 50+ countries. The human-capital programs are the Fellows Program (nearly 300 hosted since 1991 at ELAW's Eugene office) and Annual Meetings alternating between Eugene and international venues, with the 2026 gathering in Bangkok drawing 100+ partners from 45 countries.

ELAW is funded exclusively through charitable contributions, with revenue streams comprising tax-deductible individual donations (including monthly and tribute giving), gifts of appreciated securities, and a planned 'Guardians of Future Generations' legacy giving program. ELAW's value is captured in litigation outcomes rather than commercial contracts — for example, a Sri Lanka Supreme Court order for US$1 billion initial compensation from the X-PRESS Pearl shipping company for a plastic nurdle spill, and a Court of Session ruling reversing UK Rosebank and Jackdaw oil field approvals as unlawful. The organization has produced seven Goldman Environmental Prize winners among its former Fellows, including Zuzana Čaputová, now President of Slovakia.

Name

Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide

Legal name

Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide

Website

https://elaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide is a nonprofit founded by John E. Bonine that supports public interest environmental lawyers in 88 countries with legal, scientific, and organizational expertise, via comparative databases and a Fellows Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Law Advocacy Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability, ESG & Climate Risk Advisory (BPAHAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Energy Law (BPAHAAAO), Environmental Enforcement Defense & Consent Order/Settlement Support (NOV Responses, Corrective Action Plans) (EUAHABAI)

Keywords

• Environmental law advocacy
• Public interest law
• Legal resource databases
• Climate litigation support
• Capacity building programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Eugene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals, including monthly giving programs, one-time gifts, and tribute gifts. ELAW is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with EIN 94-3116602.
2. Gifts of Securities: Donors can contribute appreciated securities directly to ELAW, potentially providing increased tax benefits while allowing ELAW to benefit from the full value of appreciated assets.
3. Legacy Giving: Planned giving through wills and estates, described as the 'Guardians of Future Generations' legacy giving program to secure long-term organizational sustainability.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) is a nonprofit alliance that provides public interest environmental lawyers and advocates with legal, scientific, security, and organizational expertise across 88 countries. Its core offerings are specialized resource centers and comparative databases covering EIA laws, climate litigation, coal litigation, plastic legislation, mangroves, and notable environmental cases, delivered alongside the Fellows Program and Annual Meetings that build network capacity and solidarity.

Product overview

ELAW is a global nonprofit alliance providing legal, scientific, and organizational expertise to public interest environmental lawyers through a network spanning 88 countries. The core offering consists of multiple resource centers and databases—the Resources for Advocates Database (934+ resources), Climate Litigation Strategies, Coal Litigation Strategies, Plastic Law Resource Center (including the Global Plastic Laws Database), Mangrove Law & Science (with legal database and science database), EIA Law Matrix (comparing 50+ countries), and Notable Cases (88+ decisions). Supporting programs include the Fellows Program offering training fellowships and Annual Meetings for network collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Resources for Advocates Database A comprehensive database containing 934+ legal and scientific resources including cases, environmental impact assessments, publications, laws, and other materials organized by topic, type, and region for public interest environmental lawyers worldwide.
• Climate Litigation Strategies A strategic resource library providing climate-related court decisions, legal frameworks, and guidance for building climate cases, including mitigation cases, adaptation cases, and climate impact assessments.
• Coal Litigation Strategies A comprehensive resource covering legal strategies to challenge coal infrastructure, including energy planning, siting processes, environmental impact assessment, air quality, and project finance opposition.
• Plastic Law Resource Center A resource covering global plastic legislation including bans, taxes, Extended Producer Responsibility programs, and hosting the Global Plastic Laws Database tracking plastic legislation across the full life cycle of plastics.
• Mangrove Law & Science A combined legal and scientific resource including a select mangrove laws database and a mangrove science database with summaries of 65+ influential scientific articles on mangrove threats and conservation.
• EIA Law Matrix A comparative database analyzing over 50 key aspects of environmental impact assessment laws from countries worldwide, enabling users to access, compare, and understand EIA legal frameworks across jurisdictions.
• Notable Cases A compilation of 88+ important environmental law decisions organized by topic and region, covering climate change, biodiversity, mining, human rights, and indigenous peoples cases.
• Global Plastic Laws Database

Quantifiable outcome

• Sri Lanka Supreme Court ordered X-PRESS Pearl shipping company to pay US$1 billion initial compensation for plastic nurdle spill
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• University of Oregon American English InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerELAW Fellows can access intensive English study at the University of Oregon's American English Institute as part of their fellowship program, supporting international advocates' professional development.
• Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerELAW Fellows attend the annual Pielc conference in Eugene, Oregon, gaining exposure to environmental law developments and networking opportunities as part of their fellowship experience.
• Goldman Environmental PrizeminorOthersSeven ELAW Fellows have later won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, including Zuzana Čaputová who became President of Slovakia. The prize recognizes grassroots environmental activists.
• Plastic Pollution CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerELAW partnered with Plastic Pollution Coalition, Break Free From Plastic Europe, and The Surfrider Foundation to build the Global Plastic Laws Database, the most comprehensive tool to research plastic legislation worldwide.
• Break Free From Plastic EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in developing the Global Plastic Laws Database, tracking legislation across the full life cycle of plastics.
• The Surfrider Foundation U.S.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in developing the Global Plastic Laws Database, contributing to comprehensive global plastic legislation tracking.
• Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGAIA contributed expertise and review to ELAW's plastic law EPR section, providing technical reports on chemical recycling and briefing documents on false solutions.
• Frank BoldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCzech organization with Responsible Energy Team; ELAW Fellows from Frank Bold work on coal phase-out in Czech Republic and accelerating renewable energy adoption.
• El Centro Méxicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexican Center for Environmental Law; ELAW has collaborated on capacity building with CEMDA staff, including eight staff members participating in virtual fellowship program.
• Cornershop CreativeminorOthersWebsite development partner responsible for ELAW's website design and maintenance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Earthjustice: U.S.-based nonprofit environmental law organization that litigates cases on behalf of clients; directly comparable to ELAW in providing legal advocacy services for environmental protection, with overlapping client base of grassroots and public-interest litigants.
• ClientEarth: International environmental law charity using litigation and advocacy to enforce environmental law; directly comparable to ELAW as a public-interest environmental law NGO with global operations and a similar mission of using law to protect ecosystems.
• Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL): International nonprofit using law and science to address global environmental challenges; highly comparable to ELAW in combining legal, scientific, and policy expertise to support environmental advocacy across borders.
• Frank Bold: Czech-based environmental law organization working on energy transition, coal phase-out, and corporate accountability; an ELAW partner organization and directly comparable as a Central/Eastern European environmental public-interest law NGO serving grassroots advocates.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Biological Diversity: U.S. nonprofit using law, science, and creative media to protect endangered species and wild places; comparable to ELAW in relying heavily on environmental impact assessment law and litigation as primary advocacy tools.
• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): Major U.S. environmental nonprofit combining science, economics, and law across climate, oceans, and health; broader portfolio than ELAW but comparable on the legal/scientific advocacy model and engagement with corporate and government stakeholders.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Large U.S. environmental advocacy organization with global program work including climate, energy, and international environmental law; broader in scope than ELAW but overlapping on legal advocacy, climate litigation, and ESG advisory for partners.
• IUCN Environmental Law Centre: International body supporting development and implementation of environmental law globally; comparable to ELAW in producing legal resources and capacity-building programs for environmental lawyers across jurisdictions.

Emerging players

• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global alliance working to end plastic pollution through advocacy, education, and policy; directly comparable to ELAW as a co-developer of the Global Plastic Laws Database and partner in plastic legislation advocacy.
• Earth Law Center: Nonprofit working to advance Earth-centered law and rights of nature; comparable to ELAW in serving as an advocacy organization for systemic legal change on environmental issues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/elawus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/environmental-law-alliance-worldwide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide