Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment
CRPE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 delivering community organizing, lawyering, and policy advocacy to rural low-income communities of color in California's San Joaquin Valley on environmental justice, public health, and infrastructure access.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersEmeryville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment does
The Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment (CRPE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1989 by environmental attorneys Luke Cole and Ralph Abascal. Headquartered at 1012 Jefferson Street in Delano, California, with a secondary location in Emeryville, CRPE delivers community organizing, community lawyering, and policy advocacy to rural low-income communities and communities of color in California's San Joaquin Valley, primarily Kern and Tulare counties. The organization operates under a self-described 'on tap, not on top' principle, providing technical and legal support without assuming leadership over community-driven initiatives. CRPE has operated continuously for more than 35 years on environmental justice issues including oil and gas extraction, pesticide exposure, air pollution, toxic waste, and inadequate public services in unincorporated areas.
CRPE's service portfolio centers on three active campaigns — Climate Justice, Toxic Free Communities, and Forgotten Voices — built on a foundational Just Transition Framework. The Climate Justice campaign advocates for a 3,200-foot statewide setback for oil and gas operations and opposes carbon capture and hydrogen expansion; the Toxic Free Communities campaign focuses on community air monitoring, pesticide notification, and hazardous waste oversight; and the Forgotten Voices campaign addresses land use planning and infrastructure access in unincorporated communities. Supporting these programs are publications including The People's Plan, Our Valley Our Voices, and The Green Paper (available in English and Spanish), quarterly newsletters, and downloadable community resources covering family preparedness, immigration rights, and pesticide notification. CRPE maintains no proprietary technology platform, relying on standard digital infrastructure (Constant Contact for email, Network for Good for donations, Idealist for job postings, and Morgan Stanley for stock gifts) and a coalition network of more than a dozen community organizations it has helped establish, including Allensworth Progressive, CCEJN, CVAQ, Community Water Center, Delano Guardians, LOUD for Tomorrow, and VISION Coalition.
CRPE generates revenue exclusively through charitable giving mechanisms. Documented revenue streams include individual donations processed via Network for Good, foundation and donor-advised grants, stock transfers through a Morgan Stanley brokerage account (DTC 0015, Account 810-019930-564), corporate matching gift programs, planned giving and bequests, and retirement plan beneficiary designations (Tax ID: 05-0557231). All community-facing services are provided free of charge. The organization operates with 11–50 employees, a dedicated Development Director, and ongoing major litigation, including a federal lawsuit challenging California's first carbon capture project (filed November 2024), a federal clean-air crisis lawsuit (filed November 2021), and recent court victories on Kern County oil and gas review (June 2022) and farmworker pesticide notification rights (March 2025).
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment
- Legal name
- Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment
- Website
- https://crpe-ej.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CRPE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 delivering community organizing, lawyering, and policy advocacy to rural low-income communities of color in California's San Joaquin Valley on environmental justice, public health, and infrastructure access.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Justice Advocacy and Legal Services
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health (BPAGAGAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)
Keywords
Where Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Emeryville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations and Grants: CRPE raises funds through individual donations, direct appeals, and grants from foundations and donors. Donations can be made via the website (Network for Good portal) and other giving methods.
- Stock Gifts: Donors can make stock transfers to CRPE via electronic transfer through Morgan Stanley (Broker: Morgan Stanley, DTC: 0015, Account: 810-019930-564).
- Legacy Giving / Bequests: CRPE accepts legacy gifts in wills or trusts, allowing donors to designate a dollar amount, percentage, or specific bequest to the organization.
- Corporate Matching Gifts: CRPE accepts matched donations from employers through a matching gift program. Corporate partners can double their employees' contributions to the organization (Tax ID: 05-0557231).
- Retirement Beneficiary Designations: Donors can name CRPE as a beneficiary of 401(k), 403(b), IRA, Keogh, or other qualified retirement plans.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CRPE provides free legal, organizing, and technical assistance to low-income communities and communities of color in California's San Joaquin Valley. Its work spans community organizing, community lawyering, and policy advocacy, delivered through campaigns such as Climate Justice, Toxic Free Communities, and Forgotten Voices, alongside publications including The People's Plan and The Green Paper.
Product overview
CRPE is a nonprofit environmental justice organization offering a portfolio of advocacy campaigns and publications rather than a unified technology product. The core programs include the Just Transition Framework (foundational approach), Climate Justice Campaign, Toxic Free Communities Campaign, and Forgotten Voices Campaign. Supporting these are publications including The People's Plan, Our Valley Our Voices, and The Green Paper (available in English and Spanish), plus downloadable community resources such as Family Preparedness guides and Know Your Rights materials. The organization also publishes quarterly newsletters. These offerings work together through community organizing, community lawyering, and policy advocacy to protect air, land, water, health, and economic security for impacted communities in California's San Joaquin Valley.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Climate Justice Campaign
Companies that use Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Allensworth ProgressivecoreCRPE has helped establish and supports Allensworth Progressive, a community organization rooted in environmental justice organizing in Allensworth, California (a historically Black unincorporated community).
- Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCEJN)coreCRPE partners with CCEJN, a regional environmental justice network in the Central Valley focused on air quality, toxics, and community health issues.
- Central Valley Air Quality Coalition (CVAQ)coreCRPE partners with CVAQ, a coalition focused on improving air quality in the San Joaquin Valley through advocacy, monitoring, and policy reform.
- Comite Progreso de LamontcoreCRPE supports Comite Progreso de Lamont, a community organization in Lamont, California advocating for environmental and social justice.
- Committee for a Better ArvincoreCRPE supports Committee for a Better Arvin, a community group in Arvin, California working on environmental justice issues including oil drilling near homes.
- Committee for a Better ShaftercoreCRPE supports Committee for a Better Shafter, a community organization in Shafter, California working on land use and environmental quality issues.
- Community Water CentercoreCRPE partners with Community Water Center, an organization working to ensure safe, affordable, and accessible water for all communities in the San Joaquin Valley.
- Delano GuardianscoreCRPE supports Delano Guardians, a community group in Delano, California working on environmental and civic advocacy.
- Greenfield Walking GroupcoreCRPE supports the Greenfield Walking Group, a community organization in Greenfield, California working on community health and environmental issues.
- LA COLONIAcoreCRPE supports LA COLONIA, a community organization in an unincorporated area of the San Joaquin Valley advocating for environmental justice.
- LOUD for TomorrowcoreCRPE supports LOUD for Tomorrow, a community organization in the San Joaquin Valley focused on youth empowerment and environmental justice advocacy.
- VISION CoalitioncoreCRPE partners with the VISION Coalition, a coalition in Kern County focused on creating high-road jobs and economic diversification in the region.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCEJN): Regional San Joaquin Valley environmental justice coalition and CRPE partner, focused on air quality, toxics, and community health — directly overlapping in geography, constituents, and campaign scope.
- Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE): Los Angeles-based grassroots organization engaging in organizing, civic engagement, and policy advocacy in low-income communities of color. Comparable in integrated organizing-policy approach to CRPE.
- Community Water Center: San Joaquin Valley-based nonprofit working to ensure safe, affordable water access. A current CRPE coalition partner with overlapping geography, constituents, and policy advocacy model.
- PODER (People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights): San Francisco Bay Area-based environmental justice organization using grassroots organizing and policy advocacy in Latino immigrant communities, closely paralleling CRPE's organizing-lawyering model in a different region.
- Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN): California-based environmental justice organization building power in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities through organizing, policy advocacy, and leadership development; shares CRPE's community-led theory of change.
- Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ): Inland Empire-based environmental justice nonprofit using organizing, advocacy, and civic engagement to address pollution in low-income communities of color, with a model closely resembling CRPE's approach.
- Earthjustice: National nonprofit environmental law organization that litigates high-impact cases for environmental and public health causes. Highly comparable to CRPE's community lawyering function, though operating at much larger national scale.
- Communities for a Better Environment (CBE): California-based environmental justice organization combining community organizing, legal advocacy, and science-based campaigns in predominantly low-income communities of color, directly paralleling CRPE's integrated model.
Broad incumbents
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Large national environmental advocacy organization combining legal action, policy advocacy, and science. Comparable in advocacy and litigation functions, though much broader in scope and significantly larger in resources.
- GreenLatinos: National Latino environmental advocacy network convening organizations and leaders on conservation, climate, and environmental justice; shares CRPE's Latinx community focus and policy advocacy orientation, but operates as a network rather than direct service provider.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment social profiles
Digital presenceCenter on Race, Poverty and the Environment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment 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 Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment
What does Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment do?
CRPE provides free legal, organizing, and technical assistance to low-income communities and communities of color in California's San Joaquin Valley. Its work spans community organizing, community lawyering, and policy advocacy, delivered through campaigns such as Climate Justice, Toxic Free Communities, and Forgotten Voices, alongside publications including The People's Plan and The Green Paper.
Is Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment a public or private company?
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment founded?
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment based?
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment is headquartered in Emeryville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are stock Gifts, legacy Giving / Bequests, corporate Matching Gifts and retirement Beneficiary Designations.
Who are Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCEJN), Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), Community Water Center, PODER (People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights), Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ), Earthjustice and Communities for a Better Environment (CBE). Broad incumbents are Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and GreenLatinos.
Does Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.
What industry is Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment in?
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment's product category is Environmental Justice Advocacy and Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAL, Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health, with a secondary code of BPAGAGAH, Environmental Education & Outreach. Its NAICS code is 813312.