North American Association for Environmental Education

What North American Association for Environmental Education does

NAAEE (North American Association for Environmental Education), founded in 1972 and headquartered in Washington, DC, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association that serves as the principal membership body for environmental education practitioners in North America. Its mission is to use the power of education to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement. The organization serves a horizontal set of customer segments including environmental education professionals, K-12 educators, nonformal educators (museums, nature centers, parks), higher education institutions, youth and young leaders, and government agencies.

The association's product and program portfolio is built around an integrated digital ecosystem. Core digital properties include eePRO (a global online community for resource sharing, discussions, groups, and professional networking), eeJOBS (a niche job board averaging 80 new postings weekly and 10,000+ newsletter subscribers), eeLEARN (online learning modules), eeWEBINARS, and the 'The World We Want' podcast. These are complemented by in-person and structured programs: the annual conference and research symposium (2026 scheduled in Portland, OR), the ee360+ and CEE-Change Fellowships, the EE 30 Under 30 recognition program, the Natural Start Alliance (early childhood), Guidelines for Excellence standards, eeWORKS research, eeCOURSES and eeCREDENTIALS, certification, and the NAAEE Awards for Excellence.

NAAEE's revenue model is multi-stream and characteristic of a mid-sized professional association: recurring membership dues (including sustaining memberships), annual conference registration, employer-paid job posting fees on eeJOBS, donations through multiple giving vehicles (EE Futures Fund, NAAEE Legacy Society, virtual auction, sustainer program), fees for online courses and credentials, and revenue from professional development and certification programs. The organization is also supported by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cooperative agreement (Assistance Agreement No. NT-84019001) that partially underwrites eePRO. Distribution is primarily direct and self-serve via digital channels, with a regional affiliate network providing on-the-ground reach across North America.

Name

North American Association for Environmental Education

Legal name

North American Association for Environmental Education

Website

https://naaee.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NAAEE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1972, serving environmental educators, K-12 teachers, nonformal educators, and government agencies in North America through membership, digital community platforms, fellowships, certification, and an annual conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)

Keywords

• Environmental education
• Professional association
• Membership organization
• Professional development
• Nonprofit advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to professional network, guidelines, research, tools, and professional programs. Includes sustaining membership options.
2. Conference Registration: Revenue from annual conference and research symposium registration, with early bird and standard rates.
3. Job Posting Fees: Employers pay to post job opportunities on the eeJOBS platform. Free account creation available for job seekers.
4. Donations: Charitable contributions through donate pages, including EE Futures Fund and NAAEE Legacy Society. Tax-deductible donations support the organization's mission.
5. Online Courses and Credentials: Revenue from eeCOURSES and eeCREDENTIALS programs offered through affiliates.
6. Professional Development Programs: Fees for certifications, awards, leadership programs, and fellowship programs including CEE-Change Fellowship and ee360+.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NAAEE is a nonprofit professional association serving as the champion for environmental education in North America. It delivers its mission through a membership-based ecosystem that includes digital platforms (eePRO community, eeJOBS job board, eeLEARN modules, eeWEBINARS), annual conferences, professional development programs, fellowships, certifications, and advocacy resources for environmental education professionals.

Product overview

NAAEE operates as a membership-based professional association offering a platform of interconnected programs and services focused on advancing environmental education. The core offerings include the eePRO online community platform, the eeJOBS employment service, the NAAEE Podcast, and the Annual Conference. These are supported by specialized programs including the ee360+ Fellowship, CEE-Change Fellowship, EE 30 Under 30 recognition, Natural Start Alliance for early childhood education, Guidelines for Excellence standards, eeWORKS research initiative, eeRESEARCH collections, eeCOURSES/eeCREDENTIALS online learning, Awards for Excellence, and Certification programs. Together these form a comprehensive ecosystem serving environmental education professionals from diverse backgrounds and career stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• eeJOBS A leading job listing service for the environmental education field, helping employers post jobs and job seekers find opportunities including director-level positions, program managers, internships, seasonal positions, and fellowships. Averages 80 new job posts weekly with a weekly newsletter reaching over 10,000 subscribers.
• eePRO Online Community A global online community platform for environmental education professionals, offering resource sharing, discussions, webinars, learning modules, and career development tools with groups, blog, collections, events, and professional networking features.
• The World We Want: The NAAEE Podcast A podcast series featuring conversations with environmental education leaders and changemakers, exploring topics of community, sustainability, and environmental work across diverse communities. Produced in partnership with GLOBIO and funded by ee360+.
• NAAEE Annual Conference and Research Symposium An annual conference bringing together environmental education professionals for networking, research presentations, and professional development opportunities.
• eeLEARN and eeWEBINARS Online professional development learning modules and webinar platform for environmental education capacity building, providing webinars and self-paced learning modules for practitioners.
• NAAEE Membership Annual membership providing access to professional network, guidelines, research, tools, and programs for environmental education professionals, with sustaining membership options available.
• ee360+ Fellowship Program A fellowship program for community environmental education leaders providing professional development, leadership training, networking, and mini-grant funding for fellows working in diverse communities. Partially supported by the U.S. EPA (Assistance Agreement No. NT-84019001).
• CEE-Change Fellowship A fellowship program designed to inspire leaders to address environmental challenges and build community resiliency.
• Certification Program Professional certification for environmental educators establishing industry standards.
• eeCOURSES and eeCREDENTIALS Online professional development courses and credentials for environmental education practitioners offered through affiliates.
• Guidelines for Excellence A series of guidelines establishing standards for environmental education programs, including community engagement guidelines.
• eeWORKS Research and evaluation initiative that analyzes studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of environmental education programs.
• Awards for Excellence Recognition program celebrating outstanding contributions of individuals and organizations in environmental education.
• Natural Start Alliance An alliance focused on nature-based early learning, offering the annual Nature-Based Early Learning Conference (NatStart) for educators working with young children.
• Employer Job Posting Service Fee-based service enabling employers to post job opportunities on the eeJOBS platform, reaching over 10,000 weekly newsletter subscribers in the environmental education field.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 subscribers to eeJOBS newsletter and 80 new job posts weekly demonstrating market reach
• +1 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• GLOBIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAAEE podcast 'The World We Want' is produced in partnership with GLOBIO, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental education and storytelling.
• ee360+ ProgramcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe ee360+ program provides funding support for The World We Want podcast. ee360+ is a fellowship and leadership program that fosters community leaders in environmental education.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnereePRO is partially supported by Assistance Agreement No. NT-84019001 awarded by the U.S. EPA. The views expressed are solely those of eePRO users and EPA does not endorse products or services mentioned.
• National Conservation Training CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive-day Leadership Institute for ee360 Community Fellows held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. NCTC is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• UL (Underwriters Laboratories)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerUL has collaborated with Chicago Eco House and provided the UL Innovation Education Award. Partnership supports environmental education innovation.
• University of ChicagomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Chicago has collaborated with Chicago Eco House on community development and environmental education initiatives.
• Cook County State's Attorney's OfficeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCook County State's Attorney's Office collaborated with Chicago Eco House on community programs.
• Engineers Without BordersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineers Without Borders collaborated with Chicago Eco House on engineering and sustainable design projects.
• GrouponminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGroupon collaborated with Chicago Eco House on community and business initiatives.
• Get Down FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGet Down Farm partnered with Chicago Eco House and Keep Growing Detroit to build Detroit EcoHouse site as an off-grid flower farm.
• Keep Growing DetroitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeep Growing Detroit partnered with Anita Singh (ee360 Fellow) and Chicago Eco House on Detroit EcoHouse flower farm development.
• EcoRisemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAbby Randall from EcoRise partnered with Quilen Blackwell on a beekeeping project on Chicago Eco House flower farms. EcoRise is a social enterprise providing sustainability education curricula.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Project Learning Tree: Project Learning Tree (a program of the American Forest Foundation) is one of NAAEE's closest peers — a national environmental education curriculum and professional development provider serving K-12 educators with standards-aligned resources, mirroring NAAEE's K-12 and nonformal educator segments.
• Project WET Foundation: Project WET (Water Education Today) is a direct peer — a nonprofit that develops water-focused environmental education curricula, professional development, and a network of state coordinators, very similar in operating model to NAAEE's affiliate-driven environmental literacy programs.
• Earth Day Network (EarthDay.org): EarthDay.org is a direct peer in the environmental education and civic engagement space — a nonprofit running large-scale environmental literacy campaigns, educator toolkits, and youth programs, directly comparable to NAAEE's civic engagement and climate change education lines.
• Keep America Beautiful: Keep America Beautiful is a nonprofit with an affiliate network structure very similar to NAAEE's, focused on litter prevention, recycling, and environmental education programming in communities — comparable in operating model, target audience, and educational mission.
• Green Education Foundation (GEF): GEF is a K-12 sustainability and environmental education nonprofit offering free standards-based curricula and a Green Classroom Professional certificate — a direct competitor in the educator credentialing and curriculum space.
• Earthwatch Institute: Earthwatch is a nonprofit that engages citizens in environmental research and education, with fellowships and citizen science programs — comparable to NAAEE's fellowship model (ee360+, CEE-Change) and research initiatives (eeWORKS, eeRESEARCH).

Broad incumbents

• National Wildlife Federation: NWF is a much larger incumbent environmental organization that also runs environmental education programs (e.g., Eco-Schools, Great American Campout, classroom resources) overlapping with NAAEE's K-12 and citizen engagement offerings, but as part of a broader conservation portfolio.
• The Nature Conservancy: TNC is a much larger environmental nonprofit that operates significant education, youth leadership, and community engagement programs overlapping with NAAEE's mission, though TNC's primary focus is land conservation rather than the education profession.

Emerging players

• Children & Nature Network: Children & Nature Network focuses on connecting children with nature through research, resources, and a peer network — overlapping significantly with NAAEE's Natural Start Alliance early-childhood work and youth engagement segments.
• EcoRise: EcoRise is a nonprofit providing sustainability education curricula and teacher training (e.g., beekeeping and green building programs) — directly comparable to NAAEE's E-STEM and classroom resource offerings, and a named partner of NAAEE's community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheNAAEE
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheNAAEE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naaee

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about North American Association for Environmental Education