Sprout Up
Sprout Up is a U.S. nonprofit that delivers free, youth-led environmental education to 1st and 2nd grade students in underrepresented public elementary schools via 11 university chapters in California and New York, operating under parent 501(c)(3) Environmental Volunteers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sprout Up does
Sprout Up is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 2009 that delivers free, youth-led environmental education to 1st and 2nd grade students in underrepresented public elementary schools. The organization operates through 11 university chapters (9 across California, plus Barnard/Columbia and NYU in New York City), each staffed by approximately 20 college student volunteer instructors who deliver an 8-week curriculum covering environmental science, sustainability, ecosystems, water conservation, exploring a farm, and environmental justice. Each chapter runs its own recruitment, training, and instructor support pipeline, with a national team of 3-4 staff providing oversight under National Director Kendall Post.
The core product is the in-person Sprout Up classroom program, complemented since 2020 by Sprout Up Explores, an online video-based learning platform hosted on YouTube and Google Classroom that extends reach to K-4 students with bilingual English/Spanish worksheets. The technology footprint is intentionally minimal — Squarespace website, Google Classroom distribution, YouTube hosting, and a Custom Donations payment processor — with no proprietary AI, platform, or data assets. Content is co-developed with mission-aligned partners including Save The Bay, Valley Water, White Feather Farm, Parley for the Oceans, Soul Fire Farm, Kingston YMCA Farm Project, and Wild Hudson Valley.
Sprout Up is a program of Environmental Volunteers (EV), a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Palo Alto, California, after joining EV in 2019 and officially unifying in 2022. EV provides operational infrastructure, fundraising, and compliance support, while Sprout Up retains its trademarked brand identity. The organization's go-to-market is community-led: donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsors fund free program delivery with no fees charged to students, schools, or partner universities. Leadership includes Kendall Post (National Director, ex-Sprout Up UC Santa Barbara instructor), Katarina Pittis (Director of Chapter Operations & Community, NYU Film & Television), and Alejandra Robles (Chapter Operations Coordinator, UC San Diego Marine Biology), with co-founder Nick Allen joining the EV Board post-merger.
Sprout Up firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sprout Up
- Legal name
- Sprout Up (program of Environmental Volunteers)
- Website
- https://sproutup.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sprout Up is a U.S. nonprofit that delivers free, youth-led environmental education to 1st and 2nd grade students in underrepresented public elementary schools via 11 university chapters in California and New York, operating under parent 501(c)(3) Environmental Volunteers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sprout Up industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)
Keywords
Where Sprout Up is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sprout Up business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: Sprout Up is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations and grants for funding. The program is completely free to students, with funding coming from individual donors, foundation grants, and corporate sponsors. The organization accepts both one-time and recurring gifts through its website.
- Partnership with Environmental Volunteers: In 2019, Sprout Up partnered with Environmental Volunteers (a 501(c)(3) organization), which now serves as its parent organization and provides operational support, infrastructure, and funding to sustain and expand Sprout Up chapters.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free program for students |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Sprout Up product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sprout Up runs a free, youth-led environmental education program in which trained college student volunteers deliver an 8-week environmental science curriculum to 1st and 2nd grade students in partner elementary schools. The program is delivered through university-based chapters and extended online via the Sprout Up Explores digital platform and YouTube channel, allowing remote learning, teacher classroom integration, and direct-to-family access.
Product overview
Sprout Up is a nonprofit organization providing free, youth-led environmental education programs. The core offering is the in-person Sprout Up program where college student volunteers teach an 8-week Environmental Education curriculum to 1st and 2nd graders at elementary schools. Complementing this is Sprout Up Explores, an online learning platform launched during COVID-19 that provides video-based lessons accessible to K-4 students with downloadable worksheets. The lesson content spans five main topic areas: Water Conservation, Exploring a Farm, Environmental Justice, Sustainability, and Environmental Science, with each series available in both English and Spanish. Sprout Up operates through university chapters across California and New York.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sprout Up Core Program An 8-week environmental science curriculum delivered to 1st and 2nd grade students by trained college student volunteers through university chapters. The program is offered free to public and private elementary schools in California and New York.
- Sprout Up Explores An online digital platform that delivers Sprout Up's environmental science curriculum and content to students, teachers, and families beyond the classroom, including a YouTube channel for video-based lessons.
- Water Conservation Lessons A series of environmental science lessons focused on water conservation, produced in partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the USDA.
- Exploring a Farm Lessons A series of lessons introducing students to where food comes from, produced in partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
- Environmental Justice Lessons A series of environmental science lessons focused on environmental justice topics, produced in partnership with Kiss the Ground.
- Sustainability Lessons A series of lessons focused on sustainability topics, produced in partnership with Kiss the Ground.
- Environmental Science Lessons The core 8-week environmental science curriculum taught by college student volunteers to 1st and 2nd grade students in partner elementary schools.
Companies that use Sprout Up
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sprout Up technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Sprout Up partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Save The BayminorPartnered to create a water education video series about water conservation in Santa Clara County. The series explores the water cycle, ways to save water, environmental justice, and features special guests discussing water issues in the Bay Area.
- White Feather FarmminorCollaborated to create the 'Exploring a Farm' video series, a seven-part program exploring plants from seed to harvest, how farmers grow food, and why farms are important to communities. Located in Saugerties, New York.
- Kingston YMCA Farm ProjectminorFeatured as special guest in Exploring a Farm series. Their mission is to educate, nourish and connect the Kingston, NY community with their urban farm.
- Wild Hudson ValleyminorFeatured as special guest in Exploring a Farm series. Founded in 2013 to teach about the rich history and environment of the Hudson Valley.
- Parley for the OceansminorCollaborated on environmental justice content, specifically the Marine Plastics video series that teaches about plastic pollution.
- Soul Fire FarmminorFeatured as a special guest in the Exploring a Farm series. An Afro-Indigenous centered community farm committed to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system.
- Environmental VolunteerscoreIn 2019, Sprout Up partnered with Environmental Volunteers (EV), a 501(c)(3) organization with 50 years of experience in environmental education. EV now serves as Sprout Up's parent organization, providing operational infrastructure, funding support, and expertise to sustain and expand Sprout Up chapters. The partnership combined 57 years of experience to reach more students nationally. Sprout Up retains its trademarked identity and brand.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sprout Up competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EarthEcho International: Youth-led environmental education nonprofit that mobilizes young people to address ocean health and environmental challenges. Highly comparable to Sprout Up's youth-to-youth engagement model and K-12 environmental focus.
- NatureBridge: Operates immersive environmental science programs for K-12 students in national parks, sharing Sprout Up's mission of expanding access to environmental science education for young people.
- Captain Planet Foundation: Funds and supports hands-on, environmental learning projects for K-12 youth, mirroring Sprout Up's mission of delivering free environmental education to elementary students through community-driven programs.
- Green Education Foundation: Provides K-12 schools with sustainability curriculum and resources, including free lesson plans and project-based learning materials. Highly comparable in delivering free environmental curriculum to schools and students.
- Eco-Schools USA: National Wildlife Federation program certifying K-12 schools for sustainability and environmental stewardship. Closely comparable as a school-based environmental education framework that integrates programming into existing school infrastructure.
- Project Learning Tree: Provides environmental education curriculum and professional development for educators and PreK-12 students, and is explicitly cross-linked on Sprout Up's Resources page. Directly comparable as a K-12 environmental curriculum provider.
- Grades of Green: Environmental education nonprofit helping students become environmental leaders through school-based programming and youth engagement initiatives. Very similar mission, audience, and youth-driven implementation model.
Regional players
- Acterra: Bay Area environmental nonprofit where National Director Kendall Post previously developed environmental education programs. Directly comparable in mission and geography but operates broader environmental programming beyond K-12 education.
Broad incumbents
- National Geographic Society - Education Programs: Operates broad K-12 environmental and geography education programs with significantly greater resources and brand reach. Represents the incumbent benchmark against which smaller programs like Sprout Up compete for school adoption and donor attention.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sprout Up social profiles
Digital presenceSprout Up financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sprout Up leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Sprout Up funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sprout Up 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 Sprout Up
What does Sprout Up do?
Sprout Up runs a free, youth-led environmental education program in which trained college student volunteers deliver an 8-week environmental science curriculum to 1st and 2nd grade students in partner elementary schools. The program is delivered through university-based chapters and extended online via the Sprout Up Explores digital platform and YouTube channel, allowing remote learning, teacher classroom integration, and direct-to-family access.
Is Sprout Up a public or private company?
Sprout Up is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sprout Up founded?
Sprout Up was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sprout Up based?
Sprout Up is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sprout Up make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are partnership with Environmental Volunteers.
Who are Sprout Up's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EarthEcho International, NatureBridge, Captain Planet Foundation, Green Education Foundation, Eco-Schools USA, Project Learning Tree and Grades of Green. Acterra is listed as a regional player. National Geographic Society - Education Programs is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Sprout Up have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sprout Up.
What industry is Sprout Up in?
Sprout Up's product category is Environmental Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAD, Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation), with a secondary code of BPAGAGAH, Environmental Education & Outreach. Its NAICS code is 611710.