American Sustainable Business Network

What American Sustainable Business Network does

American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN) is a Washington, D.C.-headquartered nonprofit umbrella organization that mobilizes a national network of more than 200,000 businesses to advocate for sustainable and regenerative-economy policy. ASBN was officially formed in 2022 over two affiliated entities: the 501(c)(4) American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), which handles legislative advocacy and coalition-building, and the 501(c)(3) American Sustainable Business Institute (ASBI), which handles education, research, and narrative work. ASBC was founded in 2009 by David Levine; ASBI followed in 2011. The organization operates across 40+ states through 12 state affiliates, local affiliates in NY, PA, and AL, and industry partners such as Kiss the Ground and amiba.

ASBN's product surface is membership-based rather than software-based: tiered business memberships ($250 Emerging to $17,500 Large per year), university memberships ($500-$3,000), affiliate memberships ($500-$1,000 plus optional Quorum advocacy platform access at $7,000), plus program initiatives such as Growing GRASS (a USDA-funded regenerative agriculture demonstration project under ASBI) and BUILD Resource Hub (a nonpartisan civic engagement program). Member benefits center on policy forums, steering committees, sign-on campaigns, the annual Business, Policy and Purpose conference (80+ speakers in 2025), and 109+ archived webinars, delivered via a CRM and policy-tracking technology stack.

Revenue comes primarily from recurring membership dues, distributed with 30-50% revenue share to state affiliates, supplemented by grants (including USDA Climate-Smart Commodities) and donations. Distribution channels span direct online membership, regional affiliate networks, industry partnerships, and a digital footprint of 25,000+ newsletter subscribers and 43,000+ social followers. Strategic positioning emphasizes bipartisan policy influence, with documented wins including stopping the Keystone Pipeline, banning NY fracking, passing the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, and the February 2026 constitutional victory over Texas SB-13.

Name

American Sustainable Business Network

Legal name

American Sustainable Business Network

Website

https://asbnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

American Sustainable Business Network is a nonprofit membership organization that mobilizes 200,000+ U.S. businesses across 40+ states to advocate for sustainable and regenerative-economy policy through its affiliated advocacy (ASBC) and education (ASBI) entities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Business Advocacy Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance, Democracy & Rule of Law (BPAGABAI)

Keywords

• Sustainable business advocacy
• Policy coalition building
• Business network membership
• ESG policy advocacy
• Regenerative economy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ASBN generates revenue primarily through tiered membership fees from businesses (Emerging, Small, Medium, Large), universities (Community College, Public, Private), affiliates (State, Local), and individuals (Sole Proprietors). Membership includes access to policy forums, steering committees, advocacy events, and networking opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ASBN is a nonprofit umbrella organization that operates a membership-based advocacy network for sustainable businesses, mobilizing over 200,000 businesses across 40+ states to influence state and federal policy. It sells tiered memberships (business, university, affiliate, individual), runs policy advocacy campaigns (climate, ESG, regenerative agriculture, safer chemicals), convenes steering committees and conferences, and operates initiatives such as the Growing GRASS USDA-funded regenerative agriculture project and the BUILD democracy engagement framework.

Product overview

The American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN) is an umbrella organization encompassing two affiliates: the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) 501(c)(4) and the American Sustainable Business Institute (ASBI) 501(c)(3). Rather than a technology product company, ASBN offers membership programs and advocacy services including policy campaigns, steering committees, webinars, conferences, and initiatives like Growing GRASS (USDA-funded regenerative agriculture project) and BUILD Resource Hub (democracy engagement). The organization connects over 200,000 businesses through advocacy, education, and policy influence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ASBN Business Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ Hill visits mobilizing 1,800+ business leaders
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American RiverscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental nonprofit focused on river conservation and clean water advocacy. ASBN collaborates on clean water initiatives and policy advocacy to protect water resources.
• amiba (American Independent Business Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting independent local businesses and local economies. Partners with ASBN on stakeholder economy initiatives and local business advocacy.
• B Lab U.S. & CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization behind B Corp Certification. ASBN collaborates on stakeholder-driven economy advocacy, shared member benefits, and systemic change initiatives.
• Climate VoicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition mobilizing business voices for climate policy action. ASBN partners on climate and energy policy advocacy campaigns.
• Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed (CDRW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition focused on protecting the Delaware River Watershed. ASBN's Clean Water Is Good For Business initiative is rooted in this watershed.
• Environment AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental advocacy organization working to protect clean air, water, and open spaces. Collaborates with ASBN on environmental policy campaigns.
• Impact EntrepreneurminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing coverage of impact economy topics. Helps amplify ASBN's message through their platform.
• Main Street Journal (MSJ)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNewsletter publication on local investment. Michael H. Shuman serves as Publisher. Supports ASBN's local economic development messaging.
• Premiums for the PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClimate finance movement helping businesses use insurance dollars for climate action. ASBN conference sponsor and collaborator.
• Kiss the GroundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization leading the Regenerate America campaign for regenerative agriculture. ASBN collaborated on Farm Bill advocacy efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• B Lab U.S. & Canada: Organization behind B Corp Certification and ASBN's core strategic partner. Operates in the overlapping stakeholder-economy / sustainable business space, certifying businesses and advocating for stakeholder-driven policy — directly comparable to ASBN's mission and member base.
• Ceres: A nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization mobilizing businesses and investors to address climate change and sustainability challenges. Ceres is one of the most prominent comparable sustainable-business coalitions in the U.S., with similar policy advocacy, member mobilization, and corporate sustainability missions.
• Business for Social Responsibility (BSR): A global nonprofit business network and consultancy that works with member companies on sustainability strategy, ESG, and policy. Comparable to ASBN in member-driven sustainable business advocacy but with deeper enterprise consulting offerings.
• US SIF (Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment): The leading U.S. membership organization advancing sustainable and responsible investing across asset managers, institutional investors, and financial professionals. Directly comparable member-driven advocacy model with policy influence focus aligned with ASBN's ESG-investing work.
• Green America: A national nonprofit promoting ethical consumerism, green business practices, and corporate accountability through member engagement and advocacy. Comparable grassroots sustainable-business coalition with similar member-driven advocacy model.
• American Independent Business Alliance (amiba): ASBN's strategic partner that supports independent local businesses and local economies through coalition-building and policy advocacy. Directly comparable community-led GTM motion and stakeholder-economy focus.
• Climate Voice: A coalition mobilizing business voices for climate policy action — explicitly named as an ASBN strategic partner. Operates a near-identical member-mobilization-for-climate-advocacy model in overlapping geographies.

Broad incumbents

• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): A global, CEO-led organization of over 200 major companies working on sustainable business policy. Compares to ASBN as a larger-scale, broader-geography incumbent in the sustainable business advocacy space with a more enterprise-only focus.
• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): One of the largest U.S. environmental advocacy organizations, with significant business-engagement programs and policy advocacy capabilities. Comparable as a broader incumbent in environmental/sustainability policy work, though EDF operates as an environmental rather than business-led coalition.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): A major U.S. environmental advocacy organization with deep policy, lobbying, and litigation capacity across climate, energy, water, and chemicals — areas overlapping with ASBN's policy committees. Functions as a broader, more resourced incumbent in adjacent sustainability advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/theASBN
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@asbn
• Facebookfacebook.com/weareASBN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asbnetwork
• Instagraminstagram.com/asbnetwork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about American Sustainable Business Network