Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation

What Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation does

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1998 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. Its mission is to drive participation in recreational boating and fishing in the United States while supporting the protection and restoration of aquatic resources. RBFF serves two primary audiences: individual recreational anglers and boaters seeking to start or re-engage in the activity, and state government wildlife and fisheries agencies that use RBFF's digital infrastructure to distribute licensing and regulatory information. The organization functions as an industry catalyst rather than a commercial enterprise, funded through the Sport Fish Restoration program, industry partnerships, and contributions.

RBFF's product portfolio centers on the TakeMeFishing.org consumer web portal, which provides state-specific fishing and boating resources, how-to guides, safety information, and integrated pathways to purchase fishing licenses and register boats in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The platform includes interactive features such as the Boat Explorer tool for boat-type discovery and the Places to Boat and Fish mapping feature. A Spanish-language counterpart, Vamos a Pescar (vamosapescar.org), serves the Hispanic community. Distribution and engagement are reinforced through a multi-channel presence: a content blog, organic social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, a monthly NewsWaves email newsletter, and SEO-optimized state landing pages. RBFF also maintains a corporate site documenting its advocacy and industry collaboration activities.

The business model is a nonprofit public-benefit model. RBFF does not generate commercial revenue from end users; fishing license and boat registration fees are set and collected by individual state agencies, with RBFF acting as a referral and engagement layer. The organization monetizes impact rather than transactions, with funding drawn from Sport Fish Restoration program allocations, industry partnerships, and donations. The strategic backdrop is challenging: internal research cited by RBFF indicates a roughly 20% decline in infrequent anglers since 2021, which the organization frames as a $9.2 billion unrealized industry revenue opportunity if half of lapsed participants were re-engaged.

Name

Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation

Legal name

Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation

Website

https://takemefishing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the TakeMeFishing.org and VamosAPescar.org consumer portals, providing state-specific fishing license procurement, boat registration integration, and educational resources for recreational anglers and boaters across all 50 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recreational Fishing and Boating Advocacy

NAICS

Fishing, Hunting and Trapping (114)

SIC

Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Fishing & Spearfishing Charters (recreational/eco-managed) (THAAAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fishing & Angling Charters / Guides (THAAALAD)

Keywords

• Recreational fishing promotion
• Boating education resources
• Fishing license services
• Boat registration services
• Aquatic resource conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Public Benefit: RBFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that drives recreational boating and fishing participation. As a nonprofit, the organization does not generate commercial revenue but rather serves as an industry catalyst through advocacy, education, and partnership programs. The organization benefits from Sport Fish Restoration program funding and industry collaboration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RBFF operates a nationwide digital platform anchored by TakeMeFishing.org (English) and VamosAPescar.org (Spanish), which connect individual consumers to state wildlife and fisheries departments for fishing license procurement and boat registration. The platform provides educational content on fishing techniques, boating safety, species guides, and conservation, as well as interactive tools including a Boat Explorer and a Places to Boat and Fish map, covering all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, RBFF's mission is to grow participation in recreational boating and fishing through advocacy, education, and industry collaboration.

Product overview

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) operates a digital platform portfolio centered on its flagship TakeMeFishing.org consumer portal. This comprehensive resource provides state-specific fishing and boating information, licensing/registration services, educational content, and interactive tools including the Boat Explorer Tool and Places to Boat and Fish Map. The organization also maintains the Vamos a Pescar Spanish-language outreach program and a corporate website documenting its nonprofit mission of driving recreational boating and fishing participation through industry collaboration and advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vamos a Pescar: A program/brand under RBFF focused on fishing participation

Products and services

• TakeMeFishing.org Comprehensive consumer-facing web portal providing resources for recreational fishing and boating, including state-specific information, how-to guides, fishing license procurement, boat registration, and interactive mapping tools for finding places to boat and fish across all 50 U.S. states and D.C.
• Vamos a Pescar Spanish-language initiative under RBFF aimed at increasing Hispanic participation in fishing and boating activities through culturally relevant resources and outreach.
• RBFF Corporate Website Official corporate website for the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, providing information about the nonprofit organization, its mission, industry collaboration, advocacy efforts, and community engagement initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• $9.2 billion in potential additional revenue for the recreational fishing industry if half of lapsed infrequent anglers since 2021 were re-engaged

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• State Wildlife and Fisheries DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRBFF collaborates with state wildlife and fisheries departments across all 50 U.S. states to provide integrated fishing license and boat registration services through the TakeMeFishing.org platform, enabling consistent consumer access to state-specific regulations and licensing.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• American Sportfishing Association: The trade association for the U.S. sportfishing industry. Directly comparable to RBFF as both organizations exist to grow recreational fishing participation, with ASA representing manufacturers/retailers and RBFF representing the consumer/demand side.
• National Marine Manufacturers Association: The trade association for the U.S. recreational boating industry. Closely comparable to RBFF's boating-side mission, sharing industry advocacy, participation-growth, and policy engagement, with NMMA focused on manufacturers and RBFF on end consumers.
• BoatUS: The Boat Owners Association of The United States, a membership-based advocacy and services organization for recreational boaters. Comparable to RBFF in promoting boating participation and providing consumer-facing services, though BoatUS operates a paid membership model.
• Ducks Unlimited: A nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to wetlands and waterfowl habitat. Comparable as a similarly structured outdoor-recreation-focused 501(c)(3) that drives participation, education, and conservation through fundraising and membership programs.
• Trout Unlimited: A nonprofit angler-conservation organization focused on coldwater fisheries and habitat. Directly comparable to RBFF in mission scope — fishing participation, conservation, education — but with a narrower species/geographic focus.
• Coastal Conservation Association: A nonprofit focused on marine resource conservation and recreational fishing access. Comparable to RBFF in advocacy and education for recreational anglers, with a coastal/saltwater orientation versus RBFF's broader scope.
• International Game Fish Association: A nonprofit governing body for sport fishing records, ethics, and education. Comparable to RBFF as an angler-facing nonprofit that promotes participation, education, and conservation across recreational fishing globally.

Others

• National Wildlife Federation: A broader conservation and outdoor-engagement nonprofit. Thematically related to RBFF's conservation and participation-growth mission but covers a much wider mandate beyond fishing and boating.

Broad incumbents

• Bass Pro Shops: The largest U.S. sporting goods retailer for fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation. Comparable in promoting fishing participation and providing educational content, but operates a commercial retail model versus RBFF's nonprofit advocacy approach.
• Pure Fishing: A global manufacturer of fishing tackle and equipment. Indirectly comparable as a major industry stakeholder that benefits from RBFF's demand-generation mission, but operates as a commercial manufacturer rather than a participation-driven nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Take_Me_Fishing
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/takemefishing
• Facebookfacebook.com/TakeMeFishing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recreational-boating-and-fishing-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/take_me_fishing
• Pinterestpinterest.com/takemefishing/_created
• TikToktiktok.com/@takemefishing_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation