Institute for Conservation Leadership

Name

Institute for Conservation Leadership

Legal name

Institute for Conservation Leadership

Website

https://icl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ICL is a nonprofit founded in 1990 that provides consulting, facilitation, leadership development, coaching, and training services to U.S. environmental nonprofits, foundations, coalitions, and government agencies to build conservation organizational capacity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenbelt

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: ICL accepts one-time and recurring donations from individuals to support their mission of building leaders, organizations, and collaborative partnerships for environmental and conservation goals.
2. Training Program Fees: Fee-based virtual training programs including Facilitating Engaging Meetings ($325-$350) and Energize Your Partnerships and Networks ($350-$375) offered on seasonal schedules.
3. Consulting Services: Custom consulting engagements for facilitation, leadership development, and collaboration support for nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and coalitions.
4. Publication Sales: Free downloadable publications and resources related to collaborations, networks, coalitions, and organizational development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ICL delivers customized consulting, facilitation, and leadership coaching to environmental and conservation nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies, alongside structured live and on-demand virtual training programs on meeting facilitation and multi-organization collaboration. It also produces and distributes free downloadable publications, toolkits, and a blog that support the same mission.

Product overview

ICL offers a portfolio of consulting and facilitation services alongside structured training programs. The core service offerings include Facilitation Services (expert meeting facilitation and facilitation training), Leadership Services (skills training and coaching), and Collaboration Services (support for starting, managing, and strengthening collaborations). These are complemented by online training programs including Facilitating Engaging Meetings (live online), Energize Your Partnerships and Networks (live online), and Build Better Meetings (on-demand/self-paced). ICL also provides free downloadable publications and resources through its Collaboration Resource Hub, including toolkits on collaboration, organizational development, and leadership. The company hosts events such as book launches and maintains a blog with educational content on collaboration and leadership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Facilitation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 155% return on NFWF's investment through collaborative models
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• National Wildlife FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988ICL began as a project within National Wildlife Federation in 1988 with support from the Pew Charitable Trusts before becoming an independent national nonprofit in 1990.
• Antarctic and Southern Ocean CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL helped navigate the organization's intricate structure through a robust assessment process, allowing the coalition to think creatively about its challenges while honoring diverse perspectives within the network.
• National Fish and Wildlife FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL supports partners across the Chesapeake Bay watershed through the Foundation's Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, applying strategic collaboration to build regional capacity and strengthen connections among those protecting the vital ecosystem.
• Berks County Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL facilitated a community engagement and data analysis study to help address environmental issues raised by community members, supporting the Foundation's investment in community resiliency and environmental health.
• Food:Land:OpportunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL conducted a comprehensive impact assessment for FLO's decade-long transformation of Chicago's regional food system, examining achievements, evolving challenges, and continuing relevance.
• Alliance for the Chesapeake BaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL guided the Alliance in developing a thriving community of practice that strategically connects capacity-building organizations throughout the watershed.
• Rails to Trails ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL created a five-year strategic plan for the national organization reimagining public spaces and connecting communities via trails.
• Ohio Environmental CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported by George Gund Foundation and Cleveland Foundation, ICL helped OEC increase coalition building efforts and develop the Cleveland environmental policy platform for mayoral candidates.
• Network for Landscape ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL supported the Catalyst Fund peer learning cohort through a workshop series called Facilitating Collaboration, empowering landscape stewardship coordinators with knowledge, skills, and tools.
• Highstead FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2019, ICL has supported Highstead's staff in planning and facilitating the Regional Conservation Partnership Network's Gathering, designing workshop series focused on network frameworks and leadership capacities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• La Piana Consulting: La Piana Consulting specializes in nonprofit strategic planning, collaboration, and mergers. Directly competes with ICL in supporting coalitions and nonprofits with facilitation and strategic advisory work.
• The Bridgespan Group: Bridgespan is a leading nonprofit and philanthropy consultancy offering strategy, leadership development, and organizational transformation services. Comparable to ICL in advising mission-driven organizations on strategy and capacity building.
• FSG: FSG is a global nonprofit consulting firm advising foundations and nonprofits on strategy, evaluation, and collective impact. Directly comparable to ICL in delivering strategic advisory and facilitation services to mission-driven organizations.
• Nonprofit Finance Fund: NFF provides financial consulting, lending, and advisory services to nonprofits. Comparable to ICL in serving nonprofits with strategic and capacity-building consulting, though more financially focused.
• TCC Group: TCC Group provides consulting, evaluation, and capacity-building services to foundations and nonprofits. Highly comparable to ICL in serving nonprofit clients with strategy, facilitation, and organizational development offerings.
• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: CompassPoint provides leadership development, consulting, and research for social sector leaders. Directly comparable to ICL in offering coaching, training, and consulting services to nonprofit executives and coalitions.
• Management Assistance Group (MAG): MAG provides consulting and coaching to nonprofits and foundations focused on social justice. Directly comparable to ICL in delivering facilitation, leadership development, and organizational advisory services to mission-driven clients.

Broad incumbents

• National Wildlife Federation: NWF is the organization from which ICL spun off in 1990. Operates broadly in the same environmental/conservation space with a wider portfolio of advocacy, education, and conservation programs, making it a relevant broad incumbent for comparison.
• Environmental Defense Fund: EDF is a major environmental nonprofit working across climate, oceans, and ecosystems. While not a direct competitor, it operates in the same environmental sector and often convenes collaborations that ICL supports.

Others

• Network for Good: Network for Good provides fundraising software and donor management tools to nonprofits. Thematically related as a supporting-services provider to the same nonprofit client base ICL serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iclnorthamerica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ICLforEarth
• Facebookfacebook.com/Institute-for-Conservation-Leadership-38894967518/timeline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-for-conservation-leadership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Institute for Conservation Leadership