The Story of Stuff Project

Name

The Story of Stuff Project

Legal name

The Story of Stuff Project

Website

https://storyofstuff.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Advocacy and Documentary Education

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO) (MPADADAK), Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG), Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons) (EDAFACAG)

Keywords

• Environmental advocacy
• Documentary filmmaking
• Nonprofit education
• Grassroots organizing
• Plastic pollution

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations from supporters who power films, policy campaigns, and grassroots organizing. Donations are processed online and the organization maintains transparency about funding use.
2. Grant Funding: The Grassroots Grants Program has awarded over $575,000 to 115+ grassroots groups since 2017, suggesting significant grant funding as a revenue stream.
3. Membership Community: Over 1 million community members who support the organization through engagement and donations, representing a member-funded nonprofit model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Story of Stuff Project is a nonprofit that creates and freely distributes animated documentary films, educational resources, and advocacy campaigns on environmental and social justice issues, particularly plastic pollution, water privatization, and the throwaway economy. Through Creative Commons licensing, grassroots grants, and a global community of over 1 million Changemakers, the organization produces films, learning tools, and policy campaigns to drive civic engagement and systemic change.

Product overview

The Story of Stuff Project is a nonprofit organization operating from the San Francisco Bay Area with fewer than 10 staff members. The organization offers a portfolio of documentary films and educational content focused on environmental and social justice issues, centered around its award-winning original 20-minute animated film "The Story of Stuff" (2007, 50M+ views). The core products include the animated "Story of..." documentary collection (covering bottled water, cap and trade, electronics, cosmetics, Citizens United, and more), "The Reuse Revolution" docu-series (2026), the Grassroots Grants Program (launched 2017), and the Catalog Choice junk mail opt-out service (acquired 2015). Educational offerings include learning tools, faith-based lessons, and environmental justice coloring books. The organization also provides a Changemaker Personality Quiz to engage community members in activism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Story of Stuff (Original Film) The original 20-minute animated documentary exploring the environmental and social impacts of production, consumption, and disposal patterns; released in December 2007 and garnered over 50 million online views worldwide.
• Story of... Documentary Films Collection of animated documentaries including The Story of Bottled Water, The Story of Cap and Trade, The Story of Electronics, The Story of Cosmetics, The Story of Citizens United vs. FEC, The Story of Broke, The Story of Change, The Story of Solutions, Ban the Bead, This Land is Our Land, Our Water Our Future, and The Story of Microfibers.
• The Reuse Revolution Mini-documentary series launched in 2026 showcasing reuse systems and innovators tackling plastic and waste crises through reuse solutions.
• Grassroots Grants Program Grant program established in 2017 supporting small organizations and groups organizing against water privatization and plastic pollution in the United States, with a focus on equity and BIPOC-led organizations; has supported over 100 grassroots groups with $500,000 in grants.
• Catalog Choice Free junk mail opt-out service that reduces paper waste, protects privacy, and helps simplify life. Owned and operated by The Story of Stuff Project since April 2015.
• Learning Tools Educational resources including the Story of Stuff book, high school curriculum, faith-based lessons, and environmental justice coloring books for various audiences including educators and students.
• Environmental Justice Coloring Books Coloring books exploring environmental justice themes in kid-friendly ways. Partnership with RISE St. James Louisiana including titles: RISE to Action Against Pollution, A Garden for Change, and RISE to Action for Clean Water.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 million online views for animated documentary content
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Free Range StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaboration on animated Story of... movies. Free Range Studios directed and produced animated documentaries including The Story of Stuff (2007). This is a core creative partnership that has produced the organization's signature content.
• RISE St. James LouisianacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create Environmental Justice Coloring Books exploring themes of environmental justice in a kid-friendly way. Art inspired by Sharon Lavigne's Story. This partnership produces educational materials for children on environmental justice issues.
• Center for Environmental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership featured in The Reuse Revolution docu-series. Center for Environmental Health helped launch a reusable lunch program at Emeryville Elementary School using stainless steel trays, keeping more than 50,000 disposable items out of landfills annually.
• Catalog ChoiceminorOthersFree junk mail opt-out service that reduces paper waste. As of April 2015, owned and operated by The Story of Stuff Project. Represents an acquired platform that extends their environmental mission.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Earthworks: Environmental nonprofit focused on the impacts of resource extraction and production systems, with comparable video storytelling, donor-funded advocacy, and grassroots organizing components.
• Break Free From Plastic (BFFP): Global movement working to end plastic pollution, with direct personnel overlap (Caro Gonzales serves as Global Communications Lead for BFFP). Shares the throwaway-economy focus and member-driven campaign model.
• 350.org: Grassroots climate advocacy organization with a global community model similar to Story of Stuff's 1M+ community. Both rely on digital storytelling, donor mobilization, and decentralized organizing to drive environmental campaigns.
• Rainforest Action Network: Environmental advocacy nonprofit using corporate campaigns, digital content, and grassroots mobilization to drive change. Operates a comparable donor-and-membership model with policy and education overlap.
• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global advocacy coalition working to end plastic pollution, with overlapping grassroots organizing, education campaigns, and content distribution. The Story of Stuff Project is explicitly affiliated via Caro Gonzales's role as Global Communications Lead for BFFP and the shared Grassroots Grants Program focus on plastic pollution.
• Upstream (formerly Plastic Solutions Fund): Solutions-oriented nonprofit focused on preventing plastic pollution at the source, sharing the reuse-and-prevention narrative frame with Story of Stuff's Reuse Revolution campaign. Direct overlap on plastic-pollution funding and policy work.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Major environmental advocacy organization that produces multimedia content, runs policy campaigns on plastic and consumption, and engages in environmental education. Much larger institutionally, but a comparable content-and-advocacy nonprofit.
• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): Major environmental advocacy nonprofit combining science, policy, and communications to drive impact. Comparable in its blend of content production and policy campaigns, though at far greater scale and budget.
• Sierra Club: One of the largest U.S. environmental organizations with a strong member/donor model, policy advocacy, and education programming. Operates on a much larger scale but shares grassroots environmental advocacy and content-distribution mechanics.
• Greenpeace USA: Large environmental advocacy organization producing video content, running donor-supported campaigns, and engaging in policy advocacy. Operates at a much larger scale but shares the documentary-and-campaign advocacy model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/storyofstuff
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/storyofstuffproject
• Facebookfacebook.com/storyofstuff
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-story-of-stuff-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/storyofstuff
• TikToktiktok.com/@storyofstuff

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Story of Stuff Project