The Lexicon

What The Lexicon does

The Lexicon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by Douglas Gayeton and Laura Howard-Gayeton, headquartered in Petaluma, California, with an additional office near Bristol, United Kingdom. Its mission is to advance regenerative principles across food and agriculture by combining evidence-based storytelling with multi-stakeholder consensus-building, gathering domain experts from more than 1,000 companies and organizations to develop open-source tools, films, information artworks, and frameworks that explain and shape sustainable food systems.

Its portfolio comprises a set of interconnected products and platforms, including the Lexicon of Food online platform, the Ecological Benefits Framework (EBF) with EBF Commons simulator that applies blockchain-based reporting to voluntary carbon markets, the Lex Icons™ visual language library, and the REGEN1 regenerative agriculture platform. Supporting products span eight Connected Market Tools (Agrobiodiversity, Aquaculture, Just BIPOC Sourcing, Meat, Regenerative Agriculture, Alternative Proteins, Fisheries, Reusables), the Seafood MAP and A Greener Blue initiatives for fisheries and aquaculture, an Alternative Proteins platform, short films distributed through PBS, HBO, USDA, BBC StoryWorks, and ITVS, and interactive tools such as Food Choices for a Healthy Planet. The underlying methodology is story-based design thinking expressed through multi-layered photographic collages with descriptive text.

The organization's business model is donation-driven rather than revenue-generating. As a tax-exempt nonprofit, The Lexicon is funded entirely through charitable contributions from foundations (Ford Foundation/Just Films, McKnight Foundation, GRACE Communications Foundation), mission-aligned corporations (Google, Levi Strauss & Co.), academic institutions, government bodies (USDA, FAO), and individuals. It produces no commercial products or services; all tools, films, and resources are distributed free to the public. Distribution is achieved through broadcast partnerships, open-access websites (thelexicon.org, lexiconoffood.com, lexiconofimpacts.com), and collaborative activator programs. The named team comprises approximately 10 professionals spanning co-founder leadership, digital production, research, design, and project coordination.

Name

The Lexicon

Legal name

The Lexicon

Website

https://thelexicon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Lexicon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2009 that uses evidence-based storytelling and a 1,000+ expert network to build consensus and open-source tools across regenerative agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, alternative proteins, and equitable food sourcing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Systems Storytelling and Sustainability Media

NAICS

All Other Publishers (513199)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Naming & Verbal Identity (BPAFAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Government, Public Policy & Regulatory Reference (Public Administration, Regulatory Guidance) (EDAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Food systems storytelling
• Regenerative agriculture platforms
• Carbon market frameworks
• Sustainable seafood knowledge
• Food literacy visual language

Headquarters

HQ city

Petaluma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Lexicon is funded entirely through donations from charitable foundations, mission-aligned corporations, academic institutions, governmental bodies, and individuals. The organization emphasizes its independence from advertising-based revenue models.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Lexicon is a nonprofit storytelling and platform organization that convenes domain experts from more than 1,000 companies to develop open-source platforms, tools, films, and information artworks for sustainable food systems. Its core deliverables include the Lexicon of Food platform with connected initiatives such as the Ecological Benefits Framework (EBF) for carbon markets, JUST BIPOC Sourcing for supply chain equity, Seafood MAP for fisheries, REGEN1 for regenerative agriculture, Lex Icons visual language, and Alternative Proteins, supported by award-winning short films distributed through PBS, HBO, USDA, BBC StoryWorks, and ITVS.

Product overview

The Lexicon is a California-based nonprofit storytelling organization founded in 2009 that operates primarily as a content and media platform rather than a software product. Its portfolio consists of multiple distinct initiatives and platforms centered on food systems transformation: the Ecological Benefits Framework (EBF) platform with its EBF Commons component for carbon markets and blockchain-based value chain rewards; the Lex Icons™ visual language library; and the Connected Market Tools across eight domain areas (Agrobiodiversity, Aquaculture, Just BIPOC Sourcing, Meat OS, Regenerative Agriculture, Alternative Proteins, Fisheries, Reusables). Supporting these are Activators—multi-stakeholder collaborative projects including REGEN1, Seafood MAP, A Greener Blue, and Alternative Proteins. The organization also produces Information Artworks (photographic collages with text), Short Films (award-winning documentaries for PBS/USDA/HBO), Interactive Tools (including the Food Choices game), and Explainers. These offerings work together to increase food literacy, mobilize stakeholders around sustainability challenges, and activate change through evidence-based storytelling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ecological Benefits Framework (EBF) A platform that leverages blockchain technology to reward stakeholders across the value chain and standardize reporting practices for voluntary carbon markets, focusing on six ecological benefits: air, water, soil, biodiversity, equity, and carbon.
• JUST BIPOC Sourcing Tools that help restaurants and food companies audit their food sourcing practices to support equity and contribute to a more just economy through supply chain transparency.
• Seafood MAP A global knowledge sharing platform supporting small-scale fisheries and aquaculture producers with tools, resources, and access to a global purchaser network for continuous improvement in sustainable seafood practices.
• Lex Icons A global visual language library for food systems that bridges cultural barriers, increases consumer literacy, and standardizes core concepts for a more just and sustainable agrifood system.
• REGEN1 (Regenerative Agriculture Platform) An evidence-backed, place-based, market-driven, farmer-focused platform designed to rapidly transition agriculture to regenerative practices, starting in Northern California.
• A Greener Blue A global storytelling initiative sharing inspiring stories of small-scale and artisanal fishers, fish farmers, and fish workers reshaping oceans, rivers, and lakes to build a more sustainable future.
• Alternative Proteins Platform A platform that mobilizes and aligns academics, entrepreneurs, investors, and NGOs on core principles and practices to support the emerging alternative protein food sector.
• Connected Market Tools Expert-driven tools that demystify food purchasing complexity across domains including Agrobiodiversity, Aquaculture, Just BIPOC Sourcing, Meat, Regenerative Agriculture, Alternative Proteins, Fisheries, and Reusables.
• EBF Commons An online platform and simulator helping consumers understand six ecological benefits—air, water, soil, biodiversity, equity, and carbon—through interactive tools to maximize collective impact.
• Lexicon of Food Short Films Award-winning short films mixing live action videography, photography, and text with hand-drawn animations, covering topics from regenerative agriculture to biochar and true cost accounting, distributed through PBS, HBO, USDA, BBC StoryWorks, and ITVS.
• Information Artworks Multi-layered photographic collages with descriptive text that explain core principles and practices of a more sustainable and just food system, created by Douglas Gayeton.
• Food Choices for a Healthy Planet An interactive game allowing users to experience connections between food and climate by making food choices as characters from four global regions, learning impacts on health, healthcare, climate, environment, and culture.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached consensus across multiple domain areas including biodiversity, regenerative agriculture, food packaging, aquaculture, and meat supply chains
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Google (Food at Google)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Google has supported The Lexicon's 'activator for good ideas' model for the past five years, providing development resources for the platform that gathers domain experts from over 1,000 companies and organizations.
• ITVS (Independent Television Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITVS supported production of the KNOW YOUR FOOD series, providing funding and distribution support for documentaries on sustainable food systems.
• PBScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPBS distributed The Lexicon's KNOW YOUR FOOD series and other productions, providing broadcast reach to American audiences.
• USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA supported production of the GROWING ORGANIC series and provided access to agricultural expertise and resources.
• HBOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHBO produced feature-length documentaries and the MOLOTOV ALVA film, providing production resources and distribution through the HBO platform.
• BBC StoryWorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBC StoryWorks collaborated on 'Unearthing the Future,' a series of six films on how food defines human life, produced for Lexicon of Food.
• UN AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lexicon partners with United Nations agencies on food systems transformation and sustainability initiatives.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO partnered on the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022, with The Lexicon's A Greener Blue initiative supporting global storytelling for small-scale fishers.
• Mercy CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with international humanitarian organization on sustainable agriculture and community development projects.
• GoPro For A ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoPro provided cameras to participants in the A Greener Blue Storytelling Lab program.
• Crop TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder Douglas Gayeton is one of Crop Trust's Food Forever champions, connecting The Lexicon to global agrobiodiversity efforts.
• Slow Food's University of Gastronomic SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder Douglas Gayeton serves as visiting professor in the Masters Program, bridging academic and storytelling approaches to food systems.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• ReFED: ReFED is a nonprofit that produces data-driven analysis and tools to reduce food waste in the U.S. — comparable to The Lexicon in using research-driven frameworks and digital tools to mobilize supply-chain change.
• Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture: Stone Barns Center is a nonprofit food systems organization advancing regenerative farming and food education — comparable in regenerative agriculture focus, with partial overlap on storytelling and convening activities.

Direct peers

• Food Tank: Food Tank is a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on food systems transformation through research, reporting, and community-building — directly comparable to The Lexicon in mission, media-driven GTM, and global expert convening model.
• Good Food Institute (GFI): GFI is a nonprofit mobilizing academics, entrepreneurs, and investors around alternative proteins — directly comparable to The Lexicon's Alternative Proteins Platform, with a similarly activist, multi-stakeholder convening model.
• FoodPrint: FoodPrint is a nonprofit that educates consumers and policymakers about sustainable food through articles, guides, and digital tools — highly comparable to The Lexicon's evidence-based food literacy and tools mission.
• Civil Eats: Civil Eats is a nonprofit news outlet producing long-form journalism on the American food system, sharing The Lexicon's media-and-storytelling approach to food sustainability education, though with a pure journalism rather than multi-platform activator model.
• EAT: EAT is a nonprofit focused on transforming global food systems through science, policy, and partnerships — overlapping with The Lexicon's mission to drive food systems change via cross-sector convening and evidence-based content.

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a major global research nonprofit covering climate, food, water, and sustainable agriculture — a much larger incumbent that overlaps with The Lexicon's food systems research and policy convening work, though with a broader portfolio.
• Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU): FOLU is a global coalition advancing sustainable food and land-use systems through research, policy advocacy, and multi-stakeholder partnerships — a broader incumbent with overlapping food systems transformation mission.

Regional players

• Sustainable Food Trust: Sustainable Food Trust is a UK-based nonprofit that produces long-form films, reports, and convenings on sustainable food and farming, mirroring The Lexicon's storytelling and expert-convening model but primarily serving UK and European audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 The Lexicon