On the Ground

What On the Ground does

On the Ground (OTG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2010 by Chris Treter and Timothy Young, headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan. The organization designs and delivers community development programs in coffee-growing regions across five countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mexico, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Palestine. Its programmatic portfolio spans five pillars: gender equity (delivered through the Gender Action Learning System, or GALS, methodology), clean water access, agronomy, education, and emergency response. Field execution is anchored by a small in-country staff led by DRC Country Director Herman Chirihambali Lwango, with U.S.-side fundraising and operations supported by Director of Development Stella Young.

OTG operates a traditional nonprofit funding model: revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants from coffee-sector aligned funders such as the Cooperative Coffees Impact Fund. Corporate sponsors—Higher Grounds Trading Company, Amavida Coffee, and Wonderstate Coffee—are co-founded or closely associated with OTG board members, indicating tight integration with the specialty coffee value chain. Programmatic delivery is structured around partnerships with coffee cooperatives (e.g., Just Coffee Cooperative on Project Nica; Muungano Cooperative), and the organization has historically used endurance fundraising (ultra-marathons across Ethiopia, Palestine, and the Congo) as both awareness and donor activation mechanisms. There is no proprietary technology platform; programs are human-delivered facilitation, training, and infrastructure projects.

Name

On the Ground

Legal name

On the Ground Global

Website

https://onthegroundglobal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

On the Ground is a Traverse City, Michigan–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers gender equity, clean water, agronomy, education, and emergency response programs to smallholder coffee-farming communities in the DRC, Mexico, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Palestine, funded through individual donations, corporate coffee-sector sponsors, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)

Keywords

• Nonprofit development
• Gender equity programs
• Clean water initiatives
• Agronomy education
• Emergency humanitarian response

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monthly recurring gifts and one-time donations from individuals supporting coffee-farming community development. Monthly giving allows for capacity building and immediate humanitarian response.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors (coffee roasters and related businesses) provide financial support, dedicate portions of sales, or host fundraising events. Partners include Higher Grounds Trading Company, Amavida Coffee, Wonderstate Coffee, and others.
3. Foundation and Cooperative Grants: Grant funding from mission-aligned organizations such as Cooperative Coffees Impact Fund ($10,000 grant for Ebola response).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

On the Ground is a nonprofit organization that supports coffee-farming communities in five countries through sustainable development programs. Its core offerings include a DRC gender equity program using an adapted GALS methodology, a clean water initiative in Chiapas (Mexico), agronomy field schools, school-building and education access in Ethiopia, support for the Las Diosas women's cooperative in Nicaragua, and Ebola emergency response in the DRC, funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.

Product overview

On the Ground Global is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on sustainable community development in coffee-growing regions worldwide. Rather than a software product company, it offers programs and initiatives including gender equity training (GALS methodology), emergency humanitarian response, clean water initiatives, agronomy education, micro-loan programs, and educational support. The organization does not operate a platform-based product portfolio but rather delivers direct programming services to farming communities in the DRC, Mexico, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Palestine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ebola Emergency Response (DRC) Emergency humanitarian response effort in the Democratic Republic of Congo to address Ebola outbreaks, delivered through partner organizations and on-the-ground logistics.
• Gender Equity Program (DRC) Gender equity program for coffee-farming communities in the DRC using an adapted GALS (Gender Action Learning System) methodology with an education component, supporting women survivors of gender-based violence and the Lemera Hospital.
• Clean Water Initiative (Chiapas, Mexico) Clean water infrastructure and access program serving coffee-farming communities in Chiapas, Mexico.
• Gender-Based Violence Survivor Support (Lemera Hospital, DRC) Program supporting survivors of gender-based violence in the DRC through the Lemera Hospital partnership.
• Project Nica — Las Diosas Cooperative Support (Nicaragua) Multi-year support for the Las Diosas women's coffee cooperative in Nicaragua, including nursery development, organic fertilizer production, organic certification, and commercial partnerships with Just Coffee Cooperative and La FEM.
• Las Diosas Nursery (Nicaragua) Coffee plant nursery project supporting the Las Diosas women's cooperative's coffee production in Nicaragua.
• Education Access in Ethiopia (School Building) School construction and education access program serving coffee-farming communities in Ethiopia.
• Agronomy Field Schools Agronomy training field schools that teach sustainable coffee farming practices to farming communities across program countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,500+ women empowered through gender equity programming since 2016
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Muungano CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Key partner in Eastern DRC. OTG's DRC Country Director Herman Chirihambali Lwango and Daniel Habamungu of Muungano Cooperative jointly lead Ebola response efforts. Partnership includes GALS training expansion, gender equity programs, and community development initiatives.
• Just Coffee CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnered with OTG to launch Project Nica supporting Las Diosas women farmers in Nicaragua following la roya crisis. Mobilized resources for crop renovation and recovery plan developed by the women of Las Diosas.
• Higher Grounds Trading CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-founded by Chris Treter (also co-founded OTG). Corporate sponsor that donates $5 from each 12oz bag of Awaken Spring Blend to Project Congo. Long-time supporter since OTG's founding, promoting education and gender equity in DRC coffee communities.
• Amavida Coffee RoasterscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-founded by Dan Bailey. Legal Benefit Corporation that achieved Carbon and Plastic neutrality. Corporate sponsor of OTG. Also sells Chiapas Bracelets with proceeds supporting OTG initiatives.
• Wonderstate CoffeecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-founded by TJ Semanchin. Corporate sponsor committed to social justice and sustainable coffee. OTG board member represents Wonderstate.
• OryanaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperative natural foods store listed as corporate sponsor.
• Desmond LiggettminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDesign/branding partner listed as corporate sponsor.
• Cafe CambiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoffee company listed as corporate sponsor supporting OTG initiatives.
• Maya Vinic Coffee CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous farming communities in Chiapas, Mexico. OTG has supported through clean-water initiatives, climate-focused agronomy education (Field Schools), and alternative income solutions for over a decade.
• Fundación Entre Mujeres (La FEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO in northern Nicaragua dedicated to empowering rural women. Las Diosas cooperative emerged from La FEM. OTG support enables land ownership, gender-based violence advocacy, and economic programs for women farmers.
• Lemera HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital in DRC specializing in treating victims of sexual violence. OTG supported the hospital to provide immediate medical treatment to 93 women and 167 children, helping survivors re-enter their communities.
• Gender Action Learning System (GALS)coreOthersUN-developed community-led empowerment methodology using participatory processes and diagram tools. OTG has supported GALS workshops since 2015, training over 1,500 women and their husbands. OTG adapted the methodology by adding basic education component.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• TechnoServe: A larger international development nonprofit working with coffee and other agricultural value chains across Latin America and Africa, addressing farmer incomes, climate resilience, and cooperative capacity — overlapping thematically with OTG's agronomy and gender programs.
• Heifer International: A major NGO focused on smallholder farming livelihoods and rural development globally, with programs on climate-smart agriculture and women's empowerment that overlap OTG's sustainable agriculture and gender-equity work.
• Catholic Relief Services (CRS): A large faith-based humanitarian and development agency active in many of the same geographies (DRC, Latin America, East Africa) with overlapping agendas on agriculture, livelihoods, emergency response, and gender equity.
• CARE International: A large humanitarian and development organization combining gender-equity programming (similar to OTG's GALS work) with emergency response (similar to OTG's Ebola and volcano relief efforts) across multiple continents including coffee-origin geographies.
• Sustainable Harvest: A specialty coffee importer that runs direct-trade farmer-support and training programs across Latin America, sharing OTG's blend of relationship-based sourcing and on-the-ground farmer services — comparable in model if broader in commercialization scope.
• Mercy Corps: A major humanitarian and development organization with active programs in DRC and Ethiopia, combining emergency response with longer-term agriculture and youth work — analogous to OTG's combined humanitarian-plus-development posture.

Direct peers

• Solidaridad: An international civil-society organization driving sustainable production in commodities including coffee across Africa and Latin America, with farmer livelihoods, climate resilience, and gender programming that closely parallels OTG's work.
• Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS): An international foundation implementing coffee-farmer development programs in Africa and Latin America on climate resilience, youth, and gender — directly comparable to OTG's coffee cooperative programming in DRC, Nicaragua, and Chiapas.
• International Women's Coffee Alliance (IWCA): A global nonprofit network advancing gender equity and economic empowerment across the coffee supply chain, including chapters in coffee-origin countries overlapping with OTG's DRC, Nicaragua, and Mexico geographies.
• Root Capital: A nonprofit social-impact lender providing credit and capacity-building to coffee and other agricultural cooperatives in Latin America and Africa — directly comparable to OTG's work with coops like Las Diosas, Muungano, and Maya Vinic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OTGglobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/OnTheGroundGlobal
• Instagraminstagram.com/onthegroundglobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 On the Ground