What Iowa Environmental Council does

Iowa Environmental Council (IEC), founded in 1995 and headquartered at 505 Fifth Ave., Suite 850, Des Moines, Iowa, is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that conducts environmental advocacy, public education, and coalition-building focused on the state of Iowa. The organization operates four primary program areas: Clean Water and Land Stewardship, Clean Energy and Climate, Climate Initiatives and Community Resiliency, and Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in Iowa. Its product portfolio is program- and advocacy-oriented rather than commercial, consisting of research reports, publications, fact sheets, public comments on regulatory matters, recurring webinars and field days, a statewide email list via the Iowa Environmental Voice blog, and a Legislative Portal and Advocacy Hub that drives member engagement on state and federal policy.

IEC generates revenue through individual and organizational memberships, donations, and grants — including foundational support such as the Walton Family Foundation's funding of the University of Iowa-run Iowa Water Quality Information System (IWQIS). Its customer/member base comprises Iowa residents and environmental advocates, Iowa state government (legislators, the Department of Natural Resources, and state agencies engaged in environmental regulation), and — increasingly — healthcare providers and public health officials engaged on environmental cancer risks. The go-to-market model is community-led: the organization mobilizes supporters through email, events, webinars, and legislative action alerts to influence environmental policy and litigation outcomes, including a 2025 federal lawsuit filed alongside the Environmental Law & Policy Center and Food & Water Watch against the EPA over impaired-waters listings for cancer-linked nitrates in Iowa waterways.

Name

Iowa Environmental Council

Legal name

Iowa Environmental Council

Website

https://iaenvironment.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Iowa Environmental Council is a Des Moines-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advocates for clean water, clean energy, climate resilience, and reduced environmental cancer risks in Iowa through education, research reports, coalition-building, and direct policy and litigation engagement with state and federal authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: IEC generates revenue through individual and organizational memberships, as well as donations from supporters. The website features a donation portal and membership application forms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Iowa Environmental Council is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that delivers statewide environmental advocacy, policy work, and coalition-building across four program areas: Clean Water and Land Stewardship, Clean Energy and Climate, Climate Initiatives, and Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors. It also operates the Iowa Water Quality Information System (IWQIS), a water quality data platform supported by the Walton Family Foundation.

Product overview

Iowa Environmental Council is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization offering programs focused on clean water and land stewardship, clean energy and climate action, and research on cancer and environmental risk factors. The organization operates through advocacy, education, coalition-building, and publication of research reports and educational resources. The product portfolio consists of advocacy programs addressing environmental protection issues in Iowa, along with knowledge resources including publications, webinars, and a legislative advocacy portal for member engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clean Water and Land Stewardship Program Statewide advocacy and education program focused on protecting and improving Iowa's water quality and land resources.
• Clean Energy and Climate Program Statewide advocacy program promoting clean energy adoption and climate action in Iowa through policy and education.
• Climate Initiatives Program Climate-focused advocacy and engagement initiative addressing climate impacts and solutions for Iowa.
• Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors Program Advocacy and education program addressing environmental risk factors linked to cancer in Iowa communities.
• Iowa Water Quality Information System (IWQIS) Iowa Water Quality Information System providing water quality information to stakeholders in Iowa.

Quantifiable outcome

• Second-highest cancer rate in the US linked to environmental factors documented in landmark report
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and moderate.

• The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen EngagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEC and The Harkin Institute co-authored a landmark report 'Environmental Risk Factors and Iowa's Cancer Crisis' linking Iowa's second-highest cancer rate to pesticides, nitrates, PFAS, and radon. The report was based on 16 listening sessions across the state.
• Environmental Law & Policy CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEC partnered with the Environmental Law & Policy Center to file a federal lawsuit against the Trump EPA for reversing its decision to add seven Iowa waterways to the impaired waters list due to nitrate contamination linked to cancer risks.
• Food & Water WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEC partnered with Food & Water Watch to file a federal lawsuit against EPA over Iowa waters impaired by cancer-linked nitrates, arguing EPA improperly reversed its decision to list waterways under the Clean Water Act.
• University of IowamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEC supports and advocates for the University of Iowa's Iowa Water Quality Information System (IWQIS), which provides real-time water quality monitoring across Iowa's waterways. IEC has been lobbying for state funding for the monitoring program.
• Practical Farmers of IowamoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEC co-hosts 2026 Summer Field Days with Practical Farmers of Iowa, an organization focused on sustainable farming practices that align with IEC's clean water and land stewardship mission.
• Hubbell Environmental Law InitiativemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEC co-hosted a panel series 'The Inflation Reduction Act in Iowa: Implementing the Clean Energy and Climate Provisions' alongside partners including the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative.
• Rewiring AmericamoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEC partnered with Rewiring America and others for panel discussions on implementing clean energy and climate provisions from federal legislation.
• UI Labor CentermoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEC partnered with the UI Labor Center for educational panel series on clean energy implementation and climate provisions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Natural Resources Defense Council: A large, national environmental advocacy organization. Broad incumbent because, while not Iowa-focused, it works on overlapping water-quality, clean-energy, and public-health advocacy and is the type of national voice whose campaigns and reports IEC can amplify, partner with, or compete against in the donor-attention market.
• Environmental Defense Fund: A national environmental advocacy organization with strong science-and-markets positioning. Broad incumbent working across water quality, climate, and health — issues IEC engages on at the state level — and represents a comparator for capacity, fundraising model, and policy influence at scale.

Direct peers

• Food & Water Watch: A national environmental and consumer advocacy nonprofit focused on clean water and food system issues. Direct peer because IEC jointly filed the impaired-waters federal lawsuit with Food & Water Watch, and both organizations run grassroots mobilization campaigns on water quality.
• Earthjustice: A nonprofit public-interest environmental law organization. Direct peer on legal-advocacy grounds because Earthjustice routinely litigates Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act cases — exactly the lane IEC entered via the EPA impaired-waters suit — and represents the type of national legal-advocacy counterpart a small Iowa-based plaintiff must benchmark against.
• Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement: An Iowa-based progressive community organizing group active on environmental and corporate-agriculture accountability issues. Direct peer because it works on the same Iowa geography and same CAFO/agricultural-runoff advocacy issues, and is a viable co-alliance or potential member-base overlap for IEC.
• Practical Farmers of Iowa: An Iowa-based farmer-led organization promoting sustainable agriculture. Direct peer because IEC co-hosts 2026 Summer Field Days with Practical Farmers of Iowa, indicating an aligned Iowa-geography constituency whose members care about water quality, soil, and rural livelihoods and who IEC interacts with directly.
• Environmental Law & Policy Center: A Midwest-based environmental legal advocacy organization. Direct peer because IEC explicitly partnered with ELPC to file the federal lawsuit against the EPA over Iowa's impaired waters list, indicating direct, ongoing co-litigation on identical Clean Water Act issues.
• The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement: A Drake University-based public policy institute. Direct peer because IEC co-authored the landmark cancer-and-environment report with The Harkin Institute, an aligned Iowa-institution partner doing complementary policy research, public engagement, and convening work on health and environment.
• Sierra Club (Iowa Chapter): The Iowa chapter of the nation's oldest grassroots environmental organization. Direct peer because it operates in the same Iowa geography, on overlapping environmental priorities (water, land, climate, clean energy), and competes for the same Iowa-resident member and donor pool.

Emerging players

• Rewiring America: A national nonprofit focused on electrifying homes, businesses, and transportation. Emerging player peer because IEC partnered with Rewiring America for panel discussions on IRA clean-energy implementation in Iowa, indicating aligned clean-energy advocacy work and shared target audiences for technical educational content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Iowa_Env
• Facebookfacebook.com/IAEnvironmentalCouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iowa-environmental-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iowa Environmental Council