Two Coyotes Wilderness School

What Two Coyotes Wilderness School does

Two Coyotes Wilderness School is a 501(c)(3) non-profit nature mentoring organization founded in 2000 and based in Monroe, Connecticut. It delivers long-term, mentor-led wilderness and nature-based programs to more than 500 children annually across Connecticut, organized into a four-tier developmental framework: Coyote Pups (ages 0-5 with caregivers), Wild Seeds (5-7), Black Foxes (8-12), and Fire Keepers (13-18), with a Mentor-in-Training track for ages 14-18. Core programs include Coyote Village School Day Programs (weekly sessions across fall, winter, and spring seasons totaling ~32 weeks), themed week-long summer camps, parent-and-child programs, and community events. Programs are delivered at three partner locations—Sticks and Stones Farm (Newtown), Holcomb Farm (Granby), and Deer Lake Outdoor Center (Killingworth)—with no permanent office; staff work remotely.

The organization's core "technology" is its proprietary curriculum architecture: a developmental framework spanning 25 years of refinement, a Hero's Journey storytelling model (used in the Wildwood camp), and a 6:1 student-to-mentor ratio. It enrolls families through the CampBrain registration platform, with priority access for returning families, and complements its programs with community events such as Ancestor Feast and Forest Fair. Leadership includes Executive Director Maggie Gotterer (since 2018), Program Coordinator Ben DiNoia, Operations Manager Dani Scott, and Finance Director Nancy Miano.

Revenue is generated through program tuition (summer camp priced $250-$1,015 per week depending on program and equitable pricing tier; school year programs priced seasonally or annually), individual donations (including a monthly giving program), and foundation/government grants. Starting Summer 2026, a four-tier equitable pricing model—Supporter, Friend, Partner, and Vision Keeper—replaces the prior scholarship process with an embedded cross-subsidy mechanism. The organization distributed $90,000 in free or reduced tuition in 2025 and has set a $80,000 fundraising goal for 2026 scholarships. It holds no venture capital, has no parent company, and is governed independently by a Board of Directors.

Name

Two Coyotes Wilderness School

Legal name

Two Coyotes Wilderness School

Website

https://twocoyotes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Two Coyotes Wilderness School is a Connecticut-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that delivers long-term nature mentoring programs to more than 500 children annually, serving families with children ages 0-18 through school-year sessions, summer camps, and leadership training at three partner farm and outdoor locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nature-based youth mentoring and outdoor education

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic Enrichment Camps (General Studies) (EDAMALAB), Nature-Based / Forest School Early Learning Programs (EDACADAD), Outdoor / Nature-Based Before/After Care Programs (EDACAHAJ)

Keywords

• Nature mentoring programs
• Wilderness youth education
• Outdoor summer camps
• School day nature programs
• Parent child nature classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Monroe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition: Primary revenue stream from school year and summer camp enrollment fees. School year programs offered by season (fall, winter, spring) or full year. Summer camps charged per week session. Registration deposits required to secure spots.
2. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from families and community supporters. Monthly giving program available. One-time donations through CampBrain platform, PayPal, Venmo, or mailed checks.
3. Grant Funding: Foundation and government grants support scholarship programs and organizational capacity building. Previously utilized COVID relief funding to cover scholarship costs during pandemic-era growth.
4. Equitable Pricing Tiers: Tiered pricing model introduced Summer 2026: Supporter (full cost), Friend (discounted), Partner (includes contribution toward another family's tuition), Vision Keeper (supports larger organizational vision).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Two Coyotes Wilderness School delivers long-term, nature-based mentoring programs for children ages 0-18 (and their caregivers) at three Connecticut locations, including weekly school day Coyote Village programs, weeklong themed Summer Camps, a parent-and-child Coyote Pups program, and a teen Mentor-in-Training leadership track. Programming combines wilderness skills, nature awareness, social-emotional mentoring, and community-building rituals, and is offered to families through direct registration with tiered equitable pricing.

Product overview

Two Coyotes Wilderness School operates as a non-profit nature mentoring organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs serving children and families from infancy through age 18. The core offerings include Coyote Village School Day Programs (with age groups Wild Seeds, Black Foxes, and Fire Keepers), the Coyote Pups Parent & Child Program for ages 0-5, and Summer Camp with themed week-long sessions at three Connecticut locations. The Mentor-in-Training Leadership Program provides a pathway for teen alumni to develop mentorship skills. Community Events including Ancestor Feast and Forest Fair complement the regular programming. All programs emphasize long-term nature-based mentoring, wilderness skills, and community building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coyote Village School Day Programs Weekly nature-based mentoring program for children ages 5-18 delivered as full-day forest sessions with developmentally appropriate curriculum by age cohort (Wild Seeds 5-7, Black Foxes 8-12, Fire Keepers 13-18). Offered seasonally (fall, winter, spring) or full year, with registration through the CampBrain portal; recognized by the Connecticut Board of Education as 'Extraordinary Educational Opportunities.'
• Coyote Pups Parent & Child Program Caregiver-and-child nature program for infants through 5-year-olds, featuring songs, games, crafts, and guided forest exploration during fall, winter, and spring seasons, plus village overnights. Designed to build early nature connection and a community village for new families.
• Summer Camp Weeklong themed day camp sessions at three Connecticut locations (Newtown, Granby, Killingworth) offering wilderness-skills, creative-play, and community-building experiences for ages 0-18. Themes include Forts & Shelters, Advanced Survival, Wildwood (Hero's Journey), Feather Fur & Fin, Fire Wood & Stone, and more, with pricing of approximately $500 per standard week and $580 per Advanced Survival overnight week.
• Mentor-in-Training (MIT) Leadership Program Two-week intensive leadership program for teens ages 14-18 providing instruction in nature-based skills and mentoring techniques, paired with field experience mentoring younger campers and the option to volunteer for additional service weeks, serving as a pathway to potential future employment in nature education.
• Community Events Family and community gatherings including Ancestor Feast, Forest Fair, Overnights, and Honoring ceremonies that complement school year and summer programs and serve as community-building touchpoints for current and prospective families.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ children served annually across school year and summer programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Co-Creating Effective and Inclusive Organizations (CEIO)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership with CEIO established in 2022-2023 to further integrate justice work within the organization. Led to formation of working groups focused on Professional Development, Connection to Families, Relationship to Land, and Pay Equity.
• Pathfinders NonprofitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Pathfinders nonprofit purchased Deer Lake Outdoor Center in Killingworth in 2021 through grassroots fundraising, conserving the land from development. Two Coyotes operates summer camp programs at this location, making this partnership essential to the organization's expansion into Middlesex County.
• Nature Connection Leadership NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019National network of nature connection organizations. Executive Director Maggie Gotterer serves on the leadership team. Organization participates in network discussions on decolonization and cultural appropriation in nature mentoring.
• Sticks and Stones FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner60-acre privately owned property in Newtown serves as primary program location. Known for landmark stone barn and homegrown cabins, the farm opens trails to the Newtown community. Traditional homeland of the Pootatuck people.
• Holcomb Farm (Friends of Holcomb Farm)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner367-acre working farm in West Granby operated collaboratively between Town of Granby and Board of Directors for Friends of Holcomb Farm. Serves as primary Granby program location. Traditional homeland of the Tunxis and Agawam people.
• Bridgeport Generation NowminorOthersExecutive Director Maggie Gotterer serves on board of this Bridgeport, CT nonprofit organization focused on civic engagement and food justice.
• Deer Lake Outdoor CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner253-acre property in Killingworth with streams, woodlands, fields, and two lakes. In pre-Colonial times, Native people traversed this valley for fishing and hunting. Two Coyotes began offering camp weeks here in 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• White Memorial Conservation Center: Litchfield, CT conservation center offering youth nature programs, summer camps, and school-year outdoor education on a 4,000-acre property. Matches Two Coyotes' model of wilderness/nature-based youth programming on partner-owned Connecticut land.
• Tinkergarten: National outdoor play and nature education provider for ages 0-8, delivering facilitated outdoor classes through a leader network. Closest large-scale analog to Two Coyotes' Coyote Pups and forest-school style early-childhood nature programming.
• Earthplace: Westport, CT nature center running preschool, summer camps, and school-year nature education programs. Comparable Connecticut-located nature center with multi-program youth offerings.
• Wilderness Awareness School: Washington-state nature mentoring organization whose long-term 'coyote mentoring' curriculum and multi-stage youth program explicitly influenced Two Coyotes' design. Direct methodological peer for nature-connection, multi-age wilderness mentoring.
• Common Ground: New Haven-based environmental education center running year-round youth nature programs, summer camps, and school partnerships across Connecticut. Highly comparable as a CT-located, mission-driven nature education provider serving similar age cohorts.
• Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center: Mystic, CT nature center operating summer camps, school programs, and family nature programming. Same Connecticut-based, nature-center-driven youth education model as Two Coyotes.
• Primitive Pursuits: Ithaca, NY nature mentoring organization offering year-round youth wilderness programs modeled on wilderness awareness pedagogy. Peer in both curriculum lineage (coyote-style mentoring) and youth nature-based program design.

Broad incumbents

• Outward Bound USA: National outdoor education nonprofit running multi-day wilderness expeditions for youth. Overlaps with Two Coyotes' wilderness skills focus and target demographic but operates at much larger scale and through expedition rather than sustained mentoring model.

Regional players

• Audubon Connecticut: State chapter of the National Audubon Society operating nature preserves, summer camps, and youth education programs across Connecticut. Comparable Connecticut nature education provider with adjacent curriculums but broader conservation mandate.
• Hitchcock Center for the Environment: Amherst, MA-based environmental education center offering youth nature programs, summer camps, and school-year ecology education. Comparable in scope and mission to Two Coyotes but serving western Massachusetts rather than Connecticut.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TwoCoyotesSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/TwoCoyotes
• Instagraminstagram.com/twocoyotes
• Xx.com/TwoCoyotes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/two-coyotes-wilderness-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Two Coyotes Wilderness School