What Center for Watershed Protection does

The Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. (CWP) is a Maryland-incorporated nonprofit founded in 1992 and headquartered at 11711 E. Market Place, Suite 200, Fulton, Maryland. The organization advances clean water resources and healthy ecosystems through responsible land and water management, delivering a portfolio of services to municipal, state, tribal, and federal government clients, conservation districts, water-quality professionals, and nonprofits across the United States, with concentrated activity in the Mid-Atlantic and the coastal Southeast.

CWP's core offerings span four interlocking lines: (1) Consulting — watershed planning, stormwater design standards, and implementation support delivered directly to government clients (e.g., the Kansas City nine-county regional stormwater standards update with MARC, Burns & McDonnell, Black & Veatch, and Vireo); (2) Research — applied work on BMP performance, climate resilience, and coastal stormwater, including 12 early-adopter case studies compiled by the National Watershed Research Network (est. 2022); (3) Customized Training and Workforce Development — fee-based programs plus the Clean Water Certificate and Instructor Preparation Program; and (4) the Online Watershed Library (OWL) — a searchable database of over 1,800 publications and tools (including 400+ CWP-authored works) refreshed in November 2025, powered by Tizra. The organization also operates the EPA-funded Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast (assistance agreement RR-84098301), one of four EPA Centers of Excellence for Stormwater Control Infrastructure Technologies, providing technical assistance across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama in partnership with seven universities and nonprofits.

CWP monetizes through a diversified, nonprofit-appropriate revenue stack: CWPA membership subscriptions (annual, pricing undisclosed), consulting and customized training fees, certification revenue, event registration (webcasts, 2027 National Conference, Watershed Walk), merchandise sales ($25 branded apparel), donations, and grant-funded assistance (EPA and PA DEP Section 319). Go-to-market is hybrid: direct enterprise sales for consulting and training engagements, self-serve digital for membership and event registration, and event-driven acquisition through webcasts and the annual conference. The marketing mix emphasizes content (OWL, Runoff Rundown newsletter since 2007), email, organic social, and educational events. The organization holds BBB Wise Giving Alliance charity accreditation and a Candid (GuideStar) Platinum Seal of Transparency.

Name

Center for Watershed Protection

Legal name

Center for Watershed Protection, Inc.

Website

https://cwp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Watershed Protection is a Maryland-based nonprofit (founded 1992) that delivers consulting, applied research, training, and the 1,800-resource Online Watershed Library to municipal, state, and tribal governments and water-quality professionals across the United States, and operates an EPA-funded Coastal Stormwater Center of Excellence.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consulting and Watershed Management Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ), Stormwater Management & MS4 Compliance Services (BPALAMAL), Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB)

Keywords

• Watershed management consulting
• Stormwater infrastructure solutions
• Applied water research
• Environmental professional training
• Watershed conservation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fulton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The Center for Watershed Protection Association (CWPA) membership provides access to OWL resources, member login for downloads, and other member benefits. Membership is required for full access to resources and certain member-only content.
2. Event Registration: Revenue generated from webcast registrations, conference attendance, and educational events. Webcasts are offered at no cost with registration, while the annual conference likely generates registration fees.
3. Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for watershed management, stormwater design, and related environmental planning projects.
4. Customized Training: Fee-based customized training programs for organizations, governments, and professionals in watershed and stormwater management.
5. Workforce Development Certificates: Clean Water Certificate program and Instructor Preparation Program provide professional development and certification revenue.
6. Merchandise Sales: Online store sells branded merchandise including T-shirts at $25.00 per item.
7. Donations: Tax-deductible donations support the organization's mission to protect and restore watersheds. The Annual Watershed Walk includes donation appeals.
8. Grant Funded Assistance: Technical assistance and projects funded through grants, including EPA funding for the Coastal Stormwater Center (EPA assistance agreement RR-84098301) and PA DEP Nonpoint Source 319 grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Center for Watershed Protection delivers professional watershed and stormwater management services — consulting, applied research, and customized training — to municipal, state, tribal, and nonprofit clients nationwide. It operates the Online Watershed Library (OWL) with 1,800+ publications and tools, the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast (one of four EPA Stormwater Centers of Excellence), the National Watershed Research Network, and workforce development certificates (Clean Water Certificate and Instructor Preparation Program).

Product overview

The Center for Watershed Protection offers a suite of professional services and programs focused on watershed and stormwater management. The core offerings include consulting services, applied research, and customized training programs. The organization operates the Online Watershed Library (OWL), a searchable database of over 1,800 publications and tools. Additional programs include the National Watershed Research Network for collaborative research, the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast providing regional technical assistance, the Clean Water Certificate program for workforce development, and the Annual Watershed Walk community event. The organization also provides membership programs, hosts webcasts and conferences, and maintains a career center for job seekers in the environmental field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast: One of four new Centers of Excellence for Stormwater Control Infrastructure Technologies established by the EPA to advance critical stormwater solutions across the country, focusing on coastal Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.
• National Watershed Research Network

Products and services

• Consulting Services Professional consulting services for watershed planning, stormwater management, and water quality improvement, delivered to municipal, state, and nonprofit clients.
• Research Services Applied research addressing gaps in stormwater and watershed management science and practices for governments, professionals, and partner organizations.
• Customized Training Tailored training programs for watershed and stormwater professionals including workshops and webcasts delivered to organizations, governments, and professional groups.
• Membership Program (CWPA) Association membership providing access to OWL resources, publications, member login downloads, and professional networking benefits for water resource professionals.
• Online Watershed Library (OWL) Searchable online database of over 1,800 publications, tools, and learning materials on watershed and stormwater management, with multiple browse and filter options by resource type, topic, region, publication decade, and watershed characteristics.
• National Watershed Research Network Member-driven applied research network pooling resources and expertise to advance clean water and healthy watersheds through research prioritized by member communities.
• Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast EPA-funded Center of Excellence focused on improving stormwater infrastructure in coastal communities across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama; conducts research, provides technical assistance, and collaborates with seven university and nonprofit partners.
• Clean Water Certificate Workforce development certificate program providing professional certification in clean water and watershed protection for water quality professionals.
• Instructor Preparation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 600 acre-feet of water annually potentially returned through converting drainage canals and retired settling basins into recharge galleries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Auburn University Marine ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner of the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast. Part of a seven-university extension and nonprofit partnership providing technical assistance and research for coastal stormwater management across the southeast region.
• Clemson UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner of the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast. Collaborating on research and technical assistance for coastal stormwater solutions.
• East Carolina UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner leading the Shallow Groundwater Mapping research project to pilot LiDAR and soil survey data for stormwater infrastructure planning in coastal plain communities.
• North Carolina Coastal FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner of the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast. Collaborating on coastal stormwater research and community engagement.
• University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner leading the Low-Cost Real-Time Water Level Monitoring Network project. Developing and deploying water level monitoring across southeast coastal communities.
• University of Georgia Marine Extension and Sea GrantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner of the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast. Providing extension services and research support for coastal stormwater management.
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner of the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast. Collaborating on stormwater research and technical assistance for coastal Virginia communities.
• Burns and McDonnellminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering firm partner in the consultant team that worked with CWP and MARC to update Kansas City regional stormwater standards.
• Black & VeatchminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering firm partner in the consultant team that worked with CWP and MARC to update Kansas City regional stormwater standards.
• VireominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsultant team partner working with CWP and MARC to comprehensively update stormwater standards for the Kansas City region.
• Brown and CaldwellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering firm whose speaker (Lenise Marrero) presented on One Water approaches and holistic water management in CWP webcast on Integrated Water Management.
• Ecosystem Planning and RestorationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Spring Creek East Watershed Implementation Plan cooperative effort led by CWP.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• River Network: River Network is a national nonprofit that supports local watershed groups through training, resources, and network-building — sharing CWP's mission of advancing clean water via professional and community engagement.
• Water Environment Federation: WEF is a national nonprofit membership organization serving water quality professionals through education, conferences, publications, and credentialing — directly comparable to CWP's CWPA membership model, webcasts, and National Conference.
• American Rivers: American Rivers is a national nonprofit focused on protecting and restoring rivers and clean water through advocacy, science, and on-the-ground projects — a clear mission peer for a watershed-protection organization.
• LimnoTech: LimnoTech is an employee-owned water-science and engineering consulting firm providing applied research and modeling for water quality and watershed management — closely overlapping CWP's research and consulting services to municipal clients.
• Stroud Water Research Center: Stroud is a nonprofit applied-research institution producing watershed science and education outputs similar to CWP's research services, OWL, and National Watershed Research Network case studies.

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a large environmental engineering and consulting firm that operates as an implementation partner alongside CWP on municipal stormwater engagements — sharing target customers but with vastly greater scale and a for-profit model.
• American Water Works Association: AWWA is the larger, more established membership association serving drinking water professionals with standards, conferences, and certification — a broader incumbent in adjacent water-sector territory.
• Geosyntec Consultants: Geosyntec is a specialized environmental and water-resources engineering consultancy serving municipal and industrial clients — a much larger incumbent competing on adjacent stormwater and watershed consulting mandates.
• The Conservation Fund: The Conservation Fund is a large national nonprofit working on land and water conservation with broader environmental scope than CWP, but overlapping on watershed protection and government partnerships.

Regional players

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: CBF is a regional nonprofit focused on restoring the Chesapeake Bay watershed through advocacy, education, and on-the-ground restoration — operating in the same Mid-Atlantic geography as CWP and engaging similar government and community stakeholders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theCWPInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/centerforwatershedprotection
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-watershed-protection
• Instagraminstagram.com/centerforwatershedprotection

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Center for Watershed Protection