EarthShare
EarthShare is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that operates as environmental philanthropy infrastructure, offering donor-advised funds, fiscal sponsorship, and workplace giving services to individual donors, businesses, foundations, and 500+ environmental nonprofits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersBethesda, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What EarthShare does
EarthShare is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1988 and headquartered at 1717 K Street NW in Washington, DC. It operates as a specialized philanthropy infrastructure platform focused exclusively on environmental causes, offering three interconnected core services: a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) for individuals, businesses, and foundations; Fiscal Sponsorship for early-stage environmental projects that need 501(c)(3) back-office infrastructure; and Workplace Giving campaign management for employers, public-sector organizations, and nonprofits. Since its founding, EarthShare has mobilized more than $450 million for environmental causes and serves a network of 500+ vetted environmental nonprofits, with platform access extending to 1.5M+ IRS-qualified 501(c)(3) organizations.
The technology backbone is the EarthShare Giving Platform (app.earthshare.org), a cloud-based system that provides centralized donation tracking, nonprofit discovery, environmental issue filters, tax receipt management, grant administration, and payroll integration for workplace giving campaigns. EarthShare monetizes through multiple fee streams: DAF deposit fees tiered from 2% declining to 0.05% on balances above $100 million, per-employee-per-month (PEPM) workplace giving pricing of $2 to $1 with volume discounting, corporate giving account fees starting at 2% and declining to 0.15%, and fiscal sponsorship service fees for projects with minimum budgets of $50,000. No annual account administration fees are charged on individual DAFs.
EarthShare serves four primary customer segments—individual donors, businesses, environmental nonprofits, and foundations/family offices—plus secondary segments in financial advisors and public-sector agencies (including federal employees via the Combined Federal Campaign). The organization holds the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency and Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating, and participates in major environmental funder networks including the Environmental Grantmakers Association, Confluence Philanthropy, Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, and the Climate Philanthropy Catalyst Coalition. It operates as a federated giving channel across 18+ U.S. states, with headquarters staff of 11-50 employees.
EarthShare firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EarthShare
- Legal name
- EarthShare
- Website
- https://earthshare.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- EarthShare is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that operates as environmental philanthropy infrastructure, offering donor-advised funds, fiscal sponsorship, and workplace giving services to individual donors, businesses, foundations, and 500+ environmental nonprofits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EarthShare industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Philanthropy Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)
Keywords
Where EarthShare is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bethesda
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
EarthShare business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donor-Advised Fund Administrative Fees: EarthShare charges one-time fees on deposits into DAF accounts, with rates starting at 2% and declining based on account size, reaching as low as 0.05% for deposits above $100 million. For balances under $25,000, a 2% mission fee applies on deposits. No annual account administration fees are charged.
- Workplace Giving Program Fees: Per-employee per month (PEPM) pricing model starting at $2 PEPM and scaling down to $1 PEPM as programs grow, with no annual licensing or implementation fees. Discounts available when bundled with Corporate Giving Accounts.
- Corporate Giving Account Fees: Corporate DAF accounts with transparent mission-aligned fees starting at 2% and decreasing based on fund size to as low as 0.15% for larger funds. Minimum opening balance of $10,000 for corporate accounts.
- Fiscal Sponsorship Services: Administrative, financial, and compliance support services for environmental projects and initiatives, typically requiring minimum budgets of $50,000 for sponsored projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Individual DAF - No minimum, rates from 2% to 0.05% |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Corporate Giving Account - $10k minimum, rates from 2% to 0.15% |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Foundation/Family Office DAF - Custom pricing for $25k+ accounts |
| Subscription | Monthly | Workplace Giving - PEPM model $2 to $1 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
EarthShare product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EarthShare operates a philanthropy infrastructure platform offering no-minimum Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) for individuals, Corporate Giving Accounts for businesses, and specialized DAFs for foundations and family offices, all accessed via the EarthShare Giving Platform. The organization also provides Fiscal Sponsorship services for environmental projects and end-to-end Workplace Giving campaign management with payroll integration for businesses, nonprofits, and public-sector employers. Its exclusive focus is on channeling charitable giving toward vetted environmental causes.
Product overview
EarthShare operates as a philanthropy infrastructure platform offering three interconnected core services: a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) for individuals, businesses, and foundations; Fiscal Sponsorship for environmental projects needing 501(c)(3) back-office support; and Workplace Giving Services for managing corporate and public-sector giving campaigns. All services are managed through the EarthShare Giving Platform, which provides centralized donation tracking, nonprofit discovery, and grant administration. Additional offerings include The 30x30 Project educational initiative and the Acclimate e-book resource.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The 30×30 Project: An initiative by EarthShare focused on protecting 30% of lands and seas by 2030 to preserve critical biodiversity and ecosystems.
- Acclimate
Products and services
- Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) A no-minimum donor-advised fund that allows individuals, businesses, and foundations to make charitable contributions, receive immediate tax deductions, and recommend grants to vetted nonprofits over time through a centralized giving platform.
- Corporate Giving Accounts A donor-advised fund designed for businesses to manage company philanthropy, offering real-time grant tracking, instant tax receipts, and customizable impact portfolios aligned with corporate sustainability and ESG goals.
- DAF for Foundations & Family Offices A specialized donor-advised fund for foundations and family offices requiring complex, multi-entity grantmaking capabilities including multi-year commitments, collaborative funding structures, and anonymous grantmaking options.
- Fiscal Sponsorship Legal and financial infrastructure services that enable environmental projects to operate under EarthShare's 501(c)(3) status, providing donation management, compliance support, payroll, and grantwriting assistance for early-stage environmental initiatives.
- Workplace Giving Services End-to-end workplace giving campaign management for businesses, nonprofits, and public sector organizations, including campaign enrollment, payroll integration, donor tracking, and quarterly grant disbursements.
- EarthShare Giving Platform A web-based platform that serves as the central hub for managing all EarthShare giving services, including donation tracking, nonprofit discovery, tax receipt management, and grant administration across all account types.
Quantifiable outcome
- $450+ million mobilized for environmental causes since 1988
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use EarthShare
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
EarthShare technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
EarthShare partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.
- Environmental Grantmakers AssociationcoreActive participation in this network keeps EarthShare grounded and informed by diverse perspectives from environmental funders. The connection aligns EarthShare with partners sharing its vision for environmental protection.
- Confluence PhilanthropycoreMembership in this network of mission-driven funders enables EarthShare to collaborate with other environmental philanthropists and share best practices.
- Funders for Regenerative AgriculturecoreParticipation in this collaborative funder network supports EarthShare's work in regenerative agriculture and food systems initiatives.
- Climate Philanthropy Catalyst CoalitioncoreActive participation in this coalition supports coordinated climate philanthropy efforts and strategic funding alignment.
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)notableNFWF administers the America the Beautiful program through which the U.S. government provided $91 million in funding for conservation. EarthShare's 30x30 Project connects to this initiative.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
EarthShare competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Wildlife Federation: Major environmental nonprofit with strong donor base and federal policy engagement. Comparable to EarthShare in environmental cause focus and workplace giving participation, but operates as a direct program-delivery nonprofit rather than a philanthropy intermediary.
- The Nature Conservancy: One of the largest environmental nonprofits globally, with whom EarthShare has board-level and partnership ties. Comparable as an environmental nonprofit competitor and partner, but operates its own direct fundraising and grantmaking rather than serving as a DAF/federation intermediary.
Direct peers
- Schwab Charitable: Major commercial donor-advised fund sponsor affiliated with Charles Schwab, serving individual and institutional donors. Comparable to EarthShare's DAF business model, fee structure, and advisor-channel distribution, but with a multi-cause focus and significantly larger AUM.
- American Online Giving Foundation: Donor-advised fund sponsor providing workplace giving and DAF services to businesses, with a federated nonprofit model similar to EarthShare's federation structure. Comparable in workplace giving enrollment model and DAF mechanics, though not cause-specific to the environment.
- Fidelity Charitable: The largest commercial donor-advised fund sponsor in the United States, offering individual and corporate DAFs with a broad nonprofit universe. Directly comparable to EarthShare's individual DAF and corporate giving account products, with similar fee schedules and tax-receipt mechanics, but operates at materially greater scale and across all cause areas.
- National Philanthropic Trust: Independent national donor-advised fund sponsor offering DAFs for individuals, corporations, and foundations with no minimums on some accounts. Directly comparable to EarthShare's DAF products, particularly in DAF-lite/no-minimum positioning and multi-segment donor focus, though NPT is cause-agnostic.
- Charities Aid Foundation America: Donor-advised fund and international giving vehicle provider for individuals, corporations, and foundations. Comparable to EarthShare's DAF and cross-border giving capabilities, but with a broader cause focus and established international footprint.
- Benevity: Corporate workplace giving and employee engagement platform that hosts EarthShare among its recommended causes. Direct competitor/partner in the enterprise workplace giving channel, with broader corporate CSR functionality and significantly larger enterprise customer base.
- Vanguard Charitable: Donor-advised fund sponsor affiliated with Vanguard, offering low-fee DAFs to individual and institutional donors. Comparable to EarthShare on low-cost DAF positioning and donor-advised fund mechanics, but at substantially greater AUM scale.
Emerging players
- Network for Good: Digital fundraising and donor-advised fund platform serving small nonprofits and individual donors. Comparable to EarthShare's self-serve giving platform and donor discovery tools, though smaller in scale and cause-agnostic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
EarthShare social profiles
Digital presenceEarthShare compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
EarthShare financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EarthShare leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
EarthShare funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
EarthShare M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about EarthShare
What does EarthShare do?
EarthShare operates a philanthropy infrastructure platform offering no-minimum Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) for individuals, Corporate Giving Accounts for businesses, and specialized DAFs for foundations and family offices, all accessed via the EarthShare Giving Platform. The organization also provides Fiscal Sponsorship services for environmental projects and end-to-end Workplace Giving campaign management with payroll integration for businesses, nonprofits, and public-sector employers. Its exclusive focus is on channeling charitable giving toward vetted environmental causes.
Is EarthShare a public or private company?
EarthShare is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was EarthShare founded?
EarthShare was founded in 1988. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is EarthShare based?
EarthShare is headquartered in Bethesda, United States, in the North America region.
How does EarthShare make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donor-Advised Fund Administrative Fees are the primary driver. The others are workplace Giving Program Fees, corporate Giving Account Fees and fiscal Sponsorship Services.
Who are EarthShare's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy. Direct peers are Schwab Charitable, American Online Giving Foundation, Fidelity Charitable, National Philanthropic Trust, Charities Aid Foundation America, Benevity and Vanguard Charitable. Network for Good is listed as an emerging player.
Does EarthShare have an API?
No public API is recorded for EarthShare.
What industry is EarthShare in?
EarthShare's product category is Environmental Philanthropy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAM, Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAF, Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 6199.