Ricketts Conservation Foundation

What Ricketts Conservation Foundation does

Ricketts Conservation Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation founded in 2018 by Joe Ricketts, focused on the study, protection, and enhancement of at-risk species within the Yellowstone Ecosystem. The foundation operates from a Denver-area headquarters with field operations based in Bondurant, Wyoming, and runs a portfolio of species-specific programs covering trumpeter swans, common loons, pygmy owls, Clark's nutcrackers, and other native fauna, alongside habitat and river restoration projects such as Monument Ridge and the Hoback River Restoration. Its work spans direct land acquisition and conservation easements, co-funded applied research with state and federal wildlife agencies, and grant-making to peer NGOs.

The foundation operates on an endowment-funded model rather than a transactional revenue model, deploying patient multi-year capital across two to five year program horizons. Recent strategic commitments include a $600,000 joint Virtual Fence Collaborative with the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) to scale non-lethal wildlife conflict mitigation, and a $1 million capital gift plus $100,000 annual commitment over five years to the National Loon Center. The organization employs 20+ staff comprising PhD-level conservation scientists and field biologists, and collaborates with Wyoming Game and Fish, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and university research partners.

The customer base is best understood as a partner ecosystem rather than a market: state agencies, federal wildlife services, peer conservation NGOs, and the broader Yellowstone research community. There are no paid products, no pricing model, and revenue mechanics consist entirely of endowment draw, founder contributions, and philanthropic gifts. The foundation's defensibility rests on its geographic concentration in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, its land and easement holdings, and its embedded relationships with public wildlife agencies—assets that are difficult to replicate without equivalent capital and patience.

Name

Ricketts Conservation Foundation

Legal name

Ricketts Conservation Foundation

Website

https://rickettsconservation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ricketts Conservation Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation founded in 2018 by Joe Ricketts that studies, protects, and restores at-risk species and habitats in the Yellowstone Ecosystem through species-specific programs, land acquisitions, and partnerships with state, federal, and nonprofit collaborators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release (BPAGAIAC)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation research
• Habitat restoration services
• Bird banding programs
• Conservation grant funding
• Ranchland conservation partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: The foundation is funded through donations and grants, with founder Joe Ricketts providing significant philanthropic support. Registered as 501(c)(3) nonprofit with tax-deductible donations.
2. Research Grants: Provides grants to other conservation organizations and researchers, including $1,000,000 donation to National Loon Center and $100,000/year commitment for loon research grants from 2025-2029

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Ricketts Conservation Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that studies, protects, and enhances populations of at-risk wildlife species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem through field-based conservation projects, habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring (e.g., bird banding, MAPS, satellite telemetry), and direct grants to partner organizations. It runs a portfolio of species- and habitat-specific programs including loon, swan, owl, nutcracker, hummingbird and curlew projects, as well as livestock virtual-fencing and wildlife-friendly fencing initiatives on private ranches.

Product overview

Ricketts Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization (501(c)(3)) focused on studying, protecting, and enhancing populations of at-risk species in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. Rather than a traditional software product, the foundation offers a portfolio of field-based conservation projects and programs organized around specific wildlife species and habitat restoration initiatives. The portfolio includes active projects such as Loon Restoration and Protection, Clark's Nutcracker Project, Swan Project, Monument Ridge Aspen Regeneration Study, Hoback River Restoration, Migratory Owl Study, Virtual Fence Technology, Wildlife Friendly Fencing, Hummingbird Migration, Greys River Habitat Restoration Monitoring, and Beaver Project. Additionally, the Virtual Fence Technology represents a notable technology-enabled conservation approach using GPS-enabled livestock collars. The foundation also supports a legacy Curlew Project. These projects operate collaboratively with government agencies, educational institutions, and other conservation organizations, and are supported by a team of field staff, graduate students, and seasonal technicians.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Loon Restoration and Protection
• The Swan Project
• The Clark's Nutcracker Project
• Migratory Owl Study
• Hummingbird Migration
• Curlew Project
• Monument Ridge Aspen Regeneration Study
• Hoback River Restoration
• Greys River Habitat Restoration Monitoring
• Beaver Project
• Virtual Fence Technology
• Wildlife Friendly Fencing

Quantifiable outcome

• First successful Common Loon nesting in 15 years at a protected lake in 2018
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

36 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• PERC (Property and Environment Research Center)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026$600,000 joint investment in Yellowstone Ecosystem Virtual Fence Collaborative, deploying GPS-collar livestock management technology across 8 ranches. PERC brings expertise in virtual fencing research and conservation funding.
• Yellowstone National ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Common Loon protection with lake closures and Trumpeter Swan release programs within the park.
• Grand Teton National ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for loon conservation and wildlife research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
• Caribou-Targhee National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative lake closures for loon nesting protection since 2018, resulting in successful breeding outcomes.
• Bridger-Teton National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Monument Ridge Aspen Regeneration Study and MAPS banding station operations on forest lands.
• Wyoming Game and Fish DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Monument Ridge project, wildlife-friendly fencing, and Upper Green Fence Initiative collaboration.
• Bird Conservancy of the RockiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for IMBCR bird monitoring protocols and MAPS banding program support.
• University of MontanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate student partnerships including Cody Lane (Monument Ridge Aspen Regeneration) and Kelsey Cronin (Common Loon research).
• University of Colorado DenvercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Tomback Forest Ecology Lab for Clark's Nutcracker research and graduate student Karina Li.
• Colorado State UniversitycoreTechnology or IntegrationFeather samples sent to Bird Genoscape Project at CSU for population genetics analysis of migratory owls.
• Bird Genoscape ProjectcoreTechnology or IntegrationGenetic analysis of owl feathers to determine breeding populations and migration patterns.
• Trout UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Hoback River Restoration for native trout protection and riparian habitat work.
• Jackson Fork RanchflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner for bison management, bird banding, virtual fence pilot, and wildlife-friendly fencing since 2018.
• Sublette County Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Hoback River Restoration and Dollar Lake Fire virtual fence implementation.
• Whitebark Pine Ecosystem FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Clark's Nutcracker Project working on whitebark pine restoration with federal agencies and tribal governments.
• Wyoming Wetlands SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Trumpeter Swan restoration and release programs in Yellowstone region.
• Wyoming Wetland SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Beaver Project and riparian restoration decision tools.
• Upper Green Fence InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for wildlife-friendly fence inventory and conversion across Upper Green River Basin.
• National Loon CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner$1,000,000 donation for new headquarters plus $100,000/year (2025-2029) for range-wide loon research grants.
• Intermountain Bird Observatory (Boise State University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Long-Billed Curlew satellite tagging and tracking research.
• Greater Yellowstone CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in virtual fence collaborative and wildlife conservation initiatives.
• Beyond YellowstoneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in virtual fence technology deployment and conservation efforts.
• Bondurant Art & Agriculture MarketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosting Conservation Field Day community event to connect conservation organizations with local community.
• KM Cattle CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence collaborative participant ranch in virtual fencing technology deployment.
• Roberts Cattle CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence collaborative participant ranch.
• Pearson Livestock CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence collaborative participant ranch.
• NL Land and LivestockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence participant focused on wildlife movement and waterway protection across large acreage.
• Crapo Cattle EnterprisescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence participant along trout-supporting waterways to reduce livestock impact.
• 3D RanchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence participant halting new fence construction and preserving migration corridors.
• XX RanchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence participant focused on ecological restoration through targeted grazing.
• Lucky 7 AnguscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence participant improving range condition, forage quality, and water quality.
• Ladder RanchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence participant advancing rotational grazing and wildlife improvements.
• D Milliron and Slim RanchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual fence participant partnering with Trout Unlimited and WGFD for habitat protection.
• The Goat GuycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovative virtual fence user with targeted goat grazing for invasive plant control.
• U.S. Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Greys River Habitat Restoration Monitoring and watershed-wide restoration project.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Greys River restoration monitoring within park boundaries.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bird Conservancy of the Rockies: Regional bird conservation organization running IMBCR and MAPS banding programs. RCF's current partner for avian monitoring protocols, directly comparable in species-level research methodology and productized bird monitoring services.
• Trout Unlimited: Conservation nonprofit focused on coldwater fisheries and riparian habitat. Already a flagship partner of RCF on the Hoback River Restoration, sharing both project overlap and a complementary wildlife-friendly ranching value proposition.
• Greater Yellowstone Coalition: Regional nonprofit dedicated to conserving the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Direct peer given overlapping geography, shared federal land management partners, and complementary conservation programs across wildlife and habitat protection.
• PERC (Property and Environment Research Center): Market-based conservation think tank and RCF's $600K joint-investment partner in the Virtual Fence Collaborative. Comparable mission around private-land conservation and innovative wildlife-friendly ranching market mechanisms.

Regional players

• Yellowstone Forever: Official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park. Shares geographic focus on the Yellowstone Ecosystem and works on wildlife research, education, and habitat projects inside park boundaries.

Broad incumbents

• Defenders of Wildlife: National wildlife advocacy and conservation organization focused on at-risk species and habitat. Overlap in mission (species protection, habitat restoration) but operates at the national policy and broader landscape scale.
• National Wildlife Federation: Large national conservation nonprofit with wildlife habitat and species programs. Comparable in cause area but operates at significantly broader national scale and program portfolio.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Global wildlife conservation organization with fieldwork on species protection and habitat. Comparable in scientific approach to wildlife research but operates at much larger international scale.
• National Audubon Society: National bird conservation organization with overlapping work on at-risk bird species, banding programs, and habitat restoration. Broader geographic scope but shared mission around bird species protection and field research.
• The Nature Conservancy: One of the largest global conservation nonprofits with overlapping habitat restoration, prescribed fire, and species protection work. Shares program portfolio but operates at far greater scale and geographic breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/ricketts.conservation
• Xx.com/RickettsConserv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ricketts-conservation-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Ricketts Conservation Foundation