Grame

What Grame does

Grame (Le GRAME - Groupe de recommandations et d'actions pour un meilleur environnement) is a Montréal-based non-profit environmental organization founded in 1989 by five students. It delivers community-level environmental programming primarily through two mandated Éco-quartiers (Lachine since 2011 and Sud-Ouest since 2024) within the Ville de Montréal's Regroupement des Éco-quartiers network. Its service portfolio spans greening and urban heat island mitigation (VIVRE, Ensemble on verdit, ICI on verdit!), sustainable mobility (Le Bon Mouv', Cycliste averti), environmental education (Lecteurs en herbe), biodiversity challenges (Défi Fleuri), and multi-municipal subsidy program administration for reusable hygiene products and cloth diapers across at least eight Quebec municipalities. The organization does not operate proprietary technology; its core "platform" is a network of physical service points, green patrols, volunteer mobilization, and a 35-year content library of publications and policy interventions.

GRAME's business model is a hybrid of grant-funded mandate delivery and modest fee-for-service work. Its primary revenue comes from government grants and subsidies (Ville de Montréal eco-quartier mandates, RECYC-QUÉBEC's 'Vers une hygiène zéro déchet au Québec' program, Sud-Ouest Borough funding, and a near-$1M Green Fund grant secured in 2010), supplemented by fee-for-service arrangements with municipal clients (custom greening projects, grant management consulting) and corporate clients (ICI greening services and team-building). Charitable donations are solicited via the Zeffy platform for contributions over $10 CAD. There is no publicly disclosed price list; services to citizens are free, while corporate and municipal services are project-based custom quotes.

The organization is led by executive director Catherine Houbart and operates with 11-50 employees from its headquarters at 735 rue Notre-Dame in Lachine. It serves four primary customer segments: individual residents (primary), schools and early childhood centers (primary), municipal organizations and public institutions (primary), and ICI/corporate clients (secondary). Since 1993 it has held a government-mandated role as the representative of ecological groups before the Régie de l'énergie du Québec and the Canadian delegation for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, giving it sustained institutional influence on energy and climate policy in Quebec.

Name

Grame

Legal name

Le GRAME - Groupe de recommandations et d'actions pour un meilleur environnement

Website

https://grame.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grame is a Montréal-based non-profit founded in 1989 that delivers community environmental programming — greening, waste reduction, mobility, and education — through two Ville de Montréal-mandated Éco-quartiers and multi-municipal subsidy administration across Quebec.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Environmental Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAGAI

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYHSAMAJAF

IPM Landscape & Drainage Pest Prevention (Moisture Management, Vegetation Management)

Home & Personal Services/Pest Control & Extermination/Integrated Pest Management (IPM) & Preventive Services

Keywords

• Community environmental programs
• Urban greening services
• Sustainable mobility programs
• Environmental education services
• Subsidy program administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grant and government funding: GRAME's primary revenue consists of grants and subsidies from government bodies and quasi-governmental organizations, including RECYC-QUÉBEC (for the 'Vers une hygiène zéro déchet au Québec' subsidy program), the Sud-Ouest Borough of Montréal (for subsidy and eco-quartier programming), and the Ville de Montréal (for eco-quartier mandates). The organization also received a grant of nearly $1 million from the Green Fund in 2010 for urban heat island mitigation.
2. Donations: GRAME accepts charitable donations from individuals and organizations. Donations of more than $10 CAD generate a tax receipt, indicating the organization is a registered charity or qualified donee.
3. Service fees (municipal and corporate greening contracts): GRAME generates revenue through fee-for-service arrangements with municipal clients (greening projects, consulting services, grant management for municipalities) and corporate clients (team-building activities, greening services under the 'ICI, on verdit!' program). These are not publicly priced as they are custom project-based engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GRAME is a Montreal-based environmental non-profit that delivers community environmental programs, greening services, sustainable mobility support, environmental education, and citizen subsidy program administration. It operates two mandated Éco-quartiers (Lachine and Sud-Ouest) and serves citizens, schools, businesses, and municipalities across Quebec through on-the-ground programs and policy advocacy at the Régie de l'énergie.

Product overview

GRAME (Groupe de recommandations et d'actions pour un meilleur environnement) is an environmental non-profit organization that offers a portfolio of community-based environmental programs and services rather than a unified technology product. The organization operates through two main eco-districts (Éco-quartier Lachine and Éco-quartier Sud-Ouest) and delivers environmental programs across greening, sustainable mobility, environmental education, and waste reduction. Key programs include Le Bon Mouv' for mobility support, Lecteurs en herbe and Cycliste averti for youth education, VIVRE for participatory greening in vulnerable areas, ICI on verdit for business greening services, and subsidy programs for reusable hygiene products. The organization also facilitates community activities through Le Coin Tournant and the Défi Fleuri biodiversity challenge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Éco-quartier Lachine: An eco-neighborhood program under the Regroupement des Éco-quartiers of the City of Montreal, promoting eco-citizenship and improving living environments.
• Éco-quartier Sud-Ouest
• ICI, on verdit!
• Le Bon Mouv'
• VIVRE (Ville inclusive, verte, résiliente et équitable)
• Lecteurs en herbe
• Ensemble on verdit
• Cycliste averti
• Défi Fleuri
• Le Coin Tournant
• ClimAction Lachine

Products and services

• Éco-quartier Lachine A local environmental awareness and action service operated by GRAME since 2011, offering citizens clean-up operations, greening activities, workshops, an eco-boutique, and a drop-off point for hard-to-recycle materials in the Lachine borough of Montreal.
• Éco-quartier Sud-Ouest A local environmental awareness and action service operated by GRAME in the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal since 2024, promoting eco-citizenship through education, awareness, and citizen involvement.
• Le Bon Mouv' A sustainable mobility awareness and support program targeting citizens, real estate developers, and public institutions to encourage modal shifts toward active and sustainable transportation.
• Lecteurs en herbe An early childhood literacy and environmental education program that encourages a love of reading and nature in toddlers while building language skills and ecological awareness, delivered in daycares and community centers.
• Cycliste averti A cycling skills development program that teaches children essential biking competencies and promotes active transportation as a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to car use. GRAME is the local mandatary for this Velo Québec program in Greater Montreal.
• ICI, on verdit! A greening program offering low-cost professional greening services to industries, commerce, and institutions (ICI) in West Montreal, including tree planting and landscaping solutions.
• VIVRE (Ville inclusive, verte, résiliente et équitable) A participatory greening initiative that transforms urban living environments to improve health and well-being of vulnerable populations by directly involving them in environmental interventions and creating cooling islands.
• Ensemble on verdit A residential tree-planting campaign focused on replacing felled trees and planting new ones to maintain and increase urban tree canopy for climate resilience.
• Défi Fleuri A community competition encouraging citizens to create pollinator-friendly spaces with native and pollinating plants in gardens, balconies, and tree plots to increase urban biodiversity.
• Subsidy program for reusable cloth diapers Subsidy program for reusable cloth diapers offered in partnership with participating Quebec municipalities, reimbursing 50-60% of purchase costs (up to $150-$250 per child) to reduce single-use diaper waste.
• Subsidy program for sustainable personal hygiene products Subsidy program for washable menstrual and incontinence products offered in partnership with Quebec municipalities, reimbursing up to 50% of purchase costs to reduce single-use plastic waste.
• Distribution of plants, compost and mulch Free annual distribution of flowers, plants, compost and mulch to Sud-Ouest residents and community groups to support urban greening and biodiversity.
• Le Coin Tournant The first citizen space dedicated to socio-ecological transition in Lachine, serving as a catalyst for cooperation, meetings and community empowerment.
• Grant consulting service for municipalities Advisory service helping municipalities create and improve citizen subsidy programs for ecological products.
• ClimAction Lachine A catalyst for concerted socio-ecological transition actions in Lachine, co-led by GRAME, focusing on climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,129 kg of waste collected from Lachine shores in 24-hour cleanup (2019)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• RECYC-QUÉBECcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRECYC-QUÉBEC provides financial support for the 'Vers une hygiène zéro déchet au Québec' project, a grant program administered by GRAME to promote reduction of single-use plastics through subsidies for sustainable hygiene products and cloth diapers. GRAME acts as the program administrator on behalf of multiple Quebec municipalities in partnership with RECYC-QUÉBEC.
• Regroupement des Éco-quartiers (REQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe REQ is a city-wide network of eco-districts under the Ville de Montréal. GRAME has been mandated as the operating organization for two of its eco-quartiers: Éco-quartier Lachine (since 2011) and Éco-quartier Sud-Ouest (since 2024). This mandate-based relationship is GRAME's primary community delivery channel.
• Polytechnique MontréalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAME partnered with Professor Dominique Claveau-Mallet (Université Polytechnique de Montréal, Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering) and her research team for a citizen science project on microplastic (microfiber) pollution in the St. Lawrence River. The project combined GRAME's community mobilization with Polytechnique's scientific expertise. Results contributed to a declaration by the Ville de Montréal on water protection in 2023.
• Ville de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ville de Montréal provides funding and mandates to GRAME through the Regroupement des Éco-quartiers for the operation of eco-districts in Lachine and Sud-Ouest boroughs. GRAME's science citizenship work on microfibers with Polytechnique Montréal also contributed to a Ville de Montréal declaration on water protection in 2023.
• Regroupement de LachineflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2011, GRAME co-founded and moved into the eco-building of the Regroupement de Lachine, located in a former IGA building. This co-location initiative groups multiple community organizations in one location to better serve the population and increase collective impact.
• Programme Cycliste averti (Velo Québec)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAME is the local mandatary for the Cycliste averti program, a bike education program run by Vélo Québec that develops essential cycling skills in children and promotes active transportation. GRAME promotes safe cycling behaviors, healthy habits, and environmentally friendly mobility alternatives.
• Mission 100 tonnesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAME collaborated with diving activist Nathalie Lasselin and Mission 100 tonnes for Opération Nettoyage 360° in 2019, a 24-hour cleanup event that mobilized 200+ volunteers and divers to collect 4,129 kg of waste from Lachine shores and the Saint-Laurent River.
• Arrondissement du Sud-Ouest (Ville de Montréal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sud-Ouest Borough is a key municipal partner, providing funding for the Éco-quartier Sud-Ouest mandate (since GRAME took over in 2024) and for the 'Vers une hygiène zéro déchet' subsidy program specifically in the Sud-Ouest. GRAME also coordinates plant/compost/mulch distributions and tree plot adoption programs on behalf of the borough.
• SoverdiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSoverdi co-runs the 'Un arbre pour mon quartier' (A Tree for My Neighbourhood) campaign with the Regroupement des Éco-quartiers. The Lachine and Sud-Ouest Éco-quartiers managed by GRAME deliver and plant trees as part of this program.
• Various Quebec municipalities (Lévis, Québec City, Gaspé, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Pierreville, Frelighsburg)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Quebec municipalities partner with GRAME to administer subsidy programs for sustainable personal hygiene products and cloth diapers. Each municipality provides funding for its own program, which GRAME manages on their behalf, setting specific reimbursement rates and eligibility criteria.
• ClimAction LachineflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAME is a co-leader of ClimAction Lachine, a catalyst initiative for a just and concerted socio-ecological transition in Lachine, part of the Pour la transition énergétique platform's 'Collectivités ZEN' program.
• Régie de l'énergie du QuébecflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1993, GRAME has been the government-mandated representative of ecological groups before the Régie de l'énergie (Québec Energy Board), intervening on environmental protection and energy transition matters. GRAME is also mandated by the government as representative of ecological groups for the Canadian delegation implementing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Evergreen (Canada): Canadian charity that transforms urban public spaces and schools into green community places. Closest functional analog to GRAME's greening, education, and community-engagement program mix, though larger and pan-Canadian in scope.
• Vivre en Ville: Quebec nonprofit advancing sustainable urban development through research, advocacy and capacity-building for municipalities. Closely mirrors GRAME's municipal-subsidy and policy-influence activities (e.g., transit, greening, ecofiscality).
• Centre d'écologie urbaine de Montréal: Montreal-based nonprofit focused on urban ecology, citizen engagement and community environmental action. Most direct comparable: similar city-scale, similar 'community → policy' pipeline, and overlapping program areas (greening, mobility, waste).
• Conseil régional de l'environnement de Montréal (CRE-Montréal): Regional environmental council convening Montreal-area environmental actors and advising municipal authorities. Direct peer on policy advocacy, community mobilization, and municipal greening mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Équiterre: One of Quebec's largest environmental nonprofits, spanning agriculture, climate, energy transition and community action. Comparable at the mission level but materially larger and broader in scope than GRAME.
• Nature Québec: Quebec-wide environmental NGO covering biodiversity, climate, forests and protected areas. Overlaps with GRAME on biodiversity (Défi Fleuri), climate advocacy, and Régie de l'énergie interventions.
• Green Communities Canada: National umbrella of community-based environmental organizations running tree-planting, active-transportation and energy programs. Direct programmatic overlap with GRAME's greening, mobility (Le Bon Mouv', Cycliste averti) and depot activities, but at network scale.
• Greenpeace Canada: Nationally organized environmental advocacy organization with strong Quebec presence. Comparable on climate advocacy and public mobilization but operates at substantially larger scale and broader scope.
• David Suzuki Foundation: Major pan-Canadian environmental foundation working on climate, biodiversity and civic engagement. Comparable mission but a national-scale incumbent operating at very different scale.

Emerging players

• Fondation Yul: Montreal-based climate and biodiversity foundation funding and incubating local transition projects. Emerging peer on the climate-action funding side that increasingly competes with GRAME for municipal and philanthropic dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GRAMELachine
• Facebookfacebook.com/GRAME
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grame-environnement
• Instagraminstagram.com/grame.environnement/?hl=fr
• TikToktiktok.com/@grame.environnement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Grame