What Keep Nebraska Beautiful does

Keep Nebraska Beautiful (KNB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1964 and headquartered at 8101 O Street, Suite 114, Lincoln, Nebraska, that operates a statewide program portfolio focused on waste reduction, recycling, community beautification, and environmental education. The organization serves three primary segments: individual Nebraska residents participating in cleanup and recycling, businesses and schools seeking sustainability programs, and communities/municipalities coordinating beautification and litter-prevention activities. KNB delivers programs through a network of 13+ local affiliates — including Cass County, Columbus, Fremont, Grand Island, Keith County, Lincoln and Lancaster, Loup Basin, Nebraska City, North Platte, Omaha, Scottsbluff-Gering, Alliance, and Chadron — and is the Nebraska affiliate of the national Keep America Beautiful network, from which it draws program frameworks including the Great American Cleanup and America Recycles Day. Current leadership includes President & CEO Bob Verkuilen.

KNB's product portfolio encompasses school education programs (CleanGreenZoNE environmental education, School Chemical Cleanout), waste management initiatives (Litter Hotline, Materials Exchange, Food Waste reduction, Used Oil recycling, Household Hazardous Waste collection), the Sustainability Seal business certification, community cleanup events (Great American Cleanup, Keep Nebraska Beautiful Day), and fundraising events including the annual Golf for the Environment Tournament at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, NE, plus Trivia Night and "An Evening with Keep Nebraska Beautiful." The organization does not build proprietary technology — service delivery is program- and event-driven, supported by online resources such as the Materials Exchange listing platform, the Litter Hotline, and email newsletters (ReFresh Newsletter, Link Newsletter, KNB Newsletter).

Revenue mechanics are diversified across three primary streams: annual membership fees with tiered benefits including Sustainability Seal recognition, individual donations, and corporate sponsorships — with Silverleaf holding title sponsorship of the 2025 Golf Tournament and additional underwriters including Nebraska Beverage Association, Terracon, Koley Jessen, Nature Works, Davis Design, Papillion Sanitation, Abes Trash Service, Chief, Jeo Consulting Group, and Project Control. Membership pricing is not publicly disclosed and the GTM motion is community-led: grassroots engagement through volunteer-driven cleanups, school programs, and event-driven recruitment. With 1–10 employees, KNB operates a lean central staff that relies on its statewide affiliate network and volunteer mobilization rather than direct sales scale.

Name

Keep Nebraska Beautiful

Legal name

Keep Nebraska Beautiful

Website

https://knb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Keep Nebraska Beautiful is a 1964-founded nonprofit headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, that delivers waste reduction, recycling, and beautification programs to individuals, businesses, and communities through 13+ statewide affiliates operating under the Keep America Beautiful national network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability Engagement, Training & Behavior Change Programs (On-site) (BPABALAK)

Keywords

• Waste reduction programs
• Recycling education
• Community beautification
• Environmental nonprofit services
• Household hazardous waste

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership program offering tiered benefits including community impact, sustainability leadership recognition (Sustainability Seal), exclusive perks, event access, and networking visibility. Members receive recognition in newsletters and promotional materials.
2. Donations: Individual donations from supporters who want to contribute to waste reduction, recycling, and community beautification efforts across Nebraska.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at various levels for events like the Golf for the Environment Tournament, with recognition packages including event signage, website visibility, and event participation opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Keep Nebraska Beautiful delivers statewide community-based environmental programs and services focused on waste reduction, recycling, and beautification. Offerings include school education programs, household hazardous waste and used oil collection, litter cleanup events, the Sustainability Seal business certification, a Materials Exchange platform, fundraising events, and an annual membership program. It operates as a 501(c)-style nonprofit with a network of 13+ local affiliates and formal affiliation with the national Keep America Beautiful organization.

Product overview

Keep Nebraska Beautiful is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of environmental programs and community engagement services focused on waste reduction, recycling, and beautification across Nebraska. The organization operates a unified program structure including school education initiatives (CleanGreenZoNE, School Chemical Cleanout), waste management programs (Materials Exchange, Used Oil, Household Hazardous Waste, Food Waste), cleanup events, sustainability certification (Sustainability Seal Program), community events (Golf Tournament, Trivia Night), and membership benefits. These programs work together to help individuals, businesses, and communities reduce waste and promote sustainability statewide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Programs

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 minor and core.

• Nebraska Beverage AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• TerraconminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• Koley JessenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• Nature WorksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• Davis DesignminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• Papillion SanitationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• SilverleafminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor of the 2025 Golf for the Environment Tournament. Corporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• Abes Trash ServiceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• ChiefminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• Jeo Consulting GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• Project ControlminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting KNB programs that reduce waste, boost recycling, and beautify communities across Nebraska.
• Keep America BeautifulcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational parent organization providing network resources, program frameworks (Great American Cleanup, America Recycles Day), and brand affiliation for the statewide affiliate.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Keep Texas Beautiful: Larger state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Operates the same state-level nonprofit model with affiliate chapters, community cleanups, and corporate partner programs, but at materially greater scale across Texas.
• Keep America Beautiful: National parent organization of KNB. Operates the same model of litter prevention, recycling promotion, and community beautification across the U.S., and provides the affiliate frameworks (Great American Cleanup, America Recycles Day) that KNB deploys locally.
• Surfrider Foundation: Grassroots environmental nonprofit with a volunteer chapter model and event-driven engagement similar to KNB, focused on beach cleanup, water quality, and plastic pollution reduction. Comparable in operating style and reliance on community-led volunteer execution.
• Keep Colorado Beautiful: State-level Keep America Beautiful affiliate with a comparable mix of litter prevention, recycling, and community beautification programs. Directly comparable structure to KNB and useful benchmark for program breadth and revenue diversification.
• Keep Iowa Beautiful: State-level affiliate of Keep America Beautiful serving Iowa with an essentially identical programmatic structure: affiliate network, community cleanups, school programs, sustainability education, and corporate sponsorship model.

Broad incumbents

• National Wildlife Federation: Large national environmental nonprofit with state affiliate structure and education programs. Shares the affiliate-network model and member/donor funding approach with KNB but at substantially greater scale and broader conservation mission.
• Sierra Club: Large, established national environmental nonprofit that overlaps with KNB on advocacy and grassroots engagement but operates at much larger scale across a broader environmental agenda including land conservation, climate, and policy.
• National Audubon Society: National environmental nonprofit with state/chapter structure similar to KNB's affiliate model, member-based funding, and education programs. Operates at substantially larger scale and broader mission scope.

Emerging players

• Recycle Across America: National nonprofit focused on standardized recycling labeling and public education. Overlaps with KNB's recycling promotion and education mission but operates a more specialized, narrower program portfolio.
• Earth911: Recycling and sustainability information platform that overlaps with KNB's household hazardous waste and proper-disposal education content, but operates primarily as a digital resource rather than a community-based nonprofit.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/keepnebeaut

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Keep Nebraska Beautiful