Green Works in Kansas City

What Green Works in Kansas City does

Green Works in Kansas City is a nonprofit organization founded in Fall 2007 by Kate Corwin that delivers free nature-based environmental education programs to Kansas City, Missouri youth, primarily within Jackson County. The organization serves more than 200 students per year through four core programs: ECOS Nature Club (Saturday nature hikes, bird watching, art, and journaling for grades 4–7), ECOS On Demand (flexible 1–3 hour nature programming delivered to schools and community groups), Wild Kind (winter outdoor skill-building, including fire-building, navigation, cord-making, and cooking for grades 4–7), and Eco Lab (a stipend-paid summer first-job experience for rising 9th and 10th graders involving environmental monitoring alongside scientists). Programs are delivered at partner sites including the Discovery Center at 47th and Troost and Lakeside Nature Center in Swope Park, with additional program locations at Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, Burr Oak Woods, Burroughs Audubon, Martha LaFite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, and Ernie Miller Nature Center. The organization previously operated The Perennial Bee, a social-enterprise retail store (2020–April 2024) that provided high school students experience in sustainable retail operations.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; program delivery is experiential, in-person, and curriculum-based. As a nonprofit, Green Works charges participants nothing—Nature Club requests only an optional $5/student fee and Eco Lab actually pays participant stipends. Operating revenue is sourced from foundation grants (Children's Services Fund, Taylor S. Abernathy & Patti Harding Abernathy Charitable Trust, Sherman Family Foundation, Live Like Luke Foundation), corporate sponsors (Evergy, Black & Veatch, BNSF Railway, Honeywell), individual donations including IRA charitable distributions, and government support (Jackson County, Missouri Department of Conservation). Customer segments are Jackson County KCMO schools, youth-serving nonprofits, and community centers; 100% of program participants report increased interest in nature after completing a program, and 100% of Eco Lab graduates are reported to have graduated high school and been better prepared for employment.

The organization is in active wind-down. The Board of Directors announced in 2023 that operations would conclude after the final cohort in June 2026, citing post-Covid declines in high school student engagement, reduced foundation and corporate support for environmental education, and changing community needs. Fundraising has ended, the retail social enterprise has been divested, and the organization is releasing its nature curriculum for free download by educators and youth organizations to extend programmatic impact beyond its operational closure.

Name

Green Works in Kansas City

Legal name

Green Works in Kansas City

Website

https://greenworkskc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Green Works in Kansas City is a nonprofit founded in 2007 that delivers free nature-based environmental education and outdoor skill-building programs to Kansas City, Missouri youth in grades 4-12. It serves primarily Jackson County through four program lines and is winding down operations with closure planned for June 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Environmental Education

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Interpretation & Ranger-Led Education Programs (Visitor Education) (THAAAOAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB), Outdoor Education & Adventure Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAJ)

Keywords

• Environmental education
• Youth nature programs
• Outdoor education
• Community nonprofit
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Primary funding from charitable foundations and corporate sponsors. Supporters include Children's Services Fund, Taylor S. Abernathy & Patti Harding Abernathy Charitable Trust, Sherman Family Foundation, Jackson County, and others. Funding priorities have shifted post-COVID with reduced support for environmental education.
2. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, including IRA charitable distributions for donors 70.5+. Vehicle donations and Nextdoor proceeds also accepted.
3. Retail Operations (Closed 2024): Social enterprise retail store The Perennial Bee sold sustainable products. Provided job experience for high school students. Store closed April 2024.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Green Works in Kansas City delivers free nature exploration and environmental education programs to Kansas City youth in grades 4-7 and rising 9th-10th graders. Core offerings include ECOS Nature Club (Saturday hikes, bird watching, art, journaling), ECOS On Demand (flexible 1-3 hour school- and community-based programming), Wild Kind (winter outdoor skill-building), and Eco Lab (summer STEM career exploration with stipend).

Product overview

Green Works in Kansas City operates a portfolio of youth nature exploration and environmental education programs. The core offerings include ECOS Nature Club (Saturday nature activities for grades 4-7), ECOS On Demand (flexible school-based programming), Wild Kind (winter skill-building program), and Eco Lab (summer STEM career exploration for high schoolers). The organization previously operated The Perennial Bee retail store as a social enterprise. All programs focus on connecting Kansas City youth to nature and fostering environmental stewardship through hands-on outdoor experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ECOS Nature Club Free Saturday nature program for KCMO students in grades 4-7 offering hikes, bird watching, art projects, native tree and plant identification, music, and journaling, with an emphasis on teamwork and kindness toward living things. Meets during spring and fall seasons at Discovery Center (47th and Troost) and Lakeside Nature Center in Swope Park.
• ECOS On Demand Flexible nature programming for KCMO schools and community groups with 1-3 hour programs including hiking, tree identification, native plant lessons, and nature art. Available on weekdays and during summer months.
• Wild Kind Winter Saturday program for grades 4-7 featuring hikes, bird watching, and nature art combined with skill-building activities including cord-making from plant materials, navigation, compass use, fire-building, and cooking activities.
• Eco Lab

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of kids report increased interest in nature after completing one program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

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

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Lakeside Nature CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary program location partner for nature programming in Swope Park.
• Discovery CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram location at 47th and Troost for Saturday Nature Club sessions.
• Bridging the Gap / Kansas City WildlandsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner for invasive plant removal, habitat restoration, and environmental education campaigns. WaterWorks! program collaboration.
• Missouri Department of ConservationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for student internships and conservation education. Multiple students completed internships with MDC.
• Maker Village, 816 Bike Collective, Stitching ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partners for Repair Cafe events providing repair skills education and sustainability workshops.
• UMKCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner supporting youth programs and environmental education.
• Guadalupe CentersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partner serving Latino youth and families.
• Operation BreakthroughminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth services organization partner providing programming for Kansas City youth.
• LINCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity development organization partner for youth programming.
• Olsson AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering firm that hosted student worksite visits and provided internship opportunities.
• Kansas City ZoominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided internship opportunity for student participant at the zoo.
• KC University of Medical and BiosciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided internship placement for student participant at the university.
• SquareOneStudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided woodworking internship opportunity for student participant.
• Habitat RestoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided customer service internship experience for student participant.
• KCPTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic television station that featured Green Works programming and hosted student internship.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Gorman Conservation Discovery Center: Primary Saturday-program site for Green Works' ECOS Nature Club at 47th and Troost. Operates hands-on environmental education programming for K-8 youth in the same geographic footprint.
• Lakeside Nature Center: Hosted-program partner of Green Works and a Swope Park-based nature center delivering free outdoor environmental education to Kansas City youth. Operates the same outdoor nature-programming model on adjacent grounds, making it the closest operational analog.
• Burroughs Audubon Society: Listed program-location partner for Green Works and a comparable Kansas City nature-education nonprofit running school and youth nature programming. Operates the same mix of free nature programming for grades 4-7 in the same metro.
• NatureBridge: National nonprofit that delivers overnight and day environmental science field programs for K-12 youth. Closest national peer to Green Works' model of free, place-based nature programming for grade-school students that targets underserved urban youth.
• Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary: Listed program-location partner and a Kansas City-area nature sanctuary running free youth environmental education and outdoor programming for grades K-8. Closest operational analog in the same metro on the suburban North side.
• Earth Force: National nonprofit focused on K-12 civic environmental action and stewardship programming, including paid youth-internship models. Closely comparable to Green Works' Eco Lab program that pairs environmental monitoring with career exploration for teens.
• Bridging the Gap: Local Kansas City environmental-education partner of Green Works on invasive-plant removal, habitat restoration, and WaterWorks! programming. Operates the same urban-conservation programming model targeting Kansas City schools and youth.

Broad incumbents

• Missouri Department of Conservation: State government partner that hosts Green Works' student internships and runs Discover Nature programming for Missouri youth. Same nature-education audience across the same state, but as a large public agency rather than a small nonprofit.

Regional players

• Kansas City Zoo: Major Kansas City informal-education partner that hosted Green Works student internships and runs comparable youth wildlife and conservation programming in the same metro. Similar content (animal/ecology) but operates as a paid-admission attraction.

Emerging players

• Children & Nature Network: National movement and resource network advancing equitable access to nature for children, particularly in low-income urban communities. Closest network-level peer to Green Works' nature-deficit-disorder intervention thesis and urban-youth programming model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GreenWorksinKansasCity
• Facebookfacebook.com/greenworkskc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/green-works-in-kansas-city
• Instagraminstagram.com/greenworkskc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Green Works in Kansas City