Natural Heritage Institute

Name

Natural Heritage Institute

Legal name

Natural Heritage Institute

Website

https://n-h-i.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resource Management Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH), Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA) (EUAHAAAH), Environment, Climate & Sustainable Development IGOs (BPADAAAI)

Keywords

• Water resource management
• River basin restoration
• Dam reoperation consulting
• Environmental flow planning
• Conservation legal services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Philanthropic Funding: NHI is a non-profit organization funded by foundations including Pew Charitable Trusts, Ford Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and other environmental philanthropies. These grants support NHI's global water management and river basin restoration programs.
2. Government Contracts and Agreements: NHI receives support from governmental agencies including U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, California Dept. of Water Resources, and international government agencies for specific project implementation and consulting.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Natural Heritage Institute (NHI) delivers expert consulting, policy advisory, and legal advocacy services for water resource management and the restoration of natural functions in developed river basins. Its work spans reservoir reoperation, environmental flow provision, sediment management, and dam removal negotiations for government agencies, private hydropower operators, and conservation NGOs across California, the Mekong, Yellow River, Chao Praya, and African basins. NHI pairs this advisory work with proprietary analytical tools (SedSim model, hydrological modeling, Adaptive Management Framework) and knowledge dissemination via publications, workshops, and a video animation.

Product overview

Natural Heritage Institute (NHI) is a non-profit non-governmental organization that operates as a program-based entity rather than a commercial product company. NHI's work centers on two core programs: Water Management Reform and Restoring Natural Functions in Developed River Basins. These programs are supported by four interconnected tools: Assessing Alternative Futures (hydrologic modeling), Regulatory Interventions (institutional design), Management Innovations (restoration planning), and Advancing the State of Knowledge. The flagship Global Dam Reoperation Initiative (GDRI) synthesizes these capabilities to transform global hydropower practices. NHI also produces knowledge resources including publications and video animations. The organization focuses on major river basins globally including California, Mekong, Chao Praya, Yellow River, and African basins, offering consulting services rather than proprietary software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Management Reform Program NHI's program focused on water management reform in California and internationally, including the California Waterscape initiative and the California Water Bond Act of 2018, addressing water supply benefits and ecosystem restoration for government agencies and the public.
• Restoring Natural Functions in Developed River Basins NHI's international program working in major river basins including the Mekong River Basin (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam), Chao Praya River, Yellow River, and Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands (Nigeria), to restore freshwater ecosystems through innovative planning and management techniques for governments and conservation partners.
• Global Dam Reoperation Initiative (GDRI) NHI's global flagship program that develops and shares knowledge on dam reoperation tools and techniques to transform how dams are sited, designed, and operated to be more environmentally compatible, including a video animation and online knowledge sharing platform aimed at dam operators, governments, and the academic community.
• Dam Reoperation Video Animation A 40-minute video animation depicting how rivers function, how dams impair those functions, and how dams can be re-operated to restore natural productivity and adapt to climate change at the global scale, targeted at governments, dam operators, and the public.
• Hydrologic Modeling (Assessing Alternative Futures) NHI's analytical tool for assessing alternative futures in water management, using hydrological models to simulate scenarios and evaluate outcomes for river basin planning, delivered to government and private-sector water clients.
• Regulatory Interventions (Institutional Design) NHI's methodology for designing novel governance mechanisms and regulatory frameworks to reoperate reservoirs, bank groundwater for environmental flows, administer water rights, manage agricultural drainage, and execute international water transfers, applied for government and intergovernmental clients.
• Management Innovations (Restoration Planning) NHI's adaptive management approach for restoration planning that incorporates stakeholder-driven collaborative learning, monitors results, and adjusts strategies based on new information, applied in river basin restoration projects.
• Advancing the State of Knowledge NHI's knowledge generation and transference program including the Global Dam Reoperation Initiative, rapid assessment tools, workshops, and training to disseminate best practices in sustainable hydropower and water management to development assistance agencies, dam operators, governments, NGOs, and academics.

Quantifiable outcome

• NHI has negotiated settlements covering more than 25 dams operated by local power companies throughout the United States
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• Mekong River CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional intergovernmental body managing Mekong River resources. NHI partners with national governments in the Mekong River Basin to identify knowledge gaps and assess alternatives for hydropower dam siting, design and operation to maintain natural river productivity.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal environmental organization focused on freshwater conservation. NHI works with TNC's Global Freshwater Team on strategic group for ecologically sustainable hydropower and demonstration projects in Yangtze and Zambezi River Basins.
• American RiverscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational river conservation organization. NHI served as counsel to American Rivers in the Klamath River Basin Restoration project for dam removal to restore salmon and steelhead fisheries.
• California Department of Water ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency managing California's water resources. NHI collaborates on Bay Delta Conservation Plan, CALFED Bay Delta Program, and California statewide water planning initiatives.
• International Water Management InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research organization focused on water resources management in developing countries. Supports NHI's international development projects and climate change adaptation work.
• Cornell University - School of Civil and Environmental EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution. Dr. Daniel Peter Loucks serves on NHI Board of Directors. NHI collaborates on simulation of transboundary water management problems and development of SedSim screening model.
• University of California, BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution. Professor Matt Kondolf (fluvial geomorphology, environmental planning, hydrology) and Zan Rubin (quantification of ecosystem impacts) serve as NHI consultants. Collaborates on Mekong sediment studies.
• Volta Basin AuthoritymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional water management authority for Volta River Basin in West Africa. NHI partners on dam reoperation projects including Akosombo and Kpong Dam Reop Project in Ghana.
• Yellow River Conservancy CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChinese government agency managing Yellow River resources. NHI collaborates on Yellow River project addressing sediment management and environmental flow restoration.
• World Wildlife FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organization. NHI collaborates on freshwater ecosystem protection projects including WWF-Mexico initiatives.
• Conservation InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal environmental organization. NHI partners on river basin conservation initiatives addressing biodiversity and water security.
• Harvard University School of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution collaborating on water resources and environmental health research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Conservation International: Global environmental NGO working on biodiversity, freshwater, and water security. Listed as an NHI partner on river basin conservation; broader scope but shared philanthropic funder base and mission overlap.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC): Large global conservation organization with a Global Freshwater Team. TNC is an NHI strategic partner (Yangtze, Zambezi demonstration projects) but operates at much larger scale across broader conservation portfolios beyond water.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Global conservation organization with active freshwater and rivers programs. Partners with NHI on Mexico freshwater ecosystem protection; comparable in mission and global funder base but broader than NHI's basin-scale water management focus.

Direct peers

• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): Major environmental NGO with a long-running Western Water program and strong California water policy presence. Shares NHI's focus on water markets, ecosystem services, and advocacy engagement with state/federal agencies and hydropower operators.
• Pacific Institute: Oakland-based water policy research organization working on global freshwater sustainability. Closely comparable to NHI's consulting/policy model, California focus, and emphasis on integrated basin-scale analysis and stakeholder engagement.
• NatureServe: Nonprofit that provides biodiversity and ecological data and science to support conservation decisions. Comparable to NHI in operating model (nonprofit, science-driven conservation), though NHI focuses on water infrastructure while NatureServe focuses on species/habitat data.
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI): CGIAR-affiliated research organization focused on water resources management for developing countries. Directly comparable to NHI in mission, methods (systems analysis, hydrologic modeling), and donor/IGO funder base; listed as an NHI partner for international development projects.
• Wetlands International: Global not-for-profit dedicated to wetland conservation and sustainable water management. Comparable to NHI in mission (freshwater ecosystem protection, Hadejia-Nguru wetlands work), technical approach, and global funder base.
• American Rivers: U.S. river conservation organization focused on dam removal and freshwater ecosystem protection. Direct counterpart of NHI in the Klamath River Basin Restoration project and overlapping client base of hydropower operators, regulators, and conservation NGOs.
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI): Independent research organization working on environment and development issues, with deep water resources and transboundary governance programs. Comparable to NHI in methods (systems analysis, stakeholder engagement), geography (Africa, Asia), and IGO/government funder mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NHISF

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Natural Heritage Institute