Coldharbour Institute

What Coldharbour Institute does

Coldharbour Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Gunnison, Colorado, that advances regenerative practices across working agricultural lands and watersheds through education, research, and applied demonstration. Founded in 2015 through the merger of the Coldharbour Sustainable Living Center and the Office of Resource Efficiency, the institute operates from a 334-acre ranch (243 acres under conservation easement) donated by founders Butch and Judy Clark along Tomichi Creek east of Gunnison. The ranch functions as a living laboratory and the central delivery site for all programming.

The institute's portfolio comprises four core programs: Education & Research (youth and adult field trips, workshops, and graduate research), Healthy Watersheds (watershed assessment training, wetland restoration, and River Watch water quality monitoring), Regenerative Agriculture (holistic management demonstrations, planned grazing workshops, and the Colorado Regenerative Network — a Savory Institute Hub for Colorado), and Equitable Solar Solutions (a program that repurposes donated solar panels to install residential PV systems for low-income Gunnison County households in partnership with the Colorado Energy Office, Nunatak Alternative Energy, and Habitat for Humanity). Underlying technical work spans soil carbon sequestration and aggregate stability research, wildlife camera trapping along documented mule deer corridors on Highway 50, ArcGIS-based geospatial data management, and River Watch water quality testing on Tomichi Creek.

Revenue mechanics are characteristic of a community nonprofit: donations from individuals (processed via Network for Good), program fees for workshops, foundation grants (Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley, 1% for Open Space), and federal/state grants (National Science Foundation, NRCS, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Energy Office, Colorado Water Conservation Board). Services are predominantly free or donation-based. The institute serves a diversified beneficiary base including ranchers and agricultural producers in the Gunnison Valley, watershed stakeholders, low-income residents receiving solar installations, graduate and undergraduate researchers (primarily via Western Colorado University's Clark Family School of Environment and Sustainability and the Clark Fellows program), and K-12 students. Go-to-market is community-led: workshops, on-ranch field programming, university partnerships, and earned media coverage (Yale Climate Connections, CPR News, Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition for ESS founders, Gunnison Country Times).

Name

Coldharbour Institute

Legal name

Coldharbour Institute

Website

https://coldharbourinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coldharbour Institute is a Gunnison, Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers regenerative agriculture, watershed restoration, environmental education, and affordable solar programs from a 334-acre ranch, serving ranchers, students, low-income residents, and conservation stakeholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education and Land Stewardship Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Forestry (800), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry, Land Use & REDD+ Programs (BPADALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor Education & Adventure Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAJ), Agroforestry & Shelterbelt/Windbreak Establishment (AFAMACAJ)

Keywords

• Regenerative agriculture education
• Watershed restoration services
• Nonprofit land stewardship
• Equitable solar installation
• Environmental research programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Gunnison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Coldharbour Institute relies on donations from individuals and organizations. Donations can be made through Network for Good platform.
2. Educational Workshops and Training Programs: The institute offers workshops in regenerative agriculture, holistic management, planned grazing, and watershed assessment techniques for community members and professionals.
3. Grants and Foundation Funding: Funding from organizations including Colorado Energy Office, National Science Foundation, Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley, and other grant-making entities to support research programs and restoration projects.
4. Equitable Solar Solutions Program Revenue: The ESS program repurposes donated solar panels to install solar arrays for low-income residents, funded through Colorado Energy Office grants and equipment donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Coldharbour Institute facilitates education, incubation, and demonstration of responsible personal, community, and land practices through programs delivered on a 334-acre ranch in the Gunnison Valley. Its core offerings include youth and adult education in regenerative agriculture and applied watershed sciences, watershed restoration training and water quality monitoring (River Watch), holistic management workshops, and the Equitable Solar Solutions program that installs repurposed solar arrays for low-income residents.

Product overview

Coldharbour Institute offers a portfolio of environmental education and research programs centered on regenerative practices. The core offerings include: Education & Research (youth and adult programming using the ranch as a classroom), Healthy Watersheds (watershed education, restoration training, and water quality monitoring), Regenerative Agriculture (holistic land management demonstrations and workshops), Equitable Solar Solutions (repurposed solar panel installations for low-income families), and the Colorado Regenerative Network (statewide network for regenerative practitioners). River Watch provides ongoing water quality monitoring. Together, these programs advance regenerative agriculture and watershed health through education, applied research, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Colorado Regenerative Network: A network of holistic management practitioners that aims to expand regenerative practices into statewide practice and consciousness through collaborative work in the Colorado region. CRN is a Savory Institute Hub.
• Equitable Solar Solutions (ESS)

Products and services

• Education & Research
• Healthy Watersheds
• Regenerative Agriculture
• Equitable Solar Solutions (ESS)
• Colorado Regenerative Network (CRN)
• River Watch Water Quality Monitoring

Quantifiable outcome

• Soil aggregate stability increased from class 5 (control) to class 6 (treatment) with compost amendments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Nunatak Alternative Energy SolutionscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 June 2021Local solar installer providing design, installation, and commissioning services for ESS solar projects. Provides mounting hardware, cabling, conduit, and labor for PV system installations.
• Western Colorado University - Clark Family School of Environment and SustainabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Social equity solar energy interns from Western Colorado University worked with ESS program to install solar arrays on homes in Gunnison.
• Western Colorado UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary academic partner providing graduate students through the Clark Fellows program. Students conduct thesis research, watershed monitoring, soil health studies, and wildlife research at Coldharbour Ranch. The partnership provides land access for MEM and Ecology students while giving Coldharbour research capacity.
• Habitat for HumanitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on solar installations for Habitat for Humanity homes in Gunnison, providing affordable solar access for low-income homeowners.
• Savory InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColdharbour Institute serves as the Savory Institute Hub for Colorado, facilitating large-scale regeneration of Colorado's lands through holistic management practices, networking opportunities, and workshops.
• Colorado Parks and WildlifesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency partner working on wildlife corridor protection and migration monitoring along Highway 50.
• The Nature ConservancysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization partner in watershed and land protection efforts.
• Trout UnlimitedsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization focused on coldwater fisheries conservation, working on watershed and aquatic ecosystem restoration.
• US Fish and Wildlife ServicesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency supporting conservation and wildlife habitat protection efforts on the ranch.
• NRCS Natural Resources Conservation ServicesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal conservation agency providing technical and financial assistance for conservation practices.
• River Watch of ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater quality monitoring program where Coldharbour contributes data from Tomichi Creek monitoring into the statewide River Watch database.
• Parker PasturessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner producer grazing cattle and sheep on Coldharbour Ranch, demonstrating regenerative grazing practices. Key partner in Colorado Regenerative Network.
• Calder FarmsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner producer raising pasture pork on Coldharbour Ranch, sharing regenerative practices within the Coldharbour Regenerative Network.
• Mountain Roots Food ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner cultivating 1 acre of vegetables on Coldharbour Ranch, focused on training next-generation farmers and bringing fresh food to the community.
• City of GunnisonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in community sustainability and environmental initiatives.
• Gunnison Basin RoundtablesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal water management collaboration forum addressing water resource issues in the Gunnison Basin.
• Gunnison Watershed School DistrictsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner for youth education programs and field trip opportunities.
• Sandia National LaboratoriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research laboratory supporting scientific research and innovation projects.
• Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy DistrictsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater conservation district supporting watershed health and water management efforts.
• Colorado Water Conservation BoardsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency supporting water conservation and watershed restoration projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• River Network: National nonprofit supporting watershed protection through training, capacity-building, and water-quality monitoring — overlapping with Coldharbour's River Watch and Healthy Watersheds programs at a national-network level.

Direct peers

• Holistic Management International: Nonprofit focused on teaching holistic management and regenerative grazing to ranchers and land managers globally; shares Coldharbour's core pedagogical approach (planned grazing, holistic land planning) and educational workshop model.
• Quivira Coalition: Santa Fe-based nonprofit that builds soil, economic, and ecological resilience on Western working lands through rancher-mentoring, apprenticeships, and land-health monitoring; highly comparable in geography, audience (Western ranchers), and education-plus-demonstration model.
• Canyonlands Regeneration: Utah-based nonprofit advancing regenerative grazing and land management on Western rangelands through producer workshops and applied monitoring; closely comparable in mission, scale, and rancher-focused training programs.
• Savory Institute: Global hub network for holistic management and regenerative agriculture education; Coldharbour operates as a Savory Institute Hub for Colorado, making Savory both parent network and most direct comparable in mission and curriculum.

Regional players

• Western Resource Advocates: Regional nonprofit working on water, climate, and land-use issues across the Western U.S.; overlaps with Coldharbour's water policy and watershed work and operates in the same Gunnison/Colorado geography.

Broad incumbents

• Trout Unlimited: National coldwater-fisheries conservation nonprofit already partnering with Coldharbour on aquatic ecosystem restoration; comparable in watershed-restoration training and coldwater-habitat focus though operating at much larger scale.
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE): USDA-funded program delivering grants, education, and applied research on sustainable and regenerative agriculture; comparable in audience (ranchers, extension educators) and pedagogy though federally administered rather than nonprofit-led.
• The Nature Conservancy (Colorado Chapter): Global conservation organization with active partnership with Coldharbour on watershed and land protection; operates at vastly greater scale but overlaps in conservation-easement, watershed-restoration, and ranch-land stewardship work in Colorado.
• EcoTrust: Pacific Northwest-based nonprofit investing in forestry, agriculture, and community resilience through land acquisition, education, and applied programs; comparable as a large-cap nonprofit blending conservation, regenerative practice, and community education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/colorado.regenerative.network
• Xx.com/coldharbourins1
• Facebookfacebook.com/coldharbourinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coldharbour-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Coldharbour Institute