Environmental Science For Social Change

What Environmental Science For Social Change does

Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC) is a Jesuit research and training institute headquartered at the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines, with a field operations office in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. Founded over 30 years ago as part of the Society of Jesus Social Apostolate network, ESSC integrates scientific methodologies with social processes to advance environmental sustainability and social justice across the Asia Pacific region. Its core audience comprises upland and coastal communities, indigenous peoples, local government units (LGUs), and Philippine national agencies, alongside Jesuit institutions and faith-based partners engaged in ecological advocacy.

ESSC's portfolio centers on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA) as the umbrella program, supported by discrete multi-year projects including the five-year RACPA initiative with Jesuit Refugee Service Asia Pacific, the 3.5-year RURBANISE urban resilience study, LUCID on land use change drivers, ALARM-GAUP on forest ecosystems in the Pantaron Mountain Range, Building Back Better on rainfall-induced hazards, Eco-Agriculture training, the Isabela Land Cover Assessment, and technical assistance to the National Inquiry on Climate Change. Technical services rest on a geoinformatics stack combining Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing, a proprietary Community Resource Mapping methodology that fuses socio-cultural and spatial information, hydrological resource monitoring via automated weather stations, rain gauges, stream gauges, and weirs, and QGIS capacity-building for LGU planning. The National Watershed Database consolidates watershed delineation, topographic, land use, and socio-economic layers accumulated across 30+ years of fieldwork.

ESSC operates as a non-profit research and training institute, generating revenue through research grants and project funding from international institutions, foundations, and government agencies, with no commercial pricing model. Its go-to-market is community-led through long-term accompaniment of communities and partnership with LGUs, national agencies, and Jesuit networks. The organization holds UN ECOSOC special consultative status and UNFCCC observer status since 2021, and has held Philippine Department of Science and Technology accreditation since 2010, while also running secretariat functions for Ecojesuit (2009-2024) and RAOEN (since 2020).

Name

Environmental Science For Social Change

Legal name

Environmental Science For Social Change, Inc.

Website

https://essc.org.ph

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC) is a Jesuit research and training institute in the Philippines that integrates GIS, remote sensing, and participatory community mapping to advance climate adaptation, watershed management, and social justice for upland and coastal communities, LGUs, and Jesuit networks across Asia Pacific.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Research and Training Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK), Sustainability, ESG & Climate Risk Advisory (BPAHAJAH), ESG Data Platforms, Controls & Audit Readiness (Data quality, internal controls) (EUAHAJAN)

Keywords

• Environmental research services
• Climate change adaptation
• Watershed management
• Community resource mapping
• Disaster risk reduction training

Headquarters

HQ city

Loyola Heights

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Project Funding: ESSC operates primarily as a non-profit research and training institute funded through grants and project partnerships with international institutions, foundations, and government agencies. Revenue supports research programs, training activities, and operational costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ESSC is a Jesuit research and training institute that conducts participatory research, training, and capacity-building programs on environmental sustainability and social justice. Its core offerings center on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation (DRR-CCA), watershed and forest management, community resource mapping using GIS and remote sensing, hydrological monitoring, and policy advocacy. Programs are delivered through direct community accompaniment in Philippine upland and coastal areas and through partnerships with LGUs, government agencies, and faith-based networks across Asia Pacific.

Product overview

ESSC is a Jesuit research and training institute offering a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include DRR-CCA (Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation) as the overarching program framework, supported by specific projects like RACPA, RURBANISE, LUCID, ALARM-GAUP, Building Back Better, Eco-Agriculture, ILCA, and NICC. Technical services encompass Geoinformatics (GIS and Remote Sensing), Community Resource Mapping, Resource Monitoring, and QGIS Training for LGU planning. The Global Networking Program provides secretariat assistance to Ecojesuit and RAOEN networks. These programs integrate scientific methodologies with social processes to promote environmental sustainability and social justice across the Asia Pacific region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Asia Forest Network (AFN): A network for forest-related research and collaboration across Asia Pacific region
• Our Environmental Way of Proceeding (OEWP)

Products and services

• Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA) Program A program framework focused on understanding differential community vulnerability and climate-induced displacement, building resilience through collaborations with local governments, national agencies, and humanitarian organizations in the Philippines and Indonesia.
• Research and Advocacy for Climate Policy and Action (RACPA) A five-year research and advocacy project in partnership with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)-Asia Pacific that strengthens adaptive capacities and builds climate resilience of coastal and island communities at risk of internal displacement due to climate change, with activities in Nocnocan Island, Talibon, Bohol (Philippines) and coastal communities in Central Java (Indonesia).
• RURBANISE (Building Resilience in the Context of Rapid Urbanization) A 3.5-year research project that examines how changing patterns of urbanization shape differential vulnerabilities in informal settlements, with focus on nine communities of the Homeless People's Federation of the Philippines across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
• Land Use Change Impacts and Drivers (LUCID) A five-year research and training project analyzing socio-economic drivers and impacts of land use change in Philippine uplands, promoting equitable and environmentally responsible agriculture and supporting informed decision-making among actors driving land use change towards high-yield variety corn.
• ALARM-GAUP (Assessment of Land and Resource Management and Generating Advancement for Upland Peoples) A collaborative project with Forest Foundation Philippines that contributes to enhancing forest ecosystem services in the Pantaron Mountain Range spanning provinces in Mindanao, one of the last remaining primary forest blocks in the Philippines.
• Building Back Better (BBB) A disaster risk reduction program that reduces risk of rainfall-induced hazards by accompanying communities and local governments in relocating high-risk communities to safe sites, including partnership with the Municipality of Salcedo, Eastern Samar.
• Eco-Agriculture A project developing and establishing a rural upland eco-agricultural farm and training program that sustains forest maintenance and cultural well-being, with indigenous youth participating in eco-agri management training.
• Isabela Land Cover Assessment (ILCA) A project that contributes to robust, updated, and meaningful forest and land cover change appraisal in the province of Isabela and its Sierra Madre landscape.
• National Inquiry on Climate Change (NICC) A policy advocacy initiative for which ESSC provided technical assistance to the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines to determine possible responsibility of Carbon Majors for human rights violations due to climate change impacts, in the world's first such inquiry conducted by a national human rights institution.
• Advancing Youth Development in Mindanao (AYDIM) A project accompanying youth and young adults from indigenous communities to actively participate in sustainable management of natural and cultural resources in rapidly changing socio-economic landscapes in Mindanao.
• Geoinformatics Services Environmental mapping service using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing technologies for community-based natural resource management, development planning, and policy support, integrated into a National Watershed Database for Philippine catchments.
• Community Resource Mapping A socio-cultural method that provides communities a forum to share perceptions and understanding of their relationship with land and water, integrating spatial and cultural information with geographic data such as land use, location, water resource distribution, and tenure for management planning and monitoring.
• Resource Monitoring Collection of primary data from automated weather stations, manual rain gauges, stream gauges, and weirs to understand hydrological and ecological regimes interacting in catchments, supporting water and nutrient resource sustainability.
• QGIS Training for LGU Planning Geomatics training for local government unit planning covering Disaster Risk Reduction, Forest Land Use Planning, and Comprehensive Land Use Planning using QGIS at basic and advanced levels, open to LGUs and other interested groups.
• ESSC Global Networking Program A program that strengthens contributions of faith actors to global advocacy for care of the Common Home through facilitating local-to-global processes via global networking, regional dialogues, and in-country engagement platforms, including secretariat assistance to Ecojesuit and RAOEN.

Quantifiable outcome

• National Watershed Database integration with international institutions and national government agencies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)-Asia PacificcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive-year RACPA (Research and Advocacy for Climate Policy and Action) project partnership to strengthen adaptive capacities and build climate resilience of coastal and island communities at risk of internal displacement due to climate change. ESSC implements research activities with communities in Nocnocan Island, Talibon, Bohol.
• Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment, Inc. (TAMPEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRURBANISE project consortium lead focusing on understanding how changing patterns of urbanization shape differential vulnerabilities in human settlements, with focus on nine communities of Homeless People's Federation of the Philippines.
• UP Resilience Institute (UPRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Resilience Live webinar series and UNESCO International Geoscience Programme collaboration. ESSC actively participates in and promotes UPRI's climate and disaster resilience webinar series.
• UP School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP SURP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRURBANISE project consortium member working on informal settlements and urbanization vulnerabilities in the Philippines.
• University of Sheffield-Urban InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRURBANISE project consortium member contributing international academic expertise on urban resilience and informal settlements.
• Forest Foundation PhilippinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALARM-GAUP collaborative project for enhancing forest ecosystem services in the Pantaron Mountain Range, contributing to one of the last remaining primary forest blocks in Mindanao.
• Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center (APC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSC serves as the assisting organization for APC operations, proposal writing, project cycle management, and communications. APC provides culture-based education to Pulangiyēn children and youth in Mindanao. Collaborative programs include Forest, Farm, and Leadership in the Margins training.
• Ecojesuit (Global Ignatian Advocacy Network on Ecology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSC provides secretariat and technical assistance to Ecojesuit from 2009 to 2024, facilitating global networking for faith actors in environmental advocacy and contributing to the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network on Ecology under the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat in Rome.
• River Above Asia Oceania Ecclesial Network (RAOEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSC provides secretariat and technical assistance to RAOEN since 2020, supporting the network's work on integral ecology and reconciliation with creation across Asia Oceania.
• Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with national government agencies for environmental mapping, watershed database integration, and policy development. Includes partnerships with Forest Management Bureau, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Biodiversity Management Bureau, and Environmental Management Bureau.
• Commission on Human Rights of the PhilippinesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSC Research Director Dr. Pedro Walpole SJ provided technical assistance to the National Inquiry on Climate Change (NICC), the world's first inquiry on climate change conducted by a national human rights institution, investigating responsibility of Carbon Majors for human rights violations.
• Ateneo de Manila UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSC is based at the Ateneo de Manila University Campus. Collaboration with School of Social Sciences, Department of Economics, Department of Political Science, School of Humanities, and Department of Philosophy.
• Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSC assists JCAP's Reconciliation with Creation (RwC) program, including development of the Our Environmental Way of Proceeding framework. Participation in JCAP Social Apostolate core group activities.
• Philippine Province of the Society of JesuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSC is a member of the Society of Jesus Social Apostolate (SJSA) network of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus, contributing to Jesuit social mission in the Philippines.
• UN Food and Agriculture Organization-Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Asia Forest Network activities including expert consultations and publications on forestry and natural resource management. Joint photo exhibits and knowledge sharing initiatives.
• Percik Institute (Indonesia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRACPA project partner implementing activities in coastal communities in Central Java, Indonesia (Tambakrejo, Semarang Regency and Wonoagung in Demak Regency). ESSC provides community mapping assistance.
• Lassalle-InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in global networking and faith-based environmental initiatives.
• Municipality of TaliboncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership in barangay development planning and climate resilience initiatives. Collaborates with Municipal Planning and Development Office (MPDO) on RACPA project implementation in Bohol.
• Municipality of Salcedo, Eastern SamarmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBuilding Back Better project partnership for relocating high-risk communities from rainfall-induced hazards in Salcedo, Eastern Samar.
• Aksyon Klima PilipinasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in climate policy advocacy and climate action coordination in the Philippines.
• Climate Action and Human Rights Institute (CAHRI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on climate action and human rights advocacy in the Philippines.
• Homeless People's Federation Philippines, Inc (HPFPI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRURBANISE project partner for informal settlement communities across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
• Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc (PMPI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in advocacy and development work aligned with environmental and social justice objectives.
• Rights of Nature PH Task ForceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on rights of nature advocacy and environmental justice in the Philippines.
• Asia Forest NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSC hosts and collaborates through the Asia Forest Network, a regional network for sharing forest management experiences and best practices across Asia Pacific.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): Much larger global environmental research organization operating across climate, water, and sustainable landscapes. Overlaps with ESSC's research-and-policy focus but operates at significantly greater scale and across more geographies.
• IUCN Asia Regional Office: Global conservation union with Asia regional operations covering ecosystems, biodiversity, and indigenous community rights. Overlaps with ESSC's watershed and forest conservation work, though IUCN is far broader and policy-focused internationally.

Others

• Ateneo de Manila University: Host academic institution at whose Loyola Heights campus ESSC is operationally based, within the same Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus ecosystem. Acts as infrastructure provider and academic-partner counterpart rather than a peer in mission.

Direct peers

• Practical Action: International development organization using technology and participatory approaches to address poverty and environmental vulnerability, with strong Asia Pacific presence. Comparable in community-accompaniment methodology, climate adaptation focus, and grant-funded non-profit operations.
• Manila Observatory: Fellow Jesuit research institute also housed at Ateneo de Manila University, conducting atmospheric and climate research. Directly comparable in Jesuit institutional affiliation, Philippine base, research-and-training mission, and UN-linked climate work.
• Forest Foundation Philippines: Philippine foundation funding and partnering on forest conservation, including the ALARM-GAUP project with ESSC. Closely comparable in funding geography, forest/watershed focus, and grant-based non-profit model.
• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED): Research and policy organization linking local priorities with global environmental agendas. Comparable in participatory action research, climate justice focus, and grant-funded delivery of advisory and capacity-building services.
• Tebtebba Foundation: Indigenous peoples' policy research and education center based in the Philippines. Comparable in working at the intersection of indigenous community empowerment, environmental sustainability, and policy advocacy in the Asia Pacific.
• RECOFTC (Center for People and Forests): Asia-Pacific non-profit focused on community forestry and sustainable landscapes, headquartered in Bangkok. Directly comparable in community-based natural resource management, forestry research, and capacity-building programs across Southeast Asia.
• Conservation International Philippines: Philippine branch of global environmental NGO working on biodiversity, climate, and sustainable landscapes. Comparable in environmental research and conservation programming targeting Philippine ecosystems and communities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Ecojesuit
• Facebookfacebook.com/esscphilippines
• Instagraminstagram.com/essc.org.ph

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Environmental Science For Social Change