Grassland Heritage Foundation

What Grassland Heritage Foundation does

Grassland Heritage Foundation (GHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust founded in 1975 and headquartered in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, with operations focused on northeast Kansas. The organization's core function is the preservation, restoration, and management of tallgrass prairie — an ecosystem of which only ~1% remains globally — through direct land protection, ecological stewardship, and public education. GHF actively manages roughly 105 acres of prairie across Snyder Prairie (85 acres near Mayetta), Leadplant Prairie (17.7 acres in Anderson County, hosting the federally threatened Mead's milkweed), and Roulund-Wagner Prairie (~3 acres, contiguous to The Prairie Center state property in Olathe). It also previously acquired and conveyed The Prairie Center (300 acres) to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks via partnership with The Nature Conservancy in 1990.

GHF delivers its mission through a portfolio of programs including the Groundhogs volunteer prairie management team (monthly workdays), the annual native plant sale (~65 species at $4.00–$4.50 per plant), the Sustaining Prairies Fund ($500–$1,000 grants to teachers and community leaders), the Gaylord Atkinson Memorial Scholarship (up to $1,000 for Kansas university prairie research), a quarterly newsletter, and a recurring Prairie Presentations speaker series. The organization partners with municipal bodies (Lawrence Parks & Recreation, City of Lawrence, Emporia State University), tribal/educational institutions (Haskell Indian Nations University), and conservation groups (Native Lands Restoration Collaborative, Jayhawk Audubon Society, Black Jack Battlefield Trust, Kansas Biological Survey) on restoration projects including Prairie Park and Black Jack Battlefield.

The business model is a donation-and-membership-driven nonprofit: annual individual memberships start at $15, supplemented by unrestricted and earmarked donations (Prairie Preservation Fund, Sustaining Prairies Fund), small grants (Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council), and net plant-sale proceeds. GHF is governed by a board of directors and operates with a small staff (Program Director and Preserve Manager). It has no parent company, no venture or institutional capital, and no publicly disclosed financial statements. Technology is limited to conventional ecological restoration techniques — prescribed burning, invasive species control, native seed collection and dispersal, and species surveys — with no AI, software product, or proprietary technology disclosed.

Name

Grassland Heritage Foundation

Legal name

Grassland Heritage Foundation

Website

https://grasslandheritage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grassland Heritage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust founded in 1975 that preserves tallgrass prairie in northeast Kansas through land protection, volunteer-driven ecological restoration, education, and an annual native plant sale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grassland/Rangeland Management & Restoration (EUABABAF), Forest Ecosystem Services & Carbon/Conservation Programs (AFAMAAAJ), Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

Keywords

• Prairie preservation
• Land trust stewardship
• Native plant sales
• Conservation education
• Tallgrass prairie restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Shawnee Mission

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership donations at $15 or more, providing members with newsletter access, discounts on plant sales, workshop notifications, and volunteer opportunities.
2. Donations and Support: General donations and targeted donations to specific funds such as the Prairie Preservation Fund, Sustaining Prairies Fund, and scholarship funds.
3. Native Plant Sale: Annual spring native plant sale generating revenue with discounted prices for members ($4.00) and regular prices ($4.50) for non-members, with approximately 65 species available.
4. Sustaining Prairies Fund Grants: Program providing $500-$1,000 grants to teachers and community leaders for prairie garden maintenance; not revenue-generating but a program activity funded by donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Grassland Heritage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust that preserves tallgrass prairies in eastern Kansas through three integrated activities: education (workshops, prairie walks, speaker presentations, newsletter), stewardship (direct land management using prescribed burning, invasive species control, native seed collection, and ecological monitoring at owned prairie sites), and land protection (acquiring and holding prairie parcels such as Snyder Prairie, Leadplant Prairie, and Roulund-Wagner Prairie). Member-supported programs include an annual native plant sale, the Groundhogs volunteer restoration team, the Sustaining Prairies Fund grant program for educators, and the Gaylord Atkinson Memorial Scholarship for prairie research.

Product overview

Grassland Heritage Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) land trust that does not operate a traditional software product. Instead, it offers a portfolio of prairie conservation programs and services: Prairie Preservation Programs (education, stewardship, and land protection), Prairie Education and Workshops, the Annual Native Plant Sale (approximately 65 species), the Groundhogs Volunteer Program (hands-on prairie management), the Sustaining Prairies Fund (grants for educational prairie gardens), Prairie Restoration Projects (Prairie Park and Black Jack Battlefield), the Gaylord Atkinson Memorial Scholarship (up to $1,000 for prairie research), the GHF Newsletter (quarterly), and management of protected prairie sites including Leadplant Prairie. These programs work together to fulfill GHF's mission of preserving prairies in eastern Kansas through education, stewardship, and land protection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Membership Program Annual membership in Grassland Heritage Foundation for $15 or more, providing members with newsletter access, plant sale discounts, workshop notifications, volunteer opportunities, and voting rights in organization governance; intended for conservation supporters in northeast Kansas.
• Annual Native Plant Sale Spring native plant sale featuring approximately 65 species of Kansas native plants, with pre-order availability for members ($4.00) and standard pricing ($4.50) for non-members; includes educational activities during the event for prairie gardeners and conservation supporters.
• Groundhogs Volunteer Program

Segments4 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 core and minor.

• Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Property conveyed to KDWP for permanent protection of The Prairie Center. GHF continues involvement with management and retained Roulund-Wagner Prairie.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1983Historic partnership to ensure permanent protection of The Prairie Center in Olathe, Kansas. Through this partnership, GHF conveyed the property to Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in 1990.
• Native Lands Restoration CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGHF partners with Native Lands Restoration Collaborative (formerly Native Lands, LLC) on prairie restoration projects including the Prairie Park Project in Lawrence, KS. The partnership involves tree removal, invasive plant control, and native prairie re-establishment.
• Lawrence Parks and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Lawrence Parks and Recreation for the Prairie Park Prairie Education and Restoration Project. The city park adjacent to Prairie Park Nature Center and Preserve serves as the project site.
• Haskell Indian Nations UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaskell Indian Nations University partnered with GHF on the Prairie Park project, providing student internships and participating in prairie education and restoration activities.
• Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for developing an online course for Kansas educators through the Prairie Park Project. GHF and this organization collaborated on prairie education curriculum.
• Jayhawk Audubon SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Jayhawk Audubon Society on the Black Jack Battlefield Prairie Restoration Project completed in 2022.
• Black Jack Battlefield TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on prairie restoration at Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park, a National Historic Landmark near Baldwin City, KS.
• City of LawrencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Lawrence partnership for native plant sale including discounted rain garden kits and support for Prairie Park restoration project through Parks and Recreation.
• Emporia State University's Prophet Aquatic Research & Outreach CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for native plant sale events at Emporia location, with joint seminar on gardening with natives and family activities.
• Little Prairie Community GardenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGHF established a native plant demonstration garden (The Little Prairie) at this city-sponsored community garden in Lawrence, hosting workshops and educational events.
• Kansas Biological SurveyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKansas Biological Survey counted 199 plant species on Leadplant Prairie including the federally threatened Mead's milkweed.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Southern Plains Land Trust: A nonprofit land trust protecting grasslands across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas — directly comparable prairie land conservation scope and nonprofit structure operating in the southern Great Plains.
• Missouri Prairie Foundation: A state-level nonprofit land trust dedicated to prairie conservation, land acquisition, native plant sales, and public education in Missouri — directly comparable in mission, program mix, and nonprofit land trust structure to GHF.
• Northern Prairies Land Trust: A small regional land trust conserving remnant prairies and grasslands in the upper Midwest — directly comparable regional-scale nonprofit with similar volunteer-driven prairie protection programs.
• American Prairie Foundation: A nonprofit land trust building the largest nature reserve in the contiguous U.S. in Montana's northern Great Plains — same land trust model applied to prairie preservation but at a far larger western footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks: The state agency that assumed ownership of The Prairie Center in 1990; manages public prairies and provides the regulatory and stewardship context for GHF's work in northeast Kansas.
• The Nature Conservancy (Kansas Chapter): A global conservation organization with active prairie work in Kansas and a historic partnership with GHF on The Prairie Center — overlapping on land protection and prairie restoration but operating at vastly greater national scope.
• National Wildlife Federation: A national conservation nonprofit with a Great Plains program that addresses grassland habitat, native plant ecosystems, and policy advocacy — operates at significantly larger scale than GHF in adjacent issues.

Emerging players

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: A nonprofit focused on invertebrate/pollinator conservation with significant overlap into prairie and native plant habitat work — comparable education and habitat-restoration mission but pest/invertebrate-led.

Others

• Konza Prairie Biological Station: A Kansas State University–affiliated research station studying tallgrass prairie ecology and home to a former GHF board member's workplace (NEON) — comparable ecosystem focus via research rather than direct conservation delivery.

Regional players

• Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve: An NPS-managed preserve of tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of Kansas; comparable in ecosystem focus but federally operated with tourism and grazing integration rather than nonprofit membership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=dMBnQS9xzYw
• Facebookfacebook.com/GrasslandHeritageFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/grasslandheritage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grassland-heritage-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Grassland Heritage Foundation