Nature in the City
Nature in the City is a San Francisco nonprofit, founded in 2005, that restores urban wildlife habitats, propagates local native plants, and runs volunteer programs and residential garden services to connect city residents with nature.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Nature in the City does
Nature in the City is a San Francisco-based environmental nonprofit founded in 2005 that cultivates and conserves urban habitats while connecting city residents to local nature. The organization operates four program pillars: Habitat Restoration (care for urban wildlife corridors and biodiversity sites including the Green Hairstreak Corridor spanning approximately six city blocks in Golden Gate Heights), Urban Greening (living roofs on downtown transit infrastructure), Community Engagement (volunteer workdays, guided walks, and educational events at recurring monthly cadence across multiple sites), and Garden Services (fee-for-service wildlife-friendly, water-conserving garden design and installation for residential clients).
Core operations are anchored by the Native Plant Nursery at McAteer Campus (555 Portola Drive), which propagates San Francisco-genetics natives — coastal buckwheat, seaside daisy, and deer weed — for both restoration projects and the Backyard Nursery Network that distributes plants to residents and community gardens. The nonprofit also produces the Nature in the City Map (third edition, 2018), featuring original artwork by Jane Kim and writing by Mary Ellen Hannibal, sold in folded ($9.50) and poster ($15.00) formats through a qgiv e-commerce portal.
Nature in the City generates revenue through a hybrid model combining individual donations and monthly giving, restricted and seed grants (notably from the March Conservation Fund in 2026 and EJF Philanthropies for the Map), residential garden design and installation services, and one-time map product sales. The organization operates as a project of Earth Island Institute, an established Berkeley-based 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit that provides fiscal sponsorship and administrative infrastructure. Its geographic footprint is exclusively San Francisco, with deep partnerships across SF Recreation & Parks, SF Unified School District, Friends of Palou Phelps, and the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone.
Nature in the City firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nature in the City
- Legal name
- Nature in the City
- Website
- https://natureinthecity.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Nature in the City is a San Francisco nonprofit, founded in 2005, that restores urban wildlife habitats, propagates local native plants, and runs volunteer programs and residential garden services to connect city residents with nature.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nature in the City industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Conservation Services
- NAICS
- Landscaping Services (561730), Landscaping Services (56173)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL), Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install (HSAIABAG), Native, Pollinator & Drought-Tolerant Garden Installations (HSAIAFAL)
Keywords
Where Nature in the City is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Nature in the City business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Donations: Individual donor contributions including one-time and monthly giving options. The organization runs annual fundraising campaigns targeting new and existing donors.
- Garden Services: Fee-for-service garden design and installation for residential clients. Services include wildlife-friendly garden creation, water conservation, and organic practices.
- Map Sales: Sale of Nature in the City Map products including folded maps ($9.50) and poster maps ($15.00). Prices include shipping.
- Grants: Funding from conservation organizations including March Conservation Fund seed grants and EJF Philanthropies grants for specific projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Folded Map (8" x 6") |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Poster Map (24" x 36") |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Nature in the City product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nature in the City cultivates and conserves local habitats across San Francisco through four core service lines: habitat restoration and urban wildlife care, urban greening (e.g., living roofs on transit infrastructure), community engagement via volunteer workdays and guided walks, and fee-based residential garden services that install wildlife-friendly, water-conserving landscapes using locally propagated native plants. The organization also sells a printed Nature in the City Map through its online store.
Product overview
Nature in the City offers a portfolio of environmental services focused on habitat restoration, urban greening, community engagement, and garden services in San Francisco. The organization operates programs including a Native Plant Nursery that cultivates native plants from local seeds, and manages habitat restoration projects like the Green Hairstreak Corridor, Adah's Stairway, and Palou Phelps Park. They also sell the Nature in the City Map as a retail product. Core services encompass volunteer workdays for habitat restoration, guided nature walks, and garden design consultations for clients seeking wildlife-friendly, water-saving landscapes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Habitat Restoration
- Urban Greening
- Community Engagement
- Garden Services
- Nature in the City Map
- Native Plant Nursery
Quantifiable outcome
- Prevented local extinction (extirpation) of the Coastal Green Hairstreak butterfly in San Francisco
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Nature in the City
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Nature in the City technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Nature in the City partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Earth Island InstitutecoreNature in the City operates as a project of Earth Island Institute, an environmental organization that provides organizational infrastructure and support for grassroots environmental initiatives.
- Association of Ramaytush OhlonecoreLocal organization representing the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula. Nature in the City shares a commitment to care for the natural world and honors the Ramaytush Ohlone's enduring commitment to Mother Earth.
- Jane KimminorOriginal artwork contributor to the Nature in the City Map, along with Mary Ellen Hannibal (writing) and Leah Elamin (design).
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Nature in the City competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy: San Francisco-based nonprofit that supports habitat restoration, volunteer stewardship, and park programming across the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Highly comparable mission and community-led operating model in the same Bay Area geography.
- Save the Redwoods League: California-focused conservation nonprofit that acquires and restores forest habitat, runs volunteer workdays, and partners with public agencies. Directly comparable habitat restoration and donor-supported nonprofit model.
- California Native Plant Society: Statewide organization dedicated to California native plants through conservation, education, and habitat restoration, including active chapters in the Bay Area. Strong overlap with Nature in the City's native plant propagation and pollinator habitat mission.
- Pollinator Partnership: Nonprofit dedicated to pollinator health and habitat conservation through planting programs and public education. Comparable focus on pollinator-supporting native plantings and corridor-based habitat work.
- Grassroots Ecology: Bay Area nonprofit that restores native plant habitats through volunteer-led workdays and grows native plants at community nurseries. Closely matched habitat restoration, native plant nursery, and community engagement model.
- Point Blue Conservation Science: California-based conservation science nonprofit that partners on habitat restoration, stewardship programs, and community science. Comparable nonprofit structure, Bay Area presence, and habitat-based programs.
Others
- Earth Island Institute: Berkeley-based nonprofit incubator that houses Nature in the City as a sponsored project. Related as the parent organization and as a broader umbrella for similar grassroots environmental projects in the Bay Area.
Broad incumbents
- The Nature Conservancy: Global environmental nonprofit with active California habitat restoration and urban conservation programs. Comparable conservation focus, but operates at vastly larger scale and scope than Nature in the City's hyperlocal SF model.
- Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that creates and protects parks and green infrastructure in cities. Overlapping mission in urban greening and conservation, but operates at a much larger scale and broader geography.
Regional players
- Friends of the Urban Forest: San Francisco nonprofit that plants and maintains street trees and gardens with a large volunteer base. Directly comparable in geography, volunteer-driven operating model, and urban greening focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Nature in the City social profiles
Digital presenceNature in the City financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nature in the City leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Nature in the City funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nature in the City M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nature in the City
What does Nature in the City do?
Nature in the City cultivates and conserves local habitats across San Francisco through four core service lines: habitat restoration and urban wildlife care, urban greening (e.g., living roofs on transit infrastructure), community engagement via volunteer workdays and guided walks, and fee-based residential garden services that install wildlife-friendly, water-conserving landscapes using locally propagated native plants. The organization also sells a printed Nature in the City Map through its online store.
Is Nature in the City a public or private company?
Nature in the City is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Nature in the City founded?
Nature in the City was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Nature in the City based?
Nature in the City is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Nature in the City make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are garden Services, map Sales and grants.
Who are Nature in the City's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Save the Redwoods League, California Native Plant Society, Pollinator Partnership, Grassroots Ecology and Point Blue Conservation Science. Earth Island Institute is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are The Nature Conservancy and Trust for Public Land. Friends of the Urban Forest is listed as a regional player.
Does Nature in the City have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nature in the City.
What industry is Nature in the City in?
Nature in the City's product category is Environmental Conservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAMACAL, Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting, with a secondary code of BPADALAL, Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure. Its NAICS code is 561730.