What Global Resource Alliance does

Global Resource Alliance (GRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by Lyn Hebenstreit and headquartered in Ojai, California, with operational headquarters in Musoma, Tanzania (GRA-Tz). The organization is entirely volunteer-run, with no paid staff, and is dedicated to delivering community-led humanitarian programs in Tanzania's Mara Region. It operates through a sister organization (GRA-Tz) under joint board governance and is led in Tanzania by Executive Director Madaraka Nyerere.

GRA's core programmatic offerings are organized as discrete but interconnected initiatives: (1) the Butiama Hillside Reforestation Project, executed in partnership with WeForest since 2010-2011, which has planted nearly 4 million trees across seven districts and sequesters approximately 48,000 tons of CO2 annually; (2) two orphan support programs (Tumaini kwa Watoto in Musoma and the Kinesi Orphans Program), collectively serving over 100 children with food, healthcare, school fees, and supplies; (3) a Herbal Remedies Program producing Moringa, Neem, and Artemisia-based products for tropical diseases; (4) a Permaculture Program with demonstration plots and farmer training; and (5) Eco-Zoom fuel-efficient cook stove distribution via microfinance groups, with 852 stoves sold as of 2023. The organization wound down its Maji Mengi rural water supply program in 2018 after drilling 135 successful boreholes serving ~50,000 people.

GRA's business model is donation-driven, with revenue streams including individual donations, $25/month orphan sponsorships, product sales (herbal remedies and cook stoves), and grants/fiscal sponsorships. It also generates program revenue through cook stove microfinance sales and an annual Heart of Africa Eco-Safari. Its customer base consists of rural Tanzanian communities, smallholder farmers, orphans/vulnerable children, schools (112 primary and 18 secondary), and partner organizations (WeForest, Tanzania Forest Services, Butiama District Council). The organization reports operational scale of over 5,600 tree-planting participants since 2011 and 500+ annual herbal remedy customers.

Name

Global Resource Alliance

Legal name

Global Resource Alliance

Website

https://gra-usa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Global Resource Alliance is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers reforestation, orphan support, herbal remedy, permaculture, and cook stove programs to rural communities, vulnerable children, and smallholder farmers in Tanzania's Mara Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian and Community Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA), Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian nonprofit services
• Community development programs
• Orphan support sponsorship
• Reforestation agroforestry
• Herbal remedies production

Headquarters

HQ city

Ojai

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: GRA operates as a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer organization funded entirely by donations from individuals and organizations. Sponsorship programs allow donors to sponsor orphans for $25/month.
2. Product Sales: Sale of herbal remedies, cook stoves, and moringa/amaranthus supplements at affordable prices to generate program revenue.
3. Fiscal Sponsorships: GRA serves as fiscal sponsor for international organizations including New Beginnings Charitable Trust in India.
4. Cook Stove Sales via Microfinance: Sale of fuel-efficient Eco-Zoom cook stoves through microfinance groups and government offices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Global Resource Alliance is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers community-led humanitarian programs in Tanzania's Mara Region, including orphan support (Tumaini kwa Watoto and Kinesi Orphans), reforestation and agroforestry in partnership with WeForest, herbal remedy production and distribution, permaculture training, and fuel-efficient cook stove distribution. The organization is funded primarily by individual donations, sponsor-an-orphan contributions, partner NGO grants, and modest product sales, with no paid staff. Its work targets poverty, malnutrition, disease, deforestation, and lack of clean water through integrated, community-driven solutions delivered from offices in Ojai, California and Musoma, Tanzania.

Product overview

Global Resource Alliance operates a portfolio of interconnected humanitarian programs serving communities in the Mara Region of Tanzania. The core offerings include the Reforestation Butiama Hillside Project (in partnership with WeForest) for tree planting and agroforestry, two Orphan Support Programs (Tumaini kwa Watoto and Kinesi Orphans) providing comprehensive care for vulnerable children, a Herbal Remedies Program producing and distributing natural health products like Moringa and Neem treatments, a Permaculture Program teaching sustainable agriculture, Eco-Zoom Fuel Efficient Cook Stoves distribution, and the former Primary Water (Maji Mengi) program that drilled community boreholes. The programs are designed to address interconnected challenges of poverty, malnutrition, disease, and environmental degradation through holistic, community-driven solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tumaini kwa Watoto: Care for the Children program providing support for orphans living with extended families in Musoma area, including food, healthcare, school supplies, uniforms, shoes, clothes and weekly activities
• Kinesi Orphans Program
• Maji Mengi
• Eco-Zoom

Products and services

• Reforestation Butiama Hillside Project Reforestation and agroforestry initiative in partnership with WeForest that distributes tree seedlings to smallholder farmers across the seven districts of the Mara Region for carbon offset, economic opportunity, and ecosystem restoration.
• Tumaini kwa Watoto (Hope for the Children) Orphan Support Program Orphan support program in Musoma, Tanzania providing 66 orphans with organic food, healthcare, school fees, supplies, uniforms, tutoring, clothes, mosquito nets, and weekly activities; funded through $25/month sponsor-a-child contributions.
• Kinesi Village Orphans Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 4 million trees planted; 48,000 tons CO2 sequestered annually; 8,100 acres reforested
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WeForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian NGO providing bulk of financing and technical support for the Butiama Hillside Reforestation Project. Collaboration since 2011 for tree planting, carbon offset, and agroforestry expansion across Mara Region's seven districts. WeForest provides funding, technical expertise, and connections to large European corporations for carbon offset programs.
• Tanzania Forest Services (TFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency collaborating on hillside forest restoration and regreening project in Butiama district. Jointly preparing concept notes for multi-year restoration initiatives including 8,000 acres of degraded hillside forest.
• Butiama District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in hillside forest restoration project, collaborating with village councils of Kigori, Busegwe, Nyanza, Singu, and Mwikoro for 8-year restoration initiative.
• GoSol (Finnish NGO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to install two commercial solar ovens at women's groups in Musoma as year-long pilot project for expanded distribution of solar cooking technology.
• New Beginnings Charitable Trust (India)minorOthersInternational organization for which GRA serves as fiscal sponsor, providing programs serving 'untouchable' women and children in rural villages in Andhra Pradesh, India.
• Jane Goodall Foundation of NepalminorOthersInternational organization for which GRA served as fiscal sponsor in 2019 for a campaign against the slaughter of animals.
• Engineers Without BordersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS non-profit collaborating on solar pump system installation at SHED Foundation health facility in 2015.
• One Ball One VillageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS non-profit providing funding for solar pump system installation at a secondary school in 2014-2015.
• World AgroforestryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization developing knowledge practices to ensure food security and environmental sustainability; listed as resource partner for agroforestry work.
• Organic Research CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization integrating trees with agriculture to encourage positive interactions, improve farm resilience, and increase productivity and biodiversity.
• The Ark Foundation of AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization creating opportunities for vulnerable children from marginalized communities with educational access and training programs.
• Global WaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational nonprofit humanitarian organization focused on safe water supplies, sanitation and hygiene facilities for rural villagers in developing countries.
• Abha Light Foundation (Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan organization creating infrastructure for homeopathy and alternative medicine; original developer of neem tincture formula used by GRA for malaria prevention.
• Village Councils of Kigori and MwikorocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal village councils collaborating on hillside forest restoration project, donating land and working with GRA on 5-year restoration initiative.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Trees for the Future: US-based NGO running the Forest Garden Approach with smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa. Direct peer because both organizations use agroforestry training + tree distribution with subsistence farming communities as the central delivery model.
• WeForest: Belgian NGO that is GRA's core reforestation partner; both run landscape restoration and community agroforestry programs. They are simultaneously a partner and the most direct functional peer in the tree-planting/carbon-offset model GRA depends on.
• World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF): Research/development organization developing knowledge practices for food security and environmental sustainability. Listed as a GRA resource partner; comparable agroforestry + smallholder farmer mission and East Africa operating geography.
• Engineers Without Borders: US non-profit that collaborated with GRA on solar pump installations at health facilities in Tanzania. Comparable volunteer-staffed model delivering infrastructure (water, energy) to rural communities in developing countries.
• Global Water: International nonprofit humanitarian organization focused on safe water supplies, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for rural villagers in developing countries. Listed as a GRA resource partner; comparable borehole-focused rural water delivery model.
• Abha Light Foundation: Kenyan organization creating infrastructure for homeopathy and alternative medicine; original developer of the neem tincture formula used by GRA for malaria prevention. Direct functional peer in the herbal-remedy / community health niche.

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid: Large international NGO focused on clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in 28 countries including Tanzania. GRA's former Maji Mengi water program operates an analogous borehole-delivery model at much smaller scale.
• BRAC: One of the largest international development NGOs, running integrated programs in health, education, livelihoods, and disaster response across multiple developing countries. Comparable integrated community-development model at much broader scale and geographic footprint.
• CARE International: Major international humanitarian NGO with global programs in poverty, health, education, and water/sanitation. Comparable comprehensive-development mission; GRA's programs align with CARE's portfolio but at vastly smaller scale.
• One Acre Fund: Large-scale social enterprise serving smallholder farmers in East Africa with inputs, training, and market access. Comparable smallholder farmer focus in Tanzania/Kenya but operates at vastly larger scale via a more commercialized model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Global-Resource-Alliance-259150047893
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-resource-alliance-tanzania

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Global Resource Alliance