The Carbon Community

What The Carbon Community does

The Carbon Community is a UK Registered Charity (charity number 1187231, company number 12273280) founded in 2019 and headquartered in Windsor, with operations centred on Glandwr Forest, a 70-hectare (170-acre) broadleaf woodland on the edge of the Brecon Beacons near Llandovery, Wales. The organization's core offering is the Glandwr Forest Carbon Study, launched in May 2021 — a landmark scientific field trial testing two nature-based carbon-capture interventions, enhanced rock weathering (addition of crushed silicate basalt rock) and soil microbiome inoculation (mycorrhizal fungi from established forests), across 72 individually managed research plots spanning 11.5 hectares and 25,600 trees, comparing native broadleaf woodland against Sitka spruce monoculture. Initial peer-reviewed findings published in Communications Sustainability (Waring et al., 2026) demonstrate 27% augmentation of aboveground carbon stock in native broadleaf woodland within four years of planting through basalt addition.

The Carbon Community serves four primary segments: individual supporters and volunteers (200+ citizen scientists contributing to annual data collection), corporate supporters (SAP UK providing a £75,000 philanthropic grant), academic researchers and students (seven universities including Imperial College London, University of Sheffield, ETH Zurich, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Swansea University, University of Oxford, and University of Aberdeen), and the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales (Glastir Woodland Creation Grant funding approximately two-thirds of planting plus 12 years of maintenance). Revenue is generated entirely through donations, corporate sponsorship, and government grants — the charity explicitly does not sell carbon credits.

Go-to-market is community-led and sales-led in parallel: community engagement through citizen science events, tree planting days, and educational activities drives individual donations and volunteer recruitment (60+ events in 2024–2025), while targeted engagement with corporate partners aligned to science-based climate targets secures larger philanthropic grants. Donation tiers range from £5 to £50 one-time contributions, plus £12.50 per tree and £5,000 per 400-tree research plot sponsorships, processed through the Enthuse donation platform and CharityCheckout payment gateway. Distribution is primarily digital (website, Mailchimp newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, X) supplemented by on-site events at Glandwr Forest, with no paid advertising. The organization employs 1–10 staff and operates a wholly-owned subsidiary, Carbon Community Trading Limited (Company Number 12973020, established 2020), to handle VAT-bearing activities.

Name

The Carbon Community

Legal name

The Carbon Community

Website

https://carboncommunity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Carbon Community is a UK registered charity operating Glandwr Forest in Wales, where it runs the world's largest field trial testing enhanced rock weathering and soil microbiome inoculation to maximize carbon sequestration in new woodlands. It is funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and government grants, and does not sell carbon credits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation & Carbon Sequestration Research

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Ecosystem Carbon Removal (Afforestation/Reforestation, Improved Forest Management) (EUABAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Carbon Projects & Ecosystem Services (Carbon Credits, Biodiversity) (IMAMAAAJ), Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification) (IMAMAJAE), Carbon Forestry Project Development & Origination (Afforestation/Reforestation/IFM) (IMAMAJAD)

Keywords

• Carbon sequestration research
• Reforestation science
• Citizen science forestry
• Enhanced rock weathering
• Soil microbiome inoculation

Headquarters

HQ city

Windsor

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations from Individual Supporters: The primary revenue stream. Individual donors make one-time or recurring monetary donations at various levels (£5 to £50+ one-time amounts) to support forest creation, research, and community science programs. 100% of donations are applied to the charity's work. Additional revenue comes from eCards where the cost of cards and stamps is donated.
2. Corporate Sponsorship and Grants: Corporate donors (e.g., SAP providing £75,000) provide financial support for specific research projects or forest areas. These are philanthropic contributions without carbon credit exchange — companies sponsor the science, not carbon offsets. The charity does not sell carbon credits.
3. Government Grants: Government grants such as the Glastir Woodland Creation Grant from Natural Resources Wales, which funds approximately two-thirds of the Glandwr Forest planting area and covers planting and 12 years of tree maintenance. Additional Welsh Government Tree Planting Grants support ongoing expansion.
4. Carbon Community Trading Limited (Subsidiary): A wholly-owned trading subsidiary (Company Number 12973020) established in 2020 to handle activities requiring VAT (e.g., membership sales, merchandise, admission fees). Profits from these activities will be donated to the parent charity. This is a non-primary revenue stream pending establishment of revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Carbon Community is a UK registered charity that creates and manages broadleaf forests (principally Glandwr Forest in Wales) and runs the Glandwr Forest Carbon Study, the world's largest field trial examining enhanced rock weathering with crushed basalt and soil microbiome inoculation to accelerate carbon sequestration in trees and soil. It engages citizen scientists and volunteers in data collection and offers sponsored trees, research plots, eCards, and donation tiers to fund its forest creation and research mission.

Product overview

The Carbon Community operates as a single-product environmental charity focused on carbon sequestration through forest creation and scientific research. The core offerings center on the Glandwr Forest (a broadleaf woodland spanning 70 hectares) and the Glandwr Forest Carbon Study (a landmark research trial examining enhanced rock weathering and microbiome enrichment for carbon capture). Additional services include citizen science volunteer programs enabling public participation in data collection, eco-friendly eCards for donations, and educational carbon reduction tips content. The organization does not offer a software platform or technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Glandwr Forest Carbon Study A scientific field trial and research program designed to study carbon sequestration in trees and soil, examining the effects of enhanced rock weathering (crushed basalt) and microbiome enrichment on both broadleaf and conifer forests across 72 individually managed research plots covering 11.5 hectares. Co-developed with ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and University of Sheffield.
• Glandwr Forest (Forest Creation Program) An award-winning broadleaf woodland spanning 70 hectares on the edge of the Brecon Beacons in Wales, planned to host 100,000 trees with an estimated lifetime CO2 sequestration capacity of over 15,000 tonnes. Supported by the Glastir Woodland Creation Grant and Welsh Government Tree Planting Grants.
• Citizen Science Volunteer Program Community science volunteering activities enabling participants to contribute to carbon sequestration research through tree tagging, cataloguing, barcode-tracking, and measurement data collection for environmental scientists at Glandwr Forest, including flagship events such as the annual Big Tree Measure.
• Charity eCards Eco-friendly digital greeting cards for various occasions where the cost of cards and stamps is donated to support The Carbon Community's forest creation and research activities.
• Tree and Research Plot Sponsorship Sponsorship of individual trees (£12.50 per tree) or full 400-tree research plots (£5,000 per plot) during Phase 2 of the Glandwr Forest Carbon Study (running until end of 2025). Funds support ongoing scientific research and tree maintenance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27% augmentation of aboveground carbon stock in native broadleaf woodland through basalt (silicate rock) addition within four years post planting (peer-reviewed, Communications Sustainability 2026)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• WCVA (Wales Council for Voluntary Action)minorOthers · 1 January 2024WCVA administered the Connected Trees and Woodlands project funding as part of the Welsh Government's National Forest for Wales Landscape Pilot 2024/2025, through the Carmarthenshire Nature Partnership.
• University of OxfordminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Dr Emily Warner from the Nature-based Solutions Initiative at Oxford University began a new invertebrate biodiversity study at Glandwr Forest in 2023. This expands the research scope to include above-ground biodiversity monitoring alongside carbon sequestration.
• ETH Zurich Crowther LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021ETH Zurich Crowther Lab (led by Dr Colin Averill) designed and co-developed the Glandwr Forest Carbon Study, specifically the forest microbiome inoculation component. The Crowther Lab is a world-leading research group in soil microbial ecology and forest carbon cycles. Their involvement ensures scientific rigor and international credibility for the microbiome research.
• Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, University of SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021Led by Professor David Beerling FRS, the Leverhulme Centre designed the enhanced rock weathering component of the study. The Centre brings expertise from their groundbreaking research showing basalt application on croplands can absorb up to 2 billion tonnes of CO2. Professor Beerling serves on The Carbon Community's Scientific Advisory Board.
• The Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021The Grantham Institute (Dr Bonnie Waring) designed the study methodology and leads ongoing research into carbon sequestration in plants and soils. Dr Waring serves on The Carbon Community's Scientific Advisory Board as a Senior Lecturer. Imperial College is also exploring drone-based MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) techniques at the site.
• The Royal Botanic Gardens, KewcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021Professor Martin Bidartondo and Dr Laura Suz from Kew designed the soil microbiome research component. Kew's expertise in mycorrhizal fungi and soil biodiversity underpins the microbiome inoculation methodology. Kew researchers conduct ongoing sampling and identification of mycorrhizal fungi at Glandwr Forest.
• Swansea UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Department of Geography at Swansea University has been involved at Glandwr Forest since 2021, with researchers Iain Robertson, Emilia, and Tanya contributing to the project. The university is working on drone-based measurements for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) of young trees. Dr Bonnie Waring from Imperial College also collaborates with Swansea University on the project.
• Natural Resources Wales (NRW)coreOthers · 1 January 2021Natural Resources Wales approved the Glastir Woodland Creation Grant, which provides substantial funding covering approximately two-thirds of the Glandwr Forest planting area. NRW also lent its full support to the initiative as a key component of Wales's approach to tackling the climate crisis. Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW, endorsed the project publicly.
• Don't Send Me A CardminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Don't Send Me A Card is the platform provider for The Carbon Community's charity eCards. The platform enables digital greeting card sales where the cost of cards and stamps is donated to the charity. Available for birthdays, Valentine's, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, and general inspiration occasions.
• Welsh GovernmentcoreOthers · 1 January 2020Welsh Government provided a significant Tree Planting Grant that dramatically accelerated forest creation at Glandwr Forest. Through the National Forest for Wales program, Welsh Government is creating a connected network of woodlands across the country. Glandwr Forest joined the National Forest for Wales in 2026.
• University of AberdeenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Professor Pete Smith FRS FRSB FRSE from the University of Aberdeen serves on The Carbon Community's Scientific Advisory Board. He is Professor of Soils and Global Change at Aberdeen and directs the Scottish Climate Change Centre of Expertise, ClimateXChange.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Conservation International: Large NGO operating forest-carbon and nature-based solution programs globally with corporate and government partners. Comparable in targeting corporate ESG funding and producing field-level research, but at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
• The Nature Conservancy: One of the world's largest environmental non-profits with deep involvement in forest carbon, science and policy. Comparable in combining land ownership, peer-reviewed research and corporate partnerships, but as a global incumbent rather than a single-site research charity.
• Woodland Trust: UK's largest woodland conservation charity, owning and managing 1,000+ woodland sites. Comparable in mission (UK reforestation, biodiversity) and government-grant access, but far larger in scale, headcount and policy influence.

Emerging players

• Sylvera: Independent forest-carbon data and ratings provider assessing the quality of nature-based carbon projects. Comparable in serving the same corporate need for credible forest-carbon MRV, but as a commercial analytics business rather than a project developer.
• Pachama: Tech-enabled carbon-credit platform using satellite and AI to vet nature-based projects including reforestation. Comparable in addressing the credibility gap in forest carbon, but commercially sells credits whereas The Carbon Community refuses to.

Direct peers

• Eden Reforestation Projects: Non-profit focused on large-scale reforestation across multiple geographies, using both paid local labour and volunteer models. Comparable to The Carbon Community in mission (forest creation, community engagement) and donation-based funding, though at vastly greater scale.
• Trees for Life: Scottish conservation charity rewilding the Caledonian Forest through volunteer-led tree planting and research. Closely comparable UK-focused reforestation nonprofit model combining citizen science, donor funding and long-term forest stewardship.
• One Tree Planted: Non-profit that plants trees globally funded by individual and corporate donations. Closely comparable donor/funnel model and reforestation focus, but operates a distributed planting model rather than a single owned-and-researched site.
• Plant-for-the-Planet: Global youth-led reforestation non-profit combining tree planting with education and citizen engagement. Comparable volunteer- and donation-driven operating model and science-and-education positioning, though operating at global rather than single-site scale.

Others

• Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation (University of Sheffield): Academic research centre that co-designed The Carbon Community's enhanced rock weathering component. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — a partner and research counterpart — but relevant as a comparable generator of enhanced-weathering science.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheCarbonCom
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCarbonCom
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecarboncom

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Carbon Community