What Citizen Science Community Resources does

Citizen Science Community Resources (CSCR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Kenmore, New York that develops tools, training, and consulting services to enable community-led environmental testing and advocacy. The organization was founded around 2012 by former members of the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York following a 16-year grassroots campaign that resulted in the closure of the Tonawanda Coke Corporation in October 2018. Its flagship product is the trademarked EnviroBucket, a $159 EPA-protocol soil sampling toolkit that allows residents to collect defensible environmental data; supporting products include a $35 Mini resupply kit, laboratory testing services ($55-$220 per test, processed through partner Eurofins), and $175/hour consulting with technical advisor Dr. Shaun Crawford and founder Jackie James. CSCR also operates a free Lending Library for Western New York residents, a Citizen Scientist Academy for youth, and is developing a Community Victory Garden at the former Tonawanda Coke site.

The organization serves four primary customer segments: concerned residents near industrial sites, community organizations pursuing environmental justice, schools and universities, and public libraries. Revenue is generated through a hybrid model combining transactional product sales, fee-based testing services, professional consulting, and tax-deductible donations and grants from corporate, municipal, and individual donors. CSCR's strategic partnerships span academic institutions (University at Buffalo, SUNY Fredonia), regulatory bodies (EPA, NYSDEC), community organizations (Open Buffalo, Public Lab, GASP in Birmingham), and a certified laboratory (Eurofins/Test America). The organization is governed by a volunteer board of directors and operates with a small staff (1-10 employees), with Jackie James serving as Founder and Board Chair.

CSCR's competitive positioning rests on a documented track record of producing court-admissible citizen-collected data, EPA-recognized methodology, and a 16-year history of community organizing that has been featured in the Journal of Environmental Justice and used as an EPA case study. The organization is currently expanding its geographic and programmatic reach, with active 2024 work on Buffalo's Eastside and ongoing mentoring of similar fence-line communities nationally.

Name

Citizen Science Community Resources

Legal name

Citizen Science Community Resources, Inc.

Website

https://csresources.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Citizen Science Community Resources is a Western New York 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides EPA-protocol soil sampling toolkits, laboratory testing services, and consulting to help communities conduct environmental contamination assessments and pursue environmental justice advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Soil Contaminant & Heavy Metals Testing Services (AFACAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil & Sediment Sampling (Contaminants, Nutrients, Metals) (EUAHACAF), Environmental Monitoring & Cleanroom Testing (GMP) (HLAGADAL), Pesticide Residue & Agrochemical Screening Services (Soil/Plant/Water) (AFACAKAF)

Keywords

• Environmental testing services
• Citizen science education
• Soil sampling kits
• Environmental justice consulting
• Community science advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - EnviroBucket Kits: Sale of soil sampling toolkits including the EnviroBucket ($159), EnviroBucket Mini ($35), and bundled versions with testing services. 100% of profits go directly to CSCR programs.
2. Laboratory Testing Services: Testing services for heavy metals (8 metals for $105), lead ($55), PAH ($220), pesticide analysis ($195), and bundled packages. Samples sent to certified partner laboratory Eurofins for analysis.
3. Consulting Services: Hourly consulting at $175/hour with technical advisor Dr. Shaun Crawford and Founder Jackie James for interpretation of results, community organizing guidance, and technical support. Reduced rates available for community groups.
4. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations through distinguished giving levels from Platinum ($100,000+) to Trendsetter ($20-$999). 501(c)(3) organization. Funding also received from Erie County and corporate donors for specific projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Citizen Science Community Resources (CSCR) sells the EnviroBucket soil sampling toolkit and offers laboratory testing services (heavy metals, lead, PAH, pesticides) through its e-commerce website, with samples analyzed by EPA-certified partner lab Eurofins. The organization also delivers hourly consulting with its technical advisor and founder for result interpretation and community organizing, alongside a free Lending Library for WNY residents and youth education programs. 100% of profits from kit sales are reinvested into CSCR's environmental justice programs.

Product overview

Citizen Science Community Resources operates as a grassroots environmental organization offering a portfolio of physical products, laboratory testing services, and educational programs. The core product is the EnviroBucket™️ soil sampling toolkit ($159), which residents can purchase to collect soil samples following EPA protocols. Testing services are sold as add-ons: Heavy Metals (8) testing ($105), Lead testing ($55), PAH testing ($220), and combination bundles (up to $374-$685 for comprehensive kits with multiple samples and analysis). The EnviroBucket Mini resupply kit ($35) provides materials for additional tests. Consulting services ($175/hour) offer interpretation of results and community organizing guidance. The organization also maintains a Lending Library providing free kit borrowing with fee-based testing. Additional offerings include the Community Victory Garden project, Citizen Scientist Academy youth education, and consulting for community organizing and mentoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EnviroBucket™️: Soil sampling toolkit for citizen science testing, includes supplies and instructions for collecting soil samples using EPA principles and protocols.

Products and services

• EnviroBucket™ Soil Sampling Toolkit
• EnviroBucket™ Mini Resupply Kit
• Heavy Metals (8) Laboratory Testing
• Lead Soil Testing
• PAH Soil Testing
• Organophosphorus Pesticide Soil Testing
• Environmental Consulting and Community Organizing Guidance
• Citizen Science Lending Library Free lending program for Western New York residents providing EnviroBucket soil testing kits, pH and nutrient soil testing kits, training materials, and informational books on citizen science and community organizing, with optional fee-based laboratory testing services.
• Citizen Scientist Academy (Youth Education Program) Youth education program that teaches students to become citizen scientists through hands-on environmental sampling, community leadership training, and E-STEM project-based learning, supported by Education Advisor Angela Stockman.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92%+ reduction in benzene levels achieved through citizen science campaign leading to Tonawanda Coke closure
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Open BuffalocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration with Open Buffalo on environmental justice initiative for Buffalo's Eastside. In 2024-2025, visited 3,500 properties and collected several hundred soil samples using EnviroBucket methodology. Testing revealed 92% of properties exceeded EPA lead guidelines.
• University at BuffalocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Lead collaborator on Tonawanda Coke Soil Study with CSCR and SUNY Fredonia. UB Chemistry Professor Dr. Joe Gardella served as Principal Investigator. Led sampling teams collecting over 270 samples from homes and public spaces.
• SUNY FredoniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaborator on Tonawanda Coke Soil Study alongside CSCR and University at Buffalo. Contributed to the largest citizen science soil sampling project in the region.
• Eurofins/Test AmericacoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnered with world-recognized EPA certified environmental laboratory for accurate, defensible, and reliable soil testing services. Provides laboratory analysis for EnviroBucket testing including heavy metals, PAH, lead, and pesticide tests.
• Public LabminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on webinars and knowledge sharing about soil contamination and EnviroBucket toolkit. CSCR presented at Public Lab-hosted webinar with excellent participation and feedback.
• Dr. Shaun CrawfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical advisor since 2016. Environmental and health consultant with advanced degrees in Environmental Engineering and Industrial Hygiene. Helped interpret soil testing results and provided technical guidance. Previously technical advisor to WIAT 13 in Birmingham, Alabama.
• NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaboration since 2006-2007. NYSDEC funded year-long air quality study validating community findings. Worked together on enforcement actions leading to Tonawanda Coke closure. Contributed awards to Terri Mucha and Al Carlacci for collaboration.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPA validated community air monitoring data. Featured CSCR as case study in National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology article. Federal search warrant executed in 2009 led to Tonawanda Coke prosecution.
• GASP (Birmingham, Alabama)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer organization in North Birmingham, Alabama facing similar coke plant contamination issues. Shared methodologies and experiences with surface soil contamination testing including PAH and heavy metals. Helped inspire CSCR's soil testing approach.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Delaware City Environmental Coalition: Fence-line community EJ group referenced by CSCR for inspiration in industrial pollution advocacy. Pursues similar grassroots citizen-science and regulatory pressure tactics against local industry.
• Public Lab: Open-source citizen science community developing DIY environmental monitoring tools and methods, including for soil and air contamination. CSCR has co-hosted webinars with Public Lab and the two collaborate on similar citizen-science sampling toolkits.
• GASP (Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution): Birmingham, Alabama EJ organization fighting coking and heavy industrial pollution in North Birmingham. Shares soil contamination testing methodology with CSCR and Dr. Shaun Crawford previously served as their technical advisor.

Emerging players

• Riverkeeper: New York-based water watchdog with citizen-science water sampling programs. Similar model of mobilizing trained volunteers to collect regulatory-quality environmental data and drive enforcement action.
• Earthworks: National NGO focused on oil, gas, and mining pollution impacts and EJ. Comparable mission against industrial pollution with citizen-science sampling and policy advocacy at a broader scale.
• Coming Clean: Environmental health justice collaborative supporting frontline communities against chemical exposures. Shares the community-science-meets-policy-advocacy framework that CSCR deploys.

Broad incumbents

• Environmental Health Coalition: San Diego/Tijuana-based EJ organization focused on toxic pollution and community health in fence-line neighborhoods. Comparable in running community-based environmental health campaigns with measurable remediation outcomes.
• Center for Health, Environment & Justice: National EJ nonprofit supporting grassroots communities facing toxic exposures with training and organizing resources. Operates as a larger, broader umbrella to CSCR-style local environmental citizen-science groups.
• Clean Air Council: Philadelphia-based regional EJ organization focused on air quality and climate advocacy. Operates a broader portfolio of legal, policy, and community advocacy that overlaps with CSCR's Tonawanda Coke campaign origins.

Others

• Eurofins Environment Testing US: CSCR's laboratory partner that performs the actual heavy metals, lead, PAH, and pesticide analysis on EnviroBucket samples. Comparable in offering certified environmental soil testing, but operates as a large incumbent service provider rather than community-led effort.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Citizen-Science-Community-Resources
• Xx.com/cscresources

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Citizen Science Community Resources