New Hampshire Community Rights Network

What New Hampshire Community Rights Network does

New Hampshire Community Rights Network (NHCRN) is a non-profit grassroots advocacy organization headquartered in Belmont, New Hampshire, with a secondary operational location in Alexandria, NH. Founded in 2015, the organization pursues rights-based governance and environmental protection by assisting New Hampshire municipalities in drafting and adopting Rights-Based Ordinances (RBOs) that assert local authority over activities deemed threatening to community health, environmental integrity, and sustainable energy. Approximately nearly a dozen New Hampshire towns have adopted such ordinances under NHCRN's coordination, and the organization partners with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) to pursue a state-level New Hampshire Community Rights Amendment that would elevate community and environmental rights within the state constitution.

NHCRN's core deliverables are advocacy and education services rather than commercial products: an educational booklet on community rights, Democracy Schools (multi-day civic education programs), workshops, film screenings, and direct coordination support for local RBO campaigns. The organization is led by President Michelle Sanborn, who also serves as a CELDF organizer, Treasurer Peter A. White, and board members including Diane St. Germain and Doug Darrell. Revenue is derived entirely from donations; there are no customer contracts, pricing tiers, or commercial revenue streams. The organization has no proprietary software platform, no technology component, and no AI/ML capability.

The organization's strategic trajectory centers on multi-session legislative advocacy for the Community Rights Amendment (introduced 2016; received an "ought to pass" subcommittee recommendation in 2018; re-introduced as CACR 19 in 2019) alongside continued municipal-level RBO adoption, including the 2019 expansion into climate-rights ordinances (Exeter). A material structural risk is the judicial vulnerability of municipal RBOs, evidenced by the state-court invalidation of Nottingham's Freedom from Chemical Trespass ordinance. NHCRN's overall scale (11–50 reported headcount, donation-only funding) places it firmly in the small nonprofit category with no disclosed financial metrics.

Name

New Hampshire Community Rights Network

Legal name

New Hampshire Community Rights Network

Website

https://nhcommunityrights.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Hampshire Community Rights Network is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization that helps New Hampshire municipalities adopt Rights-Based Ordinances and pursues a state constitutional amendment elevating community and environmental rights, in partnership with CELDF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Rights Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Community rights advocacy
• Grassroots civic organizing
• Rights-based ordinances
• Constitutional reform advocacy
• Democratic self-governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Belmont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: NHCRN operates as a nonprofit organization dependent primarily on donations from supporters. The organization offers specific giving levels ($25 for educational materials for 2 people, $50 for community workshop attendance, $100 for travel expenses for community organizer, $250 for printing/distribution of informational handouts, $500 for 10 scholarships to workshops). Donations are tax-deductible and support the Community Rights Awareness Campaign and organizing/outreach goals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

New Hampshire Community Rights Network (NHCRN) is a grassroots non-profit that educates residents and elected officials and assists New Hampshire towns in adopting rights-based ordinances (RBOs) that elevate community and nature rights above claimed corporate rights. The organization also advocates for a state constitutional amendment (the NH Community Rights Amendment) to constitutionally recognize local self-government authority, while running workshops, Democracy School, film screenings, and publishing educational materials to support community organizing.

Product overview

New Hampshire Community Rights Network (NHCRN) is a statewide grassroots non-profit organization that offers advocacy services, educational programs, and policy initiatives rather than a commercial product. The organization provides educational materials (including the 'How to Protect Your Community' booklet), grassroots workshops, democracy education programs, film screenings, and assistance with local rights-based ordinances. Its core initiative is advancing the NH Community Rights Amendment to secure local community self-government rights. NHCRN partners with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) and supports communities in adopting rights-based ordinances (RBOs) to protect local resources from corporate exploitation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Rights Workshop

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly a dozen NH communities have adopted rights-based ordinances since 2006
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHCRN has partnered with CELDF for over a decade to advance democratic and environmental rights in New Hampshire. CELDF provides legal drafting assistance for rights-based ordinances, educational methodology, organizing support, and technical expertise in constitutional amendment work. CELDF organizer Michelle Sanborn serves as NHCRN President, representing both organizations. This partnership has resulted in nearly a dozen NH communities adopting CELDF-drafted rights-based ordinances and the development of the NH Community Rights Amendment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Food & Water Watch: Established environmental advocacy organization confronting corporate control over water and energy. Has overlapping goals with NHCRN's water extraction (USA Springs) and pipeline opposition work, though operates at much broader scale and resource level.
• Center for Biological Diversity: Major national environmental advocacy organization using legal action to protect endangered species and ecosystems. Has overlapping climate, water, and corporate-control issues with NHCRN but operates via litigation and federal policy channels rather than local ordinance adoption.

Direct peers

• Oregon Community Rights Network: Statewide Oregon affiliate pursuing CELDF-style rights-based ordinance adoption. Directly analogous in organizational model, fundraising structure, and political strategy.
• Community Environmental Defense Council: Affiliated community rights organization operating in multiple states under the CELDF umbrella, focused on the same rights-based ordinance and constitutional framework work that NHCRN deploys in New Hampshire.
• Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF): CELDF is the core strategic partner and methodology provider for NHCRN. As the originating body behind rights-based ordinances and the constitutional amendment framework NHCRN deploys, CELDF is the most direct peer and parent of the organizing methodology NHCRN uses.
• Pennsylvania Community Rights Network: Sister state-level community rights network also affiliated with CELDF, pursuing rights-based ordinances and a state constitutional amendment. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and grassroots advocacy approach within a different state geography.
• Colorado Community Rights Network: Another state-level CELDF-affiliated network focused on rights-based ordinances and constitutional amendment work in Colorado. Operates an analogous grassroots-to-legislative pipeline with comparable educational programming.

Emerging players

• Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature: International advocacy coalition promoting Rights of Nature legal frameworks globally. Overlaps with NHCRN's rights-of-nature educational mission and represents the broader movement NHCRN's work feeds into.
• Earth Law Center: Nonprofit focused on advancing Earth-centered law and rights of nature principles. Shares NHCRN's mission of establishing legal standing for ecosystems and works on rights-based legal frameworks at multiple jurisdictional levels.

Regional players

• Frack-free NH / No Granite Bridge Coalition: State-specific advocacy coalitions opposing energy infrastructure projects (Northern Pass, Granite Bridge pipeline) in New Hampshire. Overlaps with NHCRN's municipal ordinance work blocking these same projects but operates via direct project opposition rather than constitutional reform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/newhampshirecrn
• Facebookfacebook.com/NHCRN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-hampshire-community-rights-network-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 New Hampshire Community Rights Network