Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

What Atlantic Coast Joint Venture does

The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV) is a non-profit conservation partnership established in 1988 to conserve habitat for native bird species along the Atlantic Flyway, spanning 17 states and commonwealths from Maine to Puerto Rico. It functions as the conservation delivery arm of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and other bird conservation initiatives, coordinating between federal agencies (USFWS, NOAA, NRCS, USGS), state wildlife agencies, conservation NGOs (Ducks Unlimited, Audubon, The Nature Conservancy), and academic institutions. ACJV's work is organized around three flagship species — Saltmarsh Sparrow, Black Rail, and American Black Duck — whose combined habitat needs cover the coastal marsh spectrum from Maine boreal forests to Florida and Puerto Rico mangrove swamps.

ACJV's core products are conservation programs and a portfolio of ArcGIS-based data tools, including the Coastal Marsh Project Database, Impoundment Mapping Tool, Saltmarsh Sparrow Habitat Prioritization Mapper, Black Rail Habitat Management Priorities Mapper, and the American Black Duck Decision Support Tool (the latter built by Ducks Unlimited). The partnership also administers technical working groups, facilitates grant applications via coordination and ghost-writing support, and convenes an annual Management Board meeting and a Tech Week pilot structure. Acoustic Recording Unit (ARU) data analysis for Black Rail population monitoring is a notable technical capability.

The organization operates on a partnership-coordination business model with no commercial revenue. It is funded through federal grants (NAWCA, NRCS CEAP, NFWF) and partner contributions, and provides its coordination services, planning documents, and decision-support tools to partners at no cost. ACJV does not sell products or services; its value capture is institutional influence and grant facilitation rather than monetary revenue.

Name

Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

Legal name

Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

Website

https://acjv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Atlantic Coast Joint Venture is a non-profit conservation partnership coordinating federal, state, and NGO efforts across 17 Atlantic Flyway states to restore coastal marsh habitat for three flagship bird species: Saltmarsh Sparrow, Black Rail, and American Black Duck.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Partnership Services

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

Keywords

• Wildlife habitat conservation
• Migratory bird conservation
• Wetland restoration coordination
• Coastal marsh mapping
• Conservation partnership services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hadley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Facilitation and Coordination Services: ACJV does not generate commercial revenue. As a partnership organization, they facilitate grant applications by providing coordination services, ghost writing, and leadership engagement to help partners secure funding for high priority salt marsh conservation projects. They also administer competitive grant programs like the GLRI Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection Program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Atlantic Coast Joint Venture is a non-profit conservation partnership that coordinates bird habitat conservation across the Atlantic Flyway (17 states and commonwealths from Maine to Puerto Rico). It delivers the Flagship Species Initiative for the Saltmarsh Sparrow, Black Rail, and American Black Duck through interactive ArcGIS-based mapping tools (Coastal Marsh Project Database, Impoundment Mapping Tool, species-specific habitat prioritization mappers), conservation planning documents, technical working groups, and grant facilitation services for partner organizations.

Product overview

Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV) is a conservation partnership focused on restoring and sustaining native bird populations and coastal marsh habitats throughout the Atlantic Coast region. Rather than a unified software product, ACJV offers a portfolio of conservation programs and data tools including flagship species initiatives (American Black Duck, Black Rail, Saltmarsh Sparrow), interactive mapping tools (Coastal Marsh Project Database, Impoundment Mapping Tool, Saltmarsh Sparrow Mapper), conservation planning documents, and funding coordination services. The organization uses ArcGIS-based platforms to deliver its mapping and database tools to partners and stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flagship Species Initiative Conservation initiative focused on three flagship species representing coastal marsh habitat — American Black Duck, Black Rail, and Saltmarsh Sparrow — directing partnership attention to conserving these species and their habitat across the Atlantic Coast.
• Coastal Marsh Project Database Interactive database cataloging coastal marsh restoration projects across the Atlantic coast to conserve or restore habitat for Saltmarsh Sparrow, Black Rail, and American Black Duck, available to conservation partners and the public.
• Impoundment Mapping Tool Interactive ArcGIS-based mapping tool developed for the Black Duck Working Group to create a regional layer of waterfowl impoundments across the ACJV geography and inform habitat conservation and management priorities.
• Saltmarsh Sparrow Habitat Prioritization Mapper Interactive mapper for identifying priority marshes and management recommendations for Saltmarsh Sparrow conservation, including marsh boundaries and presence/absence data, used by partners to guide restoration actions.
• Black Rail Habitat Management Priorities Mapper Online mapper identifying priority marshes and site-specific management actions for Black Rails, beginning in Florida, used by state wildlife agencies and partners to direct habitat management.
• Conservation Plans Conservation plans outlining highest priority strategies to conserve Salt Marsh and dependent bird species, with population and habitat targets at state and regional levels. Includes individual species plans for American Black Duck, Black Rail, Saltmarsh Sparrow, and Salt Marsh.
• Funding Coordination Services Coordination services provided to partners including grant application assistance, ghost writing, and leadership engagement to help partners submit priority proposals for salt marsh conservation projects through programs like NAWCA and the GLRI Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection Program.
• ACJV Tech Week Annual convening that integrates technical partners with the ACJV Management Board, with flagship species working groups meeting to discuss technical needs, collaborative opportunities, and strategic priority setting.

Quantifiable outcome

• In FY2026 first round, facilitated conservation of 45,000+ acres with $11.6M NAWCA investment leveraging $25M partner match
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSFWS is the primary federal partner for the joint venture. ACJV serves as the conservation delivery arm for USFWS bird conservation plans including the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Staff detail/contract arrangements and federal funding flows through USFWS programs.
• Cornell Lab of OrnithologyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to produce educational video content 'Restoring Salt Marsh Ecosystems in the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture' showcasing salt marsh restoration work across the Northeast.
• Ducks UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor conservation partner implementing wetland restoration projects. ACJV facilitates funding for DU projects; DU has built on the Delmarva Wetland Partnership to obtain funding for private lands biologists and engineers for restoration work.
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on Black Rail adaptive management framework and developing predictive raster layer of high-quality habitat for Saltmarsh Sparrows from New Jersey to Florida.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored document with NOAA and USFWS partners addressing shared goals for ecosystem restoration to benefit coastal marsh organisms in the Mid-Atlantic.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership through Working Lands for Wildlife initiative targeting American Black Duck in Mid-Atlantic states. ACJV supports NRCS efforts to prioritize and implement wetland restoration on private lands.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Delmarva Wetland Partnership and South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative (SASMI) State Implementation Teams. Contact for South Carolina SASMI roadmap.
• AuduboncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Marshes for Tomorrow salt marsh climate adaptation program with projects in multiple states; collaboration on Connecticut Great Meadows Marsh restoration.
• Saltmarsh Habitat and Avian Research Program (SHARP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative program conducting tidal marsh bird surveys and developing monitoring guidance. Leading saltmarsh sparrow monitoring work funded through NFWF Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund.
• East Carolina UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting ACJV and USGS Black Rail adaptive management framework project with research expertise.
• American Bird ConservancysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipient of GLRI funding for private and public lands conservation for forest and shrubland species in Great Lakes Basin of northern New York.
• Center for Conservation Biology at William and MarysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived Florida State Wildlife Grant with ACJV assistance to inform Black Rail management in South Florida through the species' State Wildlife Grant program.
• State Wildlife Agencies (17 states)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe joint venture is a partnership of 17 states and commonwealths from Maine to Puerto Rico. Partners include state wildlife agencies participating in Management Board and implementing conservation projects.
• Forbes Biological StationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Abby Blake-Bradshaw leading manuscript on Black Rail ARU data synthesizing results from multiple states to help inform sampling designs.
• South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative (SASMI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerACJV is a partner in larger efforts to conserve salt marshes. State Implementation Teams completed state-level 'roadmaps' for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mississippi Flyway Council / Joint Ventures: Central flyway coordination body with overlapping habitat priorities (waterfowl, migratory birds) and similar partnership-based delivery of NAWCA and related conservation funding. Comparable scale and governance model to ACJV.
• Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture: A neighboring joint venture with overlapping state geography in the Appalachian region, working on forest and early successional bird habitat through similar state-federal-NGO coordination structures.
• Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture: A regional joint venture operating in a comparable partnership-coordination model, focused on migratory bird habitat delivery through state, federal, and NGO partners. Directly comparable in mandate, scale, and funding mechanisms to ACJV.
• Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture: The Pacific Flyway counterpart to ACJV, operating as a similar habitat joint venture coordinating migratory bird conservation across western states. Structurally and operationally analogous, with comparable federal-state-NGO partnership model and funding flows.

Broad incumbents

• Ducks Unlimited: The largest private waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization in North America and a core ACJV implementation partner. Comparable habitat conservation focus at much larger scale, with ACJV functioning partly as the regional coordination layer for DU's projects.
• National Audubon Society: A major national bird conservation NGO and core ACJV partner in salt marsh adaptation programs. Overlapping focus on salt marsh and flagship species habitat (especially Black Rail and Saltmarsh Sparrow) but operating at much broader scale across all flyways.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation organization with significant Atlantic coastal marsh portfolio and a partner in ACJV's Delmarva Wetland Partnership and SASMI. Comparable coastal habitat focus but with vastly larger programmatic footprint and land ownership.
• US Fish and Wildlife Service - Migratory Bird Program: The primary federal partner that ACJV is organizationally aligned with and that ultimately funds much of ACJV's coordination. Operates the NAWCA program and Joint Venture framework at a national scale that ACJV delivers at a regional level.

Others

• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: A major federal-congressionally-chartered funding partner that channels conservation grants (National Coastal Resilience Fund, Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund, America the Beautiful Challenge) through ACJV-supported projects. Comparable role as a funder/convener rather than direct conservation deliverer.
• American Bird Conservancy: A national bird-focused conservation NGO that is a recipient of ACJV-facilitated GLRI funding for forest and shrubland species. Operates in adjacent niche of bird habitat conservation with overlapping target species but distinct programmatic emphasis on private and public lands policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AtlanticCoastJointVenture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Atlantic Coast Joint Venture