Sustainability Leaders Network

What Sustainability Leaders Network does

Sustainability Leaders Network (SLN) is a private nonprofit organization headquartered in Norwich, Vermont that cultivates a global network of sustainability leaders through its flagship Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program. The fellowship convenes sustainability champions from 66+ countries and across sectors (conservation, philanthropy, academia, business, and government), training them in systems thinking, organizational learning, reflective conservation, visioning, and creative expression. SLN serves three core customer segments: sustainability professionals seeking peer collaboration and leadership development, educators and learners accessing open-source curricula, and sustainability organizations and foundations seeking coaching and facilitation services. The organization is led by Executive Director Edie Farwell and operates with 11-50 employees.

SLN's product portfolio comprises the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program (its core fellowship and network), Coaching & Workshops (including the Purpose Quest retreat series in Tuscany and Costa Rica), and a suite of open-access educational resources — most notably the "Learning from Nature: A Course in Biomimicry" curriculum developed with Biomimicry 3.8, SLN Publications documenting fellow projects, Donella Meadows' published writings, and a curated "Inspirations" collection. The organization does not develop proprietary technology products; its intellectual property resides in curriculum content, facilitation methodologies, and the curated global community itself. Distribution is direct to participants, supplemented by referral channels through a network of 10+ strategic partners including Buckminster Fuller Institute, Climate Interactive, Confluence Philanthropy, and Both ENDS.

SLN's revenue mechanics combine fellowship and workshop participation fees with donations and grants (referenced funders include the EPA, New England Environmental Education Association, and Wellborn Ecology Fund). Pricing for paid programs is not publicly disclosed, and the biomimicry curriculum is distributed free of charge. Marketing and member acquisition are content- and community-led via the SLN blog, an email newsletter, events and retreats, and partner referrals. The organization holds no patents or trademarks and has no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or audited financials in the available source data.

Name

Sustainability Leaders Network

Legal name

Sustainability Leaders Network

Website

https://sustainabilityleadersnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sustainability Leaders Network is a nonprofit that convenes and develops a global network of sustainability leaders through the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program, coaching and retreats, and open-source educational resources including a biomimicry curriculum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Leadership Development

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Sustainability Engagement, Training & Behavior Change Programs (On-site) (BPABALAK)

Keywords

• Sustainability leadership
• Biomimicry education
• Systems thinking training
• Fellowship programs
• Environmental consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fellows Program Enrollment: SLN operates the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program, a structured fellowship that brings together sustainability champions from around the world. Revenue is generated through program participation, retreats, and workshops (e.g., Purpose Quest retreats in Tuscany and Costa Rica).
2. Coaching and Workshops: SLN offers coaching services and workshop facilitation for sustainability leaders and organizations. Services include bespoke leadership development, systems thinking workshops, and retreat facilitation.
3. Donations and Grants: SLN accepts donations and likely pursues grant funding for its programs, as evidenced by mentions of donors and grants supporting the biomimicry curriculum development (e.g., New England Environmental Education Association, EPA grant, Wellborn Ecology Fund).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sustainability Leaders Network operates the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program, a global fellowship that convenes and trains sustainability champions in systems thinking, organizational learning, reflective conservation, and visioning. The organization also delivers paid leadership coaching, workshops, and retreats (including Purpose Quest series in Tuscany and Costa Rica), and distributes open-source educational resources such as the Learning from Nature: A Course in Biomimicry curriculum.

Product overview

Sustainability Leaders Network is a network organization offering a portfolio of programs focused on sustainability leadership development. The core offerings include the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program (a fellowship/network for sustainability champions trained in systems thinking), Coaching & Workshops (including retreats and leadership development programs), and Resources including the open-source Learning from Nature: A Course in Biomimicry curriculum, SLN Publications, Donella Meadows Publications, and Inspirations. These offerings are interconnected through a whole-systems approach to sustainability, with the fellowship program serving as the central community and the other resources supporting education and professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Tim Brown's Tradewater, a Fellow-founded company, has destroyed over 4,100,000 metric tons of CO2 from old refrigerants that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Buckminster Fuller InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLN works closely with the Buckminster Fuller Institute. The Buckminster Fuller Institute's mission aligns with SLN's vision of creating a sustainable world. The quote 'Make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or disadvantage of anyone' is attributed to Buckminster Fuller on SLN's Partners page.
• Climate InteractivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate Interactive is listed as a key partner organization. Climate Interactive develops climate simulation tools and provides analysis used in international climate negotiations. SLN fellows have collaborated with Climate Interactive on climate solutions and the organization has been referenced in SLN publications.
• Confluence PhilanthropycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConfluence Philanthropy is listed as a partner. This organization supports foundations and philanthropists working for environmental and social change. A SLN fellow (Dana Lanza) is the Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Confluence Philanthropy.
• Biomimicry 3.8coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiomimicry 3.8 is a partner organization. SLN developed its biomimicry curriculum with guidance from Janine Benyus and the Biomimicry 3.8 team. Fellow Dayna Baumeister is a Co-Founder of Biomimicry 3.8. The partnership supports the biomimicry education movement.
• Both ENDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth ENDS is listed as a partner organization. It is a Dutch organization that supports civil society organizations worldwide working on sustainability. Fellow Danielle Hirsch is associated with Both ENDS.
• Sustainable Food LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sustainable Food Laboratory is listed as a partner organization. It works on sustainable food systems transformation. SLN fellows work across food systems and sustainable agriculture.
• Society for Organizational Learning (SoL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Society for Organizational Learning is listed as a partner. SoL focuses on leadership and organizational learning, aligning with SLN's approach to building sustainability leadership capacity.
• CASA Socio-Environmental FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASA is listed as a partner. SLN Fellow Amália Souza is the Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of CASA, which promotes environmental conservation and sustainability in South America through grants to grassroots groups.
• The Samdhana InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Samdhana Institute is listed as a partner. It is a regional institute focused on environmental and social sustainability in Asia.
• Seed SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeed Systems is listed as a partner, focused on agricultural seed systems and food security.
• Academy for ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademy for Change is listed as a partner organization, working on education for sustainability and social change.
• Cobb Hill CohousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCobb Hill Cohousing is listed as a partner. It is the physical community where many SLN fellows gatherings and workshops take place in Hartland, Vermont.
• Cedar Mountain FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCedar Mountain Farm is listed as a partner organization, contributing to SLN's local sustainability ecosystem in Vermont.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Climate Reality Project: Trains and mobilizes a global corps of climate leaders, modeled on Al Gore's network. Overlaps with SLN in climate-focused leadership training but operates at much greater scale and with foundation-level funding.
• Second Nature: Works with higher education institutions to accelerate climate action, including through leadership networks like the Climate Leadership Network. Adjacent to SLN's mission of convening sustainability leaders but specialized to the higher-ed sector.

Direct peers

• Biomimicry Institute: Educates and certifies professionals in biomimicry; SLN's open-source curriculum was featured in its K-12 toolkit and Biomimicry 3.8 is a close partner. Both operate at the intersection of sustainability education and network/community building.
• The Natural Step: International nonprofit that has trained thousands of sustainability leaders using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. Comparable to SLN in mission, methodology focus (systems thinking), and educator network.
• Net Impact: Professional network of students and leaders using business to drive social and environmental impact. Competes for the same sustainability-professional audience with a broader career-development orientation.
• Bioneers: Convenes a national network of sustainability innovators through an annual conference and media programming. Like SLN, Bioneers is a nonprofit network that convenes sustainability leaders and disseminates educational content.
• Buckminster Fuller Institute: Runs the Buckminster Fuller Challenge and supports design science leadership for whole-systems sustainability. SLN cites Fuller as an inspiration and lists the Institute as a core partner, sharing a whole-systems, design-led worldview.
• Climate Interactive: Develops climate simulation tools (En-ROADS) and trains climate leaders, with multiple SLN fellows on staff. Overlaps directly with SLN's climate solutions and systems thinking training.
• Society for Organizational Learning (SoL): Global network for organizational learning and leadership, founded on systems thinking principles (MIT/Senge). SLN lists SoL as a partner and shares its whole-systems leadership development approach.
• Presidio Graduate School: Graduate school offering MBA and MPA programs focused exclusively on sustainability and social impact. Overlaps with SLN in training sustainability leaders, but does so via accredited degree programs rather than a fellowship network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Sustainability Leaders Network