The New York Climate Exchange

What The New York Climate Exchange does

The New York Climate Exchange is a New York-based nonprofit consortium founded in 2023 and anchored by Stony Brook University. The organization operates as a cross-sector convening and partnership platform that activates a network of 48 partners — including 11 academic institutions (Duke, NYU, CUNY, Georgia Tech, Pratt, Pace, RIT, ETH Zürich, University of Washington, SUNY Maritime, plus anchor Stony Brook), major corporations (IBM, Moody's, BCG, Bloomberg, HSBC, Skanska), research labs (Brookhaven National Lab, Oxford, American Museum of Natural History), and 30+ community organizations — to develop climate solutions targeted at urban resilience, climate data, and climate finance for cities. It was selected in April 2023 through a two-year competitive process led by the Trust for Governors Island and the NYC Mayor's Office to serve as the sole developer of a $700M, 250,000 sq ft climate campus on Governors Island, which will open in Fall 2029 and include mass timber buildings, renovated historic Liggett Hall, a 650-seat convening hall, student housing, and four acres of public open space.

The Exchange's product portfolio comprises ten discrete programs: the Climate Tech Fellowship (a six-month NYSERDA-supported pre-accelerator offering $10,000 non-dilutive stipends to early-stage climate tech teams); the Governors Island Environmental Observatory (GIEO), a real-time air-quality and greenhouse-gas monitoring network launched in 2025 with the University of Helsinki using the SMEAR data platform; the Climate Solutions Summit NYC (an annual data-driven convening organized with the NYC Panel on Climate Change and UCCRN); the Wall Street Climate Forum for Young Professionals (an HSBC-founded climate finance education and networking series); NYCHA Resident Climate Action Grants (a community grant program that benefited 40,000 public housing residents); the Sustainable Solutions Challenge; the Youth Climate Summit; The Climate Story Project (a Wellcome Trust-supported storytelling initiative); the AI Innovation for Resilience student competition with Pace and IBM; and the Design Exchange series with Pratt and the Municipal Art Society of New York. Technology is embedded in partner-built offerings such as flood-monitoring AI (FloodNet), grid analytics (GridSeer), and battery-circularity research (Project Closed Circuit); the Exchange does not sell or license a proprietary software platform.

The Exchange is a philanthropic nonprofit. Programs are free to participants, and operating revenue is derived from philanthropic grants, major gifts, and corporate sponsorships, including a confirmed $10M gift from Glenn Dubin and Eva Andersson-Dubin, MD, and founding support from the Simons Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Robert K Johnson Foundation, HSBC, NYSERDA, Wellcome Trust, and others. Upon opening of the Governors Island campus in 2029, the Exchange expects to add a fee-bearing revenue stream through student housing, conference and event rentals (650-seat hall), and facility rentals. Pricing is not applied to current programs, and there is no commercial SaaS or licensing revenue model.

Name

The New York Climate Exchange

Legal name

The New York Climate Exchange

Website

https://nyclimateexchange.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The New York Climate Exchange is a Stony Brook-anchored nonprofit consortium that convenes 48 academic, corporate, government, and community partners to develop climate solutions through urban resilience, climate data, and climate finance programs, and is building a $700M climate campus on Governors Island.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Innovation Services

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPAIAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Environment, Climate & Sustainability Congresses (THAHAJAH), Downscaled Climate Projections & Scenario Analytics (CMIP, SSP/RCP, Regionalization) (EUABALAB), Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD)

Keywords

• Climate solutions research
• Climate tech incubation
• Urban resilience programs
• Environmental monitoring network
• Nonprofit climate convening

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Major Gifts: As a nonprofit organization, The Exchange's primary revenue is derived from philanthropic contributions, major gifts, and foundation grants. Named founding partners include The Simons Foundation, Simons Foundation International, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Robert K Johnson Foundation, and The Glenn and Eva Dubin Family Foundation. The $10 million gift from Glenn Dubin and Eva Andersson-Dubin was publicly announced.
2. Climate Tech Fellowship Program Support: The Climate Tech Fellowship receives support from NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) as a primary sponsor, with additional support from corporate partners including Foley Hoag, FirstMatter, Hazelwood Network, and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science.
3. Corporate and Community Partnerships: Corporate partners (IBM, Moody's, BCG, Skanska, and others) contribute funding, in-kind expertise, and programmatic support in exchange for association with The Exchange's climate innovation ecosystem and access to research, talent, and convening platforms.
4. Climate Campus Revenue (Future): Upon opening in Fall 2029, the climate campus on Governors Island will generate revenue through student housing fees, conference and event rentals (convening hall seats 650), educational programming, and facility rentals. The campus encompasses 250,000 sq ft of academic, research, and convening space.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The New York Climate Exchange is a nonprofit convening organization that develops climate solutions by activating a 48-partner ecosystem of universities, corporations, community organizations, and government agencies. It delivers a portfolio of programs including a Climate Tech Fellowship for early-stage innovators, urban environmental monitoring infrastructure (GIEO), community climate action grants, climate finance forums, youth and professional summits, and storytelling initiatives. The Exchange is anchored by Stony Brook University and is constructing a 250,000 sq ft climate campus on Governors Island scheduled to open in Fall 2029.

Product overview

The New York Climate Exchange is a nonprofit organization that operates as a collaborative platform rather than a single software product. It delivers climate solutions through a portfolio of interconnected programs including the Climate Tech Fellowship (incubation program for early-stage innovators), the Governors Island Environmental Observatory (environmental monitoring infrastructure), the Climate Solutions Summit NYC (annual convening), the Wall Street Climate Forum for Young Professionals (climate finance education), NYCHA Resident Climate Action Grants (community grant program), Sustainable Solutions Challenge (innovation competition), Youth Climate Summit (education program), The Climate Story Project (storytelling initiative), AI Innovation for Resilience (student AI competition), and Design Exchange (design collaboration series). The organization is anchored by Stony Brook University and is developing a climate campus on Governors Island scheduled to open in 2029.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Climate Tech Fellowship: A six-month pre-accelerator program supporting early-stage climate innovators at the intersection of energy and urban resilience
• NYCHA Resident Climate Action Grants
• Governors Island Environmental Observatory (GIEO)
• Project Closed Circuit
• Wall Street Climate Forum for Young Professionals
• Sustainable Solutions Challenge

Products and services

• Climate Tech Fellowship A six-month hybrid pre-accelerator program combining expert-led curriculum, 1:1 mentorship, $10,000 non-dilutive stipends per team, and access to The Exchange's global partner ecosystem to help early-stage climate tech innovators bridge the gap between university research and commercialization. Supported by NYSERDA.
• Governors Island Environmental Observatory (GIEO) An urban atmospheric observatory that monitors environmental changes in real time, measuring air quality parameters, meteorological data, and greenhouse gas emissions on Governors Island. GIEO aims to become an 'Atmospheric Supersite' connected to a global network of urban observatories, with data publicly accessible via the University of Helsinki's SMEAR platform.
• Climate Solutions Summit NYC An annual data-driven convening bringing together climate scientists, urban planners, policy analysts, and technology innovators to examine critical climate datasets and metrics essential to enhancing coastal resilience efforts in densely populated waterfront cities.
• Wall Street Climate Forum for Young Professionals A networking and educational initiative designed to build climate-literate future leadership in global finance, exploring climate finance trends, expanding networks, and developing cross-disciplinary knowledge at the intersection of policy, capital markets, and sustainability. Delivered in NYC and at London Climate Action Week in collaboration with HSBC, Duke University, and Bloomberg.
• NYCHA Resident Climate Action Grants A community-focused grant initiative supporting climate action and sustainability projects within New York City Housing Authority developments. Provides grant funding and technical assistance for resident-led climate projects benefiting 40,000 public housing residents across NYC's five boroughs.
• Sustainable Solutions Challenge An innovation challenge calling for groundbreaking, implementation-ready innovations that can be integrated into The Exchange's future climate campus on Governors Island, designed as a living laboratory for sustainability showcasing cutting-edge climate solutions.
• Youth Climate Summit An annual summit where school teams spend time on Governors Island engaging in climate and sustainability career discovery, leadership development, environmental justice education, and summer youth climate-action planning.
• The Climate Story Project A storytelling initiative that collects and shares diverse personal stories about how climate change affects human health through a growing digital archive, live events, and in-person workshops. Partner organizations include WE ACT, NYU, and Billion Oyster Project.

Quantifiable outcome

• Circularity measures could reduce critical mineral mining needs by up to 40% and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% in EV battery circularity applications
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered anchor, core and minor.

• Stony Brook UniversityanchorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStony Brook University serves as The Exchange's anchor institution, having led the nonprofit consortium selected in April 2023 through a competitive process. The university's Center for Four Dimensional Environmental Change (C4E) serves as the primary research hub. Stony Brook President Andrea Goldsmith serves as Chair of The Exchange's Board of Directors. SVP Jed Shovers serves as Treasurer on the board.
• IBMcoreTechnology or IntegrationIBM partners with The Exchange on AI innovation challenges, including a student competition organized with Pace University to design stormwater management solutions for NYC using AI. IBM brings technology expertise and computational resources to The Exchange's innovation ecosystem.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCG is a core corporate partner contributing strategic consulting expertise. Giovanni Fassio, Partner at BCG, serves on The Exchange's Board of Directors.
• Brookhaven National LaboratorycoreTechnology or IntegrationBrookhaven National Lab contributes scientific research capabilities and climate data expertise to The Exchange's partner network, supporting the Governors Island Environmental Observatory and other data-driven climate programs.
• American Geophysical Union (AGU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGU co-organized sessions at the Climate Solutions Summit and partnered on the UNOC side event exploring ocean resilience. AGU contributes scientific expertise and global research network access to The Exchange's programs.
• NYU (New York University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYU is one of 11 academic university partners, contributing faculty expertise in climate science, urban planning, and engineering. Charlie Mydlarz (NYU) was a Climate Tech Fellow developing FloodNet for real-time urban flood monitoring. Mary Killilea (NYU Associate Dean) serves on the Board.
• Duke UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke University is an academic partner, with faculty including Mauricio Hernandez (GridSeer) and Ty Roach (Coral Reef Arks) participating as Climate Tech Fellows. Duke co-hosted the Wall Street Climate Forum session at London Climate Action Week with Bloomberg.
• Georgia TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia Tech contributes research expertise in climate adaptation and AI through faculty including Patricia Stathatou (water decontamination) and Xiao Liu (wildfire management). L. Beril Toktay, Executive Director of Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems at Georgia Tech, serves on the Board.
• Pratt InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPratt Institute is an academic partner contributing design and architecture expertise. Frances Bronet, President of Pratt, serves as Secretary on the Board. Pratt co-hosted Design Exchange events on mass timber and extreme heat mitigation with The Exchange.
• CUNY (City University of New York)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUNY is an academic partner, contributing faculty and students across its system. Fares Al-Lahabi (CUNY City College) was a Climate Tech Fellow developing CarbonCLAIR. Dr. Rosemarie Wesson (CUNY Associate Vice Chancellor) serves on the Board.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Washington's Urban@UW program partners with The Exchange on urban climate research, with Director Rachel Berney contributing to The Exchange's programs and governance.
• Pace UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPace University contributes urban resilience and environmental policy expertise. The university co-organized the AI Innovation for Resilience challenge with IBM and The Exchange, and hosted Design Exchange events.
• RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIT is one of The Exchange's 11 academic partners, contributing technology and innovation expertise. Ryne Raffaelle, RIT Vice President for Research, serves on the Board.
• ETH ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETH Zürich is an international academic partner, contributing climate science and technology research expertise. Thomas Zurbuchen, ETH Professor, serves on the Board of Directors.
• SUNY Maritime CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUNY Maritime College is one of the academic university partners contributing maritime and coastal expertise relevant to The Exchange's ocean resilience programming.
• SkanskacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSkanska serves as Construction Manager for the climate campus development on Governors Island. Skanska is one of the world's largest construction firms, recently added as the latest partner in a world-class project team that includes SOM architecture, Buro Happold engineering, and Mathews Nielsen landscape architecture.
• University of HelsinkicoreTechnology or IntegrationThe University of Helsinki is a key scientific partner for the Governors Island Environmental Observatory (GIEO), providing the SMEAR data platform and technical expertise. GIEO launched during Climate Week NYC 2025 following a collaborative event with Helsinki, Stony Brook, and Pratt.
• Public Housing Community FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Public Housing Community Fund co-presents the NYCHA Resident Climate Action Grants with The Exchange and NYCHA, providing grant funding and technical assistance for resident-led climate projects in public housing developments. Made possible by HSBC and Rise Light and Power.
• Waterfront AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterfront Alliance is a key operational partner for ocean and coastal resilience programs. The organization co-hosted the Climate Jobs & Nature Summit and contributes expertise in waterfront climate adaptation. Julie Raskin of Waterfront Alliance serves on panels.
• Billion Oyster ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBillion Oyster Project is a community partner participating in The Climate Story Project and ocean resilience programming. The organization contributes marine education and restoration expertise to The Exchange's events.
• WE ACTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWE ACT is a partner in The Climate Story Project, contributing environmental justice expertise and ensuring authentic community voices are heard in climate storytelling initiatives.
• Solar OnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolar One is a climate education partner that collaborated on the Youth-Led Solar pilot with the Variety Boys and Girls Club in Queens, engaging high school students in building solar energy units for urban rooftop farms.
• Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGOLES is a community partner contributing local environmental justice expertise. Damaris Reyes, GOLES Executive Director, serves on the Board of Directors.
• Foley HoagminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFoley Hoag provides legal expertise and pro bono support to Climate Tech Fellows, contributing intellectual property strategy guidance as part of the fellowship curriculum.
• The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science (Stony Brook)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Alan Alda Center provides communication and presentation skills training to Climate Tech Fellows as part of the fellowship program, preparing innovators to pitch to investors and engage with stakeholders.
• New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYCHA is a key government partner, hosting the Resident Climate Action Grants program that supports resident-led climate and sustainability projects across public housing developments in all five boroughs.
• Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLMCC is a cultural partner co-presenting events including World Oceans Day musical celebrations, Earth Day celebrations, and creative climate action programming at the Arts Center on Governors Island.
• New York Harbor SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York Harbor School is a partner contributing marine science education and ocean restoration expertise. The school hosted summer interns and participates in ocean resilience programming.
• The Climate MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Climate Museum is a cultural partner co-presenting events including ocean-inspired performances and climate art exhibitions, contributing expertise in using arts for climate engagement and education.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: C40 is a global network of mayors and city leaders addressing climate change through urban action. Highly comparable to The Exchange as both operate urban-focused climate convening and policy platforms with city government partnerships.
• Climate Museum: The Climate Museum is a NYC-based nonprofit using arts and culture for climate engagement. It is a core partner of The Exchange (co-presenting events) and addresses overlapping audiences around urban climate communication and education.
• Aspen Global Change Institute: AGCI is a climate research and convening institute running interdisciplinary workshops on climate science and policy. Listed as a partner of The Exchange; comparable as a nonprofit convening platform focused on climate research collaboration.
• Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN): UCCRN is a consortium of urban climate researchers producing actionable science for cities, anchored at Columbia University. It is a direct partner of The Exchange (co-organizing Climate Solutions Summit NYC) and operates an overlapping urban resilience research mission.

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a global research organization producing climate, energy, and sustainability analysis for governments and businesses. Overlaps with The Exchange on climate data, urban resilience, and finance research, but at much greater institutional scale.
• RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute): RMI is a much larger clean energy transformation nonprofit working across finance, policy, and technology. Comparable to The Exchange in mission focus but operates at significantly greater scale with proprietary research outputs and global reach.
• Conservation International: Conservation International is a large global conservation nonprofit where incoming CEO Dr. M. Sanjayan previously served as CEO. Comparable as a science-driven environmental nonprofit, though focused on biodiversity and conservation rather than urban climate innovation.
• The Climate Group: The Climate Group is an international NGO convening corporate and government leaders on climate action through initiatives like RE100 and EV100. Comparable convening role to The Exchange, with established global networks in corporate climate engagement.
• Climate Reality Project:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-new-york-climate-exchange
• Instagraminstagram.com/nyclimateexchange
• Xx.com/NYClimEx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 The New York Climate Exchange