What Foundation for Environmental Education does

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee (charity number 1148274), founded in 1981 and operating under the GAIA 20:30 strategic plan. It functions as one of the world's largest Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) organisations, delivering six programmes — Eco-Schools, Blue Flag, Green Key, LEAF, Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE), and Eco-Campus — through a global network of 110+ member organisations active in 85 countries. The 2025 Annual Report states these programmes collectively reach 15 million young people. FEE's technology stack is centred on FEE Academy, an online learning platform built on Moodle Pty Ltd, used to deliver courses to educators, sustainability professionals, and changemakers. The platform is GDPR-compliant and supports individual learner subscriptions, but no public API, SDK, or developer documentation is offered, and the technology differentiator is positioned as ease of implementation rather than technical sophistication.

FEE operates a membership-based revenue model: national organisations pay tiered annual membership fees (Associate or Full) scaled by their country's GDP per capita, plus a €250 one-time application fee and an optional €400/year Affiliate membership for countries with an existing member. Member organisations then pay additional programme levies to implement individual FEE programmes locally. Complementary revenue streams include certification fees from Blue Flag and Green Key tourism operators, donations processed via PCI-compliant vendors (Stripe, PayPal, Paylike), and likely project grants through EU Projects, UN partnerships, and the Glasgow Declaration. Pricing is opaque beyond the published fees, and no full financial statements are disclosed in the source material. The organisation serves four primary segments: national member organisations (primary, B2B), schools and universities (curriculum delivery), tourism establishments (certification), and young people aged 11-25 (participatory programmes like YRE).

Name

Foundation for Environmental Education

Legal name

Foundation for Environmental Education

Website

https://fee.global

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is a UK-registered charity founded in 1981 that delivers six environmental education and certification programmes through a network of 110+ member organisations in 85 countries, reaching 15 million young people and thousands of schools and tourism operators worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education and Sustainability Certification

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Environmental education
• Sustainable development programmes
• Eco-label certification
• School sustainability programmes
• Membership network

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees paid by member organisations based on membership status (Associate or Full) and GDP per capita of their country. Affiliate membership fee is €400 per year.
2. Membership Application Fee: One-time non-refundable application fee of €250 charged to organisations applying for membership
3. Programme Levies: Additional fees paid by members for implementing FEE programmes (Eco-Schools, Blue Flag, Green Key, etc.)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FEE operates a portfolio of six environmental education programmes (Eco-Schools, Eco-Campus, LEAF, YRE, Blue Flag, Green Key) and the FEE Academy online learning platform, delivered through a global network of 110+ member organisations in 85 countries. Programmes include school-based curricula, higher education sustainability frameworks, eco-labels for beaches/marinas/tourism establishments, and youth environmental journalism.

Product overview

The Foundation for Environmental Education operates a portfolio of six interconnected environmental education programmes spanning certification schemes (Blue Flag, Green Key), school-based programmes (Eco-Schools, Eco-Campus), ecosystem education (LEAF), youth journalism (YRE), online learning (FEE Academy), and water education (Water Explorers). The programmes are coordinated under the GAIA 20:30 strategic framework and collectively engage 15 million young people across 85 countries, with certification programmes providing measurable sustainability outcomes while educational programmes build environmental awareness and action.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue Flag: Global eco-label for beaches, marinas, and boats promoting sustainable management and education.
• Green Key
• Eco-Schools
• Eco-Campus
• Learning about Ecosystems and Forests (LEAF)
• Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE)
• Water Explorers
• FEE Academy

Products and services

• Blue Flag

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 million young people reached through programmes across 85 countries (2025)

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• UN Decade on Ecosystem RestorationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFEE is a Supporting Partner of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), contributing to global efforts for the protection and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Greening Education Partnership (GEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member of GEP Advisory Board and co-lead of GEP Pillar 1 on Greening Schools. Global initiative taking a whole-of-system approach to support countries in tackling the climate crisis through education.
• UNESCO ASPnetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of UNESCO Associated Schools working on Education for Sustainable Development
• Dona Bertarelli PhilanthropysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Water Explorers Education Guide, developed with Sow my Dream (educational programme of Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EarthDay.org: International environmental education and civic engagement organisation driving global awareness campaigns. Comparable to FEE in its mission of mobilising youth and educators around climate and sustainability, with overlapping audience and content distribution.
• Project WET Foundation: Global non-profit delivering water-focused environmental education to children and educators worldwide. Operates a similar member-organisation distribution model and curriculum-based school programmes, making it a direct functional comparable to FEE's Eco-Schools and Water Explorers.
• Project Learning Tree: Environmental education programme for K-12 educators run by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Overlaps heavily with FEE's Eco-Schools and LEAF as a school-based environmental curriculum with global reach and teacher training.
• Plant-for-the-Planet: Youth-led environmental organisation focused on tree planting and climate education. Targets a similar 11-25 age demographic as FEE's YRE and LEAF programmes and competes for the same global youth environmental education audience.
• Keep Britain Tidy / Keep America Beautiful: National environmental education and litter-prevention organisations in the UK and US with school-facing curricula. Comparable to FEE's Litter Less Campaign and Eco-Schools programmes, with similar behaviours-change mission and educational institutional reach.
• Jane Goodall Institute (Roots & Shoots): Global environmental and humanitarian education programme for youth, operating in 60+ countries. Directly comparable to FEE's Eco-Schools and YRE on youth environmental education, though differentiated by its founder-brand and species-focused curriculum.

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Society: Global non-profit delivering environmental education, teacher resources, and youth programmes. Overlaps with FEE's educator and youth content mission, though at much larger scale and with media-led distribution.
• WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature): One of the world's largest environmental organisations with global education, conservation, and advocacy programmes. Significantly larger than FEE but competes in the same global environmental education and ecosystem-restoration space, including participation in UN climate forums.
• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): International conservation and nature-based solutions body with global membership and education programmes. Listed as a FEE partner (per their website), but operates in adjacent biodiversity and ecosystem education space with similar government and NGO stakeholders.

Emerging players

• Earthwatch Institute: International environmental education and citizen-science organisation connecting educators and youth with field research. Comparable to FEE's YRE and LEAF programmes in environmental literacy and youth engagement, though differentiated by its research-led positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/fee.global
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtv9k4LhH9Xv4L
• Facebookfacebook.com/fee.global
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foundation-for-environmental-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/fee.global

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Foundation for Environmental Education