The Swamp Apes

What The Swamp Apes does

The Swamp Apes is a Florida-based non-profit organization that conducts nature-based therapeutic expeditions for U.S. military veterans, first responders, and their families. Core activities center on tracking and hand-catching invasive Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades, supplemented by trail clearing and environmental cleanup. The organization frames these expeditions as a therapeutic modality that leverages participants' existing tactical, tracking, and teamwork skills to address post-service mental health challenges including PTSD, isolation, and loss of purpose.

The integrated service portfolio includes multi-day outdoor expeditions, peer support services, professional resource referrals, a curated and continuously updated resource manual for veterans and families, and research-backed therapeutic programming. The Swamp Apes has published peer-reviewed research in Cogent Medicine (2019) validating biopsychosocial outcomes, and is engaged with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through the COMPACT Act task force to position outdoor recreation as a prescribable treatment modality. The organization is led by founder Tom Rahill and operates with 1-10 staff.

The Swamp Apes is funded exclusively through charitable donations, processed via a PayPal portal on its website (swampapes.org), with no commercial pricing, no disclosed institutional grants, and no government contracts. Marketing is conducted primarily through earned media (HBO documentary, Great Big Story, 60 Second Docs, Military Officer Magazine July 2022, regional outlets) and word-of-mouth referrals within veteran and first responder communities. There is no paid acquisition channel and no disclosed donor base composition.

Name

The Swamp Apes

Legal name

The Swamp Apes

Website

https://swampapes.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Swamp Apes is a Florida-based non-profit that runs free, donation-funded, nature-based therapeutic expeditions — primarily invasive Burmese python removal in the Everglades — for U.S. military veterans, first responders, and their families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Therapeutic Outdoor Recreation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

Keywords

• Veteran therapeutic services
• Outdoor recreation therapy
• Invasive species removal
• Nature-based healing
• First responder support

Headquarters

HQ city

Lutz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization operates as a non-profit and generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals and organizations who support veteran services and environmental conservation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Swamp Apes is a non-profit organization that delivers free nature-based adventure expeditions to military veterans, first responders, and their families in the Florida Everglades. Activities center on tracking and hand-catching invasive Burmese Pythons, clearing overgrown trails, and conducting environmental cleanup, with the dual purpose of wildlife conservation and therapeutic peer-based healing. The program is complemented by peer support, professional resources, and a continually updated veteran resource manual.

Product overview

The Swamp Apes is a non-profit organization offering a single integrated program of nature-based therapeutic services for Veterans, First Responders, and their families. The core offering consists of outdoor adventure expeditions centered on wildlife management activities (particularly Burmese Python removal in the Florida Everglades), trail clearing, and environmental restoration. These expeditions are complemented by peer support services, professional resources, outdoor recreation therapy activities, and a comprehensive resource manual. The program is designed to provide therapeutic benefits through meaningful outdoor work that leverages veterans' skills while restoring the natural environment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nature-Based Adventure Expeditions Outdoor expeditions for Veterans, First Responders, and their families in the Florida Everglades involving activities such as tracking and hand-catching invasive Burmese Pythons, clearing overgrown trails, and environmental cleanup efforts to foster renewed support, comradery, and purpose.
• Peer Support Services Peer support connecting Veterans with others who share similar experiences through adventure-based activities that foster a regained sense of purpose and mission.
• Professional Resources Program Professional resources provided to Veterans, First Responders, and their families to support their transition and well-being.
• Outdoor Recreation Therapy Nature-based healing through outdoor recreation activities that contribute to the healing process while developing interconnectedness with others and the environment, with the goal of becoming a prescribable treatment program for Veterans.
• Veteran Resource Manual Veteran-focused services, support, and programs manual for service members and families, containing dynamic resources that are continuously updated as new resources are identified.

Quantifiable outcome

• Peer-reviewed research validates effectiveness in restoring biopsychosocial functioning of American veterans

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Swamp Apes participated in providing feedback to the Department of Veterans Affairs on recommendations and insights about Outdoor Recreation programs and their benefits for veterans. This engagement supports efforts to have programs like The Swamp Apes offered as official treatment and support options for veterans.
• COMPACT ActcoreOthersThe Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (COMPACT Act) includes provisions requiring the VA to establish a task force examining outdoor recreation programs for veterans, which The Swamp Apes has provided input to.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sierra Club Military Outdoors: Program of the Sierra Club connecting veterans and active-duty service members with outdoor experiences, including conservation service trips. Directly comparable outdoor-recreation-meets-conservation programming for the same demographic.
• Warrior Expeditions: Non-profit that organizes long-distance outdoor expeditions (hiking, paddling, cycling) for combat veterans to support reintegration and peer connection. Directly comparable mission, veteran-only participant base, and outdoor-therapy delivery model.
• Outward Bound for Veterans: Adapts Outward Bound's wilderness expedition curriculum specifically for veterans, using challenging outdoor activities to support PTSD recovery and reintegration. Closest direct match in the outdoor-therapy-for-veterans category.
• Student Conservation Association (SCA) Veterans Program: Operates conservation service programs explicitly targeted at veterans, pairing outdoor stewardship with veteran reintegration outcomes. Closest analog in the conservation-meets-veteran-therapy category.
• Warrior PATHH (Project Healing Heroes): Non-profit program delivering structured outdoor and adventure-based experiences to combat veterans and first responders for PTSD and transition support. Highly comparable in therapeutic modality and target populations.

Broad incumbents

• Wounded Warrior Project: Large, well-funded veteran non-profit with a mental-health and physical-recovery mandate. While not outdoor-specific, it serves the same primary participant base and competes for the same donor attention and VA program-design influence.
• Team Rubicon: Large veteran-led non-profit that mobilizes veterans for disaster response and community service. While its mission is disaster relief rather than conservation, it shares the thesis that veterans' tactical skills are deployable for high-impact public service.
• The Mission Continues: National non-profit empowering veterans to address community challenges through service, including outdoor and conservation-focused 'Service Platoon' activities. Comparable in audience (veterans seeking purpose) and mission framing.

Emerging players

• Florida Python Elimination Program (FWC): State-run program that pays contracted hunters to remove invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades. Operates in the same ecosystem on the same species, providing a public-sector alternative for python-removal labor and donor funding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/swampapes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Swamp Apes