Sol Nation
Sol Nation is a Charlotte, NC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2017, that runs grassroots climate-justice organizing, environmental education, and policy advocacy programs for Black and Brown communities, funded through donations, memberships, and branded merchandise sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersCharlotte, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sol Nation does
Sol Nation Incorporated is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, that conducts grassroots climate-justice organizing, environmental education, and policy advocacy for Black and Brown communities in the U.S. Southeast. The organization operates through three programmatic pillars — Sovereignty in Practice, Sovereignty in Workforce, and Sovereignty in Advocacy — and runs named programs including the Summer Ambassador Program (youth leadership development with $3,000 participant project budgets), the Sol Tech Academy sub-brand (coding and environmental-surveying training for historically marginalized youth), and Sol Stories (a video content series on environmental and social justice).
The revenue model is a hybrid of three streams: tax-deductible donations collected via the Zeffy donation portal, an annual individual membership program, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce merchandise shop offering branded apparel and accessories (t-shirts $33-$36, tote bags $34-$45, hooded sweatshirts $41, ceramic mugs $10-$11) across three sub-brand lines (SOL TECH, FOR THE PEOPLE, and Environmental Justice Is). Distribution is community-led, combining grassroots events (Community Clean Up, Sol Summit, QC Climate Convergence), digital content marketing (blog, multi-platform social media under @solnationinc), and the e-commerce storefront. No proprietary technology platform or AI capability is disclosed; the technology stack is built on Wix.
Sol Nation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sol Nation
- Legal name
- Sol Nation Incorporated
- Website
- https://solnation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sol Nation is a Charlotte, NC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2017, that runs grassroots climate-justice organizing, environmental education, and policy advocacy programs for Black and Brown communities, funded through donations, memberships, and branded merchandise sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sol Nation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Advocacy and Community Organizing
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)
Keywords
Where Sol Nation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlotte
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sol Nation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Sol Nation relies on donations from individuals and organizations to support grassroots organizing, environmental education, policy advocacy, and sustainable solutions. Donation links are prominently featured throughout the website.
- Membership Program: Annual membership program where supporters pay dues to directly support the organization's work in grassroots organizing, environmental education, policy advocacy, and sustainable solutions that uplift historically marginalized communities.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and hooded sweatshirts through the organization's e-commerce shop. Products feature environmental justice messaging and the organization's branding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ceramic mugs priced at $10-$11 each |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | T-shirts priced at $33-$35.98 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tote bags priced at $33.98-$44.78 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hooded sweatshirts priced at $40.99 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sol Nation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sol Nation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes Black and Brown communities around climate justice solutions through environmental education, workshops, panels, and cultural engagement. The organization funds its mission through donations, an annual membership program, and the sale of branded merchandise (mugs, t-shirts, tote bags, hooded sweatshirts) featuring environmental justice messaging.
Product overview
Sol Nation is a climate justice nonprofit organization that operates primarily as a merchandise-based fundraising entity. The company offers merchandise products organized into three main branded lines: (1) Environmental Justice Is (EJS) branded merchandise including mugs, t-shirts, tote bags, and hooded sweatshirts with environmental justice messaging; (2) SOL TECH branded merchandise including mugs, t-shirts, and tote bags that support Sol Tech Academy; and (3) FOR THE PEOPLE branded merchandise featuring messaging about land, air, water, and people. All products are sold through the organization's e-commerce shop and support the nonprofit's environmental justice mission, grassroots organizing, and community programs including education, workshops, and advocacy for Black and Brown communities in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sol Tech Academy: Introduces people of all ages from historically marginalized communities to technology through a climate justice lens, prioritizing equipping young people with coding training, access to different coding languages, and experiential opportunities to survey environmental quality of their communities.
- Sol Stories
Products and services
- Annual Membership Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Resilience hub established serving 7 counties post-Hurricane Helene
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sol Nation
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sol Nation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sol Nation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities InitiativeflagshipCharlotte was selected for the Bloomberg American Sustainable City Initiative, a three-year, $200 million program supporting 25 U.S. cities in advancing climate action. SOL Nation represents Charlotte in this initiative, bringing its community-centered approach to environmental justice and ensuring an inclusive, people-powered transition to a greener future.
- Cornerstone Summit ChurchcoreSol Nation partnered with Cornerstone Summit Church to establish a resilience hub in Boone, NC after Hurricane Helene. The hub provided support, supplies, and community gathering space during and after the crisis, eventually serving seven counties consistently. Pastor Reggie Hunt led the church's response while Sol Nation provided coordination support.
- Trees CharlotteminorTrees Charlotte partnered with Sol Nation's Summer Ambassador Program, providing tree seedlings for the Seeds of Change Block Party event. Individual donors like Justin also contributed tree seedlings to the program.
- Allegra Westbrooks Regional LibraryminorThe Summer Ambassador Program culminated in the Seeds of Change Block Party held at Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library, which served as the venue for the community event.
- CleanAire NCminorRafaella Vaca-Tricerri of CleanAire NC provided guidance to Summer Ambassador Program participants, educating them about North Carolina's legacy of environmental justice activism and frontline position in fighting environmental racism.
- TEEM Community of Practice (North Carolina)coreSol Nation is a member of the TEEM (Transportation Equity in NC) Community of Practice, working alongside the North Carolina Justice Center and other organizations on equitable electric vehicle adoption and transportation equity in North Carolina.
- North Carolina Justice CentercoreSol Nation works with the North Carolina Justice Center as part of the TEEM state cohort on equitable EV adoption policy and transportation equity advocacy in North Carolina.
- PolicyLink, Johns Hopkins, and NRDCflagshipThese national organizations partner with the Bloomberg American Sustainable City Initiative to drive equity-centered climate solutions in buildings and transportation across 25 cities.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sol Nation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Greenlining Institute: California-based racial and economic justice organization with a substantial environmental and climate justice portfolio. Comparable on EJ policy advocacy and community-of-color framing, but operates at a larger scale with broader issue coverage.
- NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program: National EJ program within the NAACP, operating in 50+ states. Comparable mission and audience (Black communities facing environmental harm) but at dramatically larger scale; competes with Sol Nation for the same donor mindshare and federal funding streams.
Direct peers
- Ironbound Community Corporation: Newark, NJ-based community organization with a strong environmental justice program serving communities of color impacted by industrial pollution. Comparable structure (community-led EJ, advocacy, youth programming) and similar mid-sized nonprofit scale.
- WE ACT for Environmental Justice: A long-standing environmental justice nonprofit serving communities of color in Harlem and nationally. Directly comparable as a community-led EJ organization doing advocacy, workforce development, and policy work — competing for the same donor and partnership ecosystem.
- UPROSE: Brooklyn-based EJ nonprofit led by and for Latino and other communities of color. Comparable structure: grassroots organizing, youth leadership development, climate resilience programming, and policy advocacy with a community-translator framing similar to Sol Nation's.
- Movement Generation: Bay Area-based EJ and climate justice organization focused on building grassroots leadership in frontline communities. Comparable philosophy (community-led solutions over top-down approaches) and overlapping pedagogy (education, organizing, advocacy).
- Deep South Center for Environmental Justice: New Orleans-based EJ nonprofit focused on Black and Brown communities in the Gulf Coast. Closely comparable mission (community-led climate justice, youth training, policy advocacy) and similar geographic-climate context (Southeast US hurricane exposure).
- Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS): Texas-based environmental justice organization serving frontline communities. Comparable as a community-of-color-led EJ nonprofit doing grassroots organizing, education, and policy advocacy in a Southern state context.
Emerging players
- Center for Earth, Energy and Space Advocacy: Community-focused EJ advocacy organization working on pollution, energy equity, and climate justice. Comparable on community-of-color-led advocacy framing, though smaller and less directly comparable on the grassroots organizing model.
- Groundwork USA: National network of local Groundwork Trusts doing environmental justice, urban greening, and youth workforce development. Overlaps with Sol Nation on green-jobs training (Sol Tech Academy), community resilience, and environmental education.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sol Nation social profiles
Digital presenceSol Nation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sol Nation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Sol Nation subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Sol Nation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sol Nation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sol Nation
What does Sol Nation do?
Sol Nation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes Black and Brown communities around climate justice solutions through environmental education, workshops, panels, and cultural engagement. The organization funds its mission through donations, an annual membership program, and the sale of branded merchandise (mugs, t-shirts, tote bags, hooded sweatshirts) featuring environmental justice messaging.
Is Sol Nation a public or private company?
Sol Nation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sol Nation founded?
Sol Nation was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sol Nation based?
Sol Nation is headquartered in Charlotte, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sol Nation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are membership Program and merchandise Sales.
Who are Sol Nation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Greenlining Institute and NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. Direct peers are Ironbound Community Corporation, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, UPROSE, Movement Generation, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS). Emerging players are Center for Earth, Energy and Space Advocacy and Groundwork USA.
Does Sol Nation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sol Nation.
What industry is Sol Nation in?
Sol Nation's product category is Environmental Advocacy and Community Organizing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAF, Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation, with a secondary code of BPAGAGAH, Environmental Education & Outreach. Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 8600.