Clean Air Coalition of WNY

What Clean Air Coalition of WNY does

Clean Air Coalition of WNY is a community-based nonprofit membership organization that organizes residents in Western New York neighborhoods (Tonawanda, North Tonawanda, Seneca Babcock, Lovejoy, Delavan Grider, Niagara Falls, and parts of Buffalo) to run environmental-justice and public-health campaigns. Founded in the early 2000s by neighbors concerned about industrial pollution, the coalition operates a member-led model in which more than 200 dues-paying members elect the Board of Directors, set campaign priorities, staff three basebuilding teams (Membership, Events Committee, Rapid Response), and participate in leadership training. Its work has spanned regulatory advocacy against industrial polluters, Just Transition planning for retired fossil-fuel infrastructure, community emergency preparedness, and mutual aid.

The organization's operational backbone is community air monitoring using PurpleAir consumer-grade sensors deployed at host sites (homes, schools, churches, community centers, businesses) within environmental-justice areas near industrial corridors. Under a NYS DEC Environmental Justice Office grant, Clean Air is one of nine organizations statewide in the Community Air Monitoring Capacity-Building Program and publishes neighborhood-level air quality to PurpleAir's live map. It co-developed an air quality education card game with TESA Collective to extend the program into general-public education. Notable deliverables include a 92% benzene reduction along Grand Island Blvd and 68% reduction along Brookside Terrace after EPA enforcement against Tonawanda Coke ($12.5M in fines, 5-year probation, 2013 conviction), a $2.8M NYS Superfund Program award for Delavan Grider remediation (2017), a court injunction against Battaglia Demolition with potential $14M in fines (2018), and the first U.S. state transition fund for the retired NRG Huntley coal plant.

Revenue comes from sliding-scale membership dues with no minimum amount, voluntary donations via Give Lively/Stripe, and grant funding (notably NYS DEC). Distribution and member acquisition rely on door-to-door outreach, hybrid community events, a monthly ActionNetwork newsletter, organic Facebook and Instagram presence, and earned media in outlets such as Buffalo News, WGRZ, and WKBW. With a Buffalo headquarters at 371 Delaware Avenue and roughly nine employees, the organization is positioned as a regional grassroots operator rather than a scaled national nonprofit.

Name

Clean Air Coalition of WNY

Legal name

The Clean Air Coalition of Western New York

Website

https://cacwny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Clean Air Coalition of WNY is a Western New York grassroots nonprofit that organizes residents in Erie and Niagara Counties around environmental justice campaigns covering industrial pollution, community air monitoring, Just Transition, and data-center siting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Justice Advocacy Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pollution Prevention & Toxics Reduction (BPAGAGAJ)

Keywords

• Environmental justice organizing
• Community air monitoring
• Grassroots advocacy campaigns
• Industrial pollution oversight
• Just transition planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

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. Membership Dues and Donations: Members pay annual dues on a sliding scale with no minimum required amount. One-time and monthly sustaining donation options are available via Give Lively/Stripe. Donations also fund specific campaigns (e.g., lawn sign printing at ~$10 suggested donation).
2. Grants and Public Funding: The organization receives grant funding, including from the NYS DEC Environmental Justice Office for the Community Air Monitoring Capacity-Building Program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Clean Air Coalition of WNY is a member-led nonprofit organization that develops grassroots leaders and runs environmental justice and public health campaigns in Western New York. It organizes fenceline communities against industrial polluters, operates a Community Air Monitoring program deploying PurpleAir sensors, advocates for Just Transition from fossil fuel and data center infrastructure, and provides mutual aid and leadership training to members in Erie and Niagara Counties.

Product overview

The Clean Air Coalition of WNY is a grassroots community organization, not a technology product company. Their offerings consist of community organizing services, environmental justice campaigns, air quality monitoring programs, membership programs, and educational resources for environmental health and justice advocacy in Western New York communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Annual membership for community residents in City of Buffalo, Tonawandas, Kenmore, and Grand Island that grants voting rights in campaigns, access to leadership trainings, and participation in basebuilding teams.
• Community Air Monitoring Program (Breathing Free) Program that deploys PurpleAir air quality sensors at community host sites (homes, schools, churches, community centers, businesses) in industrial-corridor neighborhoods to capture and publish neighborhood-level air quality data.
• Tonawanda Industrial Pollution Campaign Organizing campaign focused on reducing industrial pollution, enforcing regulatory compliance, and advancing Just Transition for the Tonawanda community.
• Delavan Grider Remediation Campaign Resident-based campaign to stop toxic runoff and remediate legacy PCBs and hazardous contamination at the American Axle site in Buffalo's east side.
• Seneca Babcock / Peabody Street Campaign Resident organizing campaign against illegal concrete crushing operations and related industrial pollution on Peabody Street in Buffalo.
• Data Centers Campaign (Erie and Niagara Counties) Campaign opposing large-scale data center development and cryptocurrency mining operations, advocating for Community Benefit Agreements and local moratoria.
• Mutual Aid Program Member-supported mutual aid service providing emergency preparedness, grocery/supply runs, financial aid, and crisis support for members in environmental health emergencies.
• Basebuilding Teams and Leadership Training Organized community teams that deliver leadership trainings, door-to-door outreach, event mobilization, and action support for active members across Erie and Niagara Counties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% reduction in benzene emissions (Grand Island Blvd monitor) and 68% reduction (Brookside Terrace) following Tonawanda Coke EPA enforcement
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TESA CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClean Air is working with TESA Collective to develop an educational card game that teaches the general public about air quality and community organizing. The project is part of the Community Air Monitoring Capacity-Building Program funded by NYS DEC Environmental Justice Office. TESA Collective brings game design expertise while Clean Air provides the environmental justice content and community organizing framework.
• NY Energy Democracy AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClean Air is a member of the NY Energy Democracy Alliance, a coalition that organizes around energy democracy, Just Transition, and climate justice issues in New York State. Both Clean Air and PUSH Buffalo, both members of the Alliance, co-hosted a workshop on data centers and energy bills. The Alliance coordinates statewide advocacy on energy policy including the Climate, Jobs and Justice package.
• Friends of Broderick ParkminorOthersExecutive Director Chris Murawski is a founding board member of the Friends of Broderick Park, an organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing Broderick Park at the foot of West Ferry Street in Buffalo, a park at the foot of West Ferry Street adjacent to the Niagara River.
• SURJ Buffalo (Showing Up for Racial Justice)minorOthersChris Murawski serves on the Base Building Team of SURJ Buffalo, a national organization working to organize white people towards racial justice. This reflects Clean Air's stated commitment to embrace anti-racism efforts as integral to the environmental movement.
• GObike BuffalominorOthersJim Jones, Clean Air Board President and Treasurer, serves as in-house engineer at GObike Buffalo assisting with alternative transportation advocacy, planning, and design. Clean Air and GObike share interests in sustainable transportation and environmental justice in the Tonawandas.
• Organized Labor (1199SEIU and broader labor movement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClean Air works in partnership with organized labor on Just Transition campaigns, including with 1199SEIU (whose WNY Nursing Home Division is represented by Board Member Grace Bogdanove). Clean Air has partnered with labor on the NRG Huntley transition and organizing at Tesla Gigafactory 2, and includes labor provisions in its Community Benefit Agreement advocacy for data centers.
• NYS DEC Environmental Justice OfficecoreOthersClean Air is one of nine organizations statewide in the NYS DEC Environmental Justice Office's Community Air Monitoring Capacity-Building Program. This grant-funded program enables Clean Air to deploy PurpleAir monitors in environmental justice communities and develop educational resources.
• United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreOthersThe EPA conducted the enforcement action against Tonawanda Coke that led to criminal charges and $12.5M in fines. Clean Air's community pressure and data were instrumental in triggering the EPA investigation. The organization continues to work with EPA on regulatory advocacy and enforcement monitoring.
• Erie County (Emergency Preparedness)minorOthersClean Air coordinates with Erie County on mutual aid and emergency preparedness trainings, including Hands-only CPR, Stop the Bleed, Narcan administration, and weather risk evaluation. This partnership supports community resilience in the face of environmental health emergencies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PUSH Buffalo: Western New York-based grassroots membership organization working on housing, energy democracy, and environmental justice alongside CACWNY as a fellow NY Energy Democracy Alliance member. Operates a similar member-led campaign model in adjacent WNY geographies, making it the closest structural peer.
• WE ACT for Environmental Justice: Harlem-based environmental justice membership organization that combines community organizing, advocacy, and participatory science around air quality and toxic exposures — closely mirroring CACWNY's combination of grassroots campaigns, regulatory advocacy, and community air monitoring.
• UPROSE: Brooklyn-based, youth-led environmental justice organization focused on fenceline communities, Just Transition, and community-led research. Comparable in its membership-based, intergenerational organizing approach and focus on industrial pollution impacts in communities of color.
• Communities for a Better Environment: California-based environmental health and justice organization that combines community organizing with scientific and legal advocacy against refinery and industrial pollution. Operates a similar science-plus-organizing model against industrial polluters that CACWNY employs in Tonawanda.
• East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC): Detroit-area environmental justice membership organization running basebuilding teams and campaigns on air quality, lead exposure, and industrial pollution. Directly comparable to CACWNY in member-led structure and frontline industrial corridor focus.
• Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ): Inland Empire-based environmental justice organization running member-led campaigns against polluting industries and pushing Just Transition frameworks. Shares CACWNY's emphasis on member-driven decision-making and frontline community leadership.
• Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS): Houston-area EJ organization focused on fenceline communities near petrochemical and industrial facilities. Comparable in organizing model and focus on cumulative industrial pollution impacts in environmental justice communities.

Broad incumbents

• Food and Water Watch: National advocacy organization that partners with CACWNY on digital action campaigns and shared environmental issues (data centers, fossil fuel infrastructure). A broader incumbent operating across many geographies rather than a specialized community organizer.
• Sierra Club: Large national environmental organization that collaborates with CACWNY on letter-writing campaigns and policy advocacy. Operates a much broader portfolio beyond the grassroots EJ niche that CACWNY specializes in.

Others

• TESA Collective: Worker-owned cooperative and CACWNY partner developing the Air Quality Education Card Game under NYS DEC grant funding. Adjacent ecosystem participant enabling CACWNY's community education work rather than a direct organizing peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cleanairwny
• Facebookfacebook.com/CleanAirWNY
• Instagraminstagram.com/cleanairwny

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Clean Air Coalition of WNY