Central California Environmental Justice Network

What Central California Environmental Justice Network does

Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCEJN) is a 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit organization founded in 1999 and headquartered in Fresno, California, with related operations in Bakersfield and across the San Joaquin Valley. The organization operates a grassroots community-led model focused on environmental justice advocacy for low-income communities of color across Kern, Tulare, Kings, Madera, Fresno, and Merced Counties. Its core service is operating the IVAN (Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) reporting network — including county-branded sub-programs KEEN (Kern), FERN (Fresno), and IVAN Tulare — which enables residents to submit environmental violation reports (e.g., pesticide drift, refinery smoke, oil leaks) that CCEJN routes to Cal-EPA, US EPA Region 9, California Air Resources Board, and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District for investigation and enforcement.

CCEJN's product and program surface spans six core programs: Rural Justice (advocacy for underserved rural communities), Air and Climate Justice (community-based air monitoring and policy advocacy), Sustainable Food Systems (community-supported agriculture and the La Milpa de Fresno Mercadito pop-up markets), the YES! Youth Environmentally Savvy leadership development program, EJ Curricula (educational materials for residents and farmworkers), and biannual Resiliency Conferences (the 'Roots of Resistance' series, eight held since 2001). Its underlying technical infrastructure is centered on community-based environmental monitoring hardware — stationary PM 2.5 monitors, VOC mobile grab sampling, and pollution sensors — combined with a complaint-routing workflow that connects residents to regulatory agencies. The organization has delivered documented enforcement outcomes, including fines against polluting companies, community benefit agreements, the California chlorpyrifos ban, and the RoundUp ban in the Fresno Unified School District.

CCEJN's revenue model is donation- and grant-based. Recurring sustainer donations from individual supporters are solicited through the website, while programmatic operations are funded predominantly by grants, including CARB's Community Air Grants (CAG) Cycle 5, Access Clean California funding for clean transportation and home electrification outreach, and project-specific awards such as the $1 million San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District award (with Tree Fresno) for tree planting in West Fresno's Fourteen community. The organization has no disclosed commercial pricing, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and operates as a coalition through a Unity Council board composed of representatives from partner community organizations. Headcount is approximately 7 employees, with current hiring for additional grant-funded outreach and program management positions. Leadership includes Executive Director Nayamin Martinez (2025 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award recipient) and Director of Operations Vernave Medrano.

Name

Central California Environmental Justice Network

Legal name

Central California Environmental Justice Network

Website

https://ccejn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CCEJN is a Fresno-based nonprofit founded in 1999 that runs the IVAN environmental violation reporting network and a portfolio of community-led environmental justice, air monitoring, food systems, and youth leadership programs for low-income communities of color across California's San Joaquin Valley.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Justice Advocacy Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health (BPAGAGAL)

Keywords

• Environmental justice advocacy
• Community organizing
• Air quality monitoring
• Grassroots advocacy
• Environmental violation reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

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 and Support: CCEJN relies on donations from supporters to sustain environmental justice advocacy work. The organization offers options to become a sustainer through recurring donations.
2. Grants and Funding: Grant-funded positions including the Kern County Environmental Outreach Worker (temporary, full-time, grant-funded) and Kings-Fresno County Outreach Worker (temporary, grant-funded for one year). Programs include CARB's CAG Cycle 5, clean transportation, home electrification, and climate resilience programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CCEJN is a grassroots nonprofit that empowers low-income communities of color in California's San Joaquin Valley through environmental justice advocacy and community organizing. It operates the IVAN (Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) reporting network, conducts community-based air quality monitoring, runs advocacy and education programs in Rural Justice, Air and Climate Justice, and Sustainable Food Systems, and convenes the biennial Roots of Resistance Resiliency Conference alongside the YES! youth leadership program.

Product overview

CCEJN operates as a grassroots environmental justice organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and services focused on community empowerment in the San Joaquin Valley. The core offerings include the IVAN Network for environmental violation reporting, Air Quality Alerts for community monitoring, and EJ Curricula for education. These programs are complemented by focused initiatives in Rural Justice, Air and Climate Justice, Sustainable Food Systems, and Weather Resilience. The organization also runs the Resiliency Conference for movement building and the YES! Youth Environmentally Savvy program for youth leadership development. Together, these programs enable community-driven solutions for clean air, water, land, and food sovereignty.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IVAN Network: Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods - community-based environmental violation reporting system
• KEEN
• FERN
• YES!
• YES: Youth Environmentally Active
• Roots of Resistance
• IVAN Tulare

Products and services

• IVAN Network (Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) Community-based monitoring system that empowers residents to report environmental violations such as pesticide drift, refinery smoke, or oil leaks, routing complaints to the appropriate regulatory agencies. Operated through county-level networks KEEN (Kern), FERN (Fresno), and IVAN Tulare.
• Rural Justice Program Advocacy program advocating for equitable resources and environmental protections in underserved rural communities throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
• Air and Climate Justice Program Program focused on monitoring air quality and advancing policies that reduce pollution and address climate impacts in frontline communities in the San Joaquin Valley.
• Sustainable Food Systems Program Program supporting local farms and improving access to healthy food in environmental justice communities through community-supported agriculture and farmers markets.
• Air Quality Alerts Alert system providing communities with localized air quality information to address the worst air quality in the nation in the San Joaquin Valley.
• EJ Curricula Educational materials and presentations developed by CCEJN staff to educate residents about environmental justice, designed to protect farm workers and rural residents from effects of pesticides and climate change impacts.
• Roots of Resistance Resiliency Conference Biannual conference bringing together environmental justice leaders to share knowledge and build stronger networks throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
• YES! Youth Environmentally Savvy Youth outreach program providing space for young people across the Central Valley to learn and grow as environmental justice advocates and leaders.
• CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Program supporting local farms that improve access to healthy food in environmental justice communities through direct farm partnerships and La Milpa de Fresno Mercadito pop-up markets.
• Weather Resilience Program Program providing weather-resilient solutions to low-income households in the San Joaquin Valley who are most impacted by climate change related events.
• Water Quality Project Project enhancing residents' ability to identify, monitor, and report potential threats to groundwater and surface watersheds in Fresno and Kern Counties.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• San Joaquin Valley Air DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2025San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District awarded Tree Fresno and CCEJN $1 million to plant 1,200 trees in the Fourteen community area.
• Tree FresnocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership awarded $1 million from the San Joaquin Valley Air District to plant 1,200 trees in Fresno communities. CCEJN and Tree Fresno collaborated on tree planting initiatives with the Green Team and West Fresno Youth from Saint Rest Baptist Church.
• GoFundMe FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoFundMe Foundation partnered with CCEJN for the Climate Resiliency in Action celebration held August 13, bringing together communities affected by extreme heat, air pollution, and polluted water.
• Access Clean CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCEJN promotes awareness of clean transportation programs, incentives, and resources available to Kern County residents through the Access Clean California initiative, including the Benefits Finder tool.
• California Air Resources Board (CARB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCEJN works with CARB on the CAG Cycle 5 program, implementing community-based air monitoring initiatives across the San Joaquin Valley focusing on PM and ozone pollution.
• Californians Against FrackingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCEJN is an active member of statewide coalitions including Californians Against Fracking that seek to advance regulations to protect the environment.
• California Environmental Justice NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCEJN is an active member of state coalitions advancing environmental justice regulations and protections.
• Central Valley Air Quality CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCEJN is an active member of the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition seeking to advance regulations protecting air quality.
• GreenactionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreenaction works with CCEJN on environmental justice initiatives, with Maricela Mares Alatorre representing both organizations on the Unity Council.
• Central California Asthma CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKevin Hamilton from Central California Asthma Collaborative serves on CCEJN's Unity Council board.
• Madera Coalition for Community JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaldwin Moy from Madera Coalition for Community Justice serves on CCEJN's Unity Council board.
• Valley Improvement ProjectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThomas Helme from Valley Improvement Projects serves on CCEJN's Unity Council board.
• Little Manila RisingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the YES: Youth Environmentally Active program implementing EJ & Climate Change curriculum.
• Vision CAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in addressing methane-spewing wells in the Morningstar neighborhood, working with CCEJN to verify abandoned oil wells were no longer pouring methane.
• University of California, DavisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Davis researchers joined Cal-EPA, El Comite Civico del Valle, SJV LEAP, and CCEJN to release a report on the IVAN statewide project titled 'From Testimony to Transformation'.
• Cal-EPAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCEJN has fostered working relationships with regulatory agencies including Cal-EPA for enforcement and policy work.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Central California Asthma Collaborative: Central Valley health-focused nonprofit addressing asthma and respiratory illness linked to air pollution; sits on CCEJN's Unity Council and works the same EJ constituency through a complementary health lens.
• Communities for a Better Environment: Los Angeles-based EJ organization founded in 1978 that uses a comparable community-organizing and technical-advocacy model to address pollution in low-income communities of color; one of the most established EJ anchors in California and a direct functional peer.
• Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN): Bay Area-based EJ organization that organizes immigrant and refugee API communities against pollution and for climate resilience; mirrors CCEJN's constituency (low-income communities of color), grassroots organizing model, and focus on air quality and food justice.
• Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice: Bay Area/Central Valley-based grassroots EJ organization with a near-identical community-organizing and regulatory-advocacy model; explicitly named as a CCEJN partner with shared Unity Council representation.
• El Comite Civico del Valle: Imperial Valley-based grassroots EJ organization that co-authored the IVAN 'From Testimony to Transformation' report with CCEJN, UC Davis, and Cal-EPA; operates the same community-based air monitoring and IVAN-style reporting model in a parallel California region.
• Madera Coalition for Community Justice: Madera County-based grassroots EJ organization represented on CCEJN's Unity Council; operates in one of the same counties CCEJN just expanded into, making it a direct local peer in shared territory.
• Valley Improvement Projects: San Joaquin Valley-based community improvement organization represented on CCEJN's Unity Council; works on environmental and infrastructure issues affecting the same low-income rural communities CCEJN serves.
• Little Manila Rising: Stockton-based community and youth EJ organization that co-implements the YES: Youth Environmentally Active EJ & Climate Change curriculum with CCEJN; serves a similar low-income community of color constituency in the Central Valley.

Broad incumbents

• California Environmental Justice Network (CEJN): Statewide coalition of which CCEJN is an active member; serves as the policy and coordination umbrella for California EJ groups, including on regulations CCEJN directly works on with Cal-EPA and CARB.
• Central Valley Air Quality Coalition (CVAQC): Regional coalition that advances air-quality regulation in the San Joaquin Valley; CCEJN is an active coalition member, making it a structural peer working on the same regulatory issues at the coalition rather than grassroots level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CCEJN
• Facebookfacebook.com/ccejn2000
• Instagraminstagram.com/ccejn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-california-environmental-justice-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Central California Environmental Justice Network