Friends of the Cheat

What Friends of the Cheat does

Friends of the Cheat (FOC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1994 and headquartered in Kingwood, West Virginia, with a seven-person full-time staff. Its primary mission is the restoration, preservation, and promotion of the Cheat River watershed, anchored in acid mine drainage (AMD) remediation — the organization's founding purpose after the Cheat River was named one of America's most endangered rivers in 1995. FOC's core technical capabilities include operating and maintaining DEP water treatment facilities in the Cheat basin, conducting in-stream water quality monitoring with macroinvertebrate identification, executing NAACC-protocol stream crossing surveys, riparian reforestation, aquatic organism passage improvements, sensitive species monitoring, and climate/flood resilience modeling. The organization also operates recreation infrastructure including the Cheat River Rail-Trail, Water-Trail, Snorkel Club, and an annual Cheat River Festival in its 33rd year.

FOC generates revenue through three primary streams: tiered annual memberships ($20 student/senior to $5,000 Cheat Watershed Sponsor), individual donations and legacy giving, and grants from federal and state agencies (EPA, Appalachian Regional Commission, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, West Virginia Division of Land Restoration, Monongahela National Forest) and conservation partners including The Nature Conservancy. Its go-to-market is community-led: grassroots volunteer mobilization, the Cheat River Festival, an "Into the Canyon" quarterly newsletter, social media, and a feature-length documentary. The customer base is hybrid, spanning individual community members and households as members/volunteers, and federal and state government agencies as grant-funders and operational partners.

The organization has materially expanded its footprint in 2023, absorbing the Shavers Fork Coalition to extend work into headwaters, securing a $1.1 million ARC POWER Initiative award for the Mountaineer Trail Network, winning an NFWF Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program grant jointly with The Nature Conservancy and Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and entering a formal partnership with Monongahela National Forest for joint water quality monitoring. FOC operates exclusively in West Virginia with no disclosed national or international footprint.

Name

Friends of the Cheat

Legal name

Friends of the Cheat

Website

https://cheat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of the Cheat is a West Virginia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that restores the Cheat River watershed through acid mine drainage remediation, water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, and recreation infrastructure, funded by memberships, donations, and federal and state grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation / Watershed Restoration

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Riparian & Watershed Reforestation (Streambank Stabilization) (AFAMACAK)

Keywords

• Watershed restoration
• Acid mine drainage remediation
• Water quality monitoring
• Riparian reforestation
• Environmental conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingwood

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership donations at various levels ($20-$5,000) providing recurring revenue and grassroots support
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, planned giving/legacy giving, and special campaigns like GivingTuesday
3. Government and Foundation Grants: Grant funding from organizations such as Appalachian Regional Commission, EPA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Centers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Friends of the Cheat is a nonprofit watershed conservation organization that operates acid mine drainage treatment systems, conducts water quality and species monitoring, and runs riparian reforestation, aquatic organism passage, and climate resilience programs to restore the Cheat River watershed. It complements these conservation efforts with public recreation infrastructure (rail-trail, water-trail, snorkel program) and community engagement events including the annual Cheat River Festival, supported by memberships, donations, and grants.

Product overview

Friends of the Cheat is a nonprofit environmental organization (not a technology company) offering a portfolio of conservation programs and community recreation initiatives. The core programs include Acid Mine Drainage Remediation treatment systems, Riparian Reforestation, Aquatic Organism Passage, Climate and Flood Resilience Modeling, and Sensitive Species Monitoring. Recreation offerings encompass the Cheat River Rail-Trail, Cheat River Water-Trail, Snorkel Club, and the annual Cheat River Festival. The organization also conducts advocacy campaigns like the Whitewater Access Campaign and engages volunteers through field work and scientific monitoring programs. Funded through memberships, donations, and legacy giving programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Acid Mine Drainage Remediation
• Riparian Reforestation
• Aquatic Organism Passage
• Climate and Flood Resilience Modeling
• Sensitive Species Monitoring
• Cheat River Rail-Trail
• Cheat River Water-Trail
• Snorkel Club
• Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Cheat River successfully restored from one of America's most endangered rivers to a thriving ecosystem
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Monongahela National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023FOC and MNF entered partnership in early 2023 for joint monitoring work in the Cheat watershed headwaters. MNF provides funding and partnership agreement for FOC to expand water quality monitoring efforts, particularly regarding the impact of historic logging roads on aquatic resources. Joint training conducted November 2023.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023TNC partnered with FOC and CVNWR on successful NFWF Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program grant application. TNC is also Cheat Fest Presenting Sponsor for 30th annual festival, and secured additional funding for FOC rapid stream crossing surveys. Partnership focuses on merging habitat restoration for aquatic and terrestrial animals in Upper Blackwater River watershed.
• Canaan Valley National Wildlife RefugecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023CVNWR partnered with FOC and TNC on NFWF grant proposal for Upper Blackwater River watershed habitat restoration, including removing four stream barriers, improving 135 acres of red spruce ecosystem forest, and restoring 74 acres of riparian forest.
• North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity CollaborativesupportingTechnology or IntegrationNAACC provides standardized protocol and data center for FOC's stream crossing surveys. Their data identified 2,635 stream crossings in the Cheat River Watershed, helping FOC prioritize assessment work.
• WV Division of Land RestorationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAugust 2013 partnership pilot project where FOC hired four full-time staff to monitor and maintain DEP water treatment facilities in the Cheat River basin. Significant expansion of FOC's operational role.
• NextEra EnergyminorOthersProject developer for MARL transmission line that may pass through the Cheat watershed area. FOC is monitoring the project and attending open houses to provide feedback on potential environmental impacts.
• Kern Valley RailroadsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent owner of main shop buildings and railroad corridor; committed to donating maintenance facility property pending FOC's purchase of the 10-mile corridor.
• Preston County Parks and Recreation CommissionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOC is working closely with PcPARC on development of properties off Sisler Street in Kingwood for public park and trailhead use.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cacapon Institute: West Virginia-based nonprofit focused on watershed protection, water quality monitoring, and conservation in the Cacapon River watershed. Directly comparable geographic and mission alignment with FOC.
• West Virginia Rivers Coalition: Statewide advocacy and conservation organization protecting West Virginia rivers through policy, water trail development, and grassroots organizing. Overlaps with FOC on water trail advocacy and watershed protection in the same state.
• Appalachian Voices: Regional nonprofit working across multiple Appalachian states on energy, climate, and water protection, with active programs addressing AMD and mountaintop removal impacts. Comparable mission in overlapping geography.
• Mountain Watershed Association: Pennsylvania-based nonprofit operating in the Youghiogheny River watershed, also focused on AMD remediation and abandoned mine land restoration. Highly comparable mission and operational model to FOC in an adjacent Appalachian watershed.

Broad incumbents

• American Rivers: National river conservation organization that publishes the annual America's Most Endangered Rivers report (which named the Cheat River in 1995). Overlaps with FOC on water trail advocacy, river protection, and conservation funding.
• Izaak Walton League of America: National conservation organization with chapters engaged in watershed monitoring, stream restoration, and water quality work. Comparable on monitoring methodology and conservation mission but with much broader national footprint.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation organization that is already an active FOC partner (Cheat Fest sponsor and NFWF co-applicant). Operates a vastly broader portfolio across geographies and conservation priorities.
• Trout Unlimited: National coldwater conservation organization with direct overlap on brook trout habitat restoration and aquatic organism passage work, but operates across all 50 states with vastly larger resources and a broader portfolio than FOC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/friendsofthecheat
• Instagraminstagram.com/cheatriverfriends
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-of-the-cheat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Friends of the Cheat