What California Indian Environmental Alliance (CIEA) does

California Indian Environmental Alliance (CIEA) is a California-based nonprofit organization founded in 2009 that supports California Native American Tribes on environmental health, tribal sovereignty, and self-advocacy. Its primary customers are federally and non-federally recognized California Native American Tribes, with a secondary persona of tribal youth and college students pursuing environmental careers. CIEA delivers its mission through four interconnected program areas: Mercury Tribal Health, Tribal and Californian Community Self-Advocacy, Youth Leadership Opportunities (anchored by the Native Youth Environmental Leadership Program and the California Indian Fellowship Project), and Global Mercury advocacy. Core products include the monthly CIEA Environmental Chronicles newsletter (Vol. 42, Issue 2 as of October 2022), a youth internship and paid fellowship pipeline, and the staff-produced R.A.P.P. (Resilience Against Power and Privilege) podcast distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube.

CIEA functions as a hub-and-spoke intermediary between California tribes and a network of state and federal agencies, including the EPA Office of Water, California Water Boards, the Governor's Office of Planning and Research, ITEP, the Southwest and Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Centers, and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. The organization disseminates funding opportunities (e.g., the $25M Adaptation Planning Grant Program, CWA Section 319 tribal grants, Coastal Conservancy grants, California Truth and Healing Fund), facilitates tribal engagement on Tribal Beneficial Uses designations and SWAMP bioaccumulation monitoring, and convenes participation in events such as the Tribal Exchange Network Conference and the National Tribal Leaders Climate Change Summit.

The business model is grant-funded: CIEA charges no fees for its services and operates with approximately five employees out of a primary office in El Cerrito, California, plus a Berkeley mailing address. Revenue sources include state and federal environmental grants, private foundation funding (The California Endowment, Christensen Fund, Decolonizing Wealth Project's Liberated Capital), and pass-through distribution of larger grant programs to tribal communities. There are no commercial products, no pricing model, and no disclosed revenue figure.

Name

California Indian Environmental Alliance (CIEA)

Legal name

California Indian Environmental Alliance

Website

https://cieaweb.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

California Indian Environmental Alliance (CIEA) is a California nonprofit that supports California Native American Tribes through environmental health advocacy, tribal self-advocacy training, mercury and water quality programs, youth leadership fellowships, and a monthly newsletter and podcast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tribal Environmental Advocacy Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA) (EUAHAAAH)

Keywords

• Tribal environmental advocacy
• Indigenous community services
• Youth leadership development
• Mercury tribal health
• Nonprofit capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

El Cerrito

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: CIEA operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through grants. The organization maintains relationships with California Native Tribes, tribal organizations, NGOs, and government agencies. Their mission-driven work includes connecting tribal communities to funding opportunities such as the Adaptation Planning Grant Program, Tribal Nation Grant Fund, Emergency Response Grants, and various state and federal environmental funding programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CIEA is a California Tribal environmental nonprofit that provides advocacy, capacity building, youth leadership training, mercury tribal health support, climate resilience resources, and tribal self-advocacy services to California Native American Tribes. It disseminates environmental news and funding opportunities through the monthly CIEA Environmental Chronicles newsletter, the R.A.P.P. podcast, webinars, and direct tribal engagement, partnering with state and federal agencies (EPA, California Water Boards, OPR) and tribal organizations (ITEP, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians). All services are provided free of charge to tribal communities.

Product overview

California Indian Environmental Alliance (CIEA) is a California Tribal environmental non-profit organization with a mission to protect and restore California Indian Peoples' cultural traditions, ancestral territories, means of subsistence, and environmental health. The organization operates several interconnected programs: the Native Youth Environmental Leadership Program (NYELP) provides educational pathways and internship opportunities for Native students; the California Indian Fellowship Project offers paid summer internships for tribal college students returning home; the Mercury Tribal Health program addresses environmental health concerns; and the CIEA Environmental Chronicles Newsletter disseminates monthly news on environmental issues affecting Indigenous communities. CIEA functions as a service organization supporting tribal self-advocacy rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Native Youth Environmental Leadership Program (NYELP): Program providing students and community members with experience addressing environmental toxins affecting Native communities and pathways to academic success. Includes internships and the California Indian Fellowship Project.

Products and services

• Native Youth Environmental Leadership Program (NYELP) A youth program that provides California Tribal college students and community members with semester-long internships (with course credit through partner colleges) and pathways into careers in environmental sciences, health sciences, public policy, and environmental law. Designed to address environmental toxins affecting Native communities and to develop the next generation of Native environmental leaders.
• California Indian Fellowship Project Prepares California Tribal members who are college students to return home over the summer for a paid internship with their Tribe or community. Fellows receive training to serve in tribal government, environmental offices, water quality, and tribal fisheries departments.
• CIEA Environmental Chronicles Newsletter Monthly newsletter providing environmental news affecting Indigenous Peoples, including updates on climate adaptation, funding opportunities, tribal self-advocacy resources, and water-related news for California Tribes. At Vol. 42, Issue 2 as of October 2022.
• Mercury Tribal Health Program Program addressing mercury contamination and related environmental health threats affecting California Indian Peoples, providing tribal communities with monitoring, advocacy, and health protection resources.
• Tribal and Californian Community Self-Advocacy Program Program that supports tribal and community self-advocacy on environmental issues including water quality (Tribal Beneficial Uses designations, racial equity in water access), climate adaptation, and tribal engagement with state and federal agencies.
• Global Mercury Program Program extending CIEA's mercury contamination and environmental health work to a global Indigenous context, addressing mercury impacts on Indigenous Peoples worldwide.
• R.A.P.P. (Resilience Against Power and Privilege) Podcast Staff-produced podcast by CIEA team members Joel Sedano and Jo-Joe Lee addressing issues Indigenous People face, including climate change, environmental issues, the houselessness crisis, and land back debates. Distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube.

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly CIEA Environmental Chronicle newsletter distributed to tribal communities covering environmental issues affecting Indigenous Peoples

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIEA collaborates with ITEP on climate conferences and tribal environmental programs. ITEP hosts the National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference where CIEA shares opportunities. ITEP also presents the Tribal Exchange Network Conference.
• Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPR leads California's Fifth Climate Change Assessment with a Tribal Research Program. CIEA shares grant opportunities from OPR including the Adaptation Planning Grant Program ($25M) and climate assessment sessions to tribal communities.
• California Water Boards / State Water Resources Control BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIEA facilitates tribal engagement with California Water Boards on water quality, Tribal Beneficial Uses designations, racial equity in water access, and SWAMP Bioaccumulation Monitoring Program alignment with tribal needs.
• EPA Office of WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIEA connects tribal communities to EPA water quality programs including the San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund, National Fish Forum, CWA Section 319 Tribal grant programs, and WSMART air monitoring equipment loans.
• Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (SW CASC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIEA shares climate adaptation webinar recordings and resources from SW CASC including Native Nations and Climate Change webinar series highlighting tribal climate projects.
• Tribal Exchange Network (ITEP, TXG, EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTribal Exchange Network Conference (Oct 18-20, 2022) expands tribal capacity for environmental data sharing, management, and analysis. Hosted by ITEP and TXG, funded by EPA.
• Northwest Climate Adaptation Science CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanning team member for National Tribal Leaders Climate Change Summit. CIEA shares climate summit opportunities.
• Affiliated Tribes of Northwest IndianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATNI Climate Change Program leads National Tribal Leaders Climate Change Summit (Nov 28-30, 2022). CIEA shares summit opportunities with California tribes.
• Rising Voices Center for Indigenous and Earth SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRising Voices 10th Annual Workshop (Sept 14-16, 2022) on Emergent Knowledge through Indigenous and Earth Science Collaborations. CIEA shares this opportunity with tribal communities.
• Department of Water Resources (DWR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDWR releases Proposition 1 funding for IRWM projects and hosts climate assessment webinars. CIEA shares DWR funding and engagement opportunities with tribal communities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ciealliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/cieaweb.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-indian-environmental-alliance

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 California Indian Environmental Alliance (CIEA)