Climate and Community Institute

What Climate and Community Institute does

The Climate and Community Institute (CCI) is a progressive climate and economy think tank founded in 2020 and operated as a fiscally sponsored project of the Tides Center, a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. CCI produces open-access research on the intersections of climate, economy, and everyday life, organized around thematic pillars covering transportation and mining, care and education, housing and communities, energy and industrial systems, global systems and policy, water and working lands, and cross-cutting climate issues. The institute is staffed by approximately 24 employees and draws on a network of more than 60 academics and experts, including named scholars affiliated with the University of British Columbia, University of Glasgow, and University of Antwerp. Its primary audiences are progressive movements and policymakers seeking to pass transformative climate legislation, as well as working-class communities affected by climate change and economic inequality.

CCI's core offerings consist of published research outputs rather than technology products. These include policy reports, briefs, and analytical publications distributed free of charge through the organization's website, a Substack newsletter, and partner organizations. Distinct programmatic brands include the Stop Greed, Build Green strategic framework, the Transition Security Project (examining the nexus of climate transition, military spending, and resource extraction), the NYC Policy Forum (focused on New York City climate and economic policy), and the California Grid Manufacturing Initiative developed with United Auto Workers Region 6. Implementation-oriented products such as a Housing Retrofit Toolkit signal movement from pure research toward practitioner-facing tools. CCI maintains formal and informal partnerships with academic institutions, labor organizations (United Auto Workers Region 6, BlueGreen Alliance), and research networks including Klinger Lab, i3T, Third World Network, Democracy Collaborative, and the Biodiversity Capital Research Collective.

CCI operates as a nonprofit, generating revenue primarily through individual donations collected via ActBlue with suggested giving tiers ranging from $10 to $500, alongside likely foundation grant support that is not disclosed in the input. The organization has no commercial pricing model; research outputs are freely distributed to advance climate and economic justice policy. Its go-to-market approach is community-led, relying on earned media (Grist, The Guardian, Jacobin, Financial Times), coalition-building with aligned movements, and direct policy advocacy rather than paid distribution channels. Leadership includes Executive Director Johanna Bozuwa, Strategic Co-Directors Daniel Aldana Cohen and Thea Riofrancos, Research Director Patrick Bigger, Labor Director Batul Hassan, Economist Lara Merling, and Senior Fellow Moira Birss.

Name

Climate and Community Institute

Legal name

Climate and Community Institute

Website

https://climateandcommunity.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Climate and Community Institute is a progressive climate and economy think tank founded in 2020 that produces open-access research on climate-economy intersections to help progressive movements and policymakers pass transformative climate legislation benefiting working-class communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Policy Think Tank Research

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Climate Finance, Carbon Markets & MRV Systems (BPADALAB)

Keywords

• Climate policy research
• Progressive think tank
• Economic justice research
• Climate economy analysis
• Nonprofit policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization fiscally sponsored by the Tides Center, CCI operates primarily through donations from individuals and supporters. The organization accepts donations through ActBlue with suggested amounts of $10, $25, $100, $250, and $500.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Climate and Community Institute is a progressive climate and economy think tank that produces and freely distributes research reports, policy briefs, and strategic frameworks on the intersections of climate, economy, and everyday life. Its work supports movements and progressive policymakers in designing and winning transformative climate and economic policy agendas that decarbonize the economy while materially benefiting working-class communities.

Product overview

Climate and Community Institute (CCI) is a progressive climate and economy think tank that functions as a research and policy organization rather than a technology product company. CCI's offerings consist primarily of published research, policy frameworks, and analytical publications. The core offerings include research reports and briefs covering topics such as transportation and mining, care and education, housing and communities, energy and industrial systems, global systems and policy, and water and working lands. Key products include the Stop Greed, Build Green strategic framework, the Transition Security Project, and the NYC Policy Forum. The organization also publishes a Substack newsletter and produces various data-driven policy tools and resources for progressive movements and policymakers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stop Greed, Build Green: A strategic framework and agenda to build power for a new era of climate and economic transformation
• NYC Policy Forum
• Transition Security Project

Products and services

• Research Publications (Reports and Briefs) CCI's core research publications portfolio: open-access reports and policy briefs on climate, economy, and social justice topics spanning transportation and mining, care and education, housing and communities, energy and industrial systems, global systems and policy, and water and working lands. Distributed free of charge to progressive movements, researchers, and policymakers.
• Stop Greed, Build Green A strategic framework and working-class climate agenda published through CCI's dedicated project site, featuring policy briefs on AI governance, public transportation, housing, decarbonization, energy affordability, and green industrial policy. Targets movements and policymakers building power for a new era of climate and economic transformation.
• Transition Security Project A CCI project examining the intersection of climate transition, resource extraction, and military/security policy, producing research on critical mineral supply chains, extractivism, disarmament, and energy abundance.
• NYC Policy Forum A CCI policy publication delivering analysis and commentary on New York City climate and economic policy issues, hosted on Substack.
• Climate and Community Institute Substack Newsletter The organization's ongoing newsletter and commentary platform delivering climate and economy analysis directly to subscribers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research contributes to policy changes and coalition building for climate and economic transformation

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

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Klinger LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for work on extractivism, critical minerals, and global supply chains. Klinger Lab contributes expertise on the geopolitical dimensions of resource extraction and energy transition.
• i3TcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership focused on global green industrial policy and economic transformation. i3T brings expertise in political economy and industrial policy analysis.
• Centre for Climate Justice at the University of British ColumbiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for research on biodiversity, international financial architecture, and climate justice. Contributes research capacity and expertise on the intersection of climate and economic policy.
• Transition Security ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on research examining the intersection of military spending, resource extraction, and climate transition. Focuses on disarmament and energy abundance.
• United Autoworkers Region 6coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLabor partnership for the California Grid Manufacturing Initiative research. United Autoworkers provides labor perspective and expertise on manufacturing jobs in the clean energy transition.
• BlueGreen AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLabor-environmental coalition partnership for research on clean energy manufacturing and green industrial policy. Brings together unions and environmental organizations.
• Center for Public EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership on public ownership models for energy and grid infrastructure. Expertise in public utility policy and democratic control of essential services.
• Biodiversity Capital Research CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on research examining how international financial systems constrain biodiversity and drive extractivism. Focuses on fiscal and monetary structures affecting Global South countries.
• Third World NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research and advocacy organization focused on issues affecting the developing world. Co-publishes research on debt, biodiversity, and development policy.
• ReCourseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for work on sovereign debt and climate crisis nexus. Contributes expertise on debt relief and climate finance.
• University of GlasgowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership contributing research expertise on political economy and climate crisis at the nexus of sovereign debt and climate action.
• University of AntwerpminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership contributing research capacity on sovereign debt and just transitions.
• Democracy CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership on supply-side climate policy and community wealth building. Contributes expertise on democratic ownership models and economic restructuring.
• New York Energy Democracy AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovement partnership for public renewables research in the United States. Contributes grassroots perspective on energy democracy and public ownership.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Club: Large established environmental advocacy organization with significant policy and research apparatus. Comparable on environmental advocacy subject matter but substantially larger and broader in scope than CCI.

Emerging players

• Third World Network: International research and advocacy organization focused on development, debt, and equity issues affecting Global South countries. Already a CCI partner; comparable on global climate finance and extractivism research.
• Next Policy Institute: State-level progressive policy organization producing research and analysis for state policymakers on economic and climate issues. Overlaps with CCI's state and local policy work, particularly the NYC Policy Forum scope.

Direct peers

• Political Economy Research Institute (PERI): University-affiliated research institute producing analysis on labor, inequality, and environmental economics. Comparable to CCI on integrating economic and environmental research with progressive policy advocacy.
• Data for Progress: Progressive think tank producing data-driven policy research for the left. Comparable to CCI in serving progressive policymakers and movements, with similar staff scale and digital distribution emphasis.
• Climate Justice Alliance: Coalition of frontline climate justice organizations. Comparable to CCI as a movement-aligned actor focused on transformative rather than incremental climate solutions for working communities.
• Roosevelt Institute: Progressive economic policy think tank producing research at the intersection of economy and social outcomes. Highly comparable to CCI in audience (policymakers, movements), funding model (philanthropy), and thematic focus on transformative economic policy.
• Movement Generation: Climate justice organization building analysis and strategy at the intersection of ecology and economy. Closely aligned with CCI's justice-oriented climate framing and movement-building approach.
• Center for Economic and Policy Research: Left-leaning economic policy research institute producing accessible analysis on labor, trade, and macro policy. Comparable to CCI in combining rigorous economic analysis with policy advocacy for progressive constituencies.
• Groundwork Collaborative: Progressive economic research and narrative-change organization focused on equitable economy and worker power. Directly comparable to CCI on donor base, progressive policy framing, and research-to-narrative pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/climate-and-community-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Climate and Community Institute