COALITION FOR URBAN-RURAL

What COALITION FOR URBAN-RURAL does

The Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1997 and headquartered in Davis, California. It develops and distributes science-based educational programs, training materials, and analytical tools for California's agricultural growers and urban communities, with programmatic focus on nitrogen management, irrigation efficiency, surface water quality protection, and pollinator stewardship. The organization positions its work as supporting grower compliance with California's Nitrate Control Program and broader stewardship of pesticides and water in agricultural landscapes.

CURES operates four core programmatic areas built on different delivery mechanisms. The Nitrogen Management Program delivers the bilingual (English/Spanish) Crop Nutrient Minute video series teaching the 4Rs framework (Right source, rate, time, place) for almonds, citrus, pistachios, tomatoes, walnuts, strawberries, lettuce, and wine grapes, with growers earning CEU credits through the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP). The DU & ROI Estimator is a downloadable Windows software tool co-developed by irrigation specialists Inge Bisconer (Surf n'Earth Enterprises) and Jim Anshutz (AgH2O), funded by CDFA's Water Efficiency Technical Assistance Program (WETA), which enables field technicians to conduct Distribution Uniformity analysis on drip, tape, and stationary sprinkler irrigation systems and generate ROI estimates in dollars per acre and per field. Additional programs cover surface water quality (spray drift, pesticide runoff, Best Management Practices), neonicotinoid stewardship, pheromone mating disruption, and pollinator protection through brochures, videos, and research reports.

CURES' revenue derives from government grants (CDFA WETA for tool development, CDFA FREP for training program administration), tax-deductible donations, and merchandise sales — primarily the California Cropland Poster (24"x36" foam-mounted, 2016 cropland data) offered for a $100 donation plus $25 packaging and shipping. The organization distributes content through its website (curesworks.org), YouTube-hosted video series, training webinars, downloadable PDFs, and a multi-tiered partner network comprising Resource Conservation Districts across California's Central Valley and Central Coast, water quality coalitions, irrigation dealers and manufacturers (Avidwater, Rain Bird, Netafim, Toro, Irritec, Rivulis, Yara, Laurel, Rain for Rent, CaliforniaH2O), the Irrigation Association, MVP Media, and Preservation Inc. The organization operates with approximately six employees and focuses exclusively on California.

Name

COALITION FOR URBAN-RURAL

Legal name

Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship

Website

https://curesworks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CURES is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1997 in Davis, California delivering science-based educational programs and tools to California agricultural growers and urban communities covering nitrogen management, irrigation efficiency, surface water quality, and pollinator stewardship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops) (EDAAAFAG)

Keywords

• Agricultural education
• Irrigation efficiency
• Nitrogen management
• Pollinator stewardship
• Water quality protection

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: CURES operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that raises funds through tax-deductible donations. The California Cropland Poster is offered in exchange for a $100 donation. This supports ongoing agricultural research and education projects.
2. Grants and Government Funding: CURES receives funding from government programs such as CDFA's Water Efficiency Technical Assistance Program (WETA) and FREP (Fertilizer Research and Education Program) to develop and distribute educational tools and training materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CURES is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that creates and delivers science-based educational tools, training, and resources for agricultural and urban communities in California. Its core programs cover Nitrogen Management (4Rs training and Crop Nutrient Minute video series), Surface Water Quality Protection (pesticide runoff, spray drift, neonicotinoid stewardship, pheromone mating disruption), Irrigation Efficiency (DU & ROI Estimator software), and Pollinator Stewardship. Most offerings are provided free of charge, with continuing education credits available through CDFA's FREP program.

Product overview

The Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) is a non-profit 501C3 organization founded in 1997 that develops educational tools and promotes science-based solutions for environmental stewardship in agriculture. The organization operates several interconnected programs: (1) Nitrogen Management Program with the Crop Nutrient Minute Series providing video-based education on nitrogen budgeting; (2) Surface Water Quality Protection covering pesticide runoff, spray drift, and Best Management Practices, including the Neonicotinoid Product Stewardship Program and Pheromone Mating Disruptors; (3) Irrigation Efficiency through the DU & ROI Estimator software tool for Distribution Uniformity analysis; and (4) Pollinators Program focusing on proper pesticide stewardship to protect pollinators. CURES also sells the California Cropland Poster as a physical educational product. These programs collectively support agricultural and urban communities in using pest control and plant growth tools in environmentally responsible ways.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Growers can earn 0.5 hours of CEU credits by completing video courses

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Resource Conservation Districts (Central Valley and Central Coast)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCURES partners with RCDs including East Stan RCD, San Joaquin RCD, and West Stan RCD to facilitate adoption of the DU & ROI Estimator software and provide free Distribution Uniformity evaluations to eligible growers.
• Surf n'Earth EnterprisescoreTechnology or IntegrationIrrigation specialist Inge Bisconer co-developed the DU & ROI Estimator software that enables field technicians to improve irrigation efficiency through distribution uniformity analysis.
• AgH20coreTechnology or IntegrationIrrigation specialist Jim Anshutz co-developed the DU & ROI Estimator software that enables field technicians to improve irrigation efficiency through distribution uniformity analysis.
• Irrigation Industry PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaborators include irrigation dealers and manufacturers: Avidwater, Irrigation Association, CaliforniaH2O, Rain Bird, Irritec, Laurel, Netafim, Rain for Rent, Rivulis, Yara, and Toro. These partners support the DU & ROI Estimator program and irrigation efficiency initiatives.
• Water Quality CoalitionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCURES partners with water quality coalitions throughout California's agricultural regions to promote surface water quality protection and best management practices.
• MVP MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMVP Media produced the Crop Nutrient Minute video series in collaboration with CURES and funding from sponsors. The series covers nitrogen management for various crops in English and Spanish.
• Preservation Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerKey program supporter of the DU & ROI Estimator program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Project Apis m. Non-profit funding and directing honey bee and pollinator research for agriculture; listed as a linked resource on CURES' Pollinators page and operating in the same grower-pollinator stewardship niche.
• Pollinator Partnership: Non-profit dedicated to pollinator health and pesticide stewardship education across North America — directly overlaps CURES' Pollinators Program and broader stewardship mission.
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: Non-profit focused on invertebrate conservation including pollinators and pesticide impact reduction — adjacent mission to CURES' pollinator and pesticide stewardship programs.
• Almond Board of California: California commodity board that funds and disseminates science-based stewardship research for almond growers on nitrogen, irrigation, and pollinator protection — directly overlapping CURES' grower-facing education mandate.
• California Citrus Mutual: Industry trade association representing citrus growers on regulatory, water quality, and stewardship issues — comparable coalition-style organization advocating for California growers like CURES.
• California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD): Statewide association representing the Resource Conservation Districts that CURES partners with to deliver DU evaluations and irrigation efficiency programming across California.

Emerging players

• CropX: Commercial precision-irrigation SaaS platform providing DU-style analysis, soil sensing, and ROI modeling — direct competitive overlap with CURES' DU & ROI Estimator but in a venture-backed product format.
• Hortau: Commercial precision-irrigation and soil-moisture monitoring platform serving California tree and row crops — overlapping irrigation efficiency use case addressed by CURES' DU & ROI Estimator.

Broad incumbents

• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE): USDA-funded program that funds and disseminates sustainable agriculture research and education nationwide — broader geographic and thematic scope but the same grant-funded education model as CURES.
• UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR): University of California's statewide extension and research arm, providing science-based agricultural education and stewardship guidance — a much larger incumbent performing comparable extension functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coalition-for-urban-rural

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 COALITION FOR URBAN-RURAL