Flint River Watershed Coalition

What Flint River Watershed Coalition does

Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit (EIN 38-3546239), founded in 1997 and incorporated in Michigan in August 1998, headquartered at 630 W. Kearsley St., Flint, MI. Its mission is to protect, promote, and improve the Flint River watershed — a 1,358-square-mile drainage spanning seven counties (Genesee, Lapeer, Shiawassee, Oakland, Tuscola, Sanilac, Saginaw) along 142 miles of river. The organization operates a portfolio of interconnected programs: benthic macroinvertebrate citizen-science monitoring across 34-35 sites in Genesee and Lapeer counties twice yearly using a standardized 90-minute wet-net sampling protocol and pollution-tolerance indices; the Flint River GREEN youth citizen-science program reaching 1,750+ students annually across 20 school districts and five counties, with GREEN Bridges and GREEN After School variants; Kayak Flint, a recreational livery service offering kayak rentals, shuttling, guided tours, and iKayak adaptive paddles from May through October; the Flint River Water Trail, a 72-mile National Water Trail (NPS designation, November 2020) with 25 access sites; annual stewardship and clean-up events including Stewardship Day (running over 20 years); and chapter-based organizing through Fli River Anglers, Friends of the Flint River Trail, and the Lapeer Chapter.

FRWC is a membership organization funded primarily through donations, grants, membership dues, and program-related revenue (Kayak Flint rentals, '80s in the Hole event proceeds). Operating expenses are sustained by a small staff of approximately six and a board of directors that includes representatives from the Mott Foundation, General Motors, MSU Extension, Kettering University, University of Michigan-Flint, City of Flint, Genesee County Parks, NOAA, and the Genesee County Drain Commissioner. Distribution relies on direct community engagement, school-based delivery, chapter networks, four signature annual events (Voice of the River, Stewardship Day, '80s in the Hole, Thank You Breakfast), and an organic digital presence on Facebook, Instagram, and email newsletters. Customer and stakeholder segments span students and educators (primary), community volunteers and citizen scientists (primary), local-government and partner organizations (secondary), and recreation enthusiasts (secondary). No formal pricing for programs is publicly disclosed; revenue figures are not publicly reported.

Name

Flint River Watershed Coalition

Legal name

Flint River Watershed Coalition

Website

https://flintriver.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Flint River Watershed Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that protects, promotes, and improves the 1,358-square-mile Flint River watershed through benthic monitoring, youth citizen-science education (Flint River GREEN), kayak recreation (Kayak Flint), stewardship events, and chapter-based organizing across seven Michigan counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Watershed conservation
• Environmental monitoring services
• Youth environmental education
• Water trail recreation
• Citizen science programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Flint

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: FRWC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Services and programs are largely funded by grants and donations from the supportive community. EIN: 38-3546239.
2. Program Revenue (Kayak Flint): Kayak Flint offers kayak rentals, shuttling service, and guided tours from May through October. All proceeds support the work of FRWC. Approximately 3-mile trips take 1-2 hours.
3. Event Revenue: '80s in the Hole annual event generates proceeds supporting FRWC's mission. Sponsorship levels and programs available for business support.
4. Membership Dues: FRWC is a membership organization that promotes citizen stewardship. Membership provides access to sources, knowledge, and capacity to protect local water quality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Flint River Watershed Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that operates a portfolio of watershed-protection programs across the 1,358-square-mile Flint River watershed in Michigan. Its core offerings include youth citizen-science education (Flint River GREEN), standardized benthic macroinvertebrate water quality monitoring at 34-35 sites, kayak rental and guided paddling services (Kayak Flint), clean-up and stewardship events, and management of the 72-mile Flint River Water Trail designated as a National Water Trail. Services are largely funded by grants and donations from the community and delivered through chapter-based organizing and partnerships with schools, local governments, and conservation organizations.

Product overview

Flint River Watershed Coalition operates as a multi-program nonprofit organization rather than a single product or platform. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected environmental programs including: Kayak Flint (kayak rental and livery service), Flint River GREEN (youth citizen science education spanning multiple program variants), Environmental Monitoring (benthic monitoring across 34-35 sites), Community Engagement (chapters and partnerships), Clean-Ups/StEWARDSHIP Days (volunteer cleanup events), Flint River Water Trail (72-mile paddling infrastructure), and general Volunteer Programs. These programs collectively serve the organization's mission of protecting, promoting, and improving the Flint River watershed through recreation, education, and environmental stewardship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kayak Flint: Paddle program offering kayak rentals, shuttling service, guided tours, and iKayak workshops for adaptive paddling opportunities in downtown Flint.
• Flint River GREEN
• GREEN Bridges
• Flint River Water Trail

Products and services

• Kayak Flint A paddle program offering kayak rentals, shuttling service, guided tours, iKayak adaptive paddling options, and mindfulness paddles on the 72-mile Flint River Water Trail from May through October, operating from downtown Flint. All proceeds support FRWC's mission.
• Flint River GREEN A youth citizen-science program for grades 6-12 teaching water-chemistry testing, career exploration, and civic-action projects across Genesee, Lapeer, Oakland, Shiawassee, and Saginaw Counties, culminating in an annual Student Summit.
• GREEN Bridges A teacher training and coaching program for middle school students aligned with Michigan Science Standards, investigating human impacts on water quality over 10+ weeks and producing stakeholder action plans.
• GREEN After School An out-of-school adaptation of the Flint River GREEN program delivered to after-school programs, summer programs, scouting groups, and youth leadership groups, featuring outdoor learning activities and materials.
• Environmental Monitoring Program A volunteer-engaged benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring program tracking water quality and stream habitat health at 34-35 sites across Genesee and Lapeer counties, sampled twice yearly using a standardized 90-minute 'wet net' protocol with pollution-tolerance indexing.
• Flint River Water Trail A 72-mile paddling trail with 25 access sites across Lapeer and Genesee counties, designated as a National Water Trail by the National Park Service. Provides recreational infrastructure, trail mapping, and access-development support for paddlers and community members.
• Clean-Ups and Stewardship Days Volunteer cleanup events including the annual Stewardship Day in April, riverbank and shoreline cleanups, and in-stream debris removal conducted across Genesee and Lapeer Counties in partnership with Genesee County Parks and other organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,750+ students reached annually through Flint River GREEN program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Genesee County ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for Stewardship Day events, trail development, and recreational access. Co-manages Flint River Water Trail.
• Michigan State University ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research support, educational expertise, and board representation (Darren Bagley, Secretary).
• Kettering UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner contributing to Stewardship Day and watershed initiatives. Board representation (Eric Szczepanski).
• Clear Genesee Water (Genesee County Drain Commissioner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRWC partners with Clear Genesee Water to provide service learning opportunities including storm drain stenciling and educational materials distribution.
• City of FlintcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Stewardship Day events, Flint River Flotilla, and city-wide environmental initiatives. Board representation (Gavin Bodnar).
• University of Michigan-FlintcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner including Discovering PLACE program. Board representation (Paula Nas, Director of Office of Economic Development).
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner supporting environmental monitoring and watershed protection initiatives.
• Great Lakes Stewardship InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional stewardship organization supporting place-based education and environmental engagement.
• 4-HminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth development organization partnering on educational programming and volunteer recruitment.
• Earth ForceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental education organization supporting youth engagement in environmental problem-solving.
• Lapeer Land ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal land trust partner in Lapeer County. Partnered on Saginaw Street Landing project ($60k raised) and obstruction removal efforts.
• Saginaw Bay WINminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWatershed initiative partner supporting Lapeer County projects and water trail development.
• Lapeer Conservation DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty conservation partner. Board representation (Mary Brown, Secretary). Partnered on Saginaw Street Landing.
• Genesee County Metropolitan Planning CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-manages Flint River Water Trail. Provides planning expertise and trail mapping resources.
• I-69 Thumb RegionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development organization supporting watershed initiatives.
• Genesee County Conservation DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty conservation district partner in environmental initiatives.
• Genesee ISDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntermediate school district supporting educational programming.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/flintriverwatershed
• Instagraminstagram.com/flintriverwatershed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flint-river-watershed-coalition

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Flint River Watershed Coalition