Fungal Diversity Survey

What Fungal Diversity Survey does

Fungal Diversity Survey (FUNDIS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan (424 Woodward Ave), with 17 employees. The organization works to protect fungal diversity across North America through conservation, education, and community engagement, primarily targeting community scientists and nature enthusiasts at all experience levels. Its offering is structured as a platform of interconnected programs rather than a single product: the Fungal Diversity Database for documenting observations, CA FUNDIS as a California-focused regional program, FUNDIS Local Projects for grassroots engagement, Rare Fungi Challenges across West Coast, Rocky Mountain, Southeast, and Northeast regions, the DNA Sequence Validation Corps for data quality assurance, and a resources hub providing in-the-field tools for community scientists.

FUNDIS does not charge for participation in its programs; instead, it operates on a donations-based revenue model supplemented by merchandise sales (stickers and apparel via Etsy and Bonfire). Its go-to-market is community-led: the organization recruits participants and donors through a newsletter, the Deep Funga Blog, a YouTube channel, presentations, and social media. All resources and programs are freely accessible through the fundis.org website on a self-serve basis. Tax-deductible charitable donations are processed under Section 501(c)(3) (Tax ID 82-3721471), and the organization is governed as an independent nonprofit with no parent company or institutional investor disclosed.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and undisclosed, with no dedicated app, API, or SDK documented. The Fungal Diversity Database appears to be the central data asset, validated by volunteer DNA sequencing rather than automated pipelines. Geographic scope is North America, with concentrated regional programming across four U.S. macro-regions and no international expansion or partnership signals in the available data. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and there are no funding rounds, acquisitions, or leadership changes documented in the source material.

Name

Fungal Diversity Survey

Legal name

Fungal Diversity Survey, Inc.

Website

https://fundis.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fungal Diversity Survey (FUNDIS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that connects community scientists and nature enthusiasts to conservation programs documenting fungal diversity across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Community science programs
• Fungal conservation
• Biodiversity documentation
• Citizen science engagement
• Nonprofit conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Kalamazoo

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Tax ID: 82-3721471). The organization is a nonprofit that relies on public donations to support fungal conservation work.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sales of merchandise including stickers (e.g., Northeast Rare Fungi Challenge stickers available on Etsy) and other items through their shop.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FUNDIS is a nonprofit organization that runs community-science-based fungal conservation programs across North America. Its core offerings include the Fungal Diversity Database, the CA FUNDIS California regional program, FUNDIS Local Projects, region-specific Rare Fungi Challenges (West Coast, Rocky Mountain, Southeast, Northeast), the DNA Sequence Validation Corps, and educational resources (in-field tools and best-practice guidance) for community scientists of all experience levels. Participation in programs is provided free of charge, with operations supported by tax-deductible donations and merchandise sales.

Product overview

FUNDIS (Fungal Diversity Survey) operates as a platform of interconnected conservation programs rather than a single unified software product. The core offerings include the Fungal Diversity Database for documenting observations, CA FUNDIS as a regional California program, FUNDIS Local Projects for community-level engagement, Rare Fungi Challenges targeting specific geographic regions, and the DNA Sequence Validation Corps for data quality assurance. These programs are complemented by educational resources designed to support community scientists in making high-quality field observations. The organization functions as a nonprofit conservation initiative focused on North American fungal diversity through community science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fungal Diversity Database A comprehensive database for documenting and tracking fungal diversity observations contributed by community scientists across North America. It underpins the organization's ability to capture species range, seasonality, frequency, and variation.
• CA FUNDIS A California-focused regional fungal conservation program that supports community science participation in documenting fungal species within the state.
• FUNDIS Local Projects Local-level fungal conservation initiatives that engage communities in regional fungal documentation efforts, extending community science participation beyond the California-focused program.
• Rare Fungi Challenges Conservation challenges focused on documenting and protecting rare fungi species across four U.S. regions: West Coast, Rocky Mountain, Southeast, and Northeast. Each challenge mobilizes community scientists to target species of conservation concern in that region.
• DNA Sequence Validation Corps A volunteer program dedicated to validating DNA sequences for fungal specimens, ensuring the data quality of community-contributed observations.
• Our Resources In-field tools and best-practice guidance for community scientists of all experience levels, supporting the creation of quality fungal observations and significant contributions to mycological studies.
• FUNDIS Merchandise (Stickers and Apparel) Fundraising merchandise including Rare Fungi Challenge sticker sheets (e.g., Northeast Rare Fungi Challenge stickers) sold via Etsy and apparel/items via the Bonfire online store, supporting the nonprofit's fungal conservation work.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN): A nonprofit focused on mapping and protecting mycorrhizal fungal networks globally. Most thematically aligned with FUNDIS in applying modern conservation science to fungi, though it emphasizes subsurface ecosystem mapping over community-science observation.
• North American Mycological Association (NAMA): A membership-based nonprofit supporting amateur and professional mycologists across North America. Most directly comparable to FUNDIS as a North American fungal-focused nonprofit, though NAMA emphasizes member education and toxicology while FUNDIS emphasizes conservation and community science.
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: A nonprofit focused on invertebrate conservation with science-based programs and community engagement. Comparable to FUNDIS as a specialist, taxonomy-focused conservation nonprofit with volunteer contributions and scientific output.
• Mushroom Observer: A community-science platform dedicated to recording, identifying, and sharing observations of fungi. Closely comparable to FUNDIS's Fungal Diversity Database in function, though it is technology-focused rather than a conservation nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): A community-science bird observation platform that demonstrates the model FUNDIS is attempting to replicate for fungi. Useful as a peer for understanding scale, data quality, and institutional partnership patterns in citizen-science data collection.
• The Nature Conservancy: A large environmental nonprofit with a comparable conservation mission and nonprofit structure. While much broader in geographic and species focus, it represents the type of incumbent TNC could partner with or compete against for biodiversity funding.
• Center for Biological Diversity: A nonprofit using science, policy, and litigation to protect endangered species and habitats. Comparable to FUNDIS as a conservation nonprofit, though it operates more through advocacy and legal action rather than community science.
• iNaturalist: A generalist community-science biodiversity platform sharing observations across all taxa. Comparable to FUNDIS as a citizen-science observation backbone, but broader in scope and a potential substitute or partner for fungal observations.
• National Audubon Society: A large species-focused conservation nonprofit with regional chapters, education programs, and a member base. Analogous to FUNDIS in structure but tailored to birds, representing the scale ceiling for a specialist conservation nonprofit.

Regional players

• Save the Redwoods League: A nonprofit focused on conservation of a specific ecological subject (redwood forests) through science, education, and land protection. Comparable to FUNDIS in mission structure and U.S. geographic focus, though focused on a single species/habitat.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fundis-fungaldiversitysurv46
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fungal-diversity-survey

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 Fungal Diversity Survey