GRAINE Pays de la Loire

What GRAINE Pays de la Loire does

GRAINE Pays de la Loire is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 1992 and headquartered at 23 rue des renards, 44300 Nantes, France. It operates as a regional coordination network for environmental education (Education à l'Environnement et au Développement Durable, EEDD) and ecological transition, serving as the central connective body for more than 200 member organizations — including environmental education associations, CPIEs (Centres Permanents d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement), nature centers, schools and teachers, and local and regional authorities across the Pays de la Loire region. The organization's core function is to aggregate, qualify, and distribute resources, training, and collective advocacy for a fragmented sector, providing network coordination, Qualiopi-certified training programs, a regional quality standards framework (Référentiel Qualité), and a unified voice for the sector. The team comprises approximately 22 named staff members.

The organization's product surface is a portfolio of programmatic and content offerings rather than a single platform. Core products include an annual training catalog covering outdoor education, nature pedagogy, biodiversity, sustainable food, and environmental health; coordinated pedagogical devices including escape games on environmental topics (endocrine disruptors, water, pollinators), biodiversity pathways for high schools, and agriculture-environment programs; thematic publications (Les Feuilles du GRAINE); two newsletters (La Garzette, EN Bref); a self-hosted PeerTube video sharing platform; a resource center (Espace Ressources); and project coordination vehicles including the regional PAT (Projet Alimentaire Territorial) food systems network, the Regional Health-Environment Plan (PRSE4), an outdoor education promotion program, and a regional water education strategy. The underlying technology is a conventional content-managed website (graine-pdl.org) plus the PeerTube video platform — no proprietary software, mobile app, or AI capability is evident in the available data.

The business model is a hybrid non-profit funding structure with three revenue streams: (1) recurring membership fees from network participants including associations, institutions, and local authorities; (2) training service revenue from registration fees for professional development courses; and (3) public subsidies and project-based grants from regional and departmental councils, state services, ADEME (Agency for Ecological Transition), water agencies, and the Fondation de France. No commercial pricing is publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is community-led — driven by network participation, membership recruitment, newsletter communications, regional events (journées d'échanges), training enrollment, and institutional partnerships — rather than a commercial sales motion.

Name

GRAINE Pays de la Loire

Legal name

GRAINE Pays de la Loire

Website

https://graine-pdl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

French non-profit association founded in 1992 coordinating environmental education and ecological transition across the Pays de la Loire region for 200+ member organizations, schools, and public authorities through training programs, pedagogical resources, and network convening.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nantes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

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. Membership fees: The organization operates with membership fees from network participants including associations, institutions, and local authorities
2. Training services: The organization offers training programs with registration fees for professional development in environmental education
3. Public funding: Regional network supported by public institutional funding from regional and departmental councils, state services, and environmental agencies

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GRAINE Pays de la Loire is a regional network that coordinates environmental education actors across the Pays de la Loire region of France. It delivers an annual training catalog of professional development courses, produces thematic publications and newsletters, runs coordinated pedagogical programs (including escape games and school pathways), and operates a resource center and PeerTube video platform. The organization is funded primarily through membership fees, public institutional subsidies, and training registrations.

Product overview

GRAINE Pays de la Loire is a regional network for environmental education and ecological transition, operating as a coordination and resource hub rather than a single product company. Its offerings consist of: (1) a training catalog offering courses on outdoor education, nature pedagogy, biodiversity, sustainable food, and environmental health; (2) coordinated educational programs including escape games (Sauve qui P.E., Enquête en Eau trouble, Mission Pollinisateurs), school programs (Biodiversité et Lycées, Agriculture et Eau, Agriculture et Biodiversité), and consumption pathways; (3) publications including Les Feuilles du GRAINE thematic publications and newsletters (La Garzette, EN Bref); (4) a PeerTube video platform for network members; (5) project coordination including PAT network animation, PRSE4, outdoor education promotion, water awareness strategy, and pollinator protection programs; and (6) a resource center for practitioners. The organization serves as a network coordinator connecting environmental education actors across the Pays de la Loire region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catalogue de formations du GRAINE

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Académie de Nantes (Rectorat)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partnership for integrating environmental education into school curricula and teacher training
• DREAL Pays de la LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional directorate for environment, housing, and construction - key institutional partner for environmental policies
• ADEME Pays de la LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency for ecological transition - partner for environmental education projects and funding
• Agence de l'Eau Loire BretagnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater agency partner for water education and awareness programs
• Région des Pays de la LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council providing institutional support and funding for network activities
• URCPIE Pays de la LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional union of CPIEs (Centres Permanents d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement) - key network partners
• LPO Pays de la LoiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLigue pour la Protection des Oiseaux - partner for biodiversity education programs
• France Nature Environnement Pays de la LoiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental federation partner for advocacy and network activities
• Comité 21 Grand OuestmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable development network partner for regional sustainability initiatives
• Collectif Français pour l'EEDD (CFEEDD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational collective for environmental education - GRAINE participates in national coordination
• CRESS Pays de la LoiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional chamber of social economy - partner for ESS sector coordination
• Mouvement Associatif des Pays de la LoiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional association movement - partner for associative development
• Agence Régionale de SantémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional health agency - partner for health and environment programs
• FRENEmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork for ecological and solidarity transition - regional coordination partner
• CEMEA Pays de la LoiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational movement partner for active pedagogy and environmental education
• Les Francas des Pays de la LoiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPopular education association partner for youth environmental education

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• ADEME: French Agency for Ecological Transition and a Core funder/partner of GRAINE Pays de la Loire. While not a direct competitor, ADEME is the upstream policy and funding body that shapes the demand environment for GRAINE's services.

Broad incumbents

• Réseau École et Nature: National network historically focused on outdoor and nature-based education. Operates broader than GRAINE but overlaps heavily on training, pedagogical resources, and outdoor school advocacy (e.g., Enseigner dehors).
• France Nature Environnement: National environmental federation and a Major partner of GRAINE Pays de la Loire. Operates at a national scale across advocacy and education, with regional chapters that overlap GRAINE's coordination scope.
• LPO France: Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux, a major national biodiversity NGO with a Pays de la Loire delegate (LPO PdL) that is a Major partner of GRAINE. Comparable in environmental education and biodiversity programming.
• Collectif Français pour l'EEDD (CFEEDD): National collective for environmental education (EEDD) in which GRAINE participates. CFEEDD coordinates the broader sector and represents regional GRAINE networks at the national level, providing a structural umbrella comparable to GRAINE's regional role.

Direct peers

• GRAINE Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Sister GRAINE network serving the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Same association loi 1901 structure, network coordination role, and training delivery model, making it a direct operational comparison.
• URCPIE Pays de la Loire: Regional union of CPIEs (Centres Permanents d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement) in Pays de la Loire. A core member of GRAINE's network and a direct peer in environmental education coordination, training, and resource provision within the same region.
• CPIE Loire Océan: Local CPIE (Centre Permanent d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement) operating in the Pays de la Loire region. Direct peer in delivering environmental education programs, training, and pedagogical resources to schools and the public.
• GRAINE Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Regional GRAINE network covering the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region with the same environmental education coordination mission, training catalog, and member network model. Closest structural analogue operating under identical national GRAINE framework.

Regional players

• Comité 21: National sustainable development network with a Grand Ouest chapter (Comité 21 Grand Ouest) that is a Major partner of GRAINE. Comparable in coordinating sustainability and ecological transition actors, with some programmatic overlap in training and advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/graine-pays-de-la-loire

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 GRAINE Pays de la Loire