Keep Oakland Beautiful

What Keep Oakland Beautiful does

Keep Oakland Beautiful (KOB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Oakland, California, originally established by the City of Oakland in 2003 and operating as a fully independent volunteer-led entity since 2018. The organization is an official affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, a national network of 730+ affiliates, and delivers community programs rather than commercial products. Its core offerings include the Community Grants Program (up to $1,000 per project annually for neighborhood beautification), the #LOVEOAK civic engagement pledge campaign, Daffodil Days (annual bulb and seed distribution), the Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling Program (in partnership with TerraCycle and Oakland Public Works), volunteer cleanup events, and a 100% volunteer Board of Directors.

Name

Keep Oakland Beautiful

Legal name

Keep Oakland Beautiful

Website

https://keepoaklandbeautiful.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Keep Oakland Beautiful is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led nonprofit and Keep America Beautiful affiliate that funds neighborhood beautification, litter prevention, and greening programs in Oakland, California through community grants, events, and civic partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Environmental Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Seasonal Color & Flower Rotation (Spring/Fall Plantings) (HSAIAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Garden Cleanups & Debris Removal (Bed-focused) (HSAIAFAJ), Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install (HSAIABAG)

Keywords

• Community beautification services
• Litter prevention programs
• Volunteer environmental action
• Community grant funding
• Urban greening initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the organization's mission to create and sustain a beautiful, clean, green, litter-free Oakland.
2. Corporate and Partnership Donations: Corporate and partnership donations support KOB grant funds and community programs.
3. Donor-Advised Funds (DAF): Donors can designate contributions through Fidelity, Charles Schwab, or BNY Mellon via DAF Direct for operational support or specific KOB programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Keep Oakland Beautiful is a 100% volunteer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers community beautification programs across Oakland, California. It funds and runs the Community Grants Program (annual project grants up to $1,000 for neighborhood beautification), the #LOVEOAK civic engagement movement, Daffodil Days (annual bulb/seed distribution), the Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling Program, and volunteer cleanup/planting events. Programs are supported by individual, corporate, and partnership donations plus Donor-Advised Funds.

Product overview

Keep Oakland Beautiful operates as a nonprofit organization offering community programs rather than a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of six interconnected programs: the Community Grants Program (providing up to $1,000 for neighborhood beautification projects), the #LOVEOAK civic movement (citywide pledge campaign for recycling and litter reduction), Daffodil Days (annual bulb and seed distribution), the Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling Program (smoking waste recycling infrastructure), volunteer events (cleanup and greening activities), and board membership opportunities. Together these programs work toward the mission of creating and sustaining a beautiful, clean, green, litter-free Oakland through education, community engagement, and volunteer action.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Grants Program Annual grant program awarding up to $1,000 to individuals or community groups for neighborhood beautification projects including park cleanups, community gardens, tree planting, graffiti removal, and public murals within Oakland city limits. Applications open annually in spring.
• #LOVEOAK Movement Citywide civic engagement initiative encouraging Oakland residents to take a pledge for recycling, composting, reducing litter, and utilizing free bulky junk pickup services to build a clean, green, and sustainable Oakland.
• Daffodil Days Annual fall program distributing free daffodil bulbs and native California wildflower seeds to Oakland residents for planting in public spaces, run in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful National Planting Day to support biodiversity and pollinator health.
• Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling (CLPR) Program Program installing weather-proof cigarette butt recycling canisters in Oakland parks, with collected butts sent to TerraCycle for recycling into furniture and artwork; provides free auto and pocket ashtrays to Oakland businesses to keep cigarette butts off city streets and storm drains.
• Volunteer Events Community volunteer events including neighborhood cleanups, beautification activities, tree planting events, Earth Day celebrations, and Daffodil Days plantings organized throughout Oakland for volunteer participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.8 tons of litter removed since 2023
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Keep America BeautifulflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeep Oakland Beautiful is an official affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), a national nonprofit founded in 1953. KAB supports local programs with resources, training, and the President's Circle recognition program. The KAB network includes 730+ community-based affiliates.
• TerraCyclecoreTechnology or IntegrationTerraCycle serves as KOB's recycling partner for the Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling (CLPR) Program. Collected cigarette butts are sent to TerraCycle at no cost, where the plastic is recycled into furniture like benches, tables, and artwork.
• Oakland Public WorksflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Oakland Public Works to launch the Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling Program. Oakland Public Works is also involved in the Clean California Community designation and Adopt-A-Spot program coordination.
• Oakland Parks Recreation & Youth DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the CLPR Program, helping install cigarette butt canisters in Union Point Park parking lot along Oakland's Estuary.
• Oakland Parks and Recreation FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling Program supporting Oakland parks.
• City of OaklandflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeep Oakland Beautiful was originally established by the City of Oakland in 2003 and continues to work closely with local partners including Oakland Public Works, Oakland Parks, and various city departments on beautification initiatives, Adopt-A-Spot program, and community grants.
• Niagara CaresminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner supporting #LOVEOAK citywide movement and community engagement initiatives.
• National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner supporting #LOVEOAK citywide movement and community engagement initiatives.
• Do SomethingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner supporting #LOVEOAK citywide movement and youth engagement.
• Blue Shield of CaliforniacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate volunteer partnership; Blue Shield volunteers have participated in Oakland greening and tree planting events. Featured in company volunteer stories.
• Urban Compassion ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to revitalize MLK Corridor through cleanups and art initiatives, documented by Keep America Beautiful.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Keep America Beautiful: National parent network of 730+ community-based affiliates including KOB. Operates the President's Circle recognition program that KOB has earned multiple times, providing the brand backbone, training, and program frameworks that KOB extends locally.

Direct peers

• Keep Indianapolis Beautiful: Direct sister affiliate under Keep America Beautiful, focused on community beautification, litter prevention, and grant-based neighborhood projects in Indianapolis. Board member Rebecca Berry was previously Director of Community Engagement here, confirming organizational and programmatic parity.
• Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful: Mature KAB affiliate running community cleanup, recycling, and beautification grant programs in the Tampa Bay area. Comparable in mission, structure, and programs to KOB, with similar reliance on volunteers, corporate sponsors, and municipal partnerships.
• Keep Austin Beautiful: Long-established KAB affiliate delivering beautification, litter prevention, and community engagement programs in Austin, TX. Operates a similar mix of grants, volunteer events, and education programs to KOB at a larger scale.

Others

• EarthShare: Environmental federation that runs workplace-giving campaigns and aggregates donations across 70+ environmental nonprofits. Acts as a potential funding channel for KOB and a peer in the environmental nonprofit ecosystem without overlapping program delivery.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit focused on creating parks and protecting land for communities. Tangentially related to KOB's tree-planting and green-space beautification work, serving as a comparable scale and credibility benchmark in the conservation nonprofit space.
• Caltrans Clean California Program: State-level program that awarded KOB its Clean California Community Designation. Functions as a funder/partner rather than a peer, but its recognition framework and grant standards shape KOB's program priorities and operating model.

Regional players

• Keep San Francisco Beautiful: Bay Area peer affiliate delivering community cleanups, graffiti abatement, and beautification grants in San Francisco. Operates in an adjacent geography with the same KAB affiliate model, making it the closest geographic comparable for benchmarking.
• Sustainable Oakland: Local Oakland-based environmental and sustainability nonprofit pursuing broader sustainability goals (energy, waste, water). Adjacent to KOB on litter and beautification but extends into policy advocacy, creating partial overlap in donor and volunteer pools.
• Friends of the Park (Oakland): Local Oakland-based nonprofit advocating for park funding and stewardship. Closely aligned with KOB's green-space and beautification mission at the Oakland level, making it a potential collaborator but also a competing voice for the same civic attention.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/keepoaklandbeautiful
• Instagraminstagram.com/p/DXmuhKhj9F0
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keep-oakland-beautiful

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Keep Oakland Beautiful