Montana Environmental Information Center

What Montana Environmental Information Center does

Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) is a private, membership-based nonprofit environmental advocacy organization founded in 1973 and headquartered in Helena, Montana, with a secondary office in Missoula. MEIC's core work centers on protecting Montana's air, water, and climate through legislative advocacy, regulatory intervention, environmental litigation, public education campaigns, and community organizing. The organization employs approximately 9-12 staff and operates a 19-person board that includes attorneys, tribal representatives, former legislators, and energy transition engineers. MEIC is structured around three primary campaign areas: protecting air and water (hardrock mining, air pollution), climate and energy (fossil fuel opposition, clean energy promotion, NorthWestern Energy accountability), and government accountability (right-to-know, transparency, public participation in permitting).

MEIC's business model is a recurring membership and donation model (subscription recurring), with no commercial products, services, or technology offerings. Revenue is sourced from individual members and donors; no institutional investors, foundation grants, or ownership stakes are disclosed. The organization distributes content through its website (meic.org), email action alerts, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), the quarterly 'Down to Earth' print/audio magazine, community events, webinars, and a Community Connectors program. MEIC mobilizes thousands of members to contact legislators (46,000+ contacts logged in 2021), submit public comments, and participate in regulatory proceedings.

MEIC's strategic position rests on its 50-year track record, deep expertise in Montana environmental law and policy, and a durable network of legal and coalition partners including Earthjustice, Western Environmental Law Center, Northern Plains Resource Council, Clark Fork, Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians, and the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes. Quantifiable advocacy outcomes include preventing 190 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, protecting 405,000 acres on the Rocky Mountain Front, and stopping tar sands megaloads. Active advocacy portfolio as of 2025-2026 covers challenges to data center tariffs, coal mine expansions, pipeline waivers, gold mining permits, and water quality standards (selenium, exempt wells). MEIC has no disclosed AI, software, or proprietary technology components; its 'product' is advocacy output.

Name

Montana Environmental Information Center

Legal name

Montana Environmental Information Center

Website

https://meic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) is a membership-based nonprofit environmental advocacy organization founded in 1973, serving Montana residents through litigation, legislative advocacy, and community organizing on air, water, and climate issues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Advocacy

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Policy, Advocacy & Litigation (BPAGAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Pollution Prevention & Toxics Reduction (BPAGAGAJ)

Keywords

• Environmental advocacy services
• Nonprofit environmental organization
• Environmental litigation support
• Clean energy advocacy
• Government accountability advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Helena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: MEIC operates as a membership-based nonprofit organization. The primary revenue stream comes from member contributions and donations that enable the organization to fund advocacy, legal action, and policy work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MEIC is a membership-based nonprofit environmental advocacy organization that protects and improves Montana's air, water, and environment through legislative advocacy, environmental litigation, community organizing, and public education. The organization mobilizes thousands of members to take action on climate, energy, mining, fossil fuel development, and government accountability issues at the Montana state level.

Product overview

MEIC is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization focused on protecting Montana's air, water, and climate. The organization does not offer commercial technology products or software services. Its work includes legislative advocacy, public education campaigns, environmental litigation, community organizing, and quarterly publication of the Down to Earth magazine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Down to Earth Quarterly Magazine Quarterly membership publication covering Montana environmental news and MEIC's work, delivered in print, online, and audio forms to MEIC members and supporters.
• Community Connectors Program Grassroots advocacy program that engages dedicated individuals as advocates and community liaisons across Montana to mobilize local action on environmental issues.
• Environmental Advocacy and Legal Action Services Core MEIC service encompassing legislative advocacy on Montana environmental bills, intervention in regulatory proceedings before the Public Service Commission and DEQ, and environmental litigation challenging mining, fossil fuel, and pipeline projects in state and federal courts.
• Membership Program Free-to-join membership program that enrolls Montana residents as supporters of MEIC's environmental advocacy mission, with member contributions and donations funding the organization's work.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prevented more than 190 million tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• EarthjusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarthjustice provides legal representation for MEIC in environmental litigation cases, including challenges to mining projects, coal plant regulations, and government approvals.
• Western Environmental Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestern Environmental Law Center works with MEIC on federal and state environmental cases, providing legal expertise and representation.
• Northern Plains Resource CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing coalition partner in lobbying and advocacy efforts for Montana environmental protection.
• Clark Fork (formerly Clark Fork River Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization collaborating on water quality protection and mining-related environmental issues in Montana.
• Center for Biological DiversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization partnering on litigation and advocacy, particularly regarding wildlife and mining impacts.
• WildEarth GuardiansmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate and environmental organization partnering on coal mine and energy-related litigation.
• Northwestern Energy (adversarial)majorOthersNorthWestern Energy is a major utility company that MEIC regularly opposes in rate cases, integrated resource plan proceedings, and matters involving fossil fuel infrastructure.
• Energy StrategiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent energy consulting firm that MEIC helped fund to conduct a study on transmission needs for improving Montana's connection to other states in the West.
• Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTribal government partner collaborating on transboundary water pollution issues and climate adaptation planning.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Club: One of the largest U.S. environmental advocacy organizations with broad portfolio (wilderness, climate, public lands). Comparable as a membership-driven advocacy and litigation organization, but operates nationally across many issues and lacks MEIC's Montana-specific constitutional leverage.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Large national environmental advocacy organization combining legal action, policy, and science. Operates in overlapping issue areas (climate, energy, water quality) but at far greater scale and broader geographic reach than MEIC.
• Environmental Defense Fund: Major national environmental advocacy organization combining science, economics, and law. Operates on overlapping climate, energy, and water issues, but at substantially larger scale and with a broader scientific/economic orientation.

Direct peers

• Montana Conservation Voters: State-level advocacy organization holding Montana legislators accountable on environmental votes. Comparable peer in Montana-specific political advocacy, though focused on electoral accountability rather than litigation.
• Earthjustice: National nonprofit environmental law organization that provides MEIC's primary legal representation. Directly comparable in mission (environmental advocacy via litigation) and increasingly co-files cases with MEIC on Montana matters.
• Clark Fork Coalition: Montana-based advocacy organization (formerly Clark Fork River Alliance) focused on clean water, mining remediation, and watershed protection. Highly comparable as a state-level environmental advocacy peer and coalition partner to MEIC.
• WildEarth Guardians: Regional environmental advocacy organization that partners with MEIC on coal mine and energy-related litigation in the West. Comparable as a small/medium advocacy group using litigation and policy to address climate and wildlife issues.
• Western Environmental Law Center: Regional environmental law firm that is a core legal partner for MEIC. Highly comparable in mission (public-interest environmental law and advocacy) and operates across the same Western states including Montana.
• Center for Biological Diversity: National nonprofit that uses litigation and advocacy to protect endangered species and wild places. MEIC's coalition partner with highly aligned litigation-driven strategy; comparable in tactical approach though broader geographically.
• Northern Plains Resource Council: Montana-based grassroots conservation and advocacy organization that is both MEIC's closest state-level peer and a coalition partner. It operates with similar membership-driven advocacy and litigation on mining, fossil fuels, and agricultural/land-use issues in Montana.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7a9Gra-7YF9tDxGuLXP-oQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/MTEIC
• Instagraminstagram.com/meic406
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-environmental-information-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Montana Environmental Information Center