Michigan League of Conservation Voters

What Michigan League of Conservation Voters does

Michigan League of Conservation Voters is a Michigan-based non-profit 501(c)(4) political organization founded in 1999 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, with a secondary advocacy presence at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing. The organization operates as a family of four interconnected entities: Michigan LCV (the core 501(c)(4) that endorses candidates and accepts unlimited personal and corporate contributions), Michigan LCV Education Fund (a 501(c)(3) that conducts non-partisan civic engagement and voter contact programs), Michigan LCV Political Action Committee, and Conservation Voters of Michigan Political Action Committee. Its core mission is to protect Michigan's air, land, water, and democracy by electing pro-environment candidates and holding elected officials accountable through legislative scorecards and advocacy campaigns.

Michigan LCV's core products and technology platform include a Digital Scorecard that tracks lawmakers' environmental voting records, a structured Candidate Endorsement Program with multi-stage vetting, an online Action Hub for member-driven advocacy, and specialized programs including the Our Water Activist Program (three-month paid training with $2,400 stipends), the Democracy Defenders Fellowship (2026 midterm mobilization), and the Lakes & Pines Institute (policy research). The technology stack integrates Voter Activation Network (VAN) for voter contact and database management, FastAction for digital advocacy, EveryAction as the CRM and fundraising platform, Mobilize.us for volunteer management, and Airtable for program applications. Distribution occurs through digital channels (website, email, social media, online action portal) and in-person grassroots engagement via canvassing, phonebanking, and events including an Annual Detroit Gala.

The business model is membership-driven and donation-funded, with revenue streams spanning individual donations (one-time and monthly recurring tiers from $10 to $500+), PAC contributions (unlimited personal/corporate), major gifts and grants (handled by dedicated staff), and specialty funds including legacy/IRA gifts, donor-advised funds, and memorial funds (Alec Esparza Youth Activist Fund, Mark Stranahan Memorial Fund). The go-to-market approach is community-led and event-driven, mobilizing 23,000+ active members through partnerships with frontline communities, small businesses, faith groups, and social justice organizations. In 2024, the organization endorsed 94 candidates (with 83% winning), generated 7,738 messages and calls to lawmakers, and contributed $198,000 to community organizations.

Name

Michigan League of Conservation Voters

Legal name

Michigan League of Conservation Voters

Website

https://michiganlcv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Michigan League of Conservation Voters is a Michigan-based 501(c)(4) non-profit founded in 1999 that elects pro-environment candidates, holds lawmakers accountable through digital scorecards, and mobilizes 23,000+ members on environmental and democracy issues across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental and Civic Advocacy Services

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Environmental advocacy services
• Voter mobilization programs
• Political candidate endorsements
• Civic engagement programs
• Conservation policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Membership donations supporting political action. Contributions are not tax-deductible. Donation tiers range from $10 to $500+ with options for monthly recurring donations.
2. PAC Contributions: Michigan LCV Political Action Committee and Conservation Voters of Michigan PAC accept unlimited personal contributions to directly support campaigns of environmental and democracy champions.
3. Major Gifts and Grants: Major Gifts Manager and Grants Manager positions handle larger individual and institutional contributions including corporate contributions (to 501(c)(4) organization).
4. Specialty Funds: Accepts gifts through will/legacy giving, non-cash assets, IRA contributions, donor advised funds, and memorial funds (Alec Esparza Youth Activist Fund, Mark Stranahan Memorial Fund).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Michigan LCV is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that endorses pro-environment and pro-democracy candidates running for office in Michigan, educates voters on elected officials' environmental records, and mobilizes members to take action on air, land, water, and democracy issues. It operates alongside a 501(c)(3) Education Fund and two political action committees to deliver voter contact programs, citizen organizing, accountability tools, and campaign support services for endorsed candidates across the state.

Product overview

Michigan League of Conservation Voters operates as a family of four interconnected organizations: Michigan LCV (the core 501(c)(4) political advocacy organization), Michigan LCV Education Fund (the 501(c)(3) for civic engagement and education), Michigan LCV Political Action Committee, and Conservation Voters of Michigan Political Action Committee. The organization's core products include a Digital Scorecard for tracking elected officials' environmental voting records, a Candidate Endorsement Program for vetting and supporting pro-environment candidates, an Action Hub for member advocacy actions, and specialized programs like the Our Water Activist Program and Democracy Defenders Fellowship. The Michigan LCV Education Fund provides non-partisan civic engagement programming while the PAC entities directly support electoral campaigns. Together, this structure enables the organization to endorse candidates, hold officials accountable, mobilize voters, and advocate for environmental and democratic policies across Michigan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Scorecard Public-facing online tool that tracks and publishes the environmental and voting rights voting records of Michigan lawmakers, allowing voters to look up their representatives' environmental scores.
• Candidate Endorsement Program Vetting and endorsement service for pro-environment and pro-democracy political candidates running in Michigan elections, including campaign canvassing and volunteer support for endorsed candidates.
• Action Hub Online member portal for environmental advocacy: provides one-click actions to contact lawmakers, campaign updates, event information, and digital organizing resources.
• Our Water Activist Program Three-month part-time virtual training and engagement program providing real-world organizing experience on community and non-partisan political environmental protection, with a $2,400 stipend.
• Democracy Defenders Fellowship Fellowship program that educates, engages, and mobilizes voters for election cycles while expanding efforts to protect voting rights and grow civic power across Michigan.
• Lakes & Pines Institute Policy research institute that conducts in-depth research, develops legislative proposals, and serves as a technical resource on climate, clean water, and voting rights issues in Michigan.

Quantifiable outcome

• 83% win rate with 94 endorsed candidates in 2024 elections
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BuildOncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2026Partnership with Detroit students and BuildOn to build the future of democracy. Collaboration focused on engaging young people in civic participation and leadership development within the Democracy For All program.
• Sierra ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint canvassing operations with Sierra Club for environmental champion candidates. Combined door-to-door canvassing efforts for candidates like Natalie Price and Melanie Macey in the 2026 elections.
• Defend Black Voters CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partnership for election protection and voting rights advocacy. Joint rallies and community organizing around Michigan Public Service Commission hearings on utility rates.
• Frontline CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with frontline communities, small businesses, faith groups, and social justice organizations who share the mission of protecting the Great Lakes State. Focus on communities disproportionately impacted by pollution.
• Alec Esparza Youth Activist FundminorOthersMemorial fund honoring Alec Esparza, a young activist passionate about environmental justice and fair ballot access. Provides $2,400 stipends to all Water Activist participants.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania: Sibling state-level LCV affiliate operating under the same national LCV structure, with similar mission, scorecard/endorsement model, and 501(c)(4) organizational design. Closest functional analog for benchmarking mission delivery and electoral efficacy.
• Ohio Environmental Council: Ohio state-level environmental advocacy organization with comparable mix of policy advocacy, voter mobilization, and electoral accountability work. Strong analog for benchmarking state-level environmental political organizing in the Midwest.
• Sierra Club Michigan Chapter: Michigan chapter of national Sierra Club active on environmental advocacy, endorsements, and grassroots organizing in Michigan. Already a partner (joint canvassing) but competes for members, donors, and policy influence statewide.
• Clean Water Action: National environmental advocacy organization with state-based organizing on clean water, with strong overlap with Michigan LCV's water/Great Lakes/PFAS advocacy priorities. Competes for environmental donor attention and grassroots volunteers.
• Wisconsin Conservation Voters: Wisconsin state LCV affiliate with structurally identical mission, scorecard, endorsement, and electoral-advocacy model. Direct peer for benchmarking member growth, win rates, and program design in a neighboring Midwest state.
• Michigan Environmental Council: Michigan-based environmental coalition that advocates on state policy and environmental issues from Lansing. Direct state-level peer competing for the same Michigan donor base, policy wins, and coalition partnerships on overlapping environmental issues.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Major national environmental advocacy organization with policy and litigation capacity. Adjacent rather than direct competitor given its national scope, but competes for major-donor contributions and policy credibility on overlapping climate/water issues.
• Earthjustice: National nonprofit environmental law organization that litigates on environmental and public-health issues. Complementary rather than directly competitive, but addresses overlapping Michigan policy issues (PFAS, coal plants, air quality) on the legal track.

Emerging players

• Environment America: Federation of state environmental advocacy organizations with state-level offices. Partial-overlap peer sharing the donor base for environmental policy advocacy; competes at the state level on overlapping clean-water and clean-energy campaigns.

Others

• League of Conservation Voters (National): National umbrella organization that coordinates the network of state LCV affiliates including Michigan LCV. Operates at federal level with significantly larger scale and direct federal lobbying; comparable on mission and accountability-scorecard mechanics but not direct state-level competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MichiganLCV
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCexample
• Facebookfacebook.com/MichiganLCV
• Instagraminstagram.com/michiganlcv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michigan-league-of-conservation-voters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Michigan League of Conservation Voters