OARS

What OARS does

OARS (Watershed Organization for the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 and headquartered at 23 Bradford Street, Concord, Massachusetts. It is the sole organization dedicated exclusively to the 399-square-mile SuAsCo watershed, which spans 36 municipalities (33 towns and 3 cities) and approximately 732,000 residents across eastern Massachusetts. The organization's mission is to protect, improve, and preserve the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers and their watershed for people and wildlife, delivered through a portfolio of interconnected programs: a continuous Water Quality Monitoring Program (32 sampling sites, 225+ samples annually, running since 1992), the 3 Rivers Report Card (published on a multi-year cycle in partnership with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science), ecological restoration (water chestnut management, dam removal), the Water Chestnut Reporting mobile app (launched 2022), the Water Wise Workshop youth education program, and the recently founded SuAsCo Climate Collaborative convening all 36 watershed municipalities on climate resilience.

Operationally, OARS runs on approximately 5 part-time staff, an 11-member board, and an extensive community science volunteer base (25+ volunteers per year). FY2025 total operating revenue and support was $790,924, with the revenue mix comprising 78% grants and contracts ($618,658), 15% individual donations and memberships ($121,947), 5% corporate/foundation/municipal support ($36,422), and 2% other ($13,897). Membership tiers range from $40 (Member) to $2,500 (Benefactor) annually, with one-time suggested donations scaling up to $10,040. The organization was awarded a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency and a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating in 2025, and is marking its 40th anniversary in 2026.

Name

OARS

Legal name

OARS Inc.

Website

https://oars3rivers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OARS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986, dedicated to protecting the 399-square-mile SuAsCo watershed across 36 Massachusetts municipalities through water quality monitoring, ecological restoration, dam removal, climate resilience, and youth education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Watershed conservation
• River restoration
• Water quality monitoring
• Environmental nonprofit
• Invasive species management

Headquarters

HQ city

Concord

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and Contracts: Primary revenue stream (78% of FY2025 revenue) from grants and contracts, including government grants, foundation grants, and municipal contracts. Revenue of $618,658 in FY2025.
2. Individual Donations and Memberships: Individual contributions including membership dues, one-time donations, and monthly nurturing memberships. Generated $121,947 (15%) in FY2025.
3. Corporate, Foundation, and Municipal Support: Support from corporations, foundations, and municipalities. Generated $36,422 (5%) in FY2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

OARS is a nonprofit watershed organization that protects, improves, and preserves the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers in eastern Massachusetts through science-based programs. Core offerings include the Water Quality Monitoring Program (continuous data collection since 1992), the 3 Rivers Report Card (comprehensive health assessment), ecological restoration including dam removal and invasive species management, the SuAsCo Climate Collaborative for regional climate resilience, Water Wise Workshops for youth education, and community stewardship events including the trademark Wild & Scenic Film Festival and Annual River Cleanup.

Product overview

OARS (Watershed Organization for the SuAsCo Rivers) is a nonprofit environmental organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and tools centered on protecting and restoring the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers. Core offerings include the Water Quality Monitoring Program (collecting scientific data since 1992), the 3 Rivers Report Card (comprehensive health assessments), and the Water Chestnut Reporting App for citizen science. Supporting programs include Water Wise Workshops (youth education), the SuAsCo Climate Collaborative (regional resilience initiative), Dam Removal Projects, and annual stewardship events including the River Cleanup and Wild & Scenic Film Festival. The organization also provides public resources including Interactive River Recreation Maps and an extensive Water Quality Reports & Resource Library. This is not a technology product company; all offerings are conservation, education, and community engagement programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Quality Monitoring Program Scientific water quality monitoring program collecting samples from 32 sampling sites and analyzing phosphorus, nitrogen, bacteria, dissolved oxygen, and other parameters to track river health over time. Used by municipalities, state agencies, and environmental organizations for resource management decisions.
• 3 Rivers Report Card Comprehensive scientific river health assessment published every 5 years, grading the SuAsCo rivers across 18 indicators organized into five values: Water Quality, Streamflow, Scenery, Habitat, and Recreation.
• Interactive River Recreation Map

Quantifiable outcome

• 225 water samples collected in 2025 for river health monitoring
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Town of ConcordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead municipal partner in SuAsCo Climate Collaborative, awarded $450,000 MVP grant for regional climate resilience initiative. Concord hosts OARS headquarters and is the location of the Concord River confluence.
• Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning agency partner in SuAsCo Climate Collaborative, supporting regional climate adaptation efforts across the watershed.
• Massachusetts Rivers AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOARS is a member of Mass Rivers Alliance, collaborating on river protection advocacy and policy initiatives statewide.
• SuAsCo Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOARS facilitates this cooperative managing invasive species across the watershed, coordinating removal efforts and data sharing.
• Merrimack Restoration PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOARS participates in this partnership focused on restoration and conservation of Merrimack River watershed resources.
• Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild & Scenic River Stewardship CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOARS serves as the watershed nonprofit member on this council working to protect the federally designated Wild & Scenic rivers.
• Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState program administered by Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs providing grants for climate resilience. OARS participates through SuAsCo Climate Collaborative.
• TerraCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerService organization providing TerraCorps members who serve as community engagement coordinators at OARS, supporting Water Wise Workshops and other programs.
• University of Maryland Center for Environmental SciencecoreTechnology or IntegrationAcademic partner that collaborated with OARS to develop the Rivers Report Card, providing scientific rigor and methodology for assessing river health.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency providing in-kind support for Rivers Report Card and managing National Wild & Scenic Rivers program.
• US Fish & Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency providing in-kind support for Rivers Report Card and managing wildlife refuges in the watershed.
• Green ActonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal environmental organization partnering on watershed protection in Acton.
• Sudbury Valley TrusteescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand conservation nonprofit serving as land protection representative on SuAsCo Wild & Scenic River Stewardship Council.
• Conservation Law FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional environmental advocacy organization that partnered with OARS on Clean Water Act settlement achieving $485,000 for water quality monitoring.
• X-Cel Conservation CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with OARS to perform culvert assessments in Maynard, building regional expertise and volunteer capacity.
• Billerica Parks and RecreationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnered with OARS on River RATs paddling program, hosting community paddles.
• Framingham Parks and RecreationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnered with OARS on River RATs paddling program, hosting community paddles.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Sudbury Valley Trustees: Regional land conservation nonprofit operating in the same 35-community service area as OARS; serves as OARS' land protection partner on the SuAsCo Wild & Scenic River Stewardship Council and shares overlapping geographic territory.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy (Massachusetts): Global conservation powerhouse with significant Massachusetts chapter operations focused on land and water protection. Represents the broader environmental nonprofit landscape that competes for major foundation grants and donor support in the same watersheds.
• Massachusetts Rivers Alliance: Statewide coalition of which OARS is a member organization; broader in scope (all Massachusetts rivers) and serves as an umbrella advocacy body that complements and supports individual watershed groups like OARS.
• Mass Audubon: Largest Massachusetts-based environmental nonprofit with overlapping interests in habitat conservation, environmental education, and advocacy. Significantly larger and broader in scope, but competes for similar grant and donor funding pools.

Direct peers

• Neponset River Watershed Association: Watershed nonprofit serving the Neponset River in eastern Massachusetts with monitoring, restoration, and community engagement programs. Closely mirrors OARS' operating model of single-watershed focus, citizen science, and municipal partnerships.
• Charles River Watershed Association: Massachusetts-based watershed nonprofit that conducts water quality monitoring, pollution prevention, and ecological restoration on the Charles River. Directly comparable to OARS in mission, programmatic structure, and geographic scope as a single-watershed advocacy organization in eastern Massachusetts.
• Blackstone River Coalition: Watershed advocacy organization for the Blackstone River in Massachusetts and Rhode Island; comparable mission of water quality monitoring, pollution reduction, and recreational access across an industrial New England watershed.
• Ipswich River Watershed Association: Watershed organization dedicated to protection and restoration of the Ipswich River in Massachusetts through monitoring, advocacy, and education. Operates with similar nonprofit, grant-funded model and volunteer-driven water quality monitoring approach.
• Connecticut River Conservancy: New England-based nonprofit focused on protection of the Connecticut River watershed through conservation, advocacy, and restoration. Comparable in scientific monitoring programs, dam removal work, and community education mission.
• Merrimack River Watershed Council: Nonprofit working to protect and restore the Merrimack River watershed, which is adjacent to and hydrologically connected with OARS' SuAsCo watershed. Comparable in mission scope, advocacy focus, and engagement programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oars3rivers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 OARS