Orangutan Outreach

What Orangutan Outreach does

Orangutan Outreach is a registered 501(c)(3) US nonprofit conservation organization founded in 2007 by Richard Zimmerman and headquartered in Hudson, New York. The organization funds orangutan rescue, rehabilitation, release, retirement, and reforestation programs in Borneo and Sumatra through a network of five core field partners, including the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP), Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF), and Conservation Action Network (CAN). Since founding, it reports supporting the rescue of more than 750 orangutans and the release of more than 550 back to the wild, while raising over $8 million cumulatively for conservation. The organization operates with a lean five-person staff and is also known by the trade name Red Ape Relief.

The organization's core offering is a symbolic "Adopt an Orangutan" program priced at $20 per month or $200 per year, providing digital certificates, exclusive photos, and regular updates on individual named animals housed at partner care centers. Supporting revenue streams include tiered one-time and recurring donations (with $25, $50, and $100 impact tiers), corporate cause-marketing partnerships (such as Hopery, Red Ape Cinnamon, Buddies for Paws, Little Pink Dog Books, Forever Wild, and Faithful Frank), legacy giving, and merchandise sold through Square. Distribution is entirely digital, leveraging the redapes.org website, multi-currency PayPal, Venmo, cryptocurrency via The Giving Block, stock donations, donor-advised funds, and an active presence across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Threads, Pinterest, and X.

Beyond direct fundraising, Orangutan Outreach operates media and programmatic initiatives that extend its reach, including the Orangutan Jungle School documentary series, the Apps for Apes digital enrichment program, GREEN: The Film, and the David Attenborough-narrated Secret Lives of Orangutans. Recurring awareness campaigns (International Orangutan Day on August 19, Orangutan Caring Week in November, and the Missing Orangutan Mothers campaign) drive annual donation spikes. The organization holds a GuideStar Platinum Seal, a Charity Navigator Seal, and a GreatNonprofits badge, and supports experiential conservation through a volunteer program operated in partnership with The Great Projects at BOSF centers.

Name

Orangutan Outreach

Legal name

Orangutan Outreach

Website

https://redapes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Orangutan Outreach is a 501(c)(3) US nonprofit founded in 2007 that funds orangutan rescue, rehabilitation, release, retirement, and reforestation in Indonesia through symbolic adoptions, donations, and corporate partnerships, serving individual donors and cause-marketing brands globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hudson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Symbolic Orangutan Adoptions: Monthly or yearly symbolic adoptions of individual orangutans at $20/month or $200/year. Supporters receive digital certificates, exclusive photos, and regular updates about their adopted orangutan. This is the primary recurring revenue stream.
2. Direct Donations: One-time and recurring monetary donations at various levels ($25, $50, $100 or custom amounts) supporting rescue, rehabilitation, releases, retirement care, and reforestation projects. Multiple payment methods including credit card, PayPal, cryptocurrency, stock, and bank transfer.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate supporters contribute through product partnerships, percentage of sales donations, and cause marketing. Partners include Hopery (20 cents per product + 10% net revenue), Red Ape Cinnamon (5% of profits), Buddies for Paws (crypto fundraising), and others.
4. Legacy Giving: Bequests and legacy gifts through wills and retirement accounts, providing long-term sustainable funding for orangutan care and conservation.
5. Merchandise: Shop section featuring merchandise to support conservation efforts, including sales through Square storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Orangutan Outreach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds orangutan conservation through a symbolic adoption program ($20/month or $200/year per orangutan), a multi-tier donation platform, corporate partnerships, and merchandise sales. Funds raised are directed to partner organizations in Borneo and Sumatra supporting rescue, rehabilitation, release, retirement, and reforestation of orangutans.

Product overview

Orangutan Outreach is a registered 501(c)(3) US conservation charity that operates primarily as a symbolic adoption and donation platform. The core offering is the Adopt an Orangutan program ($20/month or $200/year) which provides digital certificates, exclusive photos, and regular updates while funding orangutan care. Supporting products include general Donations with multiple impact areas, a Shop for merchandise, Volunteer Programs in Indonesia through partner organizations, and Leave a Legacy estate planning. Media initiatives include Orangutan Jungle School documentary series, Apps for Apes digital enrichment program, GREEN: The Film, and Secret Lives of Orangutans. The organization also runs awareness campaigns including MOM (Missing Orangutan Mothers), International Orangutan Day, and Orangutan Caring Week. The portfolio functions as a unified conservation support platform connecting donors to orangutan rescue, rehabilitation, release, retirement, and reforestation efforts in Borneo and Sumatra.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 750+ orangutans rescued since 2007
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOSF runs major rescue and rehabilitation centers (Nyaru Menteng and Samboja Lestari), helps prepare orangutans for release, protects forest habitat, and engages local communities in sustainable conservation practices. Their work supports both immediate care and long-term survival for wild orangutans.
• Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYIARI conducts wild orangutan rescues and translocations in West Kalimantan, provides veterinary and rehabilitation support, and works with communities and authorities to reduce human-wildlife conflict and protect vulnerable orangutans.
• Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme has been working since 2002 to protect critically endangered Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans and their rainforest habitat across Sumatra.
• Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBNF protects vital tropical rainforests in Borneo and supports orangutan conservation through scientific research, habitat restoration, community-led reforestation, and biodiversity monitoring.
• Conservation Action Network (CAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation Action Network is a grassroots Indonesian organization founded in 2019 focused on protecting forests, wildlife, and communities. CAN operates a wildlife rescue center and engages local villagers in forest monitoring and protection.
• The Great ProjectsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaboration with BOSF and The Great Projects offers volunteer vacation opportunities at Samboja Lestari and Nyaru Menteng rehabilitation centers for 12-26 night stays.
• HoperyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA socially conscious German cosmetics brand that donates 20 cents per product sold plus 10% of annual net revenue to Orangutan Outreach. Their all-natural, vegan formulas contain no palm oil.
• Buddies for PawsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA charitable initiative within the BONK web3 ecosystem that raises funds through global community engagement and blockchain technology to support orangutan rescues and lifelong care.
• Red Ape CinnamonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSustainably harvested in Indonesia from mature cassia trees, Red Ape Cinnamon donates 5% of profits to programs dedicated to protecting and restoring orangutan habitat.
• Little Pink Dog BooksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAn Australian independent publisher that creates children's picture books to educate young readers about orangutan conservation. Net proceeds from select titles are donated to Orangutan Outreach.
• Forever WildminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCrafts pin badges that help raise critical funds for protecting vulnerable species. Profits from collaborations with Orangutan Outreach contribute directly to orangutan rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts.
• Faithful FrankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA New Zealand supplier of cruelty-free, palm oil-free pet soaps that adopted an orangutan through Orangutan Outreach and helps raise awareness about habitat loss.

Scale indicators6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Largest global conservation NGO with programs addressing orangutan habitat loss in Borneo and Sumatra. Competes for the same donor dollars and corporate partnerships but at vastly larger scale and broader species/scope remit.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Major global conservation organization with field programs in Southeast Asia. Operates much more broadly than Orangutan Outreach but competes for the same institutional and individual conservation donors.

Direct peers

• Borneo Nature Foundation: Core partner of Orangutan Outreach protecting Bornean rainforests through research, habitat restoration, and community-led reforestation. Directly comparable conservation mission and Indonesian field operations.
• Center for Great Apes: Permanent sanctuary for orangutans and chimpanzees in Florida; Colleen Reed (Orangutan Outreach board member) previously worked there. Highly comparable in long-term sanctuary care model for unreleasable great apes.
• International Animal Rescue: Global animal welfare and wildlife rescue nonprofit operating rehabilitation and release programs, including for primates. Comparable fundraising approach (symbolic adoptions, donations) and conservation messaging.
• Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI): Indonesian orangutan rescue, translocation, and rehabilitation organization in West Kalimantan and a core partner of Orangutan Outreach. Performs the same on-the-ground work (vet care, rehab, conflict mitigation) that Orangutan Outreach helps fund.
• Orangutan Foundation UK: UK-based orangutan conservation charity funding protection of orangutan habitat and care in Borneo. Directly comparable to Orangutan Outreach in mission, fundraising model (adoptions, donations), and donor base.
• Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF): Operates the largest orangutan rescue and rehabilitation centers (Nyaru Menteng, Samboja Lestari) that Orangutan Outreach directly funds. Same mission focus on orangutan rescue, rehab, and release in Borneo, with overlapping donor and partner ecosystem.
• Orangutan Conservancy: US-based nonprofit dedicated exclusively to orangutan conservation through grants to field projects. Closely comparable niche focus and donor base to Orangutan Outreach.
• Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP): Direct core partner of Orangutan Outreach focused on Critically Endangered Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans in Sumatra. Comparable mission (orangutan rescue, rehab, habitat protection) and overlapping conservation-donor audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/redapes
• YouTubeyoutube.com/redapes
• Facebookfacebook.com/OrangutanOutreach
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orangutan-outreach
• Instagraminstagram.com/orangutanoutreach
• Pinterestpinterest.com/redapes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Orangutan Outreach