NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY INC

What NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY INC does

The National Audubon Society Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1905 and headquartered at 225 Varick Street, New York. It operates across the Western Hemisphere with approximately 800 staff and a supporter base of more than 1.9 million individuals. The organization pursues bird and habitat conservation through community science (Christmas Bird Count, Great Backyard Bird Count, Climate Watch), policy advocacy, regional restoration projects (Marshes for Tomorrow), and a portfolio of regional affiliates including Audubon Mid-Atlantic, Audubon California, Audubon Texas, Audubon Arizona, and Audubon Washington, as well as dedicated centers such as Seward Park Audubon Center and Hog Island Environmental Education Center.

The core platform is a community-science data infrastructure aggregating 140+ million bird observations that feed into research products including the Bird and Climate Visualizer (modeling range shifts for 604 North American bird species) and the Survival by Degrees assessment (covering 389 species at climate-driven extinction risk). Commercial and engagement products include the Audubon Bird Guide mobile application, the Audubon regional field guides, the Audubon Marketplace e-commerce storefront, the Audubon Conservation Ranching program, and the Audubon Photography Awards annual competition. Distribution spans Audubon centers, direct e-commerce, and partner channels.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: recurring membership and donations (including legacy gifts and major giving via The Canopy), one-time e-commerce merchandise sales through the Audubon Marketplace, and affiliate referral revenue from the Audubon Voyages travel partnership with HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions), which offers member discounts of 10% on Audubon-branded voyages and 5% on other cruises. The organization additionally secures programmatic funding through grants such as the $13 million U.S. EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant routed through the Atlantic Conservation Coalition, alongside funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Customer segments center on individual supporters, families and children at nature centers, and early-career conservation professionals reached through fellowship programs.

Name

NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY INC

Legal name

National Audubon Society Inc.

Website

https://sewardpark.audubon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Audubon Society Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1905, operating across the Western Hemisphere to protect birds and habitats through community science, regional affiliates, advocacy, and a Marketplace, field guides, and travel partnerships serving 1.9+ million supporters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare) (BPAGAIAJ)

Keywords

• Bird conservation nonprofit
• Wildlife habitat protection
• Environmental education programs
• Community science research
• Coastal marsh restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: Recurring membership revenue with supporter base of over 1.9 million supporters. Includes donation programs, legacy gifts, and major giving (The Canopy).
2. Marketplace and Merchandise: E-commerce sales of Audubon-branded products including birdhouses, feeders, birdseed, calendars, puzzles, field guides, and optics.
3. Travel Partnerships: HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) partnership offering Audubon Voyages travel experiences with member discounts (10% on Audubon Voyages, 5% on other cruises).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The National Audubon Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization that protects birds and their habitats through science-based research, community science programs, environmental education, habitat restoration, and conservation policy advocacy across the Western Hemisphere. It funds its mission through memberships, donations, a branded e-commerce marketplace, expedition travel partnerships, and competitive grants, while operating a network of nature centers and regional affiliates.

Product overview

The National Audubon Society offers a diverse portfolio of conservation-focused products and programs, centered around its core mission to protect birds. The main offerings include the Audubon Bird Guide App (a free mobile application for bird identification), the Audubon Bird Guide website (field guide for North American birds), and published field guides (National Audubon Society Field Guides and Regional Field Guides) covering birds, flora, fauna, geology, and climate. The Audubon Marketplace serves as an e-commerce platform offering birdhouses, feeders, bird seed, calendars, puzzles, plush birds, and books. Partnerships include Audubon Voyages with HX (expedition travel), Bird Buddy Smart Feeders, and Nocs Provisions Binoculars. Additional offerings include the Audubon Photography Awards competition and Audubon Conservation Ranching products like coffee and maple syrup.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Audubon Voyages: Travel experiences offered in partnership with HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) aligned with conservation goals.
• Audubon Marketplace
• Audubon Fellowships
• Survival by Degrees
• Marshes for Tomorrow

Products and services

• Audubon Bird Guide App

Quantifiable outcome

• 389 bird species at increasing risk of extinction from climate change identified through Survival by Degrees research
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Delmarva Restoration and Conservation NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborative network coordinating centralized approach to conserve and restore priority marsh areas in Delmarva region's high marsh zones as part of Marshes for Tomorrow initiative.
• HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering 10 Audubon Voyages selected from HX's global offerings aligned with conservation goals. Audubon members save 10% on Audubon Voyages and 5% on all other cruises.
• Nocs ProvisionsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on modern optics combining Audubon conservation legacy with modern design. Limited-edition bird-inspired colorway optics built to support habitat protection.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Largest global wildlife nonprofit. Overlaps broadly with Audubon on species and habitat protection, climate science, and global advocacy, but operates at a much larger international scale rather than a hemisphere-specific niche.
• Sierra Club: Large environmental organization with grassroots membership model and policy advocacy focus. Comparable as a major US membership-driven environmental nonprofit competing for the same donor audience, though its mission centers on broader environmental issues rather than birds specifically.
• Conservation International: Global environmental nonprofit working on biodiversity, climate, and sustainable development. Comparable as a large international conservation nonprofit pursuing climate-and-biodiversity funding and corporate partnerships at a similar scale to Audubon.

Direct peers

• The Nature Conservancy: Largest US-based environmental nonprofit, working on land and water conservation across the Americas. Audubon and TNC co-lead the Atlantic Conservation Coalition on the $13M EPA marsh-restoration grant, reflecting highly comparable missions, donor bases, and federal-grant-driven operating models.
• Defenders of Wildlife: National wildlife nonprofit focused on imperiled species and habitat policy advocacy. Highly comparable to Audubon's advocacy and species-protection programs, competing for similar donor dollars and federal policy influence.
• Ducks Unlimited: Wetlands and waterfowl conservation nonprofit with a large membership model and federal-grant-funded habitat restoration programs. Comparable in mission (bird/habitat conservation), membership-driven revenue, and on-the-ground restoration execution.
• American Bird Conservancy: Bird-specific conservation nonprofit operating across the Americas. Most directly comparable peer on the bird-conservation mission, with overlapping programs in habitat protection and advocacy; competes for the same donor and grant pool as Audubon.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: International wildlife nonprofit that operates zoos and conservation programs. Comparable in mission (wildlife protection), member/support base, and mix of public-facing animal facilities plus field conservation that Audubon also pursues through its centers and Seabird Institute.
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Academic-affiliated ornithology and bird-conservation organization that runs eBird and community science programs. The closest peer to Audubon's data-driven bird conservation approach, with directly comparable citizen-science platforms (eBird vs. Christmas Bird Count).

Emerging players

• Jane Goodall Institute: Wildlife-focused nonprofit combining conservation science with youth education programs. Comparable to Audubon's education-and-science integration (audubon centers, fellowships) and field programs, though more species-specific and globally distributed.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/audubonsociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/SewardParkAudubonCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-audubon-society-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/sewardparkaudubon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries10 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 NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY INC