TreesLouisville

What TreesLouisville does

TreesLouisville is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 47-3739795) founded in 2015 and headquartered at 909 S. Shelby Street in Louisville, Kentucky, with a five-person staff. Its sole mission is to grow and protect Louisville's urban tree canopy through a portfolio of interconnected programs including community plantings, free tree adoptions, a residential tree rebate program ($20-$40 per shade tree through a network of nine approved local nurseries), the Canopy Corps volunteer training program with ISA-Certified Arborist certification, K-12 campus reforestation with Jefferson County Public Schools, the Treesilience environmental-equity initiative in Parkland and California neighborhoods, and a Human-Assisted Migration climate-adaptation program sourcing southern tree species. Supporting offerings include Tribute Tree gifts ($25 digital, $50 printed, $250+ legacy), branded merchandise, educational curricula ("A Friend In Trees" and "Trees: Nature's Machines"), and signature events TreeFest (Arbor Day) and Tree Week (October).

The organization's funding model is a hybrid nonprofit structure combining individual donations, recurring workplace giving, Kroger Community Rewards affiliate revenue, corporate sponsorships (Bulleit, Kroger, Truist, Churchill Downs, WestRock, Collins Aerospace, International Paper, Enterprise Mobility, Schneider Electric, UPS, Angel's Envy, Premier Packaging), and foundation grants led by Ford Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for Treesilience. TreesLouisville also operates a capital campaign for The Canopy Center, a planned facility providing tree storage, equipment space, staff expansion, and community training venues. Since founding, the organization reports planting, distributing, and maintaining nearly 30,000 trees, engaging 4,000+ newsletter subscribers, and operating across 100+ JCPS school campuses, citing ~$330M in annual ecosystem benefits and a 3-to-1-to-5-to-1 benefit-to-investment ratio as advocacy metrics.

Name

TreesLouisville

Legal name

TreesLouisville, Inc.

Website

https://treeslouisville.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TreesLouisville is a Louisville, Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 that plants, distributes, and maintains urban trees through volunteer programs, school partnerships, residential rebates, and equity-focused canopy initiatives across the Louisville metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Forestry Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tree Planting & Transplanting (HSAIADAE), Tree Health Care (Diagnosis, Treatment, Fertilization) (HSAIADAD), Tree Care & Arborist Services (BPABADAD), Tree Planting & Establishment Services (Manual/Mechanized) (AFAMACAE)

Keywords

• Urban forestry services
• Community tree planting
• Volunteer environmental programs
• Tree care education
• Environmental conservation nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through one-time and recurring gifts, supporting tree planting, care, education, and community canopy expansion efforts throughout Louisville.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Businesses and organizations sponsor tree plantings, community events, volunteer experiences, and maintenance projects. Sponsorship funding supports tree planting, care, educational programming, and community outreach.
3. Tribute Tree Gifts: Digital tributes at $25, printed tributes at $50, and legacy tributes at $250+ to honor or remember someone while supporting Louisville's urban forest.
4. Tree Rebate Program: Residential tree rebate program offering $20-$40 rebates on shade tree purchases to encourage private tree planting.
5. Tree Adoptions/Giveaways: Free tree distribution events funded by donors and sponsors, distributing over 1,000 trees annually.
6. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling branded merchandise including t-shirts, caps, tote bags, stickers, and prints to support the mission.
7. Workplace Giving: Payroll giving programs, employer matching, and volunteer incentive programs that multiply individual employee contributions.
8. Kroger Community Rewards: Kroger donates a percentage of purchases to TreesLouisville when shoppers link their Kroger Plus card to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TreesLouisville is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that plants, distributes, and maintains trees throughout Louisville, Kentucky's urban areas to expand and protect the city's tree canopy. The organization runs volunteer-driven community tree planting programs, residential tree rebates, school reforestation initiatives, neighborhood-targeted canopy expansion (Treesilience), climate adaptation trials (Human-Assisted Migration), and free tree giveaways. Supporting programs include a trained volunteer network (Canopy Corps), educational curricula for K-12 schools, corporate sponsorships, and tribute/memorial tree gifting.

Product overview

TreesLouisville operates as a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive suite of interconnected tree canopy programs rather than a traditional software product platform. The core offerings include tree planting and distribution programs (Tree Planting Programs, Tree Adoptions, Tree Rebates, NeighborWoods), volunteer engagement (Canopy Corps), school partnerships (K-12 Campus Reforestation), climate adaptation (Human-Assisted Migration), tree care services (Treesilience, Tree Care Resources), and community events (TreeFest, Tree Week). Supporting initiatives include The Canopy Center capital campaign, Tribute Trees memorial program, TreesLouisville Store merchandise, Community Sponsorships, and Educational Resources for K-12. The programs work together to expand Louisville's urban tree canopy through direct planting, community engagement, education, and long-term tree maintenance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tree Planting Programs
• Canopy Corps
• K-12 Campus Reforestation
• NeighborWoods
• Tree Adoptions
• Tree Rebates
• Treesilience
• Human-Assisted Migration
• TreeFest and Tree Week
• Tribute Trees
• TreesLouisville Store
• Community Sponsorships
• Special Projects

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 30,000 trees planted and maintained since 2015
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Louisville Metro Urban ForestrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on downtown tree installation projects and de-paving initiatives to create new planting opportunities in Louisville's Central Business District.
• Kentucky Transportation CabinetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovative partnership to plant and maintain roadside vegetation improving safety and aesthetics of highway rights-of-way. Projects include I-65/Crittenden Drive, Hurstbourne Parkway, KYTC Tower, and Outer Loop locations.
• Downtown Louisville PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on downtown greening initiatives and tree planting projects in Louisville's central business district.
• Friends of Bardstown RoadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for Bardstown Road streetscape redesign. Friends group raises funds to hire contractors for bumpout maintenance while TreesLouisville handles tree care and structural pruning.
• The Arrow FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for pet memorial tree program 'Ralphie's Promise' allowing donors to plant trees in memory of pets.
• Jefferson County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership to plant trees on JCPS school campuses, with installations at over 100 of their 167 elementary, middle and high school campuses.
• Metro Sewer District (MSD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSD Reforestation partnership helping neighborhoods plant trees along rights-of-way and in yards.
• KrogercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKroger Community Rewards partner (Organization #48173) where Kroger donates a percentage of purchases to TreesLouisville. Also sponsored Tree Adoption in Spring 2025 and 2026.
• Local Garden Centers & NurseriescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of approved nurseries including Earl Thieneman Garden Center, Frank Otte Nursery, Grant Line Garden Center, Hess' Landscaping, New Blooms Nursery, Plant Kingdom, St. Matthews Feed & Seed, Wallitsch Garden Center, and Walnut Ridge Nursery where residents purchase rebate-eligible trees.
• Louisville Parks & RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on tree planting and urban forestry initiatives within Louisville's park system.
• University of Kentucky Urban Forestry InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Tree Week, a statewide program engaging communities in celebrating urban forests.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arbor Day Foundation: National nonprofit operating the Tree Cities of the World program that recognizes TreesLouisville's work. Comparable as a broader umbrella organization promoting urban and community forestry at national scale.
• American Forests: National conservation organization focused on forests and urban tree canopy. Comparable mission around urban canopy expansion and environmental equity, but operates at a national scale rather than a single city.

Direct peers

• TreePeople: Los Angeles-based nonprofit focused on growing urban tree canopy and sustainable watersheds. Comparable: urban forestry nonprofit with volunteer planting, school programs, and policy advocacy around climate resilience.
• Sacramento Tree Foundation: Sacramento-based nonprofit urban forestry organization operating tree planting, education, and community canopy programs in a single metro. Directly comparable single-city urban canopy nonprofit model.
• Friends of Trees: Portland, OR-based nonprofit that plants trees in neighborhoods, parks, and along streets. Directly comparable: community-driven urban tree planting events, volunteer corps, and neighborhood-specific planting programs.
• Casey Trees: Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to planting and maintaining the District's tree canopy. Closest analog: single-city nonprofit urban forestry mission, volunteer corps, tree planting and care programs, and policy advocacy.

Emerging players

• Reforest the Bluegrass: Kentucky-based reforestation organization. Comparable regional focus on tree planting in the same state, though narrower in scope and emerging in scale compared to TreesLouisville.

Regional players

• Keep Indianapolis Beautiful: Indianapolis-based nonprofit focused on neighborhood greening, including tree planting. Comparable community-driven urban forestry and beautification model operating in a different Midwest city.
• Heartland Tree Alliance: Kansas City-area urban forestry program under Bridging The Gap. Comparable community tree planting, volunteer engagement, and neighborhood canopy equity programs in a similar Midwest city context.

Others

• City Forest Credits: Nonprofit carbon credit registry that certified Bulleit Bourbon's TreesLouisville project. Ecosystem enabler providing monetization pathways for urban tree planting projects like TreesLouisville's.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/treeslouisville-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 TreesLouisville