Center for an Ecology-Based Economy

Name

Center for an Ecology-Based Economy

Legal name

Center for an Ecology-Based Economy

Website

https://ecologybasedeconomy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Climate Resilience Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD), Interconnection, Permitting & Grid Services for DERs (EUAMAJAH), Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD)

Keywords

• Community climate resilience
• Nonprofit sustainability programs
• Renewable energy cooperative
• EV charging infrastructure
• Environmental education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Norway

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: CEBE relies on support from individuals and community members through tax-deductible donations. The organization is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (Federal Tax ID: 46-3113400).
2. Grant Funding: Major funding from government grants including U.S. Department of Energy, EPA, Maine's Office of Community Affairs, and private foundations. This includes the $5M DOE award to Maine Community Power Cooperative for community solar development.
3. EV Charging Network Revenue: Networked EV chargers generate small amounts of income to cover maintenance and future expansion of the charging infrastructure.
4. Professional Development Services: CEBE provides fee-based professional development services for educators including sustainability lens curriculum integration, PK-Grade 6 outdoor learning modeling, and climate education integration (PK-Grade 12).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CEBE delivers community-based climate resilience programming across the Western Foothills of Maine, operating the Western Maine EV Charging Network (26 stations), incubating cooperatively-owned community solar through Maine Community Power Cooperative, developing net-zero affordable housing through the Norway Equitable Housing Cooperative, providing free CEBE BikeShare, and running climate education and Resilience Partnership services for municipalities and educators. Funding is sourced from donations, government and foundation grants, modest EV charger fees (up to $3.00/hour), and fee-based professional development.

Product overview

CEBE offers a portfolio of interconnected climate resilience programs rather than a single product. The core offerings include: the Western Maine EV Charging Network (26 networked charging stations powered by solar); CEBE BikeShare (free bicycle transit); Maine Community Power Cooperative community solar with agrivoltaic systems; Norway Equitable Housing Cooperative (net-zero housing units); and the annual 2030 Vision Climate Convergence and Energy Expo events. Supporting programs include the Community Resilience Partnership (helping Maine towns access grants), Inland Flood Project (flood monitoring), Educating for Sustainability professional development for educators, WindowDressers weatherization builds, Repair Cafés, and the developing Bioregional Coherence Project online platform. CEBE functions as a community organization providing direct services, infrastructure, education, and facilitation rather than a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Western Maine EV Charging Network A network of 26 electric vehicle charging stations across Oxford County, Maine (from Fryeburg to Bethel to Buckfield), with networked chargers generating modest revenue (up to $3.00/hour) for maintenance and expansion. Includes a PV2EV dual-axis solar tracker at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. Most charging plugs are free to use.
• CEBE BikeShare A free community bicycle sharing program in Norway and South Paris, Maine, providing active transportation options. Bikes are available for day use free of charge for adults 18+, with bikes located at the CEBE office, Bahre Center, and Lights Out Gallery.
• Maine Community Power Cooperative - Community Solar A consumer-owned cooperative developing cooperatively-owned community solar gardens across western Maine using dual-axis solar tracker technology. Each solar garden is designed to generate enough power for 50 average Maine households and integrates agrivoltaic agricultural uses (grazing, vegetable production, pollinator habitat).
• Norway Equitable Housing Cooperative (NEHC) A Limited Equity Housing Cooperative project developing 12-18 net-zero housing units on Whitman Street in Norway, Maine, providing a path toward homeownership for renters through resident-owned cooperative housing where resale share values are tied to the inflation rate.
• Community Resilience Partnership Service A contracted service provider program helping Maine communities reduce emissions and prepare for climate change through Community Vulnerability Assessments and Community Action Grants of up to $75,000 per municipality. CEBE has brought over $1.3M to the region and supports 20 municipalities under this service.
• Inland Flood Project A project supporting inland flood-prone communities in monitoring flood-prone sites, documenting flood impacts, and sharing stories of community adaptation, with flood data integrated with the National Weather Service.
• Educating for Sustainability (EfS) Professional Development Fee-based professional development for Pre-K through Grade 12 educators using the lens of sustainability, including outdoor learning modeling (PK-Grade 6), place-based education, systems thinking, and climate education integration (PK-Grade 12).
• 2030 Vision Climate Convergence CEBE's flagship annual climate convergence event held at Celebration Barn Theater in Paris, Maine, providing two days of community connection around climate justice with workshops, keynotes, and movement building activities.
• Energy Expo Annual EV ride-and-drive and solar/energy solutions expo hosted from 2015 to 2025 (11 years), transitioning to monthly Energy Cafés for one-on-one community conversations about renewable energy.
• WindowDressers Community Build Annual community build event producing low-cost insulating window inserts to improve home warmth, lower heating costs, and reduce CO2 emissions.
• Repair Cafés Monthly community events where volunteers help repair items to save them from the landfill.
• Little Free Pantry A food pantry located at Alan Day Community Garden in Norway, stocked with produce during the growing season and non-perishables during winter, open to anyone anytime.
• Energy Cafés Monthly community meetings to help community members navigate renewable energy options, continuing the conversation from the annual Energy Expo.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.3M brought into region for climate resilience projects since 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and key.

• Northeast Woodlands Bioregioning Collective (NEWBC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CEBE is a co-founder of NEWBC, a network co-led by an intertribal alliance working to develop a bioregional regeneration strategy; includes 20+ like-minded organizations developing strategies to fund regenerative projects.
• Maine's Office of Community AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022CEBE is contracted as a Service Provider for Maine's Community Resilience Partnership, helping Maine communities reduce emissions and prepare for climate change through direct support, vulnerability assessments, and Community Action Grants.
• UGE (Developer)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019CEBE supported developer UGE and the Town of Norway to collaborate on building a community solar farm on Norway's capped landfill (planning from 2019, project online in 2023).
• Maine Community Power CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017CEBE incubated this consumer-owned cooperative since 2017; the co-op is the first public solar cooperative in Maine, making affordable renewable energy accessible to CMP customers through multiple small solar projects.
• Cooperative Development Institute (CDI)keyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2017Provided technical assistance in developing the Maine Community Power Cooperative model and helped incubate and launch Spoke Folks worker-owned cooperative.
• Nature Conservancy in MainesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of Climate Convergence; partner on EV charging network expansion and Inland Flood Project.
• MaineHealth Stephens HospitalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for CEBE BikeShare program operational costs.
• Portland Gear HubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CEBE BikeShare program supporting active transportation.
• Green Machine Bike ShopsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CEBE BikeShare program providing bike maintenance and support.
• Androscoggin River Watershed CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Inland Flood Project for monitoring and documenting flood conditions.
• Oxford County Emergency Management AgencysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Inland Flood Project for community emergency preparedness.
• Gulf of Maine Research InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing generous in-kind technical services for Inland Flood Project; hosts project data on Ecosystem Investigation Network platform.
• Androscoggin Valley Council of GovernmentssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Inland Flood Project supporting regional coordination.
• Northeastern UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Inland Flood Project research and documentation.
• Mount Washington ObservatorysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Inland Flood Project for weather monitoring.
• Maine Passive HousesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in shelter and weatherization programs; collaborated on She Built This carpentry workshop.
• We Built ThissupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginally She Built This workshop, grew to become its own nonprofit focused on carpentry skills for women and inclusive building; CEBE continues to partner with and support their programming.
• WindowDresserssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEBE hosts annual Community Build for WindowDressers insulating window inserts; supports weatherization efforts.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Maine Coast Heritage Trust: Maine-based land conservation nonprofit with similar regional nonprofit structure and donor base. Comparable as a peer Maine environmental nonprofit operating in adjacent geography and ecosystem of Maine climate funders.
• ReVision Energy: Maine-based solar installer and heat-pump provider operating across the same Western Maine territory as CEBE. Comparable as a peer regional clean-energy services provider with overlapping customers and mission alignment.
• Maine Audubon: Maine's largest statewide Audubon chapter, focused on conservation, climate education, and community engagement. Comparable as a peer Maine-based environmental nonprofit with education programming and donor constituencies.
• New England Grassroots Environment Fund: Regional environmental funder supporting grassroots climate and community resilience work across New England. Comparable to CEBE as a peer regional climate-resilience ecosystem organization with overlapping grantee networks.

Direct peers

• Champlain Housing Trust: Pioneering nonprofit operating the largest community land trust in the U.S., with shared-equity and limited-equity cooperative housing models. Directly comparable to CEBE's Norway Equitable Housing Cooperative in preserving long-term housing affordability through cooperative ownership.
• GRID Alternatives: National nonprofit installing solar for low-income communities and developing community-owned solar models. Directly comparable to CEBE's Maine Community Power Cooperative in mission, customer base, and cooperative solar approach.
• Solar United Neighbors: National nonprofit that organizes neighbors into solar co-ops to access rooftop and community solar. Closely comparable to CEBE's community solar cooperative organizing work and grassroots solar education mission.
• Cooperative Energy Futures: Minnesota-based consumer-owned cooperative developing community solar gardens with a multi-stakeholder cooperative model. Directly comparable to Maine Community Power Cooperative in consumer-owned community solar deployment.
• Island Institute: Maine-based nonprofit working on climate resilience, community development, and clean energy in coastal and rural Maine communities. Comparable to CEBE in regional climate-resilience programming and whole-community engagement model.

Emerging players

• ROC USA: Nonprofit that helps mobile-home communities form resident-owned cooperatives, with a model directly relevant to CEBE's Norway Equitable Housing Cooperative limited-equity ownership and cooperative development approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8WCdU5tcFMeiyfdN59WJuQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecologybasedeconomy
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecologybasedeconomy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-an-ecology-based-economy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Center for an Ecology-Based Economy