The Meadow Project

What The Meadow Project does

The Meadow Project is an independent environmental education nonprofit founded in 2014 and directed by Catherine Zimmerman, based in Maryland, USA. Its mission is to educate the public about sustainable, native-based land care practices that support wildlife and human life. The organization's core product is Hometown Habitat, Stories of Bringing Nature Home, a 90-minute environmental documentary co-created with entomologist Doug Tallamy that is structured in chapters for flexible viewing. A second documentary, Urban & Suburban Meadows, extends the portfolio into homeowner-level meadowscaping, and the organization also offers educational resources and links into the National Wildlife Federation Certify program.

The business model combines donated/grant revenue with direct-to-consumer documentary licensing. Screening licenses are sold in audience-size tiers through the organization website — House Party ($35–$45), Admission-Free Screening 26–100 ($95), Small Community 1–50 ($125), Fundraiser Admission Charge ($175), Medium Community 51–100 ($200), Large Community 100+ ($300), and Screening License with Admission Charge ($500) — alongside Education Licenses for K-12 ($55–$60) and Higher Education ($160–$180) institutions, with multi-screening packages priced on request. Donations and crowdfunding campaigns, including a 2015 campaign that raised over $50,000 toward a $176,000 production goal, have come from individuals, native plant societies (Wild Ones contributed $10,000+), and corporate sponsors such as American Beauties Native Plants and NOFA Organic Land Care.

Distribution and go-to-market are community-led and event-driven, relying on documentary screenings, partnerships with native plant societies and environmental nonprofits across all 50 US states, podcast appearances, press kits, and Catherine Zimmerman's speaking engagements. There is no disclosed software platform, mobile app, or AI/ML technology component; the underlying asset is the documentary content itself and the organizational network built to support grassroots screenings and advocacy.

Name

The Meadow Project

Legal name

The Meadow Project

Website

https://themeadowproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Meadow Project is a Maryland-based environmental education nonprofit that produces documentary films about native plants and habitat restoration, co-created by director Catherine Zimmerman with entomologist Doug Tallamy, and distributes them via tiered screening licenses and educational resources to schools, community groups, and conservation organizations across all 50 US states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Documentary Film & Education

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries (MPADADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD), Environmental Interpretation & Ranger-Led Education Programs (Visitor Education) (THAAAOAJ)

Keywords

• Environmental documentary film
• Native plants education
• Habitat restoration media
• Sustainable landscaping content
• Screening license distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Yellow Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Documentary Licensing and Sales: Sale of documentary screening licenses ranging from small house parties to large community screenings, as well as educational institution licenses for K-12 and higher education.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Crowdfunding and donation campaigns to fund documentary production, with support from individuals, foundations, native plant societies, and environmental organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Meadow Project produces and distributes environmental education documentary films focused on native plants, sustainable landscaping, and ecosystem restoration. Its core offerings are the 90-minute documentary 'Hometown Habitat, Stories of Bringing Nature Home' and 'Urban & Suburban Meadows,' sold through one-time screening licenses tiered by audience size (house party, small/medium/large community, fundraiser, admission-charge) and dedicated unlimited-use educational licenses for K-12 and higher education institutions.

Product overview

The Meadow Project is an environmental education organization that produces documentary films and educational resources focused on native plants and sustainable land care practices. The core product portfolio consists of two documentary films—'Hometown Habitat, Stories of Bringing Nature Home' (a 90-minute environmental documentary) and 'Urban & Suburban Meadows'—along with a range of screening licenses (House Party, Community Screening in various sizes, and Education Licenses for K-12 and Higher Education) that allow organizations and individuals to screen the films. Additional offerings include the NWF Certify program for habitat certification and educational resources about native plants. The organization does not operate as a software or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hometown Habitat, Stories of Bringing Nature Home: 90-minute environmental education documentary focused on showing how and why native plants are critical to the survival and vitality of local ecosystems

Products and services

• Hometown Habitat, Stories of Bringing Nature Home A 90-minute environmental documentary focused on showing how and why native plants are critical to the survival and vitality of local ecosystems. Produced by Catherine Zimmerman and featuring entomologist Doug Tallamy's research. Authored in chapters for flexible viewing.
• Urban & Suburban Meadows A documentary and book focused on meadowscaping practices for urban and suburban landscapes to provide habitat for wildlife. Produced by Catherine Zimmerman.
• House Party Screening License One-time digital download license for screening the Hometown Habitat documentary at private house parties of 1-25 people. Pricing ranges from $35 (1-20 people) to $45 (1-25 people).
• Community Screening License One-time digital download license for community screenings of varying audience sizes: admission-free (26-100 people, $95), small (1-50 people, $125), medium (51-100 people, $200), large (100+ people, $300), fundraiser with admission charge ($175), and screening with admission charge ($500).
• Educational Screening License One-time unlimited-use digital download license for educational institutions: K-12 priced $55-$60 and higher education priced $160-$180. License is non-transferable and restricted to classroom use; available with or without DVD.
• Multiple Screening Packages Package deals for multiple screening licenses sold as a bundle. Customers contact [email protected] for custom pricing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prairie Crossing saves significant infrastructure costs by filtering storm water through native prairie and wetland landscapes instead of using traditional storm drain systems
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Co-producer of Hometown Habitat documentary. Hosted fundraising campaigns through their platform. Strategic partner in documentary production focused on conservation landscaping education.
• Doug TallamycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Entomologist and author of 'Bringing Nature Home' who inspired and co-created Hometown Habitat. Provided research, insights, and script contributions to the documentary.
• Earth Partnership for SchoolssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Educational program partner providing ecological restoration training for teachers, students and community members. The Meadow Project filmed at their summer institutes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Prairie Moon Nursery: Native plant nursery and seed supplier that produces extensive native-plant landscaping guides and educational content for restoration practitioners; comparable as a peer in converting native-plant science into actionable homeowner/landowner education.
• EcoBeneficial (Kim Eierman): Environmental horticulturist and educator whose podcast featured The Meadow Project's director; an emerging peer producing homeowner-facing ecological landscaping content, training, and media.

Broad incumbents

• National Wildlife Federation: Large national conservation nonprofit that runs the Certified Wildlife Habitat program referenced by The Meadow Project's "NWF Certify" offering; overlaps in habitat-education content but with much broader scope and resources.

Direct peers

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: National nonprofit protecting pollinators and invertebrates through habitat education and outreach; comparable to The Meadow Project as a peer in pollinator/native-plant education content directed at homeowners and communities.
• Pollinator Partnership: Nonprofit focused on pollinator health through planting guides, certification programs, and education campaigns — a peer in converting environmental science into homeowner-facing native-plant programming.
• Native Plant Trust: Northeast-focused native plant conservation organization operating gardens and education programs; comparable to The Meadow Project as a peer in native-plant public education and homeowner resources.
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: National native-plant research and education organization operating public gardens and educational programming; comparable as a peer in native plant education, public engagement, and biodiversity-focused outreach.
• Doug Tallamy (Bringing Nature Home): Researcher and author whose work underpins Hometown Habitat; comparable as the leading voice in native-plant homeowner education through books, talks, and citizen-science outreach.
• Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council: Co-producer of Hometown Habitat and a peer in conservation landscaping education across the Chesapeake region, focused on the same audience of homeowners, municipalities, and practitioners adopting native-landscape practices.
• Wild Ones Natural Landscapers: A nonprofit with 35+ years of advocating for native landscapes and chapters across 14 states — a major Hometown Habitat donor, executive featured in the film, and a peer in promoting environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/themeadowproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/matrix-media-press

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Meadow Project