Unlocking Communities, Inc.
Unlocking Communities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that equips local entrepreneurs in underdeveloped regions to sell clay pot water filters and clean cookstoves, while selling Gold Standard certified carbon credits to ESG-focused businesses to fund community development programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersChicago Park, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Unlocking Communities, Inc. does
Unlocking Communities, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 83-2060233) founded by Josh Goralski in 2018 and headquartered in Chicago Park, United States. The organization operates a community-led development model targeting underdeveloped regions, with 26 communities currently partnered in Haiti and emergency response operations in Ukraine established in 2022. Its core product portfolio consists of clay pot water filtration systems and energy-efficient clean burning cookstoves, which are sold within communities by trained local entrepreneurs who have received business and financial literacy coaching from the organization. A secondary revenue stream is generated through Gold Standard certified carbon credits sold to businesses with ESG and sustainability goals, with revenue managed under a participatory governance model that gives communities a voice in local spending decisions. Reported household outcomes include a 25% reduction in monthly income previously spent on purchased water, equivalent to approximately 2,400 Haitian gourdes per month. The organization is funded by donations and grants from a broad base of foundations and individual donors, including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and IDB Lab as core funders, alongside multiple religious congregations and family foundations, and is planning geographic expansion to Indonesia and Nigeria in 2025.
Unlocking Communities, Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Unlocking Communities, Inc.
- Legal name
- Unlocking Communities, Inc.
- Website
- https://unlockingcommunities.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Unlocking Communities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that equips local entrepreneurs in underdeveloped regions to sell clay pot water filters and clean cookstoves, while selling Gold Standard certified carbon credits to ESG-focused businesses to fund community development programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Unlocking Communities, Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Community Development Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)
Keywords
Where Unlocking Communities, Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Unlocking Communities, Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Carbon Credits: The organization generates carbon credits through its clean burning stoves and water filters. These Gold Standard Certified Carbon Credits are sold to businesses to help them achieve ESG goals and offset GHG emissions. The revenue from carbon credits is managed with participatory governance, enabling communities to have a voice in how funds are spent locally.
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 83-2060233), Unlocking Communities relies on donations and funding from foundations and individual donors to support operations and program expansion.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Unlocking Communities, Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Unlocking Communities provides clay pot water filtration systems and energy-efficient clean-burning cookstoves to households in underdeveloped regions through a community-led entrepreneur model. Local entrepreneurs receive business training and coaching, then sell the products within their communities. The organization also generates and sells Gold Standard Certified Carbon Credits derived from household use of these products, enabling businesses to offset emissions while funding participatory community development.
Product overview
Unlocking Communities operates a community-led development model combining physical products with business training. The core offerings consist of clay pot water filtration systems and clean burning cookstoves, which entrepreneurs purchase and sell within their local communities. A complementary carbon credit program allows businesses to offset emissions by purchasing credits generated from the use of these products by households. The model is designed to create sustainable market ecosystems where entrepreneurs gain income while improving community health and environmental outcomes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Water Filtration Systems Clay pot water filtration systems that provide households in underdeveloped regions with access to clean drinking water, reducing the need to purchase bottled water and improving health outcomes. Sold by local entrepreneurs in Haiti, Ukraine, and planned expansion regions.
- Clean Burning Cookstoves Energy-efficient cooking stoves that reduce fuel consumption and indoor air pollution. Sold by local entrepreneurs within their communities; household use of these stoves also generates the carbon credits that the organization sells to businesses.
- Gold Standard Certified Carbon Credits Verified carbon credits derived from emissions reductions attributable to clean cookstove and water filter adoption in partner communities. Offered to businesses seeking credible, traceable offsets and CSR materials, with a web-based dashboard showing households impacted by retired credits and participatory governance over local revenue use.
- Community Entrepreneur Training Program A training and coaching program for selected local entrepreneurs in underdeveloped regions that combines practical business training with access to sellable water filtration and cookstove products, enabling participants to establish sustainable livelihoods and serve their communities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25% monthly income saved by families who purchase the product combination (water filter + cookstove)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Unlocking Communities, Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Unlocking Communities, Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Unlocking Communities, Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- YMCA Volyn (Lutsk, Ukraine)coreLocal partner in Lutsk, Ukraine that was one of the first organizations to establish localized support following the 2022 Russian invasion. Coordinated emergency response efforts including water filtration systems distribution.
- YMCA EuropecoreEuropean YMCA network supporting the Ukraine emergency response coordination efforts.
- LifeStrawcoreWater filtration technology company and its partners provided water filtration products and support for Ukraine emergency response efforts.
- YWCA-YMCA of Sweden (KFUK-KFUM Sverige)coreSwedish YMCA-YWCA organization supporting Ukraine emergency response efforts with supplies and coordination.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Unlocking Communities, Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Water.org: Water.org is a large, well-funded nonprofit focused on global water access through microfinance and partnerships, sharing Unlocking Communities' target beneficiary (underserved households lacking clean water) and reliance on foundation and donor funding.
- charity: water: charity: water is a large nonprofit funding clean water access projects in developing countries; while it operates at the funder/grantmaking layer rather than distributing products, it serves the same donor and beneficiary ecosystem as Unlocking Communities.
Direct peers
- Sistema.bio: Sistema.bio sells biogas biodigesters and clean cookstoves to smallholder farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, generating carbon credits and selling product through a community-distributor model directly comparable to Unlocking Communities' entrepreneur-led cookstove channel.
- LifeStraw: LifeStraw manufactures household and community-scale water filtration products for developing markets and is both a technology partner to Unlocking Communities (Ukraine emergency response) and a direct competitor serving the same end-user need for clean water access in low-income regions.
- BURN Manufacturing: BURN designs and distributes efficient biomass cookstoves across East Africa and is a direct peer in the clean cookstove value chain, using carbon credit revenue to subsidize stove distribution to off-grid households — the same dual-carbon-and-product model Unlocking Communities uses.
- Ecozoom: Ecozoom produces clean cookstoves for emerging markets and partners with NGOs and carbon programs to subsidize distribution, making it a direct comparator on product, carbon credit monetization, and last-mile delivery in developing regions.
Emerging players
- DelAgua Health: DelAgua Health distributes clean cookstoves and water filters across Rwanda and East Africa, generating carbon credits via Gold Standard certification — a near-identical product-carbon credit model that is a direct emerging-market competitor and operational peer.
- Solar Cookers International: Solar Cookers International promotes solar and clean cooking solutions in sub-Saharan Africa. It is adjacent rather than direct — sharing the clean cooking mission and end-beneficiary but focused on solar rather than biomass stoves.
Others
- South Pole Group: South Pole is a large carbon project developer and consultancy. While not a product distributor, it is a relevant ecosystem peer because it develops and sells voluntary carbon credits (including Gold Standard) — adjacent to Unlocking Communities' carbon credit revenue model.
- ClimateCare: ClimateCare is a B-Corp that develops and sells carbon credits and runs community-level clean energy and water projects globally; it is an adjacent ecosystem counterpart that monetizes carbon credits from interventions similar to Unlocking Communities' cookstove and water programs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Unlocking Communities, Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceUnlocking Communities, Inc. compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Unlocking Communities, Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Unlocking Communities, Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Unlocking Communities, Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Unlocking Communities, Inc. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Unlocking Communities, Inc.
What does Unlocking Communities, Inc. do?
Unlocking Communities provides clay pot water filtration systems and energy-efficient clean-burning cookstoves to households in underdeveloped regions through a community-led entrepreneur model. Local entrepreneurs receive business training and coaching, then sell the products within their communities. The organization also generates and sells Gold Standard Certified Carbon Credits derived from household use of these products, enabling businesses to offset emissions while funding participatory community development.
Is Unlocking Communities, Inc. a public or private company?
Unlocking Communities, Inc. is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Unlocking Communities, Inc. founded?
Unlocking Communities, Inc. was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Unlocking Communities, Inc. based?
Unlocking Communities, Inc. is headquartered in Chicago Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Unlocking Communities, Inc. make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Carbon Credits are the primary driver. The others are donations and Charitable Contributions.
Who are Unlocking Communities, Inc.'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Water.org and charity: water. Direct peers are Sistema.bio, LifeStraw, BURN Manufacturing and Ecozoom. Emerging players are DelAgua Health and Solar Cookers International. Others are South Pole Group and ClimateCare.
Does Unlocking Communities, Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Unlocking Communities, Inc..
What industry is Unlocking Communities, Inc. in?
Unlocking Communities, Inc.'s product category is International Community Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAD, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative), with a secondary code of BPADALAO, Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement.