SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC

What SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC does

The Science and Environment Council of Southwest Florida Inc (SEC; also d/b/a Science and Environment Council) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit consortium, incorporated in 2001, that convenes 38 leading science-based environmental non-profit and government organizations across Sarasota and Manatee Counties. It functions as a regional collaboration hub rather than a service-delivery operator, running programs such as the cyclical EcoSummit event series (2018, 2023, 2027), the EdExploreSRQ K-12 teacher-student matchmaker platform, the Green Living Toolkit sustainable-living resource, the Watershed Audio Tour (40 stops), the Climate Council facilitation network, the Healthy Ponds HOA water-quality program, and the eckotours.com sustainable tourism web platform. Its stated mission is to increase science-based environmental understanding, conservation, and restoration through collaboration and public engagement in Southwest Florida.

The Council's underlying technology footprint is content-and-community oriented rather than product-platform oriented. Its digital assets consist of educational web platforms (EdExploreSRQ, eckotours.com, Green Living Toolkit) and a mobile-phone audio tour, with member-organization websites serving as the deeper information layer. No public APIs, SDKs, or proprietary training pipelines are disclosed, and no AI/ML components are identified in the source material. The organization is governed by a Board composed of member-organization representatives and is led by two Co-Executive Directors — Jennifer Shafer (also of Shafer Consulting, LLC) and David Shafer — both operating out of the Sarasota/Manatee regional footprint.

The Council's business model is donation-driven 501(c)(3) non-profit operations: no pricing tiers, paid memberships, or commercial revenue streams are publicly disclosed. Reach and funding flow through donations, member-network leverage, partner distribution channels (educational institutions, member organizations, community events, and digital/film-festival channels), and likely grant funding (not disclosed). Geographic scope is explicitly limited to Southwest Florida, with no global-footprint claim.

Name

SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC

Legal name

Science and Environment Council of Southwest Florida Inc

Website

https://scienceandenvironment.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Science and Environment Council of Southwest Florida Inc is a 501(c)(3) non-profit consortium of 38 leading environmental organizations in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, coordinating collaborative science-based environmental education, conservation, and public engagement through programs like EcoSummit, EdExploreSRQ, and the Watershed Audio Tour.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education and Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI), Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)

Keywords

• Environmental education
• Conservation programs
• Watershed outreach
• Community science
• Nonprofit consortium

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Science and Environment Council of Southwest Florida is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium of 38 leading science-based environmental organizations in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. It coordinates collaborative environmental education, outreach, and science-based projects, operating programs such as the EcoSummit conferences, EdExploreSRQ K-12 education platform, Watershed Audio Tour, Green Living Toolkit, Healthy Ponds HOA program, Climate Council, and ecotourism platform.

Product overview

The Science and Environment Council is a non-profit consortium of 38-40 science-based environmental organizations in Southwest Florida. Rather than a single unified product, the Council offers a portfolio of collaborative environmental programs and initiatives including annual EcoSummit conferences, environmental education platforms (EdExploreSRQ, Green Living Toolkit), sustainable ecotourism services (eckotours.com), water quality programs (Healthy Ponds, Water Quality Outreach), climate initiatives (Climate Council, Climate Stories), and educational media (Watershed Audio Tour with 40 stops, Red Tide Assessment studies). These programs serve as a catalyst creating synergy among member organizations to accomplish impactful environmental projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EcoSummit Environmental Conference Series Annual environmental summit events bringing together scientists, educators, resource managers, and community members for panel discussions, presentations, and lightning talks on regional environmental topics.
• EcoBeat

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Large multi-state regional environmental nonprofit that convenes stakeholders for watershed restoration, education, and advocacy. SEC's consortium model is a smaller-scale analogue of CBF's regional coordination role in the Chesapeake.
• The Nature Conservancy - Florida: Major global conservation organization with an active Florida chapter pursuing land protection, water, and climate work. Operates at much larger scale and geographic scope, but overlaps with SEC on conservation, restoration, and water-quality priorities.
• Audubon Florida: Statewide Audubon affiliate running conservation, education, and advocacy programs across Florida. Multiple local Audubon chapters (Venice, Sarasota) are SEC members, illustrating the overlapping membership and education/outreach mission.

Direct peers

• Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP): National Estuary Program serving the Charlotte Harbor watershed in Southwest Florida (also an SEC member). Directly comparable as a regional environmental coordination consortium addressing water quality, habitat, and community engagement.
• Tampa Bay Estuary Program: Regional estuary program (an SEC member) that coordinates science, policy, and community action for Tampa Bay water quality. Highly comparable in model as a multi-stakeholder environmental coordination body operating in adjacent Florida watersheds.
• Sarasota Bay Estuary Program: One of Florida's estuary programs (also an SEC founding member) with the same core function of convening stakeholders for water-quality and habitat restoration. Operates at the watershed level right inside SEC's service area.
• Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation: Regional environmental nonprofit on Florida's Gulf Coast focused on coastal ecosystems, water quality, and marine science education. Comparable in mission, regional scope, and program mix (education + research + advocacy) to SEC.
• Conservancy of Southwest Florida: Regional environmental nonprofit based in Naples, Florida, focused on water quality, land conservation, and environmental education in Southwest Florida. Closest geographic and mission peer to SEC — both convene members, run education programs, and advocate for regional water and ecosystem health.

Regional players

• Florida Wildlife Federation: Statewide affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation focused on habitat, wildlife, and water resources. Similar nonprofit advocacy and education mission to SEC, though with a much broader geographic mandate.
• 1000 Friends of Florida: Statewide nonprofit focused on land-use planning, growth management, and environmental advocacy in Florida. Comparable in operating model (small nonprofit coalition) and mission emphasis on science-based environmental decision-making.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SECSWF
• Facebookfacebook.com/ScienceAndEnvironmentCouncil
• Instagraminstagram.com/scienceandenvironmentcouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/science-and-environment-council-of-southwest-florida-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC