Releaf Michigan
ReLeaf Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that plants trees, restores urban canopies, and provides community tree education across Michigan. It serves municipalities, communities, schools, and volunteers statewide through tree planting, workshops, and stormwater projects.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersAnn Arbor, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Releaf Michigan does
ReLeaf Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1988 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is described as Michigan's only statewide tree planting nonprofit, with a mission to plant trees, restore urban tree canopies, and provide community education on tree selection and care. The organization operates a portfolio of programs including a Tree Planting Program that plants substantial-sized trees (approximately six feet tall with 1.5 to 2 inch trunk caliper) on public property in partnership with municipalities, youth groups, schools, and volunteer organizations; Tree Education Workshops offered on-site to community forums and schools; Stormwater Projects that use trees as urban green infrastructure for watershed-scale water quality improvement across the Great Lakes basin; the biennial Michigan Big Tree Hunt competition; and a Municipal Membership program providing cities, townships, and villages with dedicated arborist resources, educational materials, and Tree City application assistance.
The organization's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on volunteer coordination (requiring two adult volunteers per tree on planting day) and partnerships with Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, watershed councils, and corporate sponsors. Since 1988, ReLeaf Michigan has planted over 35,000 trees across more than 700 Michigan communities and engaged tens of thousands of volunteers. The leadership team is led by Executive Director Melinda Jones, with a Board of Directors including President Bill Lawrence, Secretary/Treasurer Jeff Bagalis, and additional board members, supported by eight project foresters (including ISA Certified Arborists), an administrative assistant, and marketing consultants.
ReLeaf Michigan generates revenue through individual donations, annual memberships (starting at $25/year), corporate sponsorships (starting at $500/year), municipal membership fees, fundraising events (including an annual native plant sale), tribute/memorial donations, merchandise sales, and federal grants from U.S. Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) programs. The organization operates at a small scale of 1-10 employees and has been recognized with the 2017 Community Service Award from the Arboricultural Society of Michigan's ArborCon and the 2017 Air Quality Pillar Award from the Mid Michigan Environmental Action Council.
Releaf Michigan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Releaf Michigan
- Legal name
- ReLeaf Michigan
- Website
- https://releafmichigan.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ReLeaf Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that plants trees, restores urban canopies, and provides community tree education across Michigan. It serves municipalities, communities, schools, and volunteers statewide through tree planting, workshops, and stormwater projects.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Releaf Michigan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Forestry / Nonprofit Tree Planting Services
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Landscaping Services (561730)
- SIC
- Forestry (800)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Tree Planting & Transplanting (HSAIADAE)
Keywords
Where Releaf Michigan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ann Arbor
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Releaf Michigan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting tree planting and education mission. Donations are tax-deductible as 501(c)(3) contributions.
- Membership Program: Annual memberships starting at $25 per year, providing members special access to tree experts and backbone grass roots support.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Company sponsorships beginning at $500 per year, offering businesses opportunities to support Michigan communities through tree planting.
- Municipal Memberships: Annual municipal membership fees providing communities access to Ask an Arborist resources, educational materials, annual workshops, dedicated web portals, and Tree City application assistance.
- Fundraising Events: Annual native plant sale fundraiser and other events to generate support for nonprofit mission.
- Tribute/Memorial Donations: Gift donations honoring loved ones with contributions to tree planting mission.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of merchandise including limited-edition Pewabic tiles and other items commemorating support for Michigan trees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual membership starting at $25 |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate sponsorship starting at $500/year |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Presentation fee for educational workshops |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels10 records
Releaf Michigan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Releaf Michigan plants trees on public land in partnership with Michigan cities, townships, villages, schools, and volunteer groups, focusing on substantial-sized trees (~6 feet tall, 1.5\"–2\" caliper) to ensure high survival rates and immediate environmental impact. The organization also delivers on-site tree education workshops, conducts urban stormwater mitigation projects across multiple Michigan watersheds, runs the biennial Michigan Big Tree Hunt competition, and provides annual municipal memberships granting communities access to arborist expertise and Tree City application assistance.
Product overview
ReLeaf Michigan is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of tree planting and education programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the Tree Planting Program (which plants substantial trees on public property), Tree Education Workshops, Stormwater Projects (urban green infrastructure for water quality), the biennial Michigan Big Tree Hunt competition, and Municipal Memberships providing communities with tree expert access. Supporting offerings include an Event RSVP System for volunteer registration, a Volunteer Program for community engagement, and a Sponsorship Program for corporate partners. The organization operates as Michigan's only statewide tree planting nonprofit since 1988.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tree Planting Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 35,000 trees planted on public land since 1988
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Releaf Michigan
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Releaf Michigan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Releaf Michigan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- River Raisin Watershed CouncilcorePartner in GLRI grant to assist four communities in River Raisin watershed with tree canopy assessment and stormwater reduction.
- St. Joseph River Basin CommissioncorePartner in GLRI grant assisting six communities in St. Joseph River watershed with tree canopy assessment and planting for water quality improvement.
- Lower Grand River Organization of WatershedscorePartner in USDA Forest Service GLRI grant to assist four communities in Lower Grand River Watershed with tree canopy assessments and stormwater mitigation.
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)coreLong-standing partner in multiple stormwater and tree canopy projects including Grand Traverse Bay Watershed (2016), Lower Grand River Watershed (2018), St. Joseph River Watershed (2019), and River Raisin Watershed (2024). DNR provides funding through U.S. Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration and GLRI grants.
- Davey Resource GroupcoreProject partner in multiple watershed canopy assessment projects including Grand Traverse Bay, Lower Grand River, St. Joseph River, and River Raisin watersheds. Provides i-Tree Canopy assessments and community forestry expertise for stormwater mitigation projects.
- Watershed Center Grand Traverse BaycorePartner in Grand Traverse Bay Watershed project to assess urban tree canopy and plant trees for stormwater mitigation and water quality improvement in the Great Lakes region.
- Michigan Oak Wilt CoalitionminorFounding member coalition working to educate on oak wilt disease prevention and protection of Michigan oak trees.
- Michigan State University - Department of ForestryminorPartner in Big Tree Hunt program and source of expertise for tree planting and forestry education.
- ISA MichiganminorPartner in Big Tree Hunt program, providing arborist expertise and professional certification support.
- Michigan Botanical SocietyminorPartner organization supporting botanical education and tree conservation in Michigan.
- SavATreeminorArbor care partner providing tree health expertise for webinars and hosting events like the Annual Native Plant Sale Fundraiser.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Releaf Michigan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Forests Ontario: Ontario-based nonprofit focused on tree planting, forest restoration, and education. Closely comparable regional nonprofit model to ReLeaf Michigan but operating across a different Canadian province.
Emerging players
- Keep America Beautiful: National nonprofit focused on litter reduction, recycling, and community beautification including tree planting programs. Broader mission than ReLeaf but competes for similar community and corporate sponsorships.
Direct peers
- American Forests: National conservation nonprofit focused on forest restoration and urban canopy. Operates at a larger scale than ReLeaf but shares the urban tree planting, policy advocacy, and education mission.
- Friends of Trees: Pacific Northwest nonprofit planting trees in neighborhoods and natural areas with volunteer crews. Strong functional overlap with ReLeaf's community planting events and tree-care education.
- Trees Atlanta: Atlanta-based nonprofit planting and conserving trees in urban areas through volunteer events and education. Directly comparable community tree planting and stewardship model to ReLeaf Michigan.
- Arbor Day Foundation: National nonprofit focused on tree planting and tree care education. Closely comparable mission to ReLeaf Michigan — community tree planting and public education — but at significantly larger national scale.
- Casey Trees: Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on urban tree canopy restoration, planting, and education. Mirrors ReLeaf's urban forestry emphasis and volunteer-driven planting model in a single metro region.
- Tree Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh-based nonprofit focused on urban tree planting, maintenance, and education. Comparable regional urban-canopy mission, volunteer model, and municipal/community engagement approach.
Broad incumbents
- SavATree: National commercial tree, shrub, and lawn care company; already a ReLeaf partner for arbor care expertise and event hosting. Commercial counterpart operating in adjacent tree services.
- Davey Tree Expert Company: Large national commercial tree care services company and existing ReLeaf partner (Davey Resource Group). Provides commercial arborist services and i-Tree canopy assessments adjacent to ReLeaf's nonprofit planting work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Releaf Michigan social profiles
Digital presenceReleaf Michigan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Releaf Michigan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Releaf Michigan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Releaf Michigan 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 Releaf Michigan
What does Releaf Michigan do?
Releaf Michigan plants trees on public land in partnership with Michigan cities, townships, villages, schools, and volunteer groups, focusing on substantial-sized trees (~6 feet tall, 1.5\"–2\" caliper) to ensure high survival rates and immediate environmental impact. The organization also delivers on-site tree education workshops, conducts urban stormwater mitigation projects across multiple Michigan watersheds, runs the biennial Michigan Big Tree Hunt competition, and provides annual municipal memberships granting communities access to arborist expertise and Tree City application assistance.
Is Releaf Michigan a public or private company?
Releaf Michigan is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Releaf Michigan founded?
Releaf Michigan was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Releaf Michigan based?
Releaf Michigan is headquartered in Ann Arbor, United States, in the North America region.
How does Releaf Michigan make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are membership Program, corporate Sponsorships, municipal Memberships, fundraising Events, tribute/Memorial Donations and merchandise Sales.
Who are Releaf Michigan's main competitors?
Forests Ontario is listed as a regional player. Keep America Beautiful is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are American Forests, Friends of Trees, Trees Atlanta, Arbor Day Foundation, Casey Trees and Tree Pittsburgh. Broad incumbents are SavATree and Davey Tree Expert Company.
Does Releaf Michigan have an API?
No public API is recorded for Releaf Michigan.
What industry is Releaf Michigan in?
Releaf Michigan's product category is Urban Forestry / Nonprofit Tree Planting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAMACAL, Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting, with a secondary code of HSAIADAE, Tree Planting & Transplanting. Its NAICS code is 1153 and its SIC code is 800.