Sanitation Foundation

What Sanitation Foundation does

The Sanitation Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Federal EIN 81-3523248) founded in 2016 and headquartered in Manhattan, operating as the official nonprofit partner of the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY). The foundation's mission is to support DSNY's work to keep New York City clean and reduce waste sent to landfills through community engagement, education, and public awareness. It was formerly known as the Foundation for New York's Strongest and rebranded to Sanitation Foundation.

The foundation's product portfolio spans six core programs: the NYC Trash Academy (an 8-week e-learning course on LearnWorlds training community waste advocates), the Volunteer Hub (a Galaxy Digital-powered platform coordinating over 1,000 registered volunteers), the Follow Your Waste interactive educational game, the NYC Big Spring Clean citywide flagship initiative, the Bronx Summer Cleanup Series (in partnership with the New York Yankees), and the Community Stewards program supporting neighborhood cleanup groups. It also runs the Don't Do NYC Dirty public service awareness campaign and Adopt Your Spot NYC, an individual stewardship pledge program. The organization does not operate proprietary technology; all platforms (Galaxy Digital, LearnWorlds, Stripe, Google Analytics, Mixpanel) are third-party.

The foundation's revenue model relies on three streams: individual donations (tax-deductible contributions in tiered amounts from $50 to $2,500 tied to specific programs), corporate sponsorship (multi-year and event-specific deals with partners including Bloomberg, Target, the New York Yankees, Amazon, USTA, and the International Center of Photography), and government grants and partnerships (notably with DSNY and NYC Service). Its go-to-market is hybrid: community-led grassroots mobilization through the Community Stewards network, event-driven acquisition through signature seasonal cleanups, and product-led growth via the Trash Academy e-learning platform. Geographic reach is exclusively New York City across all five boroughs.

Name

Sanitation Foundation

Legal name

Sanitation Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://sanitationfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sanitation Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the official partner of the NYC Department of Sanitation, delivering volunteer cleanups, the Trash Academy e-learning program, and public awareness campaigns to New Yorkers across all five boroughs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Street & Public Space Litter Collection (Municipal Cleaning) (BPALAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organics Contamination Auditing, Education & Compliance Services (BPALAEAJ), Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)

Keywords

• Community cleanup programs
• Environmental nonprofit services
• Volunteer mobilization initiatives
• Waste reduction education
• Public sanitation awareness

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals supporting the organization's mission to keep NYC clean. Donation tiers range from $100 to $2,500, with specific program designations.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate partners sponsor specific programs, events, and initiatives. Includes employee matching programs through company portals.
3. Government Grants and Partnerships: Collaborations with NYC Department of Sanitation and other city agencies for cleanup programs and educational initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Sanitation Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates community-based environmental cleanup programs, volunteer mobilization, and waste education initiatives across New York City's five boroughs. As the official nonprofit partner of the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY), it delivers signature events such as NYC Big Spring Clean and the Bronx Summer Cleanup Series, runs the NYC Trash Academy e-learning program, supports neighborhood cleanup groups through its Community Stewards program, and produces public awareness campaigns like Don't Do NYC Dirty.

Product overview

Sanitation Foundation operates a portfolio of interconnected programs focused on waste education, volunteer coordination, and community cleanup across New York City. The core offerings include NYC Trash Academy (an e-learning platform powered by LearnWorlds that trains community advocates on waste and sustainability topics), Follow Your Waste (an interactive educational game tracing NYC's waste stream), Big Spring Clean (the flagship annual volunteer cleanup program across all five boroughs), Bronx Summer Cleanup Series (a summer initiative in partnership with the New York Yankees), Community Stewards (an umbrella program supporting neighborhood cleanup groups with resources and training), and Youth Education initiatives (including school programs and youth capacity building). The Don't Do NYC Dirty campaign provides public awareness messaging on litter prevention. The foundation coordinates volunteers through the Galaxy Digital-powered Volunteer Hub platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NYC Trash Academy: An 8-week educational program training the next generation of community stewards and clean-city ambassadors.
• Community Stewards
• Adopt Your Spot NYC
• NYC Big Spring Clean
• Don't Do NYC Dirty
• Follow Your Waste

Products and services

• NYC Trash Academy An 8-week e-learning program (powered by LearnWorlds) that trains NYC residents to become community waste and sustainability advocates, covering recycling, composting, and waste reduction.
• Follow Your Waste An interactive web-based educational game that educates users on NYC's waste stream by tracing the journey of trash from disposal to destination.
• NYC Big Spring Clean Flagship seasonal volunteer initiative coordinating cleanup events across all five NYC boroughs, engaging community volunteers in neighborhood beautification.
• Bronx Summer Cleanup Series A summer cleanup initiative in the Bronx operated in partnership with the New York Yankees, providing ticket vouchers as volunteer incentives.
• Community Stewards Program An umbrella community program that supports neighborhood cleanup groups through resources, training, tool grants, and capacity building to sustain ongoing local environmental stewardship.
• Adopt Your Spot NYC A program encouraging New Yorkers to pledge to take ongoing care of a specific neighborhood spot, with starter kits (litter picker, gloves) available to participants.
• Don't Do NYC Dirty Campaign A citywide public awareness campaign addressing litter and proper waste disposal across NYC, aimed at changing behavior and reducing street litter.
• Youth Education Educational programming for young people including litter cleanup mini-grants for schools, Youth Ed Kits, and the Community Stewards Summit for youth capacity building.
• Adopt-Your-Spot Cleanup Kit (Donation Tier) Donation tier ($1,000) providing 20 Adopt-Your-Spot cleanup kits for year-round community care, including litter pickers, gloves, bags, and tools.
• Corporate Volunteer Programs Custom-tailored corporate volunteer activities and events designed for organizations seeking employee engagement in hands-on sustainability and community service activities.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor, core, flagship and supportive.

• Mack TrucksmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Partner for Trucks of Art Reveal and Community Festival. Sponsoring community cleanups at 2:00 and 3:30 pm during the event.
• PaintCareminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Partner for Trucks of Art Reveal and Community Festival, supporting paint recycling and environmental messaging.
• BloombergcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 20252025 NYC Big Spring Clean partner. Supports the annual citywide cleanup initiative mobilizing thousands of New Yorkers.
• TargetcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 20252025 NYC Big Spring Clean partner. Sponsored Earth Day cleanup in Coney Island with Brooklyn Cyclones mascot Sandy the Seagull.
• International Center of PhotographycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 20252025 NYC Big Spring Clean partner. Joint community cleanup events and 'Third Thursday Late Night' museum programming celebrating the Big Spring Clean.
• NYC ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20252025 NYC Big Spring Clean partner. City agency supporting volunteer service and community engagement initiatives.
• WindScape Brooklyn at Industry CityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Venue host for the 2025 Community Stewards Summit in Brooklyn.
• AmazonmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Corporate partner for community cleanup events. Hosted cleanup at Amazon warehouse with NYC Council Member Brooks-Powers.
• USTAmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 20242024 Queens Summer Cleanup Series partner. Provided US Open tickets as incentives for volunteer participation.
• New York YankeescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Presenting sponsor of Bronx Summer Cleanup Series. Provides Yankees ticket vouchers as thank-you for volunteers. Partnership entering 5th year in 2025.
• NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial nonprofit partner of NYC Sanitation (DSNY). Supports DSNY's work to keep the city clean and reduce waste sent to landfills. The foundation exists to advance DSNY's mission through community engagement, education, and public awareness campaigns.
• ABNY (A Better New York)supportiveGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting partner for Community Stewards program resources and youth cleanup educational materials.
• NYC Council MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnerships with NYC Council Members (Rivera, Menin, Brooks-Powers, Narcisse, Bottcher, Moya, Marte, etc.) for community cleanup events across all five boroughs.
• DSNY Volunteer Cleanup ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing tool loan program for community groups to borrow brooms, shovels, rakes, bags, and gloves for neighborhood cleanup projects.
• Galaxy DigitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform powering the Volunteer Hub for volunteer management, event registration, and group coordination.
• LearnWorldscoreTechnology or IntegrationE-learning platform technology powering the NYC Trash Academy educational program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Earth Matter NY: NYC-based nonprofit focused on composting education and urban sustainability, directly comparable to SF's composting and waste education programming in the same market.
• GrowNYC: NYC-based environmental nonprofit operating farmers markets, composting programs, and education initiatives across the five boroughs. Strong direct overlap with SF's waste education and community engagement mission in the same geography.
• Big Reuse: NYC-based nonprofit operating reuse centers and composting programs, sharing SF's waste-reduction and community education mission in the same geographic market.
• Lower East Side Ecology Center: NYC-based nonprofit focused on urban environmental education, community composting, and waste reduction programming, with direct parallels to SF's Trash Academy and 'C is for Composting' offerings.
• Keep America Beautiful: National nonprofit focused on litter prevention, recycling, and community beautification, running programs analogous to SF's Big Spring Clean and Adopt Your Spot, including the Great American Cleanup. Most direct national comparable for SF's anti-litter model.
• Green City Force: NYC-based nonprofit engaging young adults in environmental service and sustainability careers, paralleling SF's youth education pipeline and Community Stewards programming in the same city.
• Earth Day Initiative: NYC-based nonprofit producing environmental events, education campaigns, and citywide cleanups; comparable event-driven and education model to SF's Big Spring Clean and Don't Do NYC Dirty campaign.

Broad incumbents

• Alliance for the Great Lakes: Regional nonprofit running Adopt-a-Beach cleanups and water-focused education, comparable volunteer-driven cleanup and adoption model with a different geographic and topical focus.
• Surfrider Foundation: National nonprofit running beach cleanups, water quality programs, and environmental education, with a broader conservation focus but directly comparable community cleanup and volunteer mobilization model.
• Student Conservation Association: National nonprofit mobilizing youth and young adults for conservation service, with broader geographic footprint and longer-running volunteer programs analogous to SF's Community Stewards and Youth Education initiatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sanitationfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/sanitationfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sanitationfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Sanitation Foundation