The Conservation Alliance

What The Conservation Alliance does

The Conservation Alliance (TCA) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit business coalition founded in 1989 by Patagonia, The North Face, REI, and Kelty to protect North America's lands and waters. Headquartered in Windsor, Colorado, TCA unites roughly 270 member companies across the outdoor industry and adjacent verticals (gear, apparel, footwear, packaging, cannabis, photography) to fund and advocate for conservation. Its programmatic surface spans grassroots grantmaking (Member Collective Grants, the five-year-old Confluence Program, and direct grants totaling $34.9 million to date), priority advocacy campaigns on national monuments, the Roadless Rule, Boundary Waters, and USFS restructuring, and member engagement programs including the Business Advocacy Network, annual DC Fly-In, TCA Summit, and Backyard Collective volunteer events.

The organization is funded through a tiered membership model with a disclosed $100,000 Pinnacle tier (held by 9+ brands including Patagonia, REI, The North Face, KEEN, Osprey, Peak Design, Wyld, Atlantic Packaging, and Clif Family Foundation), the recurring We Keep It Wild campaign (member companies donate 5% of online sales twice yearly), individual donations processed via Give Lively, and the Land & Water Defense Fund for rapid response. Cumulative environmental impact since 1989 is reported at over 125 million acres protected and nearly 5,000 river miles. TCA operates the Brands for Public Lands sub-coalition of 130+ companies focused on opposing industrial extraction on public lands.

TCA is led by Executive Director Paul Hendricks (appointed July 2024, formerly Director of Community Sustainability at Rivian and eight years at Patagonia in social/environmental impact), with additional leadership including Senior Director of Membership and Partnerships Conor McElyea, Grant Program Director Kim Paymaster, and Vice President of Public Affairs Shoren Brown. Operating geographies cover the US, Canada, and Mexico under a unified North America framework. TCA positions itself as a dual top-down/bottom-up model pairing Washington D.C. corporate advocacy with on-the-ground grantmaking through grantee partners.

Name

The Conservation Alliance

Legal name

The Conservation Alliance

Website

https://conservationalliance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Conservation Alliance is a nonprofit business coalition of roughly 270 companies across North America that funds grassroots conservation organizations and conducts corporate advocacy to protect public lands, waters, and outdoor spaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Advocacy and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Conservation advocacy
• Land conservation
• Water protection
• Environmental grants
• Business coalition

Headquarters

HQ city

Windsor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from member companies at various tiers including Pinnacle Membership level
2. We Keep It Wild Campaign: Member companies donate 5% of online sales during campaign periods to support conservation efforts
3. Direct Donations: Individual donations through website giving platform (Give Lively)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Conservation Alliance operates as a business membership coalition that pools dues from outdoor and purpose-driven companies to fund grassroots conservation organizations and run corporate advocacy campaigns protecting North American public lands and waters. Members receive access to grantmaking programs (Member Collective Grants, Confluence Program, Land & Water Defense Fund), priority issue campaigns, advocacy training, and an annual summit, with higher-tier Pinnacle Memberships requiring roughly $100,000 in annual commitments.

Product overview

The Conservation Alliance operates as a business coalition for conservation rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings center on grantmaking to grassroots conservation organizations, corporate advocacy leveraging member companies' collective voice, and member engagement programs. The main programs include the Grants Program (encompassing Member Collective Grants, Confluence Grants, and direct grants), Priority Campaigns (focused advocacy on specific conservation issues), Brands for Public Lands coalition, We Keep It Wild fundraising campaigns, Backyard Collective volunteer events, Business Advocacy Network, Pinnacle Membership (premium tier), annual TCA Summit, DC Fly-In advocacy events, and the Land & Water Defense Fund for rapid response.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grants Program A grantmaking service that funds grassroots conservation organizations across North America working to protect lands, waters, and outdoor spaces. Funded primarily through member company dues and delivered via Member Collective Grants, the Confluence Program, and direct grants to conservation organizations.
• Corporate Advocacy Business-led advocacy service that leverages member companies' collective voice to influence public policy and protect public lands and waters, including lobbying Congress, responding to federal agency actions, and mobilizing businesses on conservation issues.
• Confluence Program A grant program supporting community-led conservation and philanthropy initiatives across North America, awarding grants to grassroots organizations working on land and water protection.
• Land & Water Defense Fund A defensive fund supporting rapid-response advocacy when public lands and waters face immediate threats, enabling quick action beyond regular grant cycles.
• Priority Campaigns A portfolio of focused advocacy campaigns on specific conservation priorities, including protecting national monuments, defending the Roadless Rule, preventing mining near Boundary Waters, and opposing USFS restructuring.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 125 million acres protected
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• RivianflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Partner in Mobilizing for Monuments campaign, providing electric vehicles for road trip to promote national monument designations across the western US. Partnership included storytelling and campaign support.
• FlickrcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2023Partner in Mobilizing for Monuments campaign, providing photography, filmmaking, and storytelling support to document campaign landscapes and conservation efforts.
• Nuestra Tierra Conservation ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Partner in Mobilizing for Monuments campaign, enabling community-centered conservation work and ground-level connections in monument communities.
• Brands for Public LandscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerA coalition of over 130 companies focused on protecting public lands and opposing industrial extraction. The Conservation Alliance serves as a founding/backing organization for this initiative.
• 1% for the PlanetcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental partnership allowing member companies to donate 1% of sales to approved nonprofits including The Conservation Alliance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Conservation International: Conservation International is a broad incumbent global conservation organization that partners with corporations on conservation programs. It serves as an alternative destination for corporate ESG and conservation funding that might otherwise flow to TCA.
• The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy is a broad incumbent in the conservation nonprofit space, operating at vastly greater scale with land acquisition, scientific research, and policy advocacy. It competes for philanthropic attention and corporate conservation partnerships that TCA also pursues.
• National Wildlife Federation: The National Wildlife Federation is a broad incumbent environmental nonprofit with a much larger donor base and advocacy footprint. It overlaps with TCA on public lands advocacy and competes for similar corporate conservation grants.

Direct peers

• Sustainable Apparel Coalition: The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is a direct peer: a business-led coalition of apparel and footwear brands using membership dues to fund the Higg Index and collective sustainability advocacy — same constituency as TCA's outdoor apparel members.
• B Lab (B Corporation): B Lab is a direct peer operating a global business coalition that certifies and mobilizes companies around social and environmental performance. Like TCA, it monetizes through tiered corporate membership/certification and aggregates business voice for advocacy.
• EarthShare: EarthShare is a direct peer as a workplace-giving federation that aggregates employee donations to environmental nonprofits, including many TCA grantees. It competes for the same corporate partnership dollars and member-company employee engagement programs.
• Outdoor Industry Association: OIA is a direct peer as the trade association for outdoor industry companies, using membership dues to fund advocacy, research, and community programs. TCA and OIA share many of the same member companies (Patagonia, REI, The North Face) and overlap on policy advocacy.
• 1% for the Planet: 1% for the Planet is a direct peer: it operates a membership-based business coalition that channels corporate donations (1% of sales) to vetted environmental nonprofits. TCA is itself an approved recipient via this program, and the two share network members and a similar coalition-funding model.
• Ceres: Ceres is a direct peer as a coalition of businesses, investors, and policymakers working on environmental and sustainability advocacy. It uses a similar collective-action model, charging membership dues and mobilizing corporate voices on policy issues like climate and land use.

Emerging players

• Net Impact: Net Impact is an emerging player network mobilizing professionals and corporations around social and environmental impact. It overlaps with TCA in mobilizing business-community advocacy and competes for corporate ESG engagement budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/conservationall
• YouTubevimeo.com/conservationalliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/ConservationAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-conservation-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/conservationalliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Conservation Alliance