Southeastern Grasslands Institute

What Southeastern Grasslands Institute does

Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization founded in 2017 and headquartered on the campus of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where it operates as a project of the university's Center of Excellence for Field Biology. The organization is the first and only entity dedicated to the conservation, restoration, and recreation of native southeastern grasslands at a regional scale, covering a 23–24 state focal region that contains the world's 36th recognized biodiversity hotspot (the North American Coastal Plain). Its work spans eight integrated strategies — preservation, restoration, recreation, rescue, research, seedbanking, education, and market-based incentives — executed through five programmatic areas: Grasslands Restoration, Grasslands Research, Native Plant Materials, Indigenous Land Stewardship, and Community Engagement. SGI's technical capabilities include native seed collection and seedbanking, prescribed fire implementation, invasive species control, geospatial mapping through the Grasslandia portal, citizen science biodiversity documentation via iNaturalist, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge integration with Indigenous land stewardship.

SGI's products and services include the Grasslandia geospatial web portal, the Seeds of Success Southeast native seed collection program (coordinated with the Bureau of Land Management and Fish & Wildlife Service), on-the-ground restoration projects across public and private lands, botanical surveys and rare plant inventories, GIS data resources and shapefile downloads, and educational programming including the annual Native Grasslands Symposium. The organization operates regional field offices in Roanoke (Mid-Atlantic), Chattanooga (Southern Appalachians), and Western North Carolina (Indigenous Land Stewardship) in addition to its Clarksville headquarters.

SGI's revenue is generated entirely through four streams: individual donations and major gifts (managed through Austin Peay State University's giving portal), foundation and corporate grants (notably the BAND Foundation, which has contributed over $800,000 cumulatively), multi-year government contracts and cooperative agreements with federal agencies including the National Park Service, USDA-NRCS, TVA, and Tennessee DOT, and fee-for-service conservation consulting. The organization serves four primary customer segments: federal and state government agencies, tribal nations and Indigenous communities, private landowners, and the volunteer/general public, with a co-founder-led leadership team that includes Dr. Dwayne Estes (Executive Director), Theo Witsell (Chief Conservation Officer), and a bench of regional restoration coordinators and program directors.

Name

Southeastern Grasslands Institute

Legal name

Southeastern Grasslands Institute

Website

https://segrasslands.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southeastern Grasslands Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 that conducts native grassland conservation, restoration, research, and education across a 23–24 state region in the southeastern U.S., funded by donations, grants, and federal contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grassland Conservation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (1132), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation, Restoration & Biodiversity Services (Habitat, Wetlands, Riparian) (IMAMAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grassland/Rangeland Management & Restoration (EUABABAF), Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Invasive Species Control & Site Restoration (Pre/Post Planting) (AFAMACAN)

Keywords

• Grassland conservation
• Ecological restoration services
• Native seed banking
• Habitat restoration programs
• Botanical survey services

Headquarters

HQ city

Clarksville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Major Gifts: SGI accepts tax-deductible donations through Austin Peay State University's dedicated fund. The organization employs a Director of Philanthropy (Chris Oberholster) to manage major gift cultivation and donor relationships. Donations are the primary philanthropic revenue stream.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: SGI receives grant funding from foundations and corporate sponsors. The BAND Foundation is a notable donor having given over $800,000 to date. Grants support both operational costs and specific programmatic projects.
3. Government Contracts and Cooperative Agreements: SGI holds multi-year cooperative agreements and contracts with federal agencies including the National Park Service (NPS IRA and BIL projects, America's Ecosystem Restoration Initiative - AERI), USDA-NRCS (Working Lands for Wildlife), Tennessee Department of Transportation, and TVA for conservation work on public and private lands.
4. Fee-for-Service Conservation Work: SGI provides technical consulting, botanical surveys, restoration planning, and ecological assessment services to government agencies and land managers on a fee-for-service basis, such as the cooperative agreement with the Cumberland Piedmont Network of the NPS.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

SGI preserves, restores, and rebuilds native grassland ecosystems across the southeastern United States through five programmatic pillars: Grasslands Restoration, Grasslands Research, Native Plant Materials (seed banking), Indigenous Land Stewardship, and Community Engagement. It delivers conservation outcomes via on-the-ground restoration (invasive removal, prescribed fire, seed planting), botanical surveys and vegetation inventory, native seed collection and banking, geospatial data via the Grasslandia portal, and public volunteer/citizen science programs. Funding flows from individual donations, foundation/corporate grants, and federal/state government contracts with agencies such as the National Park Service, USDA-NRCS, and TVA.

Product overview

Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI) operates as a conservation organization rather than a technology company, offering a suite of interconnected conservation programs and web-based resources. The core offerings include the Grasslands Restoration Program, Grasslands Research Program, Native Plant Materials Program (seed banking), Indigenous Land Stewardship Program, and Community Engagement Program. SGI also provides digital resources including Grasslandia (a geographic web portal), biodiversity documentation tools, and GIS data downloads. These programs work together to achieve the organization's mission of preserving, restoring, and rebuilding native grasslands across the southeastern United States through a combination of direct conservation work, scientific research, and public engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grasslands Restoration Program On-the-ground restoration activities including invasive species removal, prescribed fire implementation, native seed planting, and habitat management across public and private lands in the southeastern U.S. Delivered to government agencies and land management partners through cooperative agreements and contracts.
• Grasslands Research Program Scientific research program conducting biodiversity studies, species surveys, vegetation inventory, and ecological assessments of grassland ecosystems across the southeastern United States. Outputs include rare plant discoveries, Flora documentation, and published research.
• Native Plant Materials Program Program focused on collecting, banking, and supplying native seeds and plant materials critical for grassland restoration, operating the Seeds of Success Southeast program in partnership with Bureau of Land Management and Fish & Wildlife Service. Operates seedbanking and seed cleaning facilities at APSU headquarters.
• Indigenous Land Stewardship Program Program working with tribal nations to integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous land stewardship practices, including cultural fire practices, into grassland conservation efforts across the Southeast.
• Community Engagement Program Volunteer coordination and community outreach program enabling public participation in grassland restoration through workdays, citizen science initiatives (iNaturalist), and educational events across SGI's 23-24 state focal region. Aims to recruit 10,000 volunteers.
• Grasslandia - The Southeastern Grasslands Portal A web-based geographic information portal providing geospatial data, biodiversity information, shapefiles, and resources for locating and managing southeastern grassland ecosystems. Available to researchers, land managers, and the public.
• Biodiversity Exploration & Documentation Service Citizen science initiative coordinating multiple iNaturalist projects for documenting and mapping grassland species, indicator species, and ecological communities across the southeastern U.S., including the Little Mountains Limestone Barrens project and dozens of sub-projects.
• Data Downloads & GIS Resources ArcGIS shapefiles and geographic data resources providing researchers and land managers with access to southeastern grassland distribution, vegetation, and ecological information.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rediscovered state-endangered Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides) on the Cumberland Plateau - first documentation in 25 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (University of Texas at Austin)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2025A Texas Hub of SGI was established at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in November 2019 to advance landscape conservation and ecological restoration, combining the missions of both organizations.
• North Carolina Botanical Garden (UNC Chapel Hill)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe North Carolina Botanical Garden is a unit of UNC Chapel Hill and a founding partner of SGI. It features an 1,100+ acre campus, the South's second largest herbarium (800,000 specimens), and is a founding member of the Center for Plant Conservation and Seeds of Success (US BLM). It has a staff of 44 and an annual operating budget of $3,200,000 with a $3,500,000 endowment. Alan Weakley serves as Director of the Herbarium and SGI's Chief Botanist.
• Roundstone Native Seed, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoundstone is one of the leading producers of native plant seeds in the eastern U.S., based in Upton, Kentucky with a staff of nearly 40. They bring extensive experience with processing native seeds and installing grassland restorations, with an unparalleled commitment to excellence and customer service.
• State Botanical Garden of Georgia (University of Georgia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens, GA is a strategic partner providing botanical expertise, conservation capacity, and hosting the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance with a dedicated grasslands coordinator position funded through a Riverview Foundation grant.
• Austin Peay State University (APSU) - Center of Excellence for Field BiologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGI is a project of Austin Peay State University, housed within the Center of Excellence for Field Biology. APSU provides institutional infrastructure, payroll, fundraising, and academic support. SGI's headquarters are located on the APSU campus.
• Quail ForevercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGI and Quail Forever signed a 5-year MOU in December 2019 to advance landscape conservation of native grasslands in the Southeast. SGI supervises the Farm Bill Resource Conservation Partnership Project (RCPP) team, staffed by Quail Forever personnel operating from SGI's APSU headquarters.
• USDA-NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGI partnered with NRCS in July 2025 to promote the Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) Northern Bobwhite, Grasslands, and Savannas Framework. The partnership supports SGI's tribal staff in engaging tribal landowners with technical and financial assistance available through the Farm Bill.
• National Park Service (Cumberland Piedmont Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Cooperative Agreement between SGI and the Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN) of NPS funds three projects in 14 parks across 8 states over 5 years: surveying the federally endangered Green Pitcher Plant, rare plant surveys at Cumberland Gap NHP, and a vegetation inventory and monitoring program.
• Society for Range Management (SRM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGI signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Society for Range Management in January 2018 to facilitate cooperative work, communication, and outreach to support grasslands and rangelands of the Southeast. SRM is a professional scientific society with over 4,000 members in 48 countries.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGI worked with TVA in 2019 to survey flora and pollinator communities of 15 powerline right-of-way grasslands on the Cumberland Plateau, discovering the state-endangered rose pogonia orchid and documenting numerous rare species.
• Bureau of Land Management - Seeds of Success SoutheastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGI serves as lead coordinator for the Seeds of Success Southeast program in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management and Fish & Wildlife Service, collecting native seed from remnant grassland populations for genetic preservation and restoration use.
• Fish & Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGI serves as lead coordinator for the Seeds of Success Southeast program in partnership with the Fish & Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management, collecting and banking native seed genetics for grassland restoration.
• Tennessee Plant Conservation AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA new initiative connecting university programs, botanical gardens, government agencies, land managers, and botanical experts to facilitate rare plant conservation across Tennessee. Cooper Breeden serves as Conservation Coordinator, supported by APSU.
• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPRI collaborated with SGI and TVA on surveying powerline corridor grasslands and documenting pollinator communities on the Cumberland Plateau in 2019.
• Tennessee Department of TransportationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Tennessee Department of Transportation awarded SGI a project to develop a plan to better conserve and manage grassland and pollinator habitat found on Tennessee highway rights-of-way, including documentation of existing habitat to prioritize protection and restoration areas.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ducks Unlimited: A large waterfowl- and wetland-focused habitat conservation nonprofit with growing grassland and prairie programs. Comparable as an incumbent that competes for the same NRCS, USDA, and private-lands conservation funding and operates multi-state habitat-delivery teams.
• The Nature Conservancy: The largest global conservation NGO with significant southeastern grasslands and savanna restoration work, including programs under its Saving Plants initiative. TNC is comparable to SGI as the most-established private-sector competitor for the same agency contracts, foundation grants, and private-lands conservation funding in the region.
• National Wildlife Federation: A national conservation nonprofit active across southeastern states with grassland and pollinator programs. Comparable as a broad-based incumbent competing for the same federal grants, foundation funding, and individual donor pool as SGI.
• National Audubon Society: A national bird-conservation nonprofit with active southeastern grassland bird initiatives (including the Bobwhite conservation framework). Comparable to SGI in mission overlap on grassland-dependent bird species and in pursuit of overlapping NRCS and private-lands funding.

Direct peers

• Center for Plant Conservation: A national network dedicated to conserving rare plant species, of which North Carolina Botanical Garden (an SGI founding partner) is a founding member. Comparable as a directly aligned organization working on native plant materials, seed banking, and rare species conservation in the same geography.
• Quail Forever: A grassland-bird-focused conservation nonprofit and current SGI partner under a 5-year MOU. Comparable as both an organization delivering Farm Bill RCPP and private-lands grassland restoration across the Southeast and as a direct co-bidder for the same federal and foundation funding.
• Pheasants Forever: The sister organization to Quail Forever, focused on grassland habitat conservation for pheasants and other wildlife through Farm Bill delivery and private-lands partnerships. Comparable to SGI as a national-scale grassland NGO with deep NRCS-contract relationships and overlapping donor base in working-lands conservation.
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: The University of Texas at Austin native plant conservation and landscaping research center, and an SGI hub partner (Texas Hub established November 2019). Directly comparable in mission focus on native plant materials, restoration science, and public engagement around native ecosystems.

Emerging players

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: A nonprofit focused on invertebrate (especially pollinator) conservation with significant overlap with SGI's pollinator and grassland restoration work funded through agencies like TDOT and EPRI/TVA. Comparable as a fellow specialist with shared funding sources and audiences.

Others

• Society for Range Management: An international scientific and professional society for rangeland management, and an SGI partner under a Memorandum of Agreement since 2018. Comparable as an ecosystem partner that convenes the same practitioner audience and provides scientific legitimacy, though it does not directly compete for restoration contracts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/segrasslands
• Facebookfacebook.com/southeasterngrasslands
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southeastern-grasslands-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southeastern Grasslands Institute