The Downstream Project
The Downstream Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides website hosting, video production, graphic design, data visualization, and the WaterWatch citizen engagement platform to approximately 40 watershed conservation organizations and land trusts, primarily in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBerryville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Downstream Project does
The Downstream Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2007 and headquartered in Berryville, Virginia, that provides digital communication, design, and data services to watershed and conservation groups. Its core offerings include website design and hosting on Google Cloud Platform, video production, member and donor management systems, graphic design and messaging, and WaterWatch — a proprietary citizen engagement platform that connects watershed groups with members, activates volunteers, and surfaces water quality and contamination data. The organization also delivers cloud-based data visualization work, most notably transforming nearly 40 years of water quality data into interactive dashboards for the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and Friends of the Shenandoah River. Services are delivered as ongoing partnerships with approximately 40 conservation organizations rather than transactional client engagements.
The organization's technology stack centers on Google Cloud Platform hosting with auto-healing WordPress sites, instant scaling, staging capabilities, and free CDN delivery, supplemented by cloud-based databases with interactive dashboards for water quality monitoring data. WaterWatch, the most differentiated proprietary product, was piloted in 2021 with The Commons and the Water Data Collaborative and reached production deployment with Friends of the Shenandoah River in 2025. The Downstream 2.0 platform upgrade in December 2025 expanded the underlying technology and data tooling, followed by a faster webserver rollout in April 2026.
The business model combines tax-deductible donations and grants — solicited directly through the website — with affordable service fees for nonprofit partners. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the organization relies on the founder (George Ohrstrom II) as board president, an executive director (Bill Howard), an Emmy-winning media producer (Mike Murdock), a recently hired operations manager, and a board that includes former USDA watershed restoration scientists. The organization serves a narrow vertical of watershed conservation organizations, land trusts, and conservation collaboratives across the Chesapeake Bay watershed (Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland) and increasingly in Michigan.
The Downstream Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Downstream Project
- Legal name
- The Downstream Project
- Website
- https://thedownstreamproject.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Downstream Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides website hosting, video production, graphic design, data visualization, and the WaterWatch citizen engagement platform to approximately 40 watershed conservation organizations and land trusts, primarily in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Downstream Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Conservation Communications Services
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)
Keywords
Where The Downstream Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berryville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Downstream Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Downstream Project relies on tax-deductible donations and grants to fund operations. The website explicitly solicits donations to provide resources for helping partners expand their reach.
- Conservation Communications Services: Provides communications services including website design/hosting, video production, graphic design, and data storytelling to watershed and conservation organizations. Services are offered to nonprofit partners at affordable prices.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
The Downstream Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Downstream Project delivers digital communications, design, video production, web hosting, and data visualization services to nonprofit watershed and conservation organizations. Its core includes website design and hosting on Google Cloud Platform, video production, member and donor management, graphic design, and the proprietary WaterWatch citizen engagement platform that connects watershed groups with members, activates volunteers, quantifies stream restoration outcomes, and alerts the public about stream contamination.
Product overview
The Downstream Project is a nonprofit technology and communications organization offering a suite of services to watershed conservation groups. Their core offerings include Website Design and Hosting, Video Production, Member and Donor Management, Graphic Design and Messaging, and WaterWatch — a citizen engagement platform. The organization operates on a service-based model rather than a product-platform architecture, providing communications support, digital infrastructure, and data tools to help conservation partners expand their reach through awareness, alliance, and action.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Website Design and Hosting
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 40 years of water quality data made accessible through interactive visualizations for Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Downstream Project
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Downstream Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Downstream Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land TrustmajorDownstream partner awarded $209,300 through Chesapeake Watershed Investment for Landscape Defense (WILD) program to expand collaborative capacity of Cacapon Watershed Collaborative for habitat protection and restoration.
- Catoctin Land TrustmajorDownstream partner awarded $75,700 through WILD program to complete assessment of Monocacy Grasslands Important Bird Area in partnership with Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership and Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative.
- Friends of the Shenandoah RivercoreLong-standing partnership for water quality monitoring in the Shenandoah watershed. Created data management and visualization system for E. coli monitoring results with cloud-based database and interactive dashboards. Also collaborated on WaterWatch citizen engagement app deployment in 2025.
- Tip of the Mitt Watershed CouncilcoreCollaborative data visualization project transforming nearly 40 years of water quality data into visual stories for the watershed council's service area covering over 40 lakes and 80+ rivers and streams in Northern Michigan.
- The Commons (DC-based nonprofit)coreTechnology partner for WaterWatch pilot project and data visualization initiatives. Collaboration supported citizen science water monitoring programs in the Shenandoah Valley.
- Water Data CollaborativemajorPartnership announced in 2021 for WaterWatch pilot project to support citizen science water monitoring programs.
- Capital Region Land ConservancymajorSelected to re-design website for CRLC serving greater Richmond, VA area. First group from the James River region of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to join the Downstream Network.
- Blue Ridge Conservation AlliancecoreDownstream hosts and maintains the BRCA website and provides back office support including data and events management. BRCA is a network of partners protecting the Blue Ridge landscape from Front Royal, VA to Harpers Ferry, WV.
- Stroud Water Research CentermajorTaught DIY environmental sensor workshop along the Shenandoah River. Stroud Center provides expertise in watershed science, Arduino-based monitoring systems, and water quality research.
- Virginia Working LandscapesmajorCo-hosted DIY environmental sensor workshop funded by U.S. EPA along the Shenandoah River in Clarke County, VA.
- Potomac RiverkeepermajorCollaboration on Water Reporter app initiative allowing citizens to report pollution incidents. App automatically tags location and sends reports with photos to Riverkeepers in the Chesapeake Bay region.
- Shenandoah UniversitymajorLong-standing educational partnership including Shenandoah EcoVenture 2009 collaboration, use of Cool Spring Campus for BRCA summit, and River Campus for environmental workshops.
- South River Watershed CoalitioncoreWebsite design and hosting for the coalition which became independent and nonprofit in 2022 after over 20 years of mercury monitoring by the South River Science Team.
- Cacapon InstitutemajorOngoing collaboration on conservation projects including tree planting initiatives and watershed outreach in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle.
- Chesapeake Bay FoundationmajorCollaboration on educational events including EcoVenture where Chesapeake Bay Foundation educators joined river expeditions for fish population studies.
- Piedmont Environmental CouncilcoreCo-chairmanship with George Ohrstrom and collaborative work on Blue Ridge Conservation Alliance and various conservation policy initiatives.
- Friends of the Blue Ridge MountainsmajorOrganizational member of Blue Ridge Conservation Alliance steering committee and collaboration on BRCA summit organization.
- Appalachian Trail ConservancymajorMember of Blue Ridge Conservation Alliance steering committee working on landscape conservation along the Appalachian Trail corridor.
- Opequon Creek WatershedcoreVideo documentation support for illegal dumping incident response and ongoing cleanup operations affecting the Opequon Creek tributary of the Potomac River.
- Land Trust of VirginiamajorCo-lead presenter on conservation easement webinar for BRCA, educating landowners about land protection tools.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Downstream Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Large regional nonprofit dedicated to restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Downstream has partnered with CBF on EcoVenture educational events; both serve the same watershed geography but CBF operates its own programs at a much larger scale.
- Waterkeeper Alliance: Global nonprofit network supporting local Waterkeeper groups with advocacy, legal, and communications resources. Comparable in mission alignment with watershed protection and providing shared services to a network of partner organizations.
- River Network: National nonprofit supporting grassroots river and watershed groups with training, resources, and convening. Conceptually comparable to Downstream in serving as a backbone organization for smaller watershed groups across the country.
Direct peers
- Stroud Water Research Center: Independent water research and education nonprofit. Downstream has partnered with Stroud on DIY environmental sensor workshops and shares a watershed science and citizen monitoring focus, though Stroud's primary mission is research rather than communications.
- The Commons: DC-based nonprofit that has co-developed the WaterWatch pilot and collaborative data visualization with The Downstream Project. Directly comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit building data and storytelling tools for conservation partners.
- Blue Ridge Conservation Alliance: Regional conservation collaborative that Downstream hosts, maintains the website for, and provides back office support. Comparable as a landscape-scale conservation collaboration in the same Chesapeake Bay watershed geography.
- Cacapon Institute: West Virginia-based watershed nonprofit collaborating with Downstream on tree planting and watershed outreach. Comparable as a small regional watershed organization that is both a peer in the sector and an active partner organization.
- Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council: Northern Michigan watershed council that Downstream built a 40-year data visualization project for. Comparable as a nonprofit watershed organization, though as a Downstream client rather than a peer service provider.
Regional players
- Potomac Conservancy: Regional watershed nonprofit serving the Potomac River corridor in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Comparable in geography, mission focus on watershed protection, and reliance on partnerships, though Potomac Conservancy runs its own programs rather than serving as a communications back-office for other groups.
Emerging players
- Firefly Partners: Digital agency specializing in web design,CRM, and digital strategy for nonprofits and conservation organizations. Closest for-profit comparable to Downstream's website hosting, design, and member/donor management services, though not nonprofit.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Customer concentration
The Downstream Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Downstream Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Downstream Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Downstream Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Downstream Project 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 The Downstream Project
What does The Downstream Project do?
The Downstream Project delivers digital communications, design, video production, web hosting, and data visualization services to nonprofit watershed and conservation organizations. Its core includes website design and hosting on Google Cloud Platform, video production, member and donor management, graphic design, and the proprietary WaterWatch citizen engagement platform that connects watershed groups with members, activates volunteers, quantifies stream restoration outcomes, and alerts the public about stream contamination.
Is The Downstream Project a public or private company?
The Downstream Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Downstream Project founded?
The Downstream Project was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Downstream Project based?
The Downstream Project is headquartered in Berryville, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Downstream Project make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are conservation Communications Services.
Who are The Downstream Project's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Waterkeeper Alliance and River Network. Direct peers are Stroud Water Research Center, The Commons, Blue Ridge Conservation Alliance, Cacapon Institute and Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. Potomac Conservancy is listed as a regional player. Firefly Partners is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Downstream Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Downstream Project.
What industry is The Downstream Project in?
The Downstream Project's product category is Conservation Communications Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAK, Water Resources & Watershed Protection. Its NAICS code is 813312.