Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

What Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance does

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization founded in 1983 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with additional offices in Washington, DC and Moab. It is the only non-partisan, non-profit organization working full time to defend Utah's redrock wilderness, advocating for permanent wilderness designation of more than 8 million acres of Bureau of Land Management land under America's Red Rock Wilderness Act. Its core 'products' are policy and legal initiatives rather than commercial goods: the legislative advocacy campaign for the Red Rock Wilderness Act, litigation against national monument reductions, on-the-ground stewardship projects, and a grassroots organizing program branded 'Protect Wild Utah.' Supporting assets include an extensive content library of wilderness area documentation (StoryMaps, 'Wilderness at the Edge' proposal), educational multimedia (podcast, YouTube videos), and an e-commerce storefront selling branded merchandise.

SUWA's business model is a member-supported donation model: more than 90% of revenue comes from membership dues and individual donations, supplemented by merchandise sales and planned giving (including stock donations). Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on grassroots mobilization through email action alerts, social media (Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), podcast episodes, and in-person events such as the July 2026 Monumental Statewide Day of Action across five Utah cities. The customer base is a distributed national membership of wilderness advocates, with institutional support from the Utah Wilderness Coalition — a coalition of more than 200 national and regional conservation organizations that SUWA co-founded in 1985. SUWA also coordinates strategically with the Bears Ears Coalition and Grand Staircase Coalition on monument defense.

Name

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

Legal name

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

Website

https://suwa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit founded in 1983 that defends Utah's redrock wilderness through legislative advocacy for America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, monument litigation, stewardship projects, and grassroots organizing, funded primarily by national membership dues and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Advocacy

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

Keywords

• Wilderness conservation advocacy
• Public lands protection
• Environmental nonprofit
• Wilderness designation
• Conservation legislation

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Donations: The primary revenue stream, accounting for more than 90 percent of total funding. Members and supporters contribute annual dues and one-time donations to support wilderness protection efforts.
2. Merchandise Sales: The organization operates an e-commerce storefront selling branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, stickers, hats, fanny packs, and gift memberships to raise supplemental revenue.
3. Planned Giving: The organization accepts planned giving contributions including stock donations as part of its overall fundraising strategy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SUWA is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that advocates for permanent wilderness designation of more than 8 million acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Utah under America's Red Rock Wilderness Act. Its core activities include federal legislative advocacy, litigation challenging national monument reductions, grassroots member mobilization through email action alerts and events, on-the-ground stewardship projects, and operation of an online merchandise store. The organization funds these efforts through membership dues, donations, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) operates primarily as a non-profit advocacy organization rather than a technology product company. The organization's digital presence consists of its main website serving as a hub for wilderness protection advocacy, with key programs including America's Red Rock Wilderness Act legislative advocacy, on-the-ground stewardship projects, and a grassroots movement organizing. Additional offerings include an online merchandise store, multimedia content (videos and podcasts), and email-based newsletter communications. The portfolio centers on advocacy, education, and field conservation rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SUWA Online Store (Branded Merchandise) E-commerce storefront offering branded apparel, accessories, and gift memberships to members and supporters; each purchase supports SUWA's wilderness protection advocacy. Target buyer: individual supporters and gift purchasers in the United States.
• Stewardship Projects (Volunteer Service Program) Volunteer-based field service program where members and supporters participate in hands-on conservation work on Utah's public lands. Target buyer: individual members and conservation volunteers seeking direct engagement with wilderness protection activities.
• SUWA Membership and Recurring Giving Paid membership program (annual dues, monthly recurring giving, planned giving, and honorary/memorial gifts) that funds SUWA's advocacy work and provides supporters with updates, action alerts, and engagement opportunities. Target buyer: individual donors and members nationwide supporting wilderness protection.

Quantifiable outcome

• America's Red Rock Wilderness Act would protect more than 8 million acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Utah
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Utah Wilderness CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Utah Wilderness Coalition is a coalition of conservation groups formed in 1985 that developed the citizens' wilderness proposal 'Wilderness at the Edge.' More than 200 national and regional conservation organizations belong to this coalition, including SUWA as a founding member. The coalition has been introducing America's Red Rock Wilderness Act in Congress since 1989.
• Sierra ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSierra Club is listed as a supporting organization for America's Red Rock Wilderness Act along with the Utah Wilderness Coalition.
• Natural Resources Defense CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNatural Resources Defense Council is listed as a supporting organization for America's Red Rock Wilderness Act along with the Utah Wilderness Coalition.
• Wasatch Mountain ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWasatch Mountain Club is listed as a supporting organization for America's Red Rock Wilderness Act along with the Utah Wilderness Coalition.
• Bears Ears CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUWA works closely with the Bears Ears Coalition to promote and protect Bears Ears National Monument, coordinating advocacy efforts and litigation challenges.
• Grand Staircase CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUWA works closely with the Grand Staircase Coalition to protect Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument from reductions in boundary or protections.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Center for Biological Diversity: Nonprofit environmental organization that uses litigation and grassroots advocacy to protect endangered species and wild places. Directly comparable to SUWA in leveraging federal courts to defend habitat and biodiversity.
• National Parks Conservation Association: National nonprofit dedicated to protecting and enhancing the U.S. National Park System, including advocacy around Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante — closely overlapping SUWA's monument defense work.
• Sierra Club: One of the largest and most established U.S. environmental nonprofits, actively co-supporting America's Red Rock Wilderness Act alongside SUWA. Directly comparable as a membership-driven conservation advocacy organization with similar legislative and litigation strategies.
• Earthjustice: Public-interest environmental law organization that frequently litigates alongside SUWA on national monument and public lands cases. Comparable as a mission-aligned legal advocacy organization with similar court-based impact strategy.
• The Wilderness Society: National wilderness-focused advocacy nonprofit that works on federal land designation and monument protection — closely overlapping SUWA's mission around the Wilderness Act and BLM land management.
• Natural Resources Defense Council: Major national environmental advocacy organization also listed as a supporting organization for America's Red Rock Wilderness Act. Comparable as a policy-focused nonprofit combining litigation, lobbying, and member mobilization on public lands and climate issues.
• Defenders of Wildlife: National nonprofit advocating for wildlife and habitat protection through policy, litigation, and education — comparable operating model and federal lands advocacy posture to SUWA.

Regional players

• Western Watersheds Project: Regional nonprofit focused on protecting and restoring western watersheds and public lands, with overlapping geography in Utah and the Intermountain West. Comparable advocacy and litigation-driven operating model.
• Grand Canyon Trust: Regional nonprofit focused on protecting the Colorado Plateau, with overlapping geography and similar focus on public lands stewardship and advocacy. Comparable mission and operating geography to SUWA.

Emerging players

• WildEarth Guardians: Conservation advocacy organization using litigation and field campaigns to protect wildlife and wild places across the American West. Comparable in scale and tactical approach to SUWA, particularly around public lands defense.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/utahwilderness
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthernUtahWildernessAlliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/protectwildutah
• TikToktiktok.com/@protectwildutah
• Xx.com/protectwildutah
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-utah-wilderness-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance