Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative

What Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative does

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a binational nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1993 and headquartered in Canmore, Alberta, that connects and protects habitat across a 3,400 km (2,100 mile) corridor spanning five U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, two territories, and more than 75 Indigenous territories. The organization operates at the largest landscape scale of any single conservation initiative in North America, with a stated focus of enabling wildlife movement and genetic exchange, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and stewarding headwaters along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. It is structured as a U.S. 501(c)(3) (US IRS #81-0535303) and a Canadian registered 149(1)(f) charity (#86430 1841 RR0001), and is recognized in donor materials as a Native-led and Indigenous-knowledge-integrating organization operating within Treaty 7 territory.

Y2Y delivers its mission through three core programs: Landscape Protection (identifying and conserving core habitat through land acquisition and stewardship partnerships), Landscape Connection (wildlife corridor construction, crossings, and barrier removal in collaboration with communities and governments), and Communities & Conservation (human-wildlife coexistence work). Its technology stack is modest and primarily scientific rather than productized: wildlife tracking, satellite imagery analysis, and integration of community and Indigenous knowledge systems, with no proprietary AI/ML platform, no commercial software product, and no public API documented. Donor-side infrastructure runs on Givecloud, with separate U.S. and Canadian donor portals. Notable operational outcomes cited in source materials include an ~80% increase in protected areas across the region, a reduction in the gap between isolated grizzly populations from 240 km to ~80 km, support for 204+ wildlife crossings, an 83% reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions at crossing sites, recovery of the Klinse-Za caribou herd from 38 (2013) to ~180 (2023), and 45,000 hectares of conserved land in the Elk Valley of British Columbia.

Y2Y's funding model is multi-stream and donor-driven: individual recurring and one-time donations via y2y.net, project and operating grants from foundations (e.g., Gencon, Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas, Sitka, Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg, Donald J. Slavik Family Foundation, Alberta Ecotrust, Calgary Foundation) and government programs (e.g., Parks Canada's NPEC, U.S. Federal Highway, Montana DOT), and a planned-giving endowment at the Montana Community Foundation offering charitable gift annuities. The organization distributes impact primarily through partner execution on the ground (Vital Ground, Wildsight, Miistakis Institute, Indigenous Leadership Initiative, Saulteau First Nations, West Moberly First Nations, Kaska Dena, CSKT, Dena Kayeh Institute, Biodiversity Pathways) rather than through direct field operations, positioning the model as catalytic and convening rather than service-delivery at scale.

Name

Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative

Legal name

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative

Website

https://y2y.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a binational nonprofit that connects and protects 1.3 million km² of Rocky Mountain habitat. It works with Indigenous Nations, governments, and conservation partners to enable wildlife movement and biodiversity conservation across the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Canmore

HQ country

Canada

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: Individual donors contribute through the organization's website portal, supporting ongoing conservation work. Separate donor portals exist for U.S. and Canadian donors.
2. Planned Giving / Endowment: Planned giving vehicles including charitable gift annuities, deferred charitable gift annuities, and endowment funds at Montana Community Foundation provide long-term funding support with tax benefits for donors.
3. Grants: Y2Y receives grant funding from foundations and government programs to support specific conservation projects and initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a nonprofit organization that connects and protects habitat across a 3,400 km (2,100 mile) region from Yellowstone to Yukon, spanning 1.3 million km² of the Rocky Mountains. The organization delivers three core programs—Landscape Protection, Landscape Connection (wildlife corridors), and Communities & Conservation—working with Indigenous Nations, government agencies, and conservation partners to enable wildlife movement and reverse biodiversity loss.

Product overview

Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a collaborative nonprofit organization (a U.S. 501(c)(3) and Canadian registered charity) focused on large-landscape conservation rather than a commercial product company. Its core offerings consist of three interconnected conservation programs: Landscape Protection (identifying and protecting core habitat), Landscape Connection (creating wildlife corridors and removing barriers), and Communities & Conservation (fostering human-wildlife coexistence). Supporting services include a Donor Portal for managing contributions, Grant Programs for funding conservation projects, and a Newsletter Subscription for public engagement. The organization does not offer commercial software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Protection Identifies core habitat across the Yellowstone to Yukon landscape and works with partners to protect it through land conservation and stewardship initiatives.
• Landscape Connection Works with communities and governments to create safe wildlife corridors and remove barriers that wildlife face as they move throughout the landscape, including wildlife crossings and fencing projects.
• Communities & Conservation Helps communities understand, embrace and expand practices that promote safety, coexistence and harmony between people and wildlife.
• Donor Portal Online platform for donors to manage monthly donations, credit cards, and contact information, with separate U.S. and Canadian portals.
• Grant Programs Provides funding opportunities to support conservation projects within the Yellowstone to Yukon region, including the Sarah Baker Memorial Fund for graduate research.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% increase in protected areas across the Yellowstone to Yukon region
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dena Kayeh InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDena Kayeh Institute leads the Dene K'éh Kusān Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) initiative in northern British Columbia. Y2Y serves as an ally in achieving this vision through growing a network of support for the plan to protect one of B.C.'s largest intact wilderness landscapes (30,651 km²).
• Vital GroundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVital Ground and Y2Y have collaborated on multiple land protection projects in Montana, including protecting key wildlife corridor habitat connections in the I-90 corridor near Garrison and Superior, and in northwestern Montana near the confluence of the Bull River and Clark Fork River.
• Miistakis InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMiistakis Institute is a partner in the Reconnecting the Rockies project, working to construct wildlife crossing structures and fencing along Highway 3 in southeast B.C. to improve wildlife connectivity and reduce vehicle collisions.
• WildsightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildsight collaborates with Y2Y on the Reconnecting the Rockies project, supporting wildlife crossing infrastructure and habitat connectivity work in the Canadian Rockies.
• Biodiversity PathwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiodiversity Pathways leads research and outreach activities for the Reconnecting the Rockies project, with Dr. Clayton Lamb contributing expertise on wildlife movement and habitat connectivity.
• Parks CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParks Canada supports the Reconnecting the Rockies project through its National Program for Ecological Corridors (NPEC), which recognizes the Highway 3 corridor as a key landscape for wildlife connectivity. Also supports caribou recovery efforts in Jasper National Park.
• Indigenous Leadership InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous Leadership Initiative promotes Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship in Canada. Y2Y partners with this organization to support Indigenous Guardian programs and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) across the Yellowstone to Yukon region.
• Saulteau First NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaulteau First Nations operates Land Guardian and Caribou Guardian programs in northern B.C. Y2Y supports this work through funding, equipment purchases, Guardian training, and helping share their stories. The Nations led the recovery of the Klinse-Za caribou herd from 38 individuals in 2013 to nearly 180 in 2023.
• West Moberly First NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWest Moberly First Nations led the historic caribou partnership agreement signed in 2021 with B.C. and Canadian governments. They co-manage the Klinse-Za/Twin Sisters protected area and operate Caribou Guardian programs supporting species recovery.
• Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSKT received federal funding for wildlife connectivity work on Highway 93 through the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects program. Y2Y advocated for this funding and supports the project which includes 38 wildlife crossings on a 90.6-km section of US-93.
• Nature Conservancy of CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Conservancy of Canada has a plan to conserve 5,000+ km² of prairie grasslands by 2030 to increase water storage and quality across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, supporting landscape-scale conservation aligned with Y2Y's mission.
• Kaska DenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaska Dena have stewarded lands in northwest British Columbia for generations. Their vision for Dene K'éh Kusān offers a path to protect wildlife, clean water, and cultural values while creating lasting opportunities for recreation, tourism, and Indigenous stewardship.
• Montana Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontana Department of Transportation collaborated with CSKT and Federal Highway Administration on the Highway 93 wildlife crossing project, implementing a 'spirit of place' approach to road design that prioritizes wildlife connectivity.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Y2YInitiative
• Facebookfacebook.com/Yellowstone2Yukon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yellowstone-to-yukon-conservation-initiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/y2y_initiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative