COMMUNITY CLOUD FOREST CONSERVATION

What COMMUNITY CLOUD FOREST CONSERVATION does

Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) is a non-profit conservation and human development organization founded in 2001 by Rob and Tara Cahill, incorporated in Pennsylvania as a 501(c)(3) and operated from a main campus in Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. It delivers education, reforestation, agroecology, and leadership-scholarship programs to approximately 110 remote indigenous Q'eqchi' Maya mountain villages bordering the cloud forests of Guatemala's central highlands. Core programs include WALC (Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation), a 25-day residential workshop for young Q'eqchi' women; Kids & Birds, an environmental-education program using Cornell Lab of Ornithology's BirdSleuth curriculum; the Valiant Leap scholarship for sixth-grade girls; reforestation of cloud-forest parcels; and village-based agroecology training. Programs are authorized annually by Guatemala's Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and delivered in partnership with MAGA, INEB, and CONAP.

The organization's programmatic model combines on-campus residential workshops with village-based follow-up by advanced WALC interns, who distribute scholarships, tree seedlings, fruit trees, and clean cooking stoves to participant families. The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: BirdSleuth curriculum, Q'eqchi'-language field guides, the Donorbox donation platform, WhatsApp groups for cohort communication, and a quarterly email newsletter. Impact signals include 25,250 trees planted in 2020, 212 of 219 fall-2019 WALC students continuing through the 2020 school year, and identification of 17 amphibian and 34 reptile species on the campus (approximately 50% endangered or endemic).

Revenue is generated primarily through individual contributions and foundation grants, with 2024 splits disclosed at 72% contributions and grants, 27% program service revenue, and 1% investment income. Monthly giving tiers run at $25 (one WALC participant), $40 (one Kids & Birds school), and $100 (one acre of cloud forest), with one-time scholarships at $150 each. Strategic financial partners include Dining For Women, Together Women Rise, Disney Conservation Fund, and Bobolink Foundation, while operational partners include Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Solidaridad, ITERN, Indigo Expeditions, and Arc of Appalachia. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on donor cultivation, board-member referrals, and educational workshops rather than a sales motion.

Name

COMMUNITY CLOUD FOREST CONSERVATION

Legal name

Community Cloud Forest Conservation

Website

https://cloudforestconservation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Cloud Forest Conservation is a non-profit that delivers education, reforestation, and agroecology programs to alleviate poverty and protect cloud forests in approximately 110 remote Q'eqchi' Maya mountain villages in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, primarily serving young indigenous women and school-age children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Forestry & Indigenous Land Stewardship Services (IMAMAJAM)

Keywords

• Cloud forest conservation
• Environmental education programs
• Agroecology training
• Reforestation services
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Cobán

HQ country

Guatemala

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Contributions and Donations: Primary revenue source. Individual donors contribute to various programs including Valiant Leap scholarships, WALC, Kids & Birds, reforestation, and general operations. 100% of donations are used in Guatemala for conservation and community development.
2. Grants: CCFC receives grants from foundations and organizations. In 2024, 72% of revenue came from contributions and grants combined.
3. Program Service Revenue: Revenue from educational programs and services. In 2024, 27% of revenue came from program service revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that alleviates poverty and protects cloud forests in Guatemala's central highlands through community-based programs. Its core offerings include the WALC (Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation) 25-day residential leadership program for young Q'eqchi' Maya women, the Kids & Birds environmental education program for rural school students, the Valiant Leap scholarship, reforestation initiatives, and agroecology training across approximately 110 remote mountain villages.

Product overview

Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) is a non-profit conservation and human development organization that offers community-based programs rather than commercial technology products. Its offerings include WALC (Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation), Kids & Birds, The Valiant Leap scholarship program, reforestation initiatives, agroecology training, and research programs. These are charitable educational and conservation programs focused on alleviating poverty and protecting cloud forests in Guatemala's central highlands through education, reforestation, sustainable development, leadership training, and ecological improvements to agriculture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WALC (Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation): A 25-day leadership training workshop for young Q'eqchi' Maya women focusing on agroecology, nutrition, conservation biology, environmental stewardship, and life skills.

Products and services

• The Valiant Leap Scholarship Scholarship incentive program for sixth-grade girls within the upper Mestela and Chilax watersheds to support their transition from sixth to seventh grade and continuation of education.
• WALC (Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation) A 25-day residential leadership and education program for young indigenous Q'eqchi' Maya women aged 12-28 from remote mountain villages, covering agroecology, nutrition, conservation biology, environmental stewardship, life planning, and family planning. Includes scholarships to support continued education; WALC alumni serve as teachers and program coordinators.
• Kids & Birds Environmental Education Program Environmental education program using Cornell Lab of Ornithology's BirdSleuth curriculum to introduce primary, middle, and high school students in Alta Verapaz to conservation biology and citizen science, with hands-on bird-focused learning.
• Reforestation Program Village-based reforestation initiative in Guatemala's central highlands that plants native tree seedlings, restores illegally deforested cloud forest parcels, and supports watershed protection. In 2020, 25,250 trees were planted in habitat restoration, reforestation, and WALC agro-forest parcels.
• Agroecology Training Program Community agroecology training delivered to remote mountain villages covering sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and ecological improvements that improve family income and food security while reducing agricultural encroachment on cloud forests.

Quantifiable outcome

• WALC students have less than 5% dropout rate compared to 75% for other girls in their villages
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Solidaridad NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016International organization that sponsored CCFC coordinators Elvira Ac Macz and Vilma Leticia Toc Maas to represent WALC as a model of women's empowerment at World Cacao and Chocolate Conference and Women In Cacao and Chocolate roundtables in Dominican Republic (2016) and Berlin (2018). Published video about WALC program.
• ITERN (Institute of Natural Resources)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014CCFC's local partner in San Juan Chamelco. Holds tree planting days and collaborates on reforestation initiatives. Assisted in major reforestation step forward in late summer 2017.
• Gulf Coast Bird ObservatoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBird conservation organization. Listed as partner organization supporting CCFC's mission.
• Cornell Lab of OrnithologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term research and educational partnership. CCFC uses Cornell's BirdSleuth curriculum. Researchers from Cornell have conducted PhD research on WALC program. Cornell Lab with National Geographic Society produced videos about CCFC programs. One doctoral dissertation and one master's thesis from Cornell University based on CCFC's WALC program.
• MINEDUC (Guatemala Ministry of Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual authorization of CCFC's educational programs. Provincial partnership with Ministry of Education in Alta Verapaz department.
• MAGA (Guatemala Ministry of Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Guatemala Ministry of Agriculture on agricultural development and conservation initiatives.
• INEB (Ministry of Forests)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Ministry of Forests on reforestation and forest protection initiatives.
• CONAP (Protected Areas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with National Council of Protected Areas on conservation of cloud forests and protected areas.
• Arc of AppalachiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand preservation and education nonprofit based in Ohio. Partnership formed in 2024 following board member connections. Organizations work together on respective land preservation projects to support neo-tropical migratory birds that breed in Appalachia and winter in Guatemala.
• Trees, Water & PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization. International Director Gemara Gifford recommends CCFC's agroforestry program and authored thesis on linking bird conservation and sustainable livelihoods.
• Indigo ExpeditionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch organization collaborating with CCFC since 2014 on assessing amphibian and reptile diversity on CCFC campus. Identified 17 species of amphibians and 34 species of reptiles, with approximately 50% endangered and endemic.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FUNDAECO (Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la Conservación): Guatemalan conservation nonprofit working on forest protection, sustainable development, and community-based conservation in similar regions. Highly comparable mission and operating geography to CCFC.
• Asociación ANAI: Community-led conservation organization working with indigenous Bribri and Cabécar peoples in Costa Rica and Panama on reforestation, agroecology, and women's leadership. Closely mirrors CCFC's community forestry + indigenous women's education model.
• Defensores de la Naturaleza: Long-standing Guatemalan environmental NGO operating private nature reserves and community conservation programs across Guatemala. Direct geographic and operational peer to CCFC.
• Rare: Conservation NGO that drives behavior change and community-led stewardship through social marketing and pride campaigns globally. Strong methodological overlap with CCFC's education-led approach to conservation outcomes.
• Trees, Water & People: U.S.-based nonprofit combining reforestation, clean cookstoves, and indigenous community support in Latin America — closely comparable program mix to CCFC and an existing CCFC partner.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy – Guatemala Program: Large global conservation organization with active Guatemala program focused on forest protection and indigenous community partnerships in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Overlapping mission, much broader institutional footprint.
• Conservation International – Guatemala: Global conservation NGO with Central America hotspot investments including community forestry and indigenous stewardship in Guatemala. Comparable thematic focus with vastly larger resources.
• Rainforest Alliance: Global organization working on sustainable forestry, agroecology, and community livelihoods in tropical forest regions including Central America. Overlapping community-based methodology with much broader scale.

Emerging players

• Solidaridad Network: International civil society organization operating supply-chain and community programs in Latin America focused on smallholder farmers, sustainable agriculture, and women's empowerment — already a CCFC partner.
• Arc of Appalachia: Ohio-based land preservation and education nonprofit partnering with CCFC since 2024 on neo-tropical migratory bird corridors. Smaller scale; comparable nonprofit education-and-conservation mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about COMMUNITY CLOUD FOREST CONSERVATION