Ncf-envirothon

What Ncf-envirothon does

NCF-Envirothon is a nonprofit educational competition program operated under the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered at 509 Capitol Court N.E., Washington, D.C. Founded in 1988, it runs what it describes as North America's largest high school environmental education competition, engaging over 25,000 students annually across the United States, Canada, China, and Singapore. The annual competition tests high school teams (grades 9-12, ages 14-19) in five subject areas: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, and Current Environmental Issues, combining written exams with oral presentations. Winning teams advance through state and provincial feeder programs to the national competition held at a different host venue each year.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its "product" is the annual competition event itself, supported by a website (envirothon.org) and standard social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Revenue comes entirely from corporate sponsorships and grants rather than participant fees. Documented sponsors include Canon U.S.A. (long-term partner), Smithfield Foods ($30,000 scholarship donation in 2025), and multiple forestry companies (Canfor, Weyerhaeuser, West Fraser, Foothills Forest Products) channeling funds through the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta. The 2025 competition awarded $50,000 in scholarships and prizes, hosted at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Future competitions are scheduled at Mississippi State University (2026) and Maryland (2027).

The organization operates with 1-10 employees, is governed by an NCF-Envirothon Operating Committee, and maintains deep institutional partnerships with FFA, 4-H, state conservation agencies, and university host venues. No public financial disclosures, Form 990 filings, or revenue figures are available in the input data, and the organization is not a technology company, has no AI capabilities, and operates as a stable mission-driven nonprofit rather than a growth-oriented enterprise.

Name

Ncf-envirothon

Legal name

National Conservation Foundation Envirothon

Website

https://envirothon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NCF-Envirothon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit competition program engaging over 25,000 high school students annually across the U.S., Canada, China, and Singapore in an annual environmental and natural resources education contest covering aquatic ecology, forestry, soils, wildlife, and current issues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education Competition

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)

Keywords

• Environmental education competition
• Natural resources education
• High school STEM competition
• Conservation education program
• Academic ecostation testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships and Grants: NCF-Envirothon is a program of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Revenue appears to come from corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and donations rather than participant fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NCF-Envirothon runs an annual international environmental and natural resources conservation problem-solving, team-building, and leadership competition for high school students (grades 9-12, ages 14-19) across the United States, Canada, China, and Singapore. The program incorporates STEM principles, hands-on learning, and outdoor field experiences, covering five core areas: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, and Current Environmental Issues. Participating teams advance from state/provincial competitions to a national competition, with scholarships and prizes awarded to top performers.

Product overview

NCF-Envirothon is an environmental education competition program for high school students (grades 9-12, ages 14-19) operating across the United States, Canada, China, and Singapore. The organization runs an annual international competition focused on five core areas: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, and Current Environmental Issues. The program incorporates STEM principles, hands-on learning, and outdoor field experiences to develop students' critical thinking and leadership skills in environmental conservation. NCF-Envirothon is a program of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) and is supported by the NCF-Envirothon Operating Committee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual NCF-Envirothon Competition An annual international academic competition and leadership experience for high school students (grades 9-12) across the U.S., Canada, China, and Singapore covering Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, and Current Environmental Issues. Includes written tests across five subject areas and oral presentations on environmental issues, with scholarships and prizes awarded to top teams.
• U.S. and Canadian State/Provincial Envirothon Programs A network of state and provincial Envirothon programs across the United States and Canada that conduct local and regional competitions, with winning teams advancing to the national competition.
• Asia Envirothon Programs International expansion of the Envirothon competition to include programs in China and Singapore, enabling cross-cultural environmental education exchange and participation in the annual international competition.
• Educational Study Resources Free online learning resources including areas of study learning objectives, oral presentation guides, test writing guides, and an iNaturalist project to help students prepare for the Envirothon competition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 students participate annually across 4 countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered host, minor, flagship and core.

• MarylandhostOthers · 1 January 2027Maryland will host the 2027 NCF-Envirothon Annual Competition, announced as part of the future competition schedule.
• Mississippi State UniversityhostOthers · 1 January 2026The 2026 NCF-Envirothon Annual Competition will be held at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS from July 19-25, 2026.
• Alberta Envirothon FoundationhostStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local nonprofit foundation that co-hosted the 2025 NCF-Envirothon competition in Calgary, Alberta alongside Mount Royal University.
• Mount Royal UniversityhostOthers · 1 January 2025University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada that served as the host venue for the 2025 NCF-Envirothon Annual Competition from July 20-26, 2025.
• Utah State University - Ag in the ClassroomminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025USU's Ag in the Classroom initiative provided strong support for the 2025 Utah Envirothon competition, contributing educational resources and student volunteers.
• USU ANNERS ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Student volunteers from Utah State University's ANNERS Club assisted with logistics and guided teams through competition tasks at the 2025 Utah Envirothon.
• USU FFAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Student volunteers from Utah State University's FFA chapter participated in the 2025 Utah Envirothon as mentors and role models.
• National Conservation Foundation (NCF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025NCF-Envirothon is a program of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. NCF manages and directs the Envirothon program through its NCF-Envirothon Operating Committee.
• State and Provincial Conservation AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Natural resource agencies and conservation professionals from each state/province staff ecostation testing and serve as judges for both state-level and national Envirothon competitions.
• Vologon ProductionsminorOthers · 1 January 2025Website design partner credited for the envirothon.org website, as noted in the website footer.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Destination Imagination: Nonprofit team-based academic competition for K-12 students covering STEM, arts, and service learning. Comparable team-based competition model, school-affiliated participation, and nonprofit operating structure with regional-to-national progression.
• National History Day: Nonprofit academic competition for middle and high school students across the U.S. with state and national competitions. Comparable annual competition cycle, K-12 student focus, and nonprofit operating model with teacher/mentor support ecosystem.
• Project Learning Tree: Environmental education program for K-12 students with a strong forestry and natural resources curriculum focus. Directly comparable subject matter (forestry, soils, land use, wildlife) and target audience of teachers and students.
• MATHCOUNTS: National nonprofit math competition for middle school students with state and national finals. Comparable competition-only nonprofit model, state-to-national pipeline structure, and corporate-sponsored scholarship model.
• Project WILD (Council for Environmental Education): National K-12 environmental education program providing wildlife-focused curriculum and training. Directly comparable audience (K-12 students), subject-matter overlap (wildlife, ecology, conservation), and nonprofit/sponsor-funded delivery model.
• Science Olympiad: National nonprofit academic competition for K-12 students across STEM disciplines, including environmental science and earth science events. Highly comparable team-based competition model, school-affiliated participation, and nonprofit sponsorship structure.
• National Science Bowl (U.S. Department of Energy): National high school science competition in quiz-bowl format run by the DOE. Directly comparable model: state-level competitions feeding into a national finals, high school student teams, and STEM subject-matter focus.

Broad incumbents

• National Wildlife Federation: Large national nonprofit delivering environmental education programs, including the Eco-Schools USA program. Comparable mission of youth environmental education, but operates a much broader portfolio (advocacy, certification, magazines) rather than a single competition.

Emerging players

• EarthEcho International: Nonprofit founded by Philippe Cousteau Jr. focused on youth environmental education and engagement. Comparable youth-environmental-education mission, but delivers primarily digital/programmatic content rather than a competition format.

Others

• Earth Science Women's Network / Consortium of Ocean Geosciences Students: Network of environmental and earth-science students and professionals supporting career development. Comparable audience (high school-to-early-career students interested in environmental sciences) but functions as a professional network rather than a competition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ncfenvirothon
• Facebookfacebook.com/NCFEnvirothon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncfenvirothon
• Instagraminstagram.com/ncfenvirothon
• TikToktiktok.com/@ncfenvirothon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Ncf-envirothon