partners for climate action hudson valley

Name

partners for climate action hudson valley

Legal name

The Understory

Website

https://climateactionhv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Nonprofit and Climate Resilience Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Climate resilience grants
• Ecological restoration programs
• Community philanthropy
• Pollinator conservation
• Environmental nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Catskill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Philanthropic Funding: The organization operates as a nonprofit that deploys grant funding to local communities. It is a fiscally sponsored project of the New World Foundation and works with regional place-focused funders to pool resources for targeted Hudson Valley initiatives. Revenue comes from distributing grants raised from foundations and donors rather than generating traditional revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Understory provides grants, training, and program support to local nonprofits, municipalities, and community groups working on ecological and social resilience in the Hudson Valley. Its portfolio includes pollinator conservation resources, a multi-million dollar Regional Resilience Grants program, community-driven funding processes, and forest health initiatives, deployed through practitioner guilds and direct community engagement.

Product overview

The Understory (formerly Partners for Climate Action) is a Hudson Valley-based nonprofit operating as a platform of interconnected programs supporting ecological and social resilience. The core portfolio consists of: PollinateHV (pollinator conservation), H.E.R.E. (Hudson Estuary Resilience Effort - a multi-component initiative including guilds, place-based funds, and a journal), Funding Futures (community engagement and grant program), and The Wild Trust (forest health). The H.E.R.E. initiative serves as an umbrella program that includes Regional Resilience Grants ($4M grant program) and the H.E.R.E. Journal publication. Together, these programs provide resources, training, and funding to help local communities face environmental challenges through community-driven direct democracy processes and targeted capital deployment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PollinateHV: Resources to support threatened pollinators and native habitats in the Hudson Valley
• H.E.R.E.
• Funding Futures
• The Wild Trust
• H.E.R.E. Journal

Products and services

• PollinateHV The region's largest pollinator program providing resources to support threatened pollinators and native habitats in the Hudson Valley, including free garden templates, native nursery lists, ecological landscaper directories, and plant lists detailing native plant-pollinator connections.
• H.E.R.E. (Hudson Estuary Resilience Effort) A place-based initiative dedicated to building social and ecological solutions in partnership with local communities through three interconnected components: practitioner guilds, place-based philanthropic funds, and the H.E.R.E. Journal storytelling magazine.
• Funding Futures A grant and training program that helps Hudson Valley communities build consensus on environmental priorities through direct democracy processes, community conversations, and funding frameworks for communities to voice and implement ideas for their shared future.
• The Wild Trust A forest health initiative addressing deer overpopulation to support ecological restoration and forest regeneration in the Hudson Valley.
• Regional Resilience Grants A $4 million grant program distributing awards from $10,000 to $200,000 to foster social and ecological resilience in the Hudson Valley across four focus areas: Culture, Ecology, Food/Farming, and Shelter.
• H.E.R.E. Journal A print magazine about the Hudson Valley covering ecology, people, and where the two meet, featuring in-depth stories and original photography for residents and regional enthusiasts.
• Free Native Garden Templates (PollinateHV) A series of eight free garden design templates for backyards, schools, libraries, and municipalities using locally native plant species that support the Hudson Valley's most vulnerable native pollinators. Each design package includes a full-color garden layout drawing, photo-based plant list, and seasonal bloom calendar.
• Funding Futures: Gameplan Phase 2 of the Funding Futures program focusing on capacity building, providing grants up to $25,000 for planning, professional services, technical assistance, community events, and administrative staffing to help groups develop project action plans and determine financial viability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $10 million deployed in grants to local municipalities and nonprofits since 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PollinateHVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA key initiative of The Understory focused on supporting threatened pollinators and native habitats through resources, garden templates, and community engagement in the Hudson Valley.
• The Wild TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA forest health initiative addressing deer overpopulation, part of The Understory's core programs for ecological resilience.
• Mid-Hudson Library SystemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Director Rebekkah Smith Aldrich co-created The Library of Local Program with Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley, strengthening community resilience through library partnerships.
• Stone Barns Center for Food & AgricultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuild member Jack Algiere serves as founding farmer and Chief Agroecology Officer, representing Stone Barns Center in the Food Guild.
• RiverkeeperminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDan Shapley, President, serves on the Ecology Guild, bringing water quality and advocacy expertise to The Understory's programs.
• Scenic HudsonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPia Ruisi-Besares, Director of Science, Climate, and Stewardship, serves on the Ecology Guild. Steve Rosenberg, former SVP, is involved with the Shelter Guild through the Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation.
• Hawthorne Valley AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Martin Ping serves on the Culture Guild. Steffen Schneider was a Biodynamic practitioner at Hawthorne Valley Farm and serves on the Food Guild.
• Columbia Land ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTroy Weldy, President, serves on the Ecology Guild. Patrick Knapp presented on community forest formation through Columbia Land Conservancy.
• Glynwood Center for Regional Food and FarmingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichelle Hughes, Director of Regional Food Programs, serves on the Food Guild. Jules Farr, Director of Growing Homes, serves on the Shelter Guild.
• Hudson Valley Farm HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJulianne Schrader Ortega, Managing Director, serves on the Food Guild.
• Ecological Citizen's ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founders Jason Angell and Jocelyn Apicello partner with The Understory on Funding Futures, providing coaching modeled on the Community Congress approach.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStiles Najac, Food Security Program Manager, serves on the Food Guild with the GleanMobile program.
• Garrison InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStephen Posner leads the Pathways to Planetary Health initiative and serves on the Culture Guild.
• Turtle Island Community CapitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlexander Sterling, CEO and co-founder, serves on the Culture Guild with focus on economic sovereignty and climate justice.
• Brooklyn PackersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteph Wiley serves on the Food Guild through the worker-owned food distribution cooperative.
• Columbia-Greene Habitat for HumanityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAl Bellenchia, Executive Director and CEO, serves on the Shelter Guild.
• Hudson River HousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJavier Gomez, Vice President of Operations, serves on the Shelter Guild.
• Sustainable Hudson ValleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOlga Anderson serves on the Board of Directors and assisted with the Highlands Funding Futures program.
• Studio HopelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created PollinateHV native garden designs.
• Tiny Meadow FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created PollinateHV native garden designs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Open Space Institute: Regional conservation funder that protects critical lands in the Northeast, including extensive Hudson Valley holdings. Comparable as a place-based environmental grantmaker and land conservation organization with overlapping donor base and ecosystem goals.
• Columbia Land Conservancy: Columbia County-based land trust conserving farmland and natural areas in the Hudson Valley. Directly comparable as a place-based conservation nonprofit with similar geographic footprint and ecological mission; guild partner.
• Hudson Highlands Land Trust: Land trust serving the Hudson Highlands region with similar conservation, stewardship, and ecological focus to The Understory's programs. Comparable as a place-based environmental nonprofit in the same operational geography.
• Scenic Hudson: Regional conservation organization operating across the Hudson Valley that protects land, advances riverfront revitalization, and supports community resilience — directly comparable place-based mission with overlapping program focus. Listed as a partner whose staff serve on the Ecology Guild.
• Sustainable Hudson Valley: Hudson Valley nonprofit focused on sustainability, green building, and resilient communities. Operates as a direct peer in regional climate/sustainability programming, with overlapping staff and program overlap (Highlands Funding Futures).
• Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture: Working farm and education center advancing agroecology in the Hudson Valley. Comparable in food systems and ecological resilience programming; Food Guild partner.
• Hawthorne Valley Association: Biodynamic farm and nonprofit supporting ecological education and regional food systems in Columbia County. Comparable peer in food/farming resilience and ecological education; Culture and Food Guild partner.
• Riverkeeper: Hudson River-focused water quality advocacy and legal organization with similar Hudson Valley footprint. Comparable in mission emphasis on ecological resilience; Ecology Guild partner.
• Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming: Hudson Valley nonprofit advancing regenerative farming and regional food systems. Comparable peer in the food/farming resilience space; Food and Shelter Guild partner.
• Westchester Land Trust: Westchester County-based land trust protecting natural resources and supporting sustainable communities. Operates within The Understory's geographic footprint with similar ecological and community resilience goals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@theunderstorydotorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/TheUnderstoryHV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/partners-for-climate-action-hudson-valley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 partners for climate action hudson valley