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Rocky Mountain Institute
Amory Lovins founded Rocky Mountain Institute in 1982 in Snowmass, Colorado, following his work on the soft energy path concept. The institute operates as a...
Rocky Mountain Institute
Amory Lovins founded Rocky Mountain Institute in 1982 in Snowmass, Colorado, following his work on the soft energy path concept. The institute operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, not a family office or investment firm, with Creyts succeeding Lovins as CEO in 2022. RMI's strategy combines research with hands-on advisory across four core areas: carbon-free electricity, electrified transport, green buildings, and industrial decarbonization. The institute helped convene the EP100 initiative with The Climate Group and advised on China's 14th Five-Year Plan for energy (per official communications). Client engagements include Fortune 500 corporations, utilities, and state governments, with projects spanning the United States, China, India, and Europe. The institute employs roughly 300 staff across offices in Boulder, Basalt, New York, Washington D.C., and Beijing. May 2024: RMI launched its Center for Climate-Aligned Finance (per the firm, May 2024), a program to align financial-sector portfolios with net-zero targets. Related entities include RMI's Sustainable Energy for All program and the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standard, which RMI helped shape. RMI's structural differentiator is its hybrid model — neither pure think tank nor pure consultancy. It publishes peer-reviewed research, then deploys teams to implement findings in real projects, creating a closed feedback loop. The institute does not manage external capital or participate in investment vehicles, set apart from impact funds that use RMI's frameworks.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
1982
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Boulder
Corporate office
Boulder, CO, United States
Additional offices
Basalt, CO, United States · New York, NY, United States · Washington, D.C., United States · Beijing, China
Principals
Jon Creyts
CEO
Amory Lovins
Cofounder
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does Rocky Mountain Institute source its work?
RMI sources engagements through a combination of pro bono advisory, competitive government contracts, and paid consulting for corporations and utilities. The institute's research teams publish white papers and reports that attract clients, and its convening power — hosting events like the Global Climate Action Summit — generates inbound requests (per official communications).
Which sectors does Rocky Mountain Institute explicitly focus on?
RMI's work centers on carbon-free electricity, electrified transport, green buildings and real estate, and industrial decarbonization. It also engages with financial-sector alignment through its Center for Climate-Aligned Finance. The institute avoids upstream fossil-fuel extraction and exploration, reflecting its mission to accelerate the global energy transition (per official communications).
Where does the funding for Rocky Mountain Institute come from?
RMI's annual revenue, estimated around $100 million per public tax filings, comes from philanthropic foundations (including the Bezos Earth Fund), government grants, corporate fee-for-service contracts, and individual donations. The institute does not accept funding from fossil-fuel companies (per its public policy).
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