The Ocean Foundation Explained

The Ocean Foundation
Formation:	2002
Founder:	Wolcott Henry
Type:	Non-profit environmental organization
Tax Id:	71-0863908
Headquarters:	Washington, D.C.
Leader Title:	President
Leader Name:	Mark J. Spalding
Website:	https://oceanfdn.org/

The Ocean Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation, based in Washington, D.C. and established in 2002.^[1] Its mission is "to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world."^[2]

About and history

The Ocean Foundation was founded by underwater photographer Wolcott Henry.^[3] It began as the Coral Reef Foundation with "a group of like-minded coral conservation experts, venture capitalists and philanthropy colleagues...providing both expert advice about conservation projects and easy mechanisms for giving".^[4] The Coral Reef Foundation then changed its mission in 2003 to support all ocean conservation efforts, and was renamed The Ocean Foundation.^[5] 2022 marked The Ocean Foundation's 20th year in business.^[6]

Under the community foundation model, The Ocean Foundation hosts donor-advised funds, pooled funds, and funders collaboratives as a grantmaking facility,^[7] and receives grants through donors and corporations.^[8] The Ocean Foundation partners with corporations and organizations for proceeds-of-sale^[9] and ocean and marine initiatives, and holds a Fiscal Sponsorship Program for ocean and marine-related projects.^[10] The organization also provides counseling services.^[11]

Focus areas

Four initiatives have been launched at The Ocean Foundation to "fill gaps in conservation work"^[12]

• Blue Resilience Initiative - Focused on coastal restoration and resilience,^[13] The Ocean Foundation helps ecosystems by focusing on blue carbon projects^[14] and carbon offsets.^[15] Its Blue Resilience Initiative committed to investing in coastal habitat conservation, restoration, and agroforestry in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and St. Kitts & Nevis.^[16] The Ocean Foundation has also had restoration projects in Puerto Rico, in partnership with the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve;^[17] and in Xcalak Reefs National Park, with the Mexican Commission for Protected Areas (CONANP) and other partners.^[18] Through The Ocean Foundation's partnership with World Resources Institute and Fundación Mexicana del Océano, a report was also issued on the prioritization and monitoring strategies for mangroves in Tuxpan, Veracruz and Celestún, Yucatán.^[19] Under the Blue Resilience Initiative, The Ocean Foundation developed a blue carbon offset program called "SeaGrass Grow".^[20] A recent project of the Blue Resilience Initiative involves restoring mangroves at Mata Redonda in Salinas, Puerto Rico.^[21]
• Community Ocean Engagement Global Initiative - Focused on ocean literacy, the Communication Ocean Engagement Global Initiative was launched on World Ocean Day on June 8, 2022 to help marine education community leaders and students learn more about conservation.^[22]
• International Ocean Acidification Initiative - Focused on ocean science capacity,^[23] The Ocean Foundation's International Ocean Acidification Initiative works to increase capacity for ocean acidification monitoring and reporting.^[24] In the Pacific Islands, The Ocean Foundation helped to establish the Pacific Islands Ocean Acidification Centre (PIOAC), a regional center led by The Pacific Community. PIOAC hosts kits and spare parts for scientists, as well as data expertise and training under Sustainable Development Goal 14.3.1.^[25] The Ocean Foundation also recently held an ocean acidification workshop in Salinas, Puerto Rico.
• Plastics Initiative - Focused on marine plastic pollution,^[26] The Ocean Foundation's Plastics Initiative works on bringing non-profit policy perspectives into the Global Plastic Pollution Treaty discussion.^[27] The Ocean Foundation's Plastics Initiative was quoted in an August 2022 Business Insider article about a "high-ambition" coalition that seeks to end plastic pollution by 2040, stating that "recycling alone won't solve the plastic waste problem."^[28]

Fiscal sponsorship program

The Ocean Foundation hosts fiscally sponsored projects using themes such as ocean literacy, species protection, habitat conservation, and capacity building.^[29]

A few hosted projects include:

• International Fisheries Conservation Program - In 2019, the International Fisheries Conservation Project, a project of The Ocean Foundation, was founded for management of marine fisheries.^[30] In October of 2019, NPR published a story about a study that detailed the amount of tuna taken from the ocean, and Global Tuna Conservation Project Director Shana Miller commented on the study.^[31] Shana Miller also co-wrote an article in April 2022 for The Pew Charitable Trusts about science-based management and fisheries.^[32]
• SEVENSEAS Media: Founded in 2015 by Giacomo Abrusci with the vision to publish ocean conservation news, professional development resources, sustainable tourism opportunities, and engage in direct actions to protect marine, polar, and coastal ecosystems.^[33] The organization has grown into a respected international platform, providing a grassroots outlet for networking, storytelling, sharing career opportunities, and organizing events such as beach cleanups.^[34]
• Shark Advocates International - Founded by President Sonja Fordham, this project of The Ocean Foundation has a mission of conserving and protecting shark species by collaborating with organizations and decision makers.^[35] In January 2021, Fordham was quoted in an article about fishing and its correlation with shark and ray populations.^[36]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Charity Navigator - Rating for The Ocean Foundation . 2022-10-25 . www.charitynavigator.org . en-US.
2. Web site: Ocean Foundation - GuideStar Profile . 2022-10-25 . www.guidestar.org.
3. Web site: 2018-07-07 . Philanthropic 50: Wolcott Henry . 2023-03-23 . Washington Life Magazine . en-US.
4. Web site: The Ocean Foundation (TOF) . 2023-03-24 . Union of International Associations.
5. Web site: 2020-06-08 . Our Visa Card Will Be Made From Ocean-Bound Plastic. Here's Why. . 2023-03-23 . Unifimoney . en.
6. Web site: Smith . Mike . 2022-12-22 . Ocean plastic pollution gets senate hearing . 2023-03-23 . Coastal Point . en.
7. Web site: 2020-05-05 . The Ocean Foundation discusses why we need to protect our oceans . 2023-03-26 . Innovation News Network . en-GB.
8. Web site: Foster . Brooke . 2008-04-01 . Green Power: 30 People Changing the Environment in Washington . 2023-03-24 . Washingtonian . en-US.
9. Web site: Wolfe . Maria Hunt, Alyssa Lapid, Lauren Joseph, Isiah Magsino and Rachel . For Home and Interior Design, Holiday Gift Ideas That Solve Problems Affordably—and Prettily . 2023-03-24 . WSJ . en-US.
10. Web site: The Ocean Foundation Fiscal Sponsor Directory . 2022-10-25 . FiscalSponsorshipDirectory.org . en-US.
11. Web site: Ocean Foundation/The - Company Profile and News . 2023-03-24 . Bloomberg.com . en.
12. Web site: Ocean Conservation Initiatives . 2022-10-25 . The Ocean Foundation . en-US.
13. Web site: Quah . Michelle . 2022-10-10 . Cutting carbon: Benefits must flow to communities, not just businesses, panellists say . March 23, 2023 . The Business Times.
14. Web site: Blue carbon will be the next frontier of carbon crediting Greenbiz . 2023-03-22 . www.greenbiz.com . en.
15. Web site: Fromm . Jeff . A Sustainable Partnership: Philadelphia Eagles And The Ocean Conservancy Score A Win-Win For The Planet . 2023-03-24 . Forbes . en.
16. Web site: The Ocean Foundation's Blue Resilience Initiative (BRI) commits to investing US $8M over three years (2022-25) to support coastal habitat restoration, conservation, and agroforestry in the Wider Caribbean Region Department of Economic and Social Affairs . 2023-03-22 . sdgs.un.org.
17. Web site: ECO ECO SI Rising Sea 2021 Page 8 . 2023-03-23 . digital.ecomagazine.com.
18. Web site: 12 blue carbon mangrove projects to watch . 2023-03-23 . thefishsite.com . en.
19. Web site: Climático . Instituto Nacional de Ecología y Cambio . Adaptación Basada en Ecosistemas Costeros, cuenca baja del municipio de Tuxpan, Veracruz y Celestún, Yucatán . 2023-03-23 . gob.mx . es.
20. Web site: 2022-07-26 . Deep Dive into Blue Bonds with Mark Spalding . 2023-03-26 . Amazon Music . PGIM Fixed Income.
21. Web site: Restauran el cayo "Matita redonda" en Salinas . 2023-04-18 . Telemundo Puerto Rico . es.
22. Web site: Day . World Ocean . ANNOUNCEMENT: Introducing the Community Ocean Engagement Global Initiative . 2022-10-25 . World Ocean Day.
23. Lowder . Kaitlyn . 2023 . Career profiles—Options and insights . Oceanography . 36 . 1 . 79–80 . 10.5670/oceanog.2023.109 . free .
24. Book: L . VanderZwaag, David . Research Handbook on Ocean Acidification Law and Policy . Nilüfer . Oral . Tim . Stephens . 2021-10-19 . Edward Elgar Publishing . 978-1-78990-014-9 . en.
25. Dobson . K L . Newton . J A . Widdicombe . S . Schoo . K L . Acquafredda . M P . Kitch . G . Bantelman . A . Lowder . K . Valauri-Orton . A . Soapi . K . Azetsu-Scott . K . Isensee . K . March 2023 . Ocean acidification research for sustainability: co-designing global action on local scales . ICES Journal of Marine Science . 80 . 2 . 362–366 . 10.1093/icesjms/fsac158 . Oxford Academic.
26. Web site: 2022-06-07 . Beauty Accelerate Recommits to The Ocean Foundation's Redesigning Plastics Initiative . 2022-10-25 . Cosmetics & Toiletries . en-us.
27. Web site: 2022-08-16 . The Global Plastics Treaty is a Go – Now What? . 2023-03-23 . Waste360 . en.
28. Web site: Boudreau . Catherine . Norway and Rwanda are leading a coalition working to eliminate plastic pollution. The US isn't a part — for now. . 2023-03-23 . Business Insider . en-US.
29. Web site: 2022-10-07 . Ocean Foundation . 2023-03-24 . Terra Viva Grants . en-US.
30. Web site: International Fisheries Conservation Program . 2023-03-22 . The Ocean Foundation . en-US.
31. Web site: Leschin-Hoar . Clare . October 4, 2019 . We're Pulling Tuna Out Of The Ocean At Unprecedented — And Unsustainable — Rates . NPR.org.
32. Web site: Fisheries Managers Should Promote Solutions That Ease Debates Over Harvest Limits . 2023-03-23 . pew.org . en.
33. Web site: 2019 Go Blue Awards - Blue Ambassador - Loggerhead Marinelife Center . 2023-11-15 . en-US.
34. Web site: About . 2023-11-15 . SEVENSEAS Media . en-US.
35. Web site: About shark Advocates International SAI . 2023-03-22 . sharkadvocates.org.
36. News: 2021-01-27 . Extinction: 'Time is running out' to save sharks and rays . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-03-22.