About Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation
Advance ocean conservation through public education, scientific research, and actions that reduce threats to marine ecosystems.
Focus Areas
Plastic pollutionSustainable seafoodClimate changeCalifornia coastal ecosystemsEducation and educator professional developmentAnimal care and welfare
Who They Fund
underserved audiences (access programs)public aquarium visitors and patronsmarine scientists and researchersaquatic animals and marine ecosystems
Funding Style
program support
About Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation
A single $500,000 research grant to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing is the clearest marker of how the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation operates: it combines large research support with a wider pattern of smaller grants tied to marine conservation. The foundation’s recent awards also include support for the University of California, San Diego; the Oregon Coast Aquarium; and the University of California, Santa Cruz, showing a mix of research institutions and aquarium partners. Across the latest grants on file, its funding aligns with ocean conservation work that connects scientific research, education, and responses to threats facing marine ecosystems. The foundation’s thematic priorities include plastic pollution, sustainable seafood, climate change, California coastal ecosystems, education and educator professional development, and animal care and welfare. Its grant record also points to support for marine science, public aquarium operations, and access programs for underserved audiences. The scale of giving is substantial, but the pattern is not limited to one very large award. Smaller grants continue to appear alongside major institutional support, suggesting a funder that uses research grants, program support, and capacity-building style awards within a regional marine-conservation portfolio.
What Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation Funds
Marine research is a consistent theme. The foundation gave $57,809 to UC Regents of San Diego and another $39,552 to the same institution in 2024, both for research. It also awarded $15,813 to the University of California Santa Cruz for research, reinforcing a strong university-based science emphasis. Public aquarium work appears as another distinct area. In 2023, the foundation gave $54,000 to Oregon Coast Aquarium for research, which places aquarium institutions alongside universities in its grantmaking. Its environmental network includes policy and partnership groups as well. Conservation Action Fund received $30,000 in 2023 for research, while Resources Legacy Fund received $7,000 in 2024 for research. A $25,000 grant to Planet Women in 2024 shows that the foundation also supports organizations beyond California when they fit its marine-related interests.
How Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation Gives
The typical grant size sits at $11,453 at the 25th percentile, $27,500 at the median, and $50,388 at the 75th percentile. That spread sits below the $500,000 high point in the recent list, but most awards are clustered much closer to the middle. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a DAF, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments. The recent grants list shows repeat support to the same recipient in more than one year, including multiple awards to UC Regents of San Diego across 2023 and 2024, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards only.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$587K
Total Assets
$837.7M
Total Revenue
$208.1M
Total Expenses
$123.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $11K and $50K, with a median of $28K.
25th Percentile
$11K
Median
$28K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
Regional4 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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