Founding Partners & Project Funding
Founding Partners
Help build the team that brings ocean understanding into decisions and practical action.
The Ocean Literacy Project connects ocean and climate science with decisions in business, education and communities. We are inviting founding partners to help shape our next stage of development. Building on more than 25 years of ocean science and education experience, and our existing programmes and partnerships, your support will give us the time and expertise to build on our early delivery, widen access to ocean literacy education and grow income through certification and executive education.
What your investment will make possible
We are seeking US$200,000 to support the next 12 months of capacity building and delivery. This will fund:
Building our team’s capacity: paid time for scientific and educational leadership, partnership development and learning design
Developing our learning programmes: teaching materials, facilitator guides and practical tools for Social Impact certification, executive education and educator development.
Widening access: free ocean literacy training delivered with community partners, targeting 12 cohorts and up to 180 places.
Building delivery partnerships: developing three collaborative pilots to extend our reach and create opportunities for future earned income.
Your involvement as a founding partner
We will work with you to agree how your support contributes to the Ocean Literacy Project’s development and keep you informed as the work progresses.
An agreed delivery plan showing how your contribution supports our team, delivery priorities and milestones.
Quarterly updates on how funding is used, resources developed, people reached and learning outcomes.
Two partner briefings to discuss progress and share insights from our work.
Recognition of your support on our website and relevant programme materials, if you wish.
A year-end impact review documenting what your support has enabled, with feedback from our learners and partners, examples of practical application and priorities for the year ahead.
You can support the overall development of the Ocean Literacy Project or a particular area of work. We will agree priorities and commitments together, with delivery phased to match the funding secured.
👉 Discuss becoming a founding partner
Fund a Project
Help bring ocean understanding into classrooms, communities and everyday decisions.
We are developing projects that connect ocean literacy education with local priorities. We welcome funders and delivery partners who want to help shape and support this work.
Project 1: Help establish an ocean literacy education hub in West Africa
Equip teachers to bring ocean understanding into their classrooms.
We are seeking support to develop an initial teacher training programme with regional partners, laying the foundations for a West African ocean literacy education hub. The programme would help educators connect ocean and climate science with their learners’ lives and local environments.
Your support would fund:
Programme development with local educators and partners.
Teacher training and locally relevant teaching resources.
Follow-up support to help teachers apply and share their learning.
Funding target: $US 70,000
Support the first phase of the West Africa Ocean Literacy Hub, from programme development through teacher training and classroom application.
👉 Discuss supporting the West Africa Ocean Literacy Hub
Project 2: Support ocean literacy education with Coral Catch Indonesia
Help women connect coral reef conservation with education and community action.
We are seeking support to develop the ocean literacy education component of Coral Catch’s work in Indonesia. This would help women involved in reef conservation build their confidence as educators and share ocean literacy within their communities.
Your support would fund:
Development of ocean literacy learning materials and resources specific to the region and local context.
Training that connects scientific and dive master training with ocean literacy and marine conservation.
Support for women to develop and deliver their own education activities.
Funding target: $US 55,000
Support the development and pilot delivery of OLP’s education component, including resources and mentoring to help women develop community education activities.
👉Discuss supporting education with Coral Catch
Project 3: Support coastal community learning in the UK
Help people connect ocean understanding with the future of their coast.
We are developing a programme with community partners to explore how ocean literacy can support coastal resilience. Learning would start with local priorities and help people understand coastal change, consider their options and contribute to decisions affecting their communities.
Your support would fund:
Programme design with a coastal community partner.
Accessible workshops and practical learning activities.
Support for learners to identify and develop local actions.
Funding target: US$ 55,000
Support an initial programme in one UK coastal community, including locally designed workshops, practical learning resources and follow-up support to turn learning into community action.
👉Discuss supporting a coastal community pilot
Project 4: Discover what works in immersive ocean education
Help turn powerful ocean experiences into lasting learning.
Immersive films, virtual reality and other experiential approaches offer ways to connect people with the ocean. We want to understand how these experiences influence learning and what helps people apply that understanding afterwards.
Your support would fund:
A research pilot developed with an immersive experience provider and research partners.
Evaluation of learning, retention and confidence to act.
Investigation of accessibility, including whose needs different approaches serve.
Funding target: US$ 80,000
Support a research pilot evaluating an existing immersive ocean experience, including follow-up with learners and practical recommendations to strengthen learning and accessibility.
👉Discuss supporting immersive education research
Project 5: Follow the water: understanding the impacts of cleaning products
Help organisations make better-informed decisions about what enters our water systems.
Building on our work with Dew Products, we are seeking research and funding partners to develop an evidence-informed framework for assessing cleaning products through a water-systems lens.
The project would examine what happens after products enter wastewater systems, considering factors such as biodegradability, aquatic toxicity and treatment pathways.
Your support would fund:
A review of relevant evidence and identification of research gaps.
Development of a framework for comparing environmental impacts.
Practical guidance to help organisations interpret evidence and identify where further testing is needed.
The first phase would establish the evidence base and develop an initial framework for testing with research and industry partners.
Funding target: US$ 55,000
Support a research pilot evaluating an existing immersive ocean experience, including follow-up with learners and practical recommendations to demonstrate learning and accessibility.
👉Discuss a water-systems research partnership
Interested in supporting a project?
Contact us to discuss a project’s next stage, funding requirements and opportunities to collaborate. Scope, delivery arrangements and milestones will be agreed with the partners involved.
For Businesses and organisations:
We connect ocean and climate science with the decisions organisations make about nature, sustainability and long-term resilience.
Our executive education, certification and tailored programmes help leaders and teams translate complex environmental science into practical insight, supporting ESG priorities, nature-related commitments and regenerative strategies.
Our approach helps organisations:
Strengthen ESG and nature strategies by building understanding of how ocean, climate and biodiversity connect with organisational priorities.
Engage with frameworks such as TNFD and SBTN through greater understanding of nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities.
Connect biodiversity commitments, exploring how land, freshwater, coasts and ocean interact, including Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) where relevant.
Develop regenerative approaches by exploring how organisational decisions can support ecological recovery, community wellbeing and lasting resilience.
Build leadership and workforce capability through systems thinking, shared understanding and practical priorities for action.
Programmes can combine executive briefings, interactive workshops, certification and place-based learning, tailored to your organisation’s context.
👉 Explore executive education
👉 Discuss training for your organisation
For Communities & NGOs
We co-design ocean literacy programmes with communities and local organisations, supporting resilience, regenerative tourism and conservation.
Our approach brings ocean and climate science into conversation with local knowledge, lived experience and community priorities. Programmes reflect local environments, cultural heritage and livelihoods, with communities helping shape both the learning and the actions that follow.
Together, we can:
Strengthen community resilience by exploring ocean–climate connections, coastal change and locally relevant approaches to adaptation.
Support regenerative tourism by integrating ocean understanding into tourism operations, guiding and visitor experiences.
Build capacity for conservation and restoration through education that supports initiatives such as coral reef, seagrass and mangrove restoration.
Connect learning with community action by identifying shared priorities and practical opportunities for collaboration.
Programmes can include workshops, certification and place-based learning. We also welcome conversations with funders and organisations interested in sponsoring community participation.
For Academics & Policymakers
We connect ocean science, education and policy through collaborative research, curriculum development and knowledge exchange.
The Ocean Literacy Project works with universities, public bodies and research networks to strengthen understanding of ocean–climate connections and their relevance to education, governance and society.
Our work draws on the UNESCO–IOC ocean literacy principles and supports the ambitions of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14: Life Below Water.
We welcome collaboration on:
Evidence-informed policy and practice: translating ocean and climate research into accessible briefings, learning resources and professional development.
Curriculum innovation: integrating ocean literacy and systems thinking into university courses, educator development and professional education.
Research and evaluation: exploring how ocean literacy education contributes to learning, decision-making, community participation and action.
Knowledge exchange: bringing researchers, policymakers, practitioners and communities together to share evidence, experience and locally relevant approaches.
Joint projects and funding proposals: developing partnerships around ocean education, coastal resilience and conservation.
👉 Explore university partnerships
👉 Discuss a research or policy collaboration
