Ocean Connectors periodically features our funders and donors in our blog, to let the community know how much we appreciate their generous support! These incredible organizations are making a direct contribution to our mission to educate, inspire, and connect underserved youth with the ocean.

Coastal Conservancy

For the second time, Ocean Connectors is receiving support from the State Coastal Conservancy’s Explore the Coast grant program to provide our fourth and fifth grade environmental education programs, field trips to the coast, and teacher trainings. The purpose of the Explore the Coast program is to support activities that allow more people to explore California’s spectacular coast, improve their visitor experience, and help the public learn about natural, recreational, cultural, and historic resources of the coast. This aligns with the Ocean Connectors mission, and we are very grateful to receive state support during the 2016-17 school year.

Patagonia

For the first time, Ocean Connectors has been awarded $5,000 from Patagonia to strengthen our sixth grade Bird and Habitat Study program. Patagonia is highly acclaimed for incorporating philanthropy and environmentalism into their business culture, and on Black Friday in 2016 they achieved a record-breaking $10 million in sales, and every penny will go to grassroots environmental organizations working around the world. Many of these organizations, like Ocean Connectors, operate “under the radar” and Patagonia provides the essential support we need to protect environmental resources in a variety of important ways.

The Volgenau Foundation

We are excited to announce that in 2016 we entered into a multi-year partnership with The Volgenau Foundation! The Foundation is providing Ocean Connectors with $45,000 over three years to purchase materials, fund staff time, and cover auto mileage so that we can provide classroom activities, knowledge exchanges, and coastal field trips for all ten Title I elementary schools in National City. The Volgenau Foundation provided Ocean Connectors with a one-year grant for the first time in 2015, and now this multi-year commitment is helping us achieve stability and plan for the future, and we are very thankful. Several members of The Volgenau family have attended Ocean Connectors field trips, and in 2017 we look forward to having their team visit us again.

Woodard & Curran Foundation

In November 2016, Ocean Connectors received funding from the Woodard & Curran Foundation to support our habitat restoration program at Otay River. The Woodard & Curran one-year grant program is dedicated to addressing the problem of water scarcity and conservation through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). This grant, the first Ocean Connectors has received from the Woodard & Curran Foundation, will be used to purchase STEAM educational materials and supplies, and to cover auto mileage so our team can visit the habitat restoration site.

Stay tuned for more funder spotlights! You can join our network of supporters by making a donation.