What Oceans 5 does

Oceans 5 is an international funders' collaborative founded in 2010 and domiciled in the United States, dedicated to marine conservation through pooled philanthropic grant-making. The organization concentrates on three priorities identified by marine scientists: stopping overfishing, establishing marine protected areas, and constraining offshore oil and gas development. It operates with 11–50 staff and is led by co-founders Addison Fischer (representing Planet Heritage Foundation) and Tracey Durning, with shared governance across roughly 18 partner foundations including Bloomberg Philanthropies, Dalio Philanthropies, Packard Foundation, Arcadia, Tiffany & Co. Foundation, and Builders Initiative, among others.

The organization does not develop or sell technology products. Its core activity is distributing grants to a global network of implementing partners — including Marine Conservation Institute, Greenpeace, Pew Charitable Trusts, Oceana, WWF, Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Fishing Watch, Environmental Defense Fund, and numerous regional coalitions — across 100+ projects spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania. The collaborative model is positioned as a force-multiplier: by sharing overhead, expertise, and networks across foundations, Oceans 5 aims to deploy philanthropic capital more efficiently than any single funder could alone.

As a nonprofit grant-making entity, Oceans 5 does not generate commercial revenue. Its funding mechanics consist of pooling contributions from partner foundations and reallocating them to vetted NGO grantees; the organization explicitly does not accept unsolicited proposals. The entity is privately held with no public market listing, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Its website (oceans5.org) and a public grant database serve as the primary external touchpoints, while visibility and outreach are achieved through partner networks rather than traditional marketing channels.

Name

Oceans 5

Legal name

Oceans 5

Website

https://oceans5.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Oceans 5 is an international funders' collaborative founded in 2010 that pools philanthropic capital from 18 partner foundations to fund marine conservation grants globally. It serves environmental NGOs, coalitions, and indigenous communities across 100+ projects targeting overfishing, marine protected areas, and offshore oil and gas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

Keywords

• Marine conservation funding
• Philanthropic grant making
• Marine protected areas
• Fisheries sustainability
• Ocean conservation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Oceans 5 is an international funders' collaborative that pools resources from multiple philanthropic foundations to provide strategic grant funding for marine conservation projects worldwide. Its funding focuses on three priorities identified by marine scientists: stopping overfishing, establishing marine protected areas, and constraining offshore oil and gas development. Grants are awarded to environmental NGOs, conservation organizations, governments, and indigenous communities executing vetted marine conservation initiatives across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania.

Product overview

Oceans 5 is an international funders' collaborative organization, not a product or technology company. It does not offer software products, platforms, or modules. Its core activity is providing grant funding to marine conservation projects globally, focused on three strategic priorities: stopping overfishing, establishing marine protected areas, and constraining offshore oil and gas development. The organization connects philanthropic funders with conservation initiatives worldwide through a network of partner organizations and project grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Conservation Grant Program

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Marine Conservation InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring marine ecosystems and advocating for strong protection of at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Publishes the Marine Protection Atlas and tracks progress of nations to achieve 30x30 protected area targets.
• GreenpeacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational environmental organization working on high seas marine protected areas through the Steering the Course to 30x30 project, including expeditions on the Arctic Sunrise ship.
• Pew Charitable TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor NGO partner working on Antarctic MPAs campaign, RFMO transparency, and various fisheries management initiatives.
• OceanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization focused on ocean conservation, working on Global Transparency Coalition and Brazil fisheries law reform.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization working on marine managed areas in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Cuba fisheries, and Patagonian Sea conservation.
• WWFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organization working on fisheries transparency in Fiji, Yellow Sea MPA network in China, and various other marine conservation projects.
• Global Fishing WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing fisheries intelligence and transparency tools, working on the Joint Analytical Cell and Panama's Our Oceans initiative.
• High Seas AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of more than 37 organizations working to improve protection of the high seas (nearly 50% of the planet beyond national jurisdiction).
• Plastic Solutions FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder collaborative aimed at stemming the tide of plastic pollution, with 80% of plastic in oceans coming from land sources.
• Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of environmental organizations working to protect Antarctica's Southern Ocean and establish marine reserves.
• Deep Sea Conservation CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition calling for a global moratorium on deep seabed mining and advocating for protection of deep-sea biodiversity.
• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working on rebuilding Cuban fisheries and promoting sustainable fisheries management.
• Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian SeacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of conservation NGOs working to protect the Patagonian Sea and areas of influence in Argentina and Chile.
• International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working to ensure effective regulation of global trade in sharks and rays through CITES.
• Oceans NorthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working on Indigenous-led conservation in Greenland and Kalaallit Nunaat.
• Our FishcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization executing campaigns to amplify climate and biodiversity benefits of sustainable fisheries.
• Mediterranean Sea AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampaign movement of NGOs working to improve health and productivity of the Mediterranean Sea.
• Seas At RiskcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean federation working on transforming EU fisheries policy and reducing overfishing.
• ClientEarthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental law organization using the power of law to protect the earth, working on EU fisheries litigation.
• BLOOMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience-based French NGO working to protect marine environment and ensure French MPAs are truly protected.
• Fair SeascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of Ireland's environmental NGOs working to designate 30% of Irish waters as MPAs.
• Micronesia Conservation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust working on extending commercial fishing exclusion zones and developing Protected Areas Networks in FSM and RMI.
• RarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working on community-based fisheries management and national alliances of fishers in the Philippines.
• Blue Resources TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization leading collaboration for Sri Lanka's ocean protection by 2030.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Plastic Solutions Fund: A purpose-built funders' collaborative explicitly focused on stemming ocean plastic pollution; structurally identical to Oceans 5 (pooled philanthropic capital, grantmaking to vetted NGOs, no products/services) and explicitly listed as one of Oceans 5's strategic partners. The two are sister vehicles within the ocean-funder ecosystem.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: A large-scale philanthropic collaborative that pools multi-foundation capital and regrants to high-leverage climate and environmental initiatives globally. Comparable operating model (collaborative of funders, regranting, no products) and overlapping marine/coastal climate themes position it as a direct structural peer to Oceans 5.
• Schmidt Marine Foundation: A dedicated marine-conservation grantmaking foundation funding marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, and ocean health — directly overlapping Oceans 5's three priority focus areas and operating primarily through regrants to NGOs. Closest thematic mission match among standalone funders.
• Oak Foundation: A major multi-issue philanthropic foundation with a substantive marine-conservation and fisheries portfolio that funds MPAs and ocean governance work. Peer because it deploys similar dollar magnitudes into overlapping NGO partners and cause areas as Oceans 5.
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: A large U.S. foundation with a long-running ocean-and-fisheries grantmaking program (including historically significant support for Oceans 5's predecessor funders). Comparable in scale, mission overlap, and grantmaking posture, making it a strong funder-side peer.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg Philanthropies: An enormous multi-cause philanthropy that is also a named partner in the Oceans 5 collaborative and funds broad ocean-policy initiatives. A broader incumbent peer because of far larger mandate and budget across many cause areas including marine.
• Pew Charitable Trusts: A large U.S. nonprofit operating both as a research/advocacy organization and as a substantive marine funder (Antarctic MPA, RFMO work). It is both a strategic partner of Oceans 5 and a fellow funder in the same cause areas, making it a broader-incumbent peer that competes and collaborates simultaneously.
• Arcadia Fund: A large environmental and cultural-heritage philanthropy that is a partner in the Oceans 5 collaborative and independently funds marine/conservation initiatives. Functions as a broader incumbent funder with overlapping portfolios.

Regional players

• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): A major environmental NGO with a major oceans and fisheries program (funded by Oceans 5 for Cuban fisheries work). Peer because EDF independently deploys significant capital into the same MPAs-and-fisheries space, although as an operator and advocate rather than a regranting vehicle.

Emerging players

• Resources Legacy Fund: A U.S. foundation that designs and manages large pooled-funder initiatives in ocean and environmental policy. Comparable in role as a funder-collaborative intermediary serving overlapping NGO and policy-advocacy constituencies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oceans-5

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Oceans 5