Organization of Biological Field Stations

What Organization of Biological Field Stations does

The Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1968 and headquartered in Williamsburg, Massachusetts (EIN 71-1047817). It operates as a membership-based network serving biological field stations and marine laboratories (FSMLs) — facilities that function as living laboratories and outdoor classrooms for environmental researchers, students, and the general public. Member stations and individuals gain access to a Field Station Directory and Map, an annual meeting held at rotating host stations, an online Discussion Board, grants and awards programs, a Job Postings board, and structured programs including the Station Exchange Program and the IDEA+ initiative. Sub-products such as "The Virtual Field" platform and the "Ecotones: Arts at FSMLs" program extend engagement beyond physical site visits.

OBFS's core platform is a content-and-community stack built around a member website (obfs.org), social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube), a listserv, and a member center for exclusive resources. The technology layer is conventional web/forum software rather than a differentiated proprietary system; the durable asset is the curated Field Station Directory and the network relationships themselves.

OBFS generates revenue through membership dues (Field Station, Individual, Student, and Lifetime tiers, billed annually or as a one-time lifetime fee) and charitable donations via its 501(c)(3) designation. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization operates with 1-10 employees and a global footprint spanning member stations in at least 18 countries across North America, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. Notable institutional ties include the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park (host of the 2026 Annual Meeting), Arizona State University's Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (ASU BIOS), and the University of Virginia's Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center (home to the NSF-funded VCR LTER program).

Name

Organization of Biological Field Stations

Legal name

Organization of Biological Field Stations

Website

https://obfs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OBFS is a 501(c)(3) membership network founded in 1968 that supports biological field stations and marine laboratories worldwide through a directory, annual meeting, grants, programs, and community forums serving researchers, students, and station professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: OBFS generates revenue through membership fees from field stations and individual members. Membership categories include field stations, individual members, student members, and lifetime members.
2. Donations and charitable contributions: OBFS is a 501(c)(3) public charity that accepts donations to support its mission of advancing environmental research, education, and public understanding through field stations and marine laboratories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

OBFS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization that supports biological field stations and marine laboratories (FSMLs) by providing a unified network, directory, professional development, grants, advocacy, and community resources. It connects hundreds of field stations globally, facilitates collaboration, and advances environmental research, education, and public understanding through programs such as the Field Station Directory and Map, Annual Meetings, Discussion Board, Station Exchange Program, IDEA+, Grants, Awards, and Job Postings.

Product overview

The Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) operates as a membership-based network supporting biological field stations and marine laboratories (FSMLs) that function as living laboratories and outdoor classrooms for researchers, students, and the public. The organization's core offerings include a Field Station Directory and Map platform for discovering member stations, Annual Meetings bringing together the FSML community, a Discussion Board for professional exchange, Programs such as the Station Exchange and IDEA+ initiatives, Grants and Awards for supporting field science, Job Postings for the FSML community, The Virtual Field for remote engagement, and Ecotones for arts programming. Together these products enable OBFS to advance environmental research, education, and public understanding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Field Station Directory and Map An interactive directory and map platform that enables researchers, students, and the public to discover and explore biological field stations and marine laboratories (FSMLs) worldwide, with filtering by attributes.
• Annual Meetings Annual conference program bringing together FSML professionals, researchers, and students for workshops, field trips, plenary sessions, and networking opportunities, hosted at member field station venues.
• OBFS Discussion Board An online community forum where OBFS members contribute to ongoing discussions and review content and Q&As developed for FSML staff, supporting professional peer exchange.
• Programs (Station Exchange, IDEA+) Organized initiatives supporting field station operations including the Station Exchange Program, the IDEA+ (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) initiative, and various professional development offerings for member stations.
• Grants Grant programs and funding opportunities administered by OBFS for member field stations and researchers conducting environmental and biological field science.
• Awards Recognition programs honoring outstanding contributions to field station science, education, and operations across the OBFS member community.
• Job Postings Employment board listing research, education, and operations opportunities at member FSMLs for researchers, educators, and field station professionals.
• The Virtual Field Virtual platform enabling remote access to field station environments and resources, allowing users to experience field stations online without physical travel.
• Ecotones: Arts at FSMLs Arts program connecting member field stations and marine laboratories through creative expression and artistic programming that complements environmental research and education.

Quantifiable outcome

• OBFS connects hundreds of biological field stations and marine laboratories across multiple continents
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Schoodic Institute at Acadia National ParkflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 September 2026Schoodic Institute serves as the host venue for the 2026 OBFS Annual Meeting (September 14-18, 2026). The institute is Acadia National Park's primary partner in science and education, managing the largest of 18 National Park Service Research Learning Centers in the United States. The partnership focuses on understanding environmental change and helping managers respond and adapt to change through rigorous research and strong partnerships.
• Arizona State University (Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is a unit of ASU's Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, conducting state-of-the-art oceanographic research and educational programs from grade school through graduate school. ASU BIOS operates from Bermuda and leverages its core research to create unique educational programs in collaboration with U.S. and Canadian universities.
• University of VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006University of Virginia's Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center (CRC) is a field station supporting research and education on Virginia's Eastern Shore. The CRC is home to the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research (VCR LTER) program, the most enduring initiative in the NSF-funded national LTER Network.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS): Umbrella organization for the biological sciences that supports member societies and organizations with advocacy, publications, and programs. Comparable to OBFS in its role as a convener for biological science communities, though at a much broader scope.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Large international scientific society with extensive membership, journals, and advocacy. Comparable to OBFS as a high-level scientific membership organization, though vastly broader in scope and resources.
• Ecological Society of America: The largest professional society for ecologists in the U.S., publishing leading journals and running major annual meetings. Comparable to OBFS as a membership-based scientific organization, but with a broader ecology focus that subsumes much of OBFS's researcher audience.
• Society for Conservation Biology: Global professional society for conservation biologists. Comparable in mission to OBFS around biodiversity and ecosystem science, with overlapping researcher membership and similar member-based services.
• National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE): Non-profit focused on advancing environmental science policy and education through convenings and programs. Comparable to OBFS as a membership-style network supporting environmental research, education, and public understanding.

Others

• Wildlife Conservation Society: Large non-profit focused on wildlife conservation and field-based science globally. Adjacent to OBFS in mission, though more operationally focused on direct conservation programs rather than field-station networking.

Emerging players

• Consortium of Aquatic Scientific Societies (CAHS): Collaborative body linking aquatic scientific societies to advance freshwater and marine science. Comparable to OBFS as a network-of-organizations in aquatic science, though organized at the society rather than field-station level.

Direct peers

• Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER): NSF-funded network of long-term ecological research sites, several of which are member field stations of OBFS (e.g., Virginia Coast Reserve). Highly comparable as a coordinated network of research sites supporting ecological science.
• Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO): International scientific society advancing limnology and oceanography research. Closely comparable to OBFS in serving aquatic and marine research communities via conferences, publications, and member services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OBFSFieldBio
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCT8b7a_3kqI-kJixV81bsiA
• Facebookfacebook.com/joinobfs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/organization-of-biological-field-stations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Organization of Biological Field Stations