Coonamessett Farm Foundation

What Coonamessett Farm Foundation does

Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research foundation (EIN 26-2645719) headquartered in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, that conducts scientific research and educational projects supporting sustainable fisheries, local small-scale agriculture and aquaculture, and renewable energy. The foundation operates as an independent research organization unaffiliated with any academic or governmental institution, giving it flexibility to collaborate with both industry and government stakeholders. Its primary research programs include the RSA Seasonal Survey on Atlantic sea scallops (running since 2012 on Georges Bank), sea turtle conservation and satellite tagging research, and exploratory squid fishing research in the Northwest Atlantic.

The foundation's technical capabilities center on marine ecosystem monitoring using underwater videography, satellite telemetry, in-water sampling, morphometric measurements, blood and tissue sampling, cover net sampling for juvenile species, and Furuno WASSP multibeam sonar deployed via partner fishing vessels. CFF holds two Endangered Species Act permits (#23639 and #18526) authorizing sea turtle research and satellite tagging. Operational outputs include the "Sustaining Sea Scallops" documentary, peer-reviewed publications, cruise reports, and a publicly available Turtle Impact Tool.

CFF's revenue model is a nonprofit hybrid of individual donations, a four-tier membership program ($100-$5,000+), a four-tier sea turtle symbolic sponsorship program ($30-$250), and government grants including NOAA Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside, Saltonstall-Kennedy, and the New Jersey Research and Monitoring Initiative. The foundation serves government agencies (NOAA NEFSC, state fisheries), commercial fishing partners (F/V Concordia, F/V Tom Slaughter), the renewable energy sector, local agriculture and aquaculture operators, and individual supporters/members.

Name

Coonamessett Farm Foundation

Legal name

Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://coonamessettfarmfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coonamessett Farm Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research foundation that conducts independent marine science on Atlantic sea scallops, sea turtles, and oceanic squid using at-sea partnerships with commercial fishing vessels and NOAA collaborations, funded by grants, memberships, and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine and Fisheries Research Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

Keywords

• Marine research services
• Sustainable fisheries research
• Sea turtle conservation
• Oceanographic surveys
• Nonprofit research foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

East Falmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the foundation's mission of sustainable fisheries research, agricultural projects, and renewable energy research. Donations can be made via PayPal, wire transfer, check, or Donor Advised Funds (DAF) through Fidelity Charitable, DAFgiving360, and BNY Mellon.
2. Membership Program: Tiered membership program with four levels: Supporter ($100-$999), Advocate ($1,000-$3,499), Sustainer ($3,500-$4,999), and Corporate Partner ($5,000+). Benefits include research updates, newsletter subscriptions, invitations to events, and recognition in Annual Report.
3. Sea Turtle Sponsorship/Adoption: Symbolic adoption program with four tiers: Hatchling ($30), Juvenile ($75), Adult ($150), and Nesting ($250). Each tier includes thank-you gift bundles. Funds support critical sea turtle field research and community education.
4. Government Grants: Research funding from government sources including NOAA Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside program, Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program, and New Jersey Research and Monitoring Initiative. These grants fund specific research projects on sea scallops, sea turtles, and fisheries management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization that conducts scientific research and educational projects supporting sustainable fisheries, local small-scale agriculture and aquaculture, and renewable energy. Core offerings include the RSA Seasonal Survey on Atlantic sea scallops (since 2012), sea turtle research and tagging, exploratory squid jigging research, marine survey equipment services, and a data management practice. The foundation also runs donor support programs including a Sea Turtle Sponsorship (symbolic adoption) program, a tiered Membership Program, and a feature documentary ("Sustaining Sea Scallops").

Product overview

Coonamessett Farm Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research foundation offering a portfolio of research services, donation programs, and educational content. The core offerings include a Sea Turtle Sponsorship Program with four symbolic adoption tiers, a Membership Program with four contribution levels, a documentary film ('Sustaining Sea Scallops'), and specialized research services including marine survey equipment, turtle impact assessment tools, and data management. The foundation conducts scientific research supporting sustainable fisheries, local agriculture, aquaculture, and renewable energy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sponsor a Sea Turtle Program: A symbolic adoption program supporting sea turtle research and conservation efforts. Tiers include Hatchling ($30), Juvenile ($75), Adult ($150), and Nesting ($250) sea turtle sponsorships.

Products and services

• Research Services Scientific research services supporting sustainable fisheries operations, local small-scale agriculture, aquaculture, and renewable energy research for public benefit. Includes the RSA Seasonal Survey of Atlantic sea scallops and associated species on Georges Bank.
• Marine Survey Equipment Marine survey equipment services including research vessel operations and specialized sampling equipment (e.g., HabCam underwater camera system, cover nets) used for fisheries monitoring and species surveys.
• Turtle Impact Tool Tool for assessing and monitoring sea turtle interactions with fisheries operations, supporting bycatch reduction and conservation planning.
• Data Management Data management services for research data collection, analysis, and dissemination across CFF's marine research programs.
• Membership Program Tiered donor membership program (Supporter $100-$999, Advocate $1,000-$3,499, Sustainer $3,500-$4,999, Corporate Partner $5,000+) providing research updates, newsletters, event invitations, webinars, and Annual Report recognition in support of CFF's mission.
• Sea Turtle Sponsorship Program Symbolic adoption program with four tiers (Hatchling $30, Juvenile $75, Adult $150, Nesting $250) supporting sea turtle field research and community education; each tier includes a thank-you gift bundle with certificates, stickers, hats, photos, apparel, and (for Nesting tier) naming rights and tracking map.
• Sustaining Sea Scallops Documentary Feature-length documentary film available online, showcasing how CFF's collaborative research model helped a flagging scallop fishing industry rebound.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sea scallop fishery recovery supported through collaborative research model
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership with Heather Haas from NEFSC Protected Species Branch on sea turtle ecology and population dynamics. Project focuses on understanding impacts of the sea scallop fishery on loggerhead sea turtles and reducing bycatch through identified spatial and temporal hot spots.
• FV Tom Slaughter (Shawn Hunt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommercial fishing vessel partnership for collaborative research at sea. Captain Shawn Hunt serves as a valued research partner providing insights on ocean conditions, sediment preferences, and species behavior. Equipped with Furuno WASSP multibeam sonar for ocean floor mapping.
• FV ConcordiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch vessel used for the 2025 RSA Seasonal Survey on Georges Bank. Six-day research cruise successfully sampled 49 stations in the eastern Georges Bank area.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• Ocean Conservancy: U.S. nonprofit focused on ocean health, sustainable fisheries, and marine protected species policy. Highly comparable as a 501(c)(3) ocean advocacy and research foundation that translates science into management recommendations.
• The Ocean Foundation: Community foundation dedicated to ocean conservation grantmaking and project support. Comparable as a marine-focused nonprofit foundation combining grantmaking, project delivery, and donor stewardship.
• Schmidt Ocean Institute: Private foundation funding oceanographic research and operating research vessels. Comparable as a private, donor-funded marine research foundation, though operating at higher technological scale.
• Marine Stewardship Council: International nonprofit setting sustainable fisheries standards and certifying fisheries including U.S. scallop. Comparable focus on sustainable fisheries outcomes and science-based management.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation nonprofit with significant marine and coastal fisheries programs. Comparable as a science-driven conservation organization; larger, broader, and more diversified.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Premier U.S. marine science research institution based on Cape Cod. Comparable because it conducts deep marine ecosystem research with regional Atlantic focus, overlapping with CFF's scallop, sea turtle, and ocean monitoring work; broader in scale and scientific scope.
• Environmental Defense Fund: Large environmental nonprofit with major marine fisheries and ocean ecosystem programs. Comparable mission and donor-supported research funding model, but operates at substantially greater scale.
• NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center: Federal agency conducting fisheries-independent surveys, stock assessments, and protected species research in the same Northwest Atlantic waters as CFF. Directly comparable research scope; also a primary funding partner and sometimes counterparty for CFF.

Regional players

• New England Aquarium: Regional nonprofit combining marine science research, sea turtle rescue and conservation, and public engagement in the same New England waters as CFF. Directly comparable sea turtle and ecosystem research programs.

Emerging players

• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission: Interstate compact managing Atlantic coastal fisheries with strong scientific research arm. Comparable as a regional fisheries science body whose outputs overlap CFF's stock assessment and bycatch work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CFarmFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/CFarmFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coonamessett-farm-foundation-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/coonamessettfarmfoundation
• Xx.com/CoonamessettF

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coonamessett Farm Foundation