Sea Smart

What Sea Smart does

Sea Smart is a registered Canadian charity (Sea Smart School Society), founded in 2016 by marine biologist Dr. Elaine Leung, that delivers hands-on ocean and environmental education programs targeting youth, schools, corporate teams, and families. Its core offerings include week-long outdoor summer camps at Kitsilano Beach and Trout Lake Park in Metro Vancouver, BC Curriculum-aligned school workshops, shoreline cleanups, corporate lunch-and-learns and team-building events, and a library of free online K-12 educator resources co-developed with federal partners and available in English and French. The K.E.L.P. (Keeping Environmental Learning Possible) Education Fund provides sliding-scale and free access for underserved, at-risk, and Indigenous youth.

The underlying technology stack is minimal: a Squarespace-hosted marketing website with registration flows, an email newsletter, social media, and Airtable-linked downloadable lesson plans, videos, and slides. Sea Smart is not a software company — its intellectual property is content (curriculum, educator resources, and a bilingual library) and human expertise (marine biologists and trained educators delivering programs with a 1:8 educator-to-camper ratio).

Revenue mechanics are those of a small non-profit: program fees from camps and school workshops, corporate sponsorships (Peterson, Donald's Fine Foods, Helly Hansen, KPMG, Prince of Whales, Patagonia, OpenRoad Foundation, Naturbana Properties), individual donations supporting the K.E.L.P. fund, and in-kind support (office space from Golden Properties, jacket donations from Helly Hansen). The organization has reported 45,000+ youth taught in-person, 1M+ youth reached globally via online resources across 65+ countries, and 11M+ square metres of shoreline cleaned. In May 2025, Sea Smart announced a merger with The Starfish Canada, effective September 1, 2025, under which Sea Smart's brand and programs continue but staff transition to The Starfish Canada, enabling national Canadian reach. Dr. Leung stepped down as Executive Director in Fall 2025 to return to conservation research.

Name

Sea Smart

Legal name

Sea Smart School Society

Website

https://seasmartschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sea Smart is a Vancouver-based Canadian charity founded in 2016 by marine biologist Dr. Elaine Leung, delivering hands-on ocean education through summer camps, school workshops, shoreline cleanups, corporate programs, and free bilingual online resources, primarily serving youth, BC schools, and corporate CSR clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Marine education programs
• Ocean conservation education
• Youth environmental education
• Summer nature camps
• Shoreline cleanup programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: 100% of donations go directly to ocean education programs for youth. The organization accepts individual donations to support their K.E.L.P. Education Fund and general operations.
2. Program Fees: Revenue generated from summer camps, after-school programs, school workshops, and online programs for families and schools.
3. Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate partners sponsor specific programs, events, scholarships, and general operations. Partners include Peterson (sponsored 64 at-risk youth for camps), Prince of Whales (sponsored TWN camps and course development), Donald's Fine Foods, Helly Hansen, KPMG, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sea Smart is a registered Canadian charity that delivers curriculum-aligned marine and environmental education programs for youth, schools, families, and businesses. Its offerings include week-long outdoor summer camps for children aged 6-10 at Kitsilano Beach and Trout Lake Park, BC Curriculum-aligned school workshops and beach excursions, community and corporate shoreline cleanups, sustainability lunch-and-learns, and a global library of free online educator resources in English and French, supported by the K.E.L.P. Education Fund scholarship program.

Product overview

Sea Smart is a Canadian charity offering a portfolio of environmental education programs designed to empower youth to become ocean heroes. The core offerings include in-person programs (summer camps, school workshops, shoreline cleanups, corporate programs) and free online educator resources. The organization operates primarily in Metro Vancouver and provides accessible programming through the K.E.L.P. Education Fund financial assistance program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sea Smart Summer Camps Week-long outdoor summer camps for children aged 6-10 held at Kitsilano Beach and Trout Lake Park in Vancouver, focused on hands-on ocean education, marine ecosystems, environmental conservation, and outdoor skill-building, with a 1:8 educator-to-camper ratio.
• Sea Smart School Programs Science-based workshops and outdoor beach excursions for K-12 students in British Columbia, developed by marine biologists and delivered by trained educators. Programs align with the BC Curriculum and include project-based learning on plastic pollution, ocean conservation, and marine biology.
• Shoreline Cleanups Community and corporate shoreline cleanup events delivered by Sea Smart in Metro Vancouver, offered to community groups, schools, and corporate teams, designed to clean local beaches and inspire sustainability practices.
• Corporate Lunch and Learns and Team-Building Programs Turnkey corporate engagement programs including sustainability lunch-and-learns on topics like zero waste living, plastic pollution, and Orca conservation, plus shoreline cleanup team-building events. Sea Smart handles permits, insurance, and supplies to help companies meet their Corporate Social Responsibility goals.
• Free Educator Resources (Online Ocean Education) Free online ocean education resources developed by marine biologists and environmental educators, including differentiated K-12 lesson plans, presentation slides, educational videos, and extension activities aligned with BC Curriculum. Resources include Diving Into Killer Whales, From the Streets, Aquatic Species at Risk, Life Below Water, Clean Water Champions, Ocean Trash Talk, and Orcas in the Salish Sea, available in French and English globally.
• K.E.L.P. Education Fund (Keeping Environmental Learning Possible) The Keeping Environmental Learning Possible (K.E.L.P.) Education Fund is Sea Smart's financial-assistance program offering sliding-scale and fully sponsored access to summer camps and school programs for underserved, at-risk, and Indigenous youth, removing financial barriers to ocean education.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45,000+ youth taught in-person through summer camps, school workshops, and beach cleanups
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Prince of WhalescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine adventure company that sponsored a week of TWN (The Whale News) summer camps and funded development of the free online course 'Orcas in the Salish Sea'. Partnership includes education content co-development and cross-promotion. Prince of Whales is a Climate Positive designated company.
• Donald's Fine FoodscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor that made generous contributions from 2019-2024 to Sea Smart's general operations, scholarship fund for at-risk youth, and funded several school workshops for low-income schools. Major supporter of the K.E.L.P. Education Fund.
• PetersoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIn 2024, Peterson very generously sponsored 64 at-risk youth to attend a week of summer camps free of charge, removing financial barriers for underserved youth to access ocean education.
• OpenRoad FoundationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMade a generous contribution in 2024 supporting Sea Smart's school workshops and programs specifically for at-risk and vulnerable youth, aligning with their mission to empower underserved communities.
• Helly HansenmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated jackets for the entire Sea Smart team and provided funding towards general operations, supporting the organization's field-based education activities.
• PatagoniaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHas generously provided venue space for public workshops and in-kind event promotion, supporting Sea Smart's community education events.
• KPMGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHas made generous donations to Sea Smart's general operations, supporting the organization's capacity to deliver ocean education programs.
• Golden PropertiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHas generously donated office space enabling Sea Smart to continue its important education work, reducing operational overhead costs.
• Naturbana PropertiesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrom 2022-2023, contributed generously to Sea Smart's scholarship fund allowing at-risk youth to participate in school programs and summer camps free of charge, and provided funding for educational supplies for low-income schools.
• Environment and Climate Change CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner that supported development of the 'Ocean Trash Talk' and 'Clean Water Champions' educator resources. Partnership aligns with federal environmental education priorities.
• Fisheries and Oceans CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal government partner that co-developed the 'Aquatic Species at Risk' educator resources, supporting youth education about threatened marine species in the Salish Sea.
• Surfrider FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental nonprofit community partner collaborating on beach cleanup initiatives and ocean conservation advocacy, sharing mission alignment in protecting coastal environments.
• Tsleil-Waututh First NationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous community partner with whom Sea Smart works on reconciliation-aligned programming and environmental stewardship, acknowledging traditional territories.
• Red Fox Healthy Living SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth organization that brought groups to Sea Smart beach cleanups, enabling Indigenous and vulnerable youth to participate in environmental education activities.
• 1% For the PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal environmental organization whose members commit 1% of sales to environmental causes. Sea Smart receives donations through this network.
• Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the 'Life Below Water' educator resources focusing on gender equity in STEM and ocean conservation, supporting Sea Smart's Girls-Only STEM camp programs.
• BC HydrominorGTM or Marketing PartnerUtility company supporter of Sea Smart's environmental education initiatives.
• Whole Foods MarketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrocery retailer supporter of Sea Smart's mission and programs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• David Suzuki Foundation: Major Canadian environmental nonprofit with broader terrestrial/freshwater/marine focus. Operates youth climate education initiatives (Nature Challenge, Butterflyway) at national scale — a scale and breadth incumbent Sea Smart may aspire to.
• Ocean Wise / Ocean Wise Conservation Association: Large Canadian marine conservation nonprofit offering education programs (AquaVan, Ocean Education), shoreline cleanups, and youth engagement. Cited as a Sea Smart collaborator in the 2018 Ocean Plastics Education Kit; broader scope and longer operating history make it a natural incumbent comparable.

Emerging players

• GreenWave: North American regenerative ocean farming and ocean education nonprofit. Comparable in combining hands-on marine education with conservation outcomes, though geographically focused on U.S. East Coast.
• NatureKids BC: BC-based youth nature education nonprofit offering school programs and explorer clubs. Most comparable peer on size and operating geography; both serve BC schools and youth with outdoor environmental learning.

Regional players

• Pacific Wild: BC-based conservation nonprofit with marine wildlife (wolves, bears, cetaceans) and Great Bear Rainforest focus. Comparable in BC operating geography and education/advocacy mix but less youth-program-centric.
• Living Oceans Society: BC-based marine conservation nonprofit focused on coastal ecosystem protection and youth/stakeholder education. Geographic overlap with Sea Smart's Metro Vancouver/BC operations and similar marine-themed advocacy.
• Students on Ice: Canadian expedition-based youth education program partnering with Sea Smart on the 2018 Ocean Plastics Education Kit. Offers shipboard and Arctic/Antarctic learning expeditions — related but ships voyages rather than shoreline programming.

Direct peers

• The Starfish Canada: National youth-led environmental charity that Sea Smart is merging into as of Sept 1, 2025. Operates youth environmental leadership programs across Canada; the two organizations have overlapping youth-empowerment missions and a confirmed merger pathway.
• Earth Rangers: Canadian nonprofit delivering K-12 environmental education programs, school presentations, and youth membership programs. Closest direct comparator in mission (youth environmental empowerment) and delivery model (in-school + community programming).
• Surfrider Foundation Canada: Beach cleanup and ocean conservation nonprofit named as a strategic community partner of Sea Smart. Operates shoreline cleanups, advocacy, and education programming in coastal BC communities with comparable volunteer-driven delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/seasmartschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Sea Smart