MarAlliance
MarAlliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit marine conservation organization founded in 2014 that conducts scientific research and community-based conservation of threatened marine wildlife across five countries in Central America, the Caribbean, and the USA, serving fishing communities, government agencies, and conservation NGOs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MarAlliance does
MarAlliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit marine conservation organization founded in April 2014 by Dr. Rachel Graham and headquartered in Belize, with additional offices in Panama and the USA. The organization conducts innovative tropical marine research to support effective conservation and management of threatened large marine wildlife and their critical habitats, operating across five countries (Belize, Mexico, Honduras, Panama, and the USA) with a strong regional focus on Central America and the Caribbean. Core activities include standardized scientific monitoring using Underwater Visual Census (UVC), Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV), scientific longlines, and satellite and acoustic tagging to track marine megafauna populations, combined with training of local fishing communities as scientific collaborators and advocacy for marine protected area (MPA) effectiveness.
The organization's product portfolio centers on a Marine Wildlife Tracking Platform for satellite-tagged animals, a Species Guide and Ecosystems educational resource, and supporter-facing programs including Animal Adoptions ($45 per adoption), hands-on Marine Expeditions (snorkeling, shark tagging, reef monitoring), Z Scholarships for emerging conservationists, and an ongoing stream of Research Publications, Project Briefs, and Scientific Presentations. MarAlliance generates revenue through individual and corporate donations, foundation and government grants, recurring monthly and legacy giving programs, animal adoption fees, and expedition participation fees, with supporters spanning private donors, companies, universities, research centers, government institutions, and foundations.
MarAlliance's primary customer segments are local fishing communities (trained in monitoring and sustainable practices), government fisheries and marine management agencies (provided with science-based policy support), and conservation NGOs (engaged in collaborative research and capacity building), with a broader horizontal segment of individual donors and supporters reached through digital channels. The organization has contributed to notable outcomes including the 2018 discovery of the Atlantic sixgill shark as a distinct species, the 2018 documentation of a tiger shark's transatlantic migration, and advocacy that supported Belize's 2020 nationwide gillnet ban.
MarAlliance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MarAlliance
- Legal name
- MarAlliance
- Website
- https://maralliance.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MarAlliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit marine conservation organization founded in 2014 that conducts scientific research and community-based conservation of threatened marine wildlife across five countries in Central America, the Caribbean, and the USA, serving fishing communities, government agencies, and conservation NGOs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MarAlliance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Conservation Services
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)
Keywords
Where MarAlliance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
MarAlliance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: MarAlliance generates revenue through individual and corporate donations, with international supporters including private donors, companies, universities, research centers, government institutions, and foundations
- Animal Adoptions: One-time $45 donation per animal adoption includes personalized digital certificate, PDF species information, and supports conservation efforts
- Marine Expeditions: Hands-on marine fieldwork expeditions offering participants opportunities for snorkeling, shark tagging, and reef monitoring to support conservation efforts
- Monthly Giving Program: Recurring monthly donation option for ongoing supporter engagement
- Legacy Giving: Planned giving options for long-term supporter engagement
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Animal Adoption - One-time donation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
MarAlliance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MarAlliance conducts innovative tropical marine research to support effective conservation and management of large marine wildlife (sharks, rays, sea turtles, big finfish) and their critical habitats. The organization trains local fishers as scientific collaborators in monitoring activities, engages communities for species sighting data, and disseminates findings to audiences ranging from schoolchildren to policymakers. Paid supporter offerings include symbolic animal adoptions and hands-on marine expeditions, alongside a public satellite wildlife tracking platform.
Product overview
MarAlliance is a non-profit marine conservation organization offering a portfolio of interconnected conservation programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include a Marine Wildlife Tracking Platform for satellite tagging and monitoring marine animals, combined with educational resources like the Species Guide and Ecosystems portal. Conservation support programs include Animal Adoptions, Expeditions for hands-on fieldwork, and Z Scholarships for emerging conservationists. Scientific outputs are delivered through Research Publications, Project Briefs, Scientific Presentations, and Outreach Information materials. All offerings work together to advance MarAlliance's mission of protecting threatened marine wildlife and their critical habitats through science, community engagement, and stakeholder empowerment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Animal Adoptions
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 19,000 hours of BRUV footage collected across the Mesoamerican Reef region
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use MarAlliance
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
MarAlliance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
MarAlliance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Panama Aquatic Resources Authority (ARAP)coreMarAlliance and ARAP strengthened their alliance to advance sustainable fishing and marine conservation in Panama, working with local fishing communities in the Guna Yala Comarca and other sites along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts
- Local Fishers (Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras)coreTraditional fishers are trained as scientific collaborators in monitoring and conservation activities. Fishers from Belize traveled to Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras to train on standardized monitoring methods and safe shark handling. Mexican fishers shared lobster capture techniques with Belizean counterparts
- Government Agencies (Regional)coreCollaborates with government agencies across 5 countries to support conservation, conduct research, monitor ecosystems, and build local scientific capacity for marine protected area management
- Conservation Coalition for Sustainable Fishing (Belize)majorMarAlliance's advocacy, expertise, and collaboration was key in achieving Belize's national gillnet ban legislation
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
MarAlliance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Oceana: Oceana is the world's largest international ocean-focused advocacy organization. It overlaps with MarAlliance in marine conservation policy goals and in working with fishing communities, but is a major-incumbent advocacy NGO rather than a science-driven field organization.
- WildAid: WildAid is a larger, better-funded marine and wildlife conservation NGO focused on reducing demand for illegal wildlife products. It is comparable to MarAlliance in mission and global scope, but operates with a much broader media-and-celebrity-driven model rather than community-embedded fieldwork.
- Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Sea Shepherd is a globally recognized marine wildlife protection organization that combines direct at-sea enforcement with public campaigns. It overlaps with MarAlliance's marine megafauna focus, but uses a direct-action model rather than community-based monitoring.
- Pew Charitable Trusts — Global Ocean Legacy: Pew's ocean programs focus on marine protected area establishment, including large-scale ocean reserves. It is comparable to MarAlliance in pursuing MPAs and science-based policy, but operates as a large philanthropy with advocacy scale rather than grassroots fieldwork.
Direct peers
- Cape Eleuthera Institute: Cape Eleuthera Institute conducts marine research and education in the Caribbean (Bahamas). It is comparable to MarAlliance in combining long-term marine monitoring with capacity-building and community engagement in small coastal communities.
- Shark Research Institute: Shark Research Institute conducts scientific research on sharks and rays worldwide, including tagging and population monitoring. It is directly comparable to MarAlliance in species focus, methodology (satellite/acoustic tagging), and community engagement with fishers.
- Reef Conservation International: Reef Conservation International (formerly Reef Protection International) conducts community-based marine conservation research in Central America and the Caribbean. It overlaps closely with MarAlliance in geography (Mesoamerican Reef region), reef monitoring, and fisher-led conservation.
- Healthy Reefs Initiative: Healthy Reefs Initiative is a multinational coalition monitoring reef ecosystem health across the Mesoamerican Reef. It is directly comparable to MarAlliance in geographic focus and standardized monitoring methodology, though it functions more as a coalition than a field-implementing NGO.
Regional players
- MarViva Foundation: MarViva is a regional marine conservation foundation operating along the Eastern Pacific coast of Central America (Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia). It shares MarAlliance's marine protected area focus and Central American footprint, though it concentrates on the Pacific rather than the Caribbean.
Others
- The Ocean Foundation: The Ocean Foundation is a US-based community foundation dedicated to ocean conservation. It is comparable to MarAlliance as a marine nonprofit serving donors and grantees, but functions primarily as a fiscal and grantmaking intermediary rather than a field operator.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MarAlliance social profiles
Digital presenceMarAlliance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MarAlliance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
MarAlliance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MarAlliance M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MarAlliance
What does MarAlliance do?
MarAlliance conducts innovative tropical marine research to support effective conservation and management of large marine wildlife (sharks, rays, sea turtles, big finfish) and their critical habitats. The organization trains local fishers as scientific collaborators in monitoring activities, engages communities for species sighting data, and disseminates findings to audiences ranging from schoolchildren to policymakers. Paid supporter offerings include symbolic animal adoptions and hands-on marine expeditions, alongside a public satellite wildlife tracking platform.
Is MarAlliance a public or private company?
MarAlliance is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was MarAlliance founded?
MarAlliance was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MarAlliance based?
MarAlliance is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does MarAlliance make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are animal Adoptions, marine Expeditions, monthly Giving Program and legacy Giving.
Who are MarAlliance's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Oceana, WildAid, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Pew Charitable Trusts — Global Ocean Legacy. Direct peers are Cape Eleuthera Institute, Shark Research Institute, Reef Conservation International and Healthy Reefs Initiative. MarViva Foundation is listed as a regional player. The Ocean Foundation is listed as an others.
Does MarAlliance have an API?
No public API is recorded for MarAlliance.
What industry is MarAlliance in?
MarAlliance's product category is Marine Conservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAE, Marine & Freshwater Conservation, with a secondary code of BPAGAGAB, Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection. Its SIC code is 8731.