Algalita

What Algalita does

Algalita Marine Research and Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1994 by Captain Charles Moore and headquartered at 148 N. Marina Drive, Long Beach, California (EIN 33-0657882). The organization conducts marine plastic pollution research and delivers environmental education programming, with the Wayfinder Society for Environmental Education (launched May 2023) as its flagship program. Wayfinder Society provides free, standards-aligned (NGSS, APES) lesson plans, hands-on science toolkits containing microplastic samples from 10 ocean expeditions, educational videos, and a digital Student Hub where students ages 11-25 track service hours, complete action projects, earn badges across 9 themed pathways, and apply for $500 student mini-grants.

The underlying technology stack is a self-serve web platform with class code-linked educator accounts, individual and team student accounts, action submission workflows reviewed by staff, badge/points gamification, and pathway progression logic. Physical toolkits (Synthetic Sand Investigation Kit, Plastic Ocean Kit, Microfiber Investigation Kit, Take Action Toolkit) are shipped free to US public school educators, while digital toolkits and lesson plans are globally downloadable. Content is co-created with partner organizations including the sister Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, FracTracker Alliance, GAIA, Break Free From Plastic, FenceLine Watch, Upstream, and Story of Stuff. The Story of Plastic, co-produced by Algalita, won an Emmy Award.

The business model is donation-funded: there is no fee structure for educators or students, and all program content is described as "completely free, thanks to our generous funders and donors." The organization monetizes its mission through individual and foundation donations (channeled via the website, newsletter signups, and Square-powered "Meaningful Merch" purchases) rather than direct service revenue. Customer segments are educators (middle and high school), students (ages 11-25), and youth-led project leaders, served across 112 countries as of August 2024. Local Long Beach community programs include the Clean Bay Collective water quality monitoring initiative and a BYO Refill Shop. The team consists of approximately 5 employees plus the founder, with no external institutional investment, parent company, or subsidiaries disclosed.

Name

Algalita

Legal name

Algalita Marine Research and Education

Website

https://algalita.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Algalita is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free, standards-aligned marine plastic pollution education to students ages 11-25 and their educators worldwide through the Wayfinder Society platform, science toolkits, lesson plans, and mini-grant programs funded by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Environmental education
• Marine research
• Plastic pollution
• Classroom curriculum
• Citizen science

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Organization is funded through donations from individuals and foundations. EIN 33-0657882 indicates 501(c)(3) non-profit status. The Wayfinder Society program is described as 'completely free, thanks to our generous funders and donors.'

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Algalita is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit marine research and education organization that delivers free environmental education programs focused on plastic pollution. Its flagship offering, the Wayfinder Society for Environmental Education, provides standards-aligned lesson plans, hands-on science toolkits, an interactive Student Hub for tracking service hours and earning badges, and grant programs for students and educators globally. The organization also conducts ocean expeditions and community water-quality monitoring through the Clean Bay Collective in Long Beach, California.

Product overview

Algalita operates Wayfinder Society for Environmental Education, a comprehensive educational ecosystem comprising a student-facing online platform with action projects and hour tracking, educator resources including lesson plans and teaching toolkits, grant programs for students and educators, and community initiatives. The core offering centers on the Wayfinder Society Student Hub, which provides over 30 action guides organized into themed pathways with achievement badges. Supporting this platform are hands-on science toolkits (Synthetic Sand Investigation Kit, Plastic Ocean Investigation Kit, Microfiber Investigation Kit) and digital resources (Repair Toolkits, The Story of Plastic Documentary Toolkit). Additional components include free lesson plans aligned to NGSS/APES standards, educational videos from ocean expeditions, Student and Educator Mini-Grant programs, and the Earth Month Classroom Challenge competition. The platform also encompasses community programs like Clean Bay Collective for water quality monitoring and the BYO Refill Shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wayfinder Society: Free environmental education platform providing lesson plans, classroom toolkits, activity guides, and student action projects for all grade levels to empower students and educators to take action on plastic pollution.

Products and services

• Wayfinder Society for Environmental Education A comprehensive environmental education program providing free lesson plans, classroom toolkits, activity guides, and student action projects for all grade levels to teach about plastic pollution and environmental stewardship, targeted at educators and students globally.
• Wayfinder Society Student Hub An interactive online platform enabling students to track community service hours, complete environmental action projects, earn badges and milestones, and apply for student mini-grants. Designed for students ages 11-25 worldwide.
• Synthetic Sand Investigation Kit A hands-on science kit containing microplastic-filled sand samples from Southern California with magnifying glasses, enabling students to investigate beach sand for plastic contamination and calculate spatial density of microplastic pollution. Free for U.S. public school educators.
• Plastic Ocean Investigation Kit An all-inclusive classroom activity kit with three rotating hands-on stations for studying microplastics in ocean gyre samples, investigating plastic densities, and mapping plastic distribution in oceans.
• Microfiber Investigation Kit A classroom kit for studying microfiber air pollution using clip-on microscopes and sample collectors to compare indoor and outdoor airborne microfiber deposition levels, co-created with Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research.
• Student Mini-Grants Funding program providing $500 grants to 10 students aged 11-25 worldwide to support projects addressing plastic pollution root causes in schools or communities.
• Educator Mini-Grants Funding program providing $1,000 grants to 10 middle and high school educators to support classroom or school-based environmental education projects.
• Earth Month Classroom Challenge Annual classroom competition where U.S. educators guide students through completing the Earth Protector Pathway, with prizes including $500 classroom awards and Teach the Change t-shirts.
• Clean Bay Collective Community water quality monitoring initiative in Long Beach providing citizen science opportunities and sharing findings on bay stewardship.
• The Story of Plastic Documentary Digital Toolkit A free screening guide for the Emmy-winning documentary featuring front line communities affected by plastic production, with follow-up activities for classroom and community action.
• Wayfinder Society Lesson Plans Free, editable, hands-on environmental education lesson plans aligned with NGSS and AP Environmental Science standards, covering plastic pollution, biomagnification, climate change, environmental justice, and civic engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students and educators from 112 countries engaged since May 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• FracTracker AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created educational lessons including 'How and where are plastics made?' and 'How is plastic production connected to climate change?' Lessons use FracTracker Alliance's GIS interactive maps to analyze plastic production impacts on communities.
• GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as Wayfinder Society partner organization providing lessons and activities designed by waste solutions experts.
• Break Free From Plastic (BFFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as partner organization. Student actions include 'Conduct a #BreakFreeFromPlastic Brand Audit' and 'Get Moving with the #BreakFreeFromPlastic Movement' connecting students to the global movement.
• FenceLine WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as partner organization providing educational content on environmental justice and fence-line communities affected by plastic production.
• FracTracker AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as partner organization with content focused on tracking and visualizing environmental data related to plastic pollution.
• UpstreamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created 'Explore Uplifting Solutions' action with Upstream. Focus on 'reduce and reuse' solutions and the Indisposable Podcast for student education.
• Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created 'PLAN Plastic Free Campus Manual' action helping students lead the charge toward creating plastic-free campuses.
• Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution ResearchflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization established in 2020 by Katie and Charles Moore. Co-created Microfiber Investigation Kit. Provides scientific research support and microplastics testing capabilities for education programs.
• The Story of PlasticflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created Story of Plastic Documentary Digital Toolkit with The Story of Plastic film creators. Feature-length Emmy-winning documentary reveals the human side of the plastic problem.
• Story of StuffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduced The Story of Plastic Animated Short video featured in Wayfinder Society educational resources.
• Clean Bay CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity water quality monitoring initiative led by Algalita in Long Beach. Six-month pilot program sharing findings and shaping future bay stewardship.
• PolycarbinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent Spotlight feature highlighted Chloe Kuperstein's Green Labs project leveraging Polycarbin's closed-loop recycling system for single-use lab plastics.
• Peak Plastic FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated 'Breathe This Air: A #PlasticJustice Film' featured in Wayfinder Society Environmental Justice Pathway. Film centers humans impacted by plastic production.
• PatagoniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVideo featured in Solution Set highlighting Patagonia's support for Bureo's fishing net recycling program in Chile.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• 4ocean: A for-profit social enterprise that funds ocean cleanup through consumer product sales. Overlaps with Algalita's mission and audience but operates a fundamentally different commercial model and scale, serving as a reference point for monetization of plastic-pollution mission work.
• Ocean Conservancy: A major ocean-focused nonprofit running the International Coastal Cleanup and policy campaigns. Operates at national-policy and global scale, comparable on marine debris advocacy but with substantially larger resources and a more policy-driven model.
• Surfrider Foundation: A much larger, established coastal and ocean conservation nonprofit with beach cleanup, advocacy, and education programs. Overlaps with Algalita on coastal plastic pollution and youth education but operates at far greater scale and geographic breadth.

Direct peers

• Lonely Whale: A nonprofit focused on plastic pollution and ocean health with a strong youth and brand-partnership orientation. Comparable size and donor-funded model, with comparable programmatic emphasis on campaigns and education.
• 5 Gyres: A nonprofit conducting plastic-pollution research and education, including citizen-science expeditions analogous to Algalita's. Operates a similar donation-driven model with education programming, making it a direct mission and model peer.
• Plastic Pollution Coalition: A global nonprofit advocacy and education coalition focused on plastic pollution with a similar mission to Algalita. Comparable in size, donor-funded model, and emphasis on education plus systemic change. Algalita differentiates via standards-aligned classroom curriculum and expedition-grade research assets.

Emerging players

• Captain Planet Foundation: A youth environmental education and grant-making foundation supporting project-based learning in schools. Aligned with Algalita's educator/student grant model and classroom resource delivery, with comparable funding programs of similar scale.
• Rozalia Project: A small marine debris-focused nonprofit that combines citizen-science expeditions, education, and cleanups. Highly comparable in scale, mission, and model to Algalita, with a research-vessel-driven content approach.
• Plastic Free Foundation (Plastic Free July): A globally recognized nonprofit behind the Plastic Free July movement, focused on behavior change and education around single-use plastics. Comparable in donor-funded model and youth-facing education but with a global consumer campaign orientation rather than classroom curriculum.
• EarthEcho International: A youth-focused environmental education nonprofit founded by Philippe Cousteau Jr. with a similar target audience (students and educators) and free resource model. Comparable mission overlap, particularly in ocean education, with somewhat broader environmental scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/algalita
• YouTubeinstagram.com/algalita
• Facebookfacebook.com/Algalita
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/algalita-marine-research-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/algalita
• Pinterestpin.it/50Er3lbz4

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Algalita