Central Caribbean Marine Institute

What Central Caribbean Marine Institute does

Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) is a privately funded marine conservation nonprofit founded in 1998 and headquartered in Princeton, NJ, with its operational base at the Little Cayman Research Centre on the north coast of Little Cayman, adjacent to Bloody Bay Marine Park. It maintains 501(c)(3) status in the US, UK charity registration, and Cayman Islands NP-3 nonprofit status, and operates with 11–50 staff across research, education, and conservation programmes targeting Caribbean coral reef ecosystems.

CCMI's core technology stack combines long-term ecological monitoring, active restoration, and immersive education. Since 1999, CCMI has run annual Atlantic Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) surveys, building what is among the longest continuous coral reef datasets in the Caribbean (26+ years). Since 2012, the organisation has operated the Cayman Islands' first coral nursery, currently safeguarding 290+ fragments of critically endangered staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) across three genotypes, with a 30-metre depth extension and an elkhorn (Acropora palmata) nursery under development. The CREWS (Coral Reef Early Warning System) buoy, the first acidification testing system deployed in the Cayman Islands, streams real-time oceanographic and meteorological data including pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, light (PAR), and Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler readings. The flagship education platform, Reefs Go Live, has scaled to 10,000+ students and citizen scientists in 38+ countries per episode (45,000+ views per episode in 2024) via underwater live-streaming broadcasts. Complementary research programmes cover blue carbon in seagrass meadows (in partnership with Butterfield), mesophotic seamount and reef biodiversity, lionfish acoustic tagging, and herbivory-driven reef resilience (with the Smithsonian and Darwin Initiative).

CCMI's revenue model is a diversified nonprofit stack: individual donations, corporate sponsorships (a tight cluster of Cayman-resident financial-services and tourism firms led by Wheaton Precious Metals International, Dart, Butterfield, BDO, Maples, LOM Financial, Scotiabank, Foster's, Cayman Water, and Knighthead), government and institutional grants (UK Darwin Plus, EU BEST 2.0, US NSF, Ball Foundation, Disney Conservation Fund, Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust), fee-based professional courses and corporate ESG retreats, and the annual Festival of Seas black-tie gala ($300K raised in 2025). Education programmes are predominantly free, including the fully subsidised Marine Ecology Course for ~420 Cayman Islands Year 6 government school students in 2026, Reefs Go Live broadcasts, and public Reef Lectures. The organisation is currently executing a Coral Fund capital campaign to build an 11,000 sq ft expansion of the Little Cayman Research Centre and is in the middle of an Ocean Decade Campaign (2021–2030) targeting an additional $1.5M in multi-year unrestricted funding.

Name

Central Caribbean Marine Institute

Legal name

Central Caribbean Marine Institute

Website

https://reefresearch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Central Caribbean Marine Institute is a marine conservation nonprofit that runs long-term coral reef monitoring, restoration, and global ocean-education programmes from its Little Cayman Research Centre in the Cayman Islands, serving Cayman government school students, university and conservation trainees, corporate ESG teams, and global public audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation Research and Education

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Aquaculture (11251)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reef, Island & Coastal Ecotours (mangroves, lagoons, sea caves) (THAAAIAE), Guided Diving & Snorkeling Excursions (boat/shore trips) (THAAAIAB), Dive Centers & Scuba Training (PADI/SSI, certifications) (THAAAIAA)

Keywords

• Coral reef conservation
• Marine research education
• Coral restoration programs
• Reef monitoring services
• Marine field station

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: CCMI solicits donations from individuals via its website (reefresearch.org) and donate.reefresearch.org portal. Donors receive tax receipts (registered 501(c)(3) in the US, UK #1104009, and Cayman Islands NP-3). The organisation maintains donor privacy and never sells or trades donor contact information.
2. Corporate Sponsorships & VIP Supporters: Corporate entities sponsor CCMI programmes at various tiers (Gold Corporate Navigator, annual Healthy Reefs sponsors, Gala sponsors). Sponsors receive visibility on the website, at events, and through community outreach materials. Sponsors include Wheaton Precious Metals International, BDO, Maples Group, Rawlinson Hunter, LOM Financial, Ugland Properties, Dart, Foster's Supermarket, Cayman Water, Knighthead International, Butterfield, Scotiabank, CIREBA, and others.
3. Government & Institutional Grants: CCMI receives grants from government bodies including the UK Government's Darwin Plus Programme, EU BEST 2.0 Programme, Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation, Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, AALL Foundation, and the US National Science Foundation (NSF). These grants fund specific research projects, education programmes, and capital equipment.
4. Education Programme Fees: Revenue from professional courses (Field Research Skills, Coral Reef Resilience and Restoration, Corporate Marine Sustainability Retreat), summer camps (Caribbean Marine Ecology Camp), and school trips. Fee-based registrations are processed through the donate portal. Some programmes are fully subsidised for Caymanian students via scholarships.
5. Fundraising Events: The annual Festival of Seas gala is a major fundraising event. Tickets are sold at CI $300 per person or CI $3,000 per table (CI $5,000 for VIP tables). The 2024 gala raised over $240,000. Additional fundraising includes charity pickleball tournaments and online auctions.
6. ESG & Corporate Partnerships: CCMI offers corporate marine sustainability retreats for organisations seeking to align operations with ESG goals. Companies receive a Corporate Marine Action Plan and field experiences at the Little Cayman Research Centre, with engagement managed by CCMI's development team.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) is a nonprofit that maintains Caribbean marine biodiversity through three integrated pillars: long-term coral reef monitoring research using the AGRRA protocol, active coral reef restoration via the first coral nursery in the Cayman Islands and a CREWS ocean-conditions buoy, and marine science education delivered through residential programmes at its Little Cayman Research Centre, the global Reefs Go Live virtual broadcasts, professional training courses, and the annual Festival of Seas fundraising gala. All programmes are anchored at the Little Cayman field station adjacent to Bloody Bay Marine Park and funded via donations, grants, corporate sponsorships, and course/gala fees.

Product overview

CCMI is a marine research institute operating a portfolio of interconnected conservation, research, and education programmes. The core offerings include the Reefs Go Live virtual education platform, Coral Restoration Programme, and Healthy Reefs monitoring campaign. Education products span professional courses (Field Research Skills, Coral Reef Resilience), youth programmes (Marine Ecology Camp, YELC, Nancy Binz Marine Ecology Course), and corporate offerings (Marine Sustainability Retreat). Conservation work includes coral nurseries, lionfish management, and blue carbon research. The Little Cayman Research Centre serves as the hub for field-based activities. The institute also hosts public engagement through Reef Lecture Series and annual Festival of Seas gala.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reefs Go Live: Flagship education programme that streams live underwater broadcasts from Little Cayman coral reefs to classrooms worldwide
• Healthy Reefs
• Marine Ecology Course (MEC)
• Coral Restoration Programme
• Doug Allan Ocean Sustainability Awards
• Women in Ocean Science
• Young Environmentalist Leadership Course (YELC)

Products and services

• Reefs Go Live Interactive live-streaming education programme that broadcasts from underwater on Little Cayman coral reefs to classrooms worldwide, connecting students and citizen scientists in 38+ countries to marine ecosystems in real time.
• Coral Restoration Programme Science-based coral restoration programme that cultivates staghorn and elkhorn coral fragments in CCMI's nursery (the first in the Cayman Islands) and outplants them on reefs around Little Cayman to rebuild reef structure and biodiversity.
• Healthy Reefs Campaign Annual reef monitoring programme using the AGRRA protocol to assess coral, benthic, and fish communities at Little Cayman sites since 1999, producing reef-health report cards for managers, government officials, and the community.
• Field Research Skills in Coral Reef Management and Restoration Seven-day hands-on professional training course in coral reef monitoring and restoration techniques at the Little Cayman Research Centre, including PADI specialty certifications relevant to conservation careers.
• Coral Reef Resilience and Restoration Course Eight-day course combining ecological theory with hands-on training in coral reef resilience and restoration through independent field research projects at Little Cayman.
• Corporate Marine Sustainability Retreat Four-day, three-night executive retreat at the Little Cayman Research Centre that delivers expert-led workshops, field experiences, and collaborative sessions culminating in a 12-24 month Corporate Marine Action Plan aligned with ESG performance.
• Caribbean Marine Ecology Camp One-week residential camp at the Little Cayman Research Centre for teens aged 14-18, covering tropical marine ecology through diving, snorkelling, fish and coral surveys, and laboratory experiments following CCMI's research methods.
• Young Environmentalist Leadership Course (YELC) Education and leadership programme for young people focused on marine ecology and environmental stewardship, delivered at the Little Cayman Research Centre.
• Marine Ecology Course (Nancy Binz MEC) Three-day, two-night residential course at the Little Cayman Research Centre for primary school students, delivered with scholarships that make the programme free for Cayman Islands government school Year 6 cohorts (approximately 420 students in 2026).
• Festival of Seas Gala Annual black-tie fundraising gala celebrating ocean beauty while raising critical funds for CCMI's conservation, research, and education programmes (raised more than $240,000 in 2024 and approximately $300,000 in 2025).
• Public Reef Lecture Series Regular in-person and virtual lecture series on Grand Cayman and Little Cayman featuring scientists and experts discussing marine heatwave impacts, coral reproduction, seamount exploration, blue carbon science, and conservation topics.
• Blue Carbon Offset & Biodiversity Project Multi-year research programme investigating carbon storage within Little Cayman's seagrass meadows and adjacent coral reef and mangrove ecosystems, producing carbon quantification formulae for restored corals and seagrass carbon stocks.
• Wheaton Women in Ocean Science Award (WIOSA) Scholarship and network programme supporting the development of professional female scientists in marine research, co-launched with Wheaton Precious Metals International to recruit scholars such as blue carbon researcher Haley Capone to CCMI's team.
• Reef Ecology & Evolution Laboratory Research laboratory investigating ecosystem function and biodiversity maintenance in tropical coral reef ecosystems at the Little Cayman Research Centre.
• Lionfish Management Programme Research and management efforts using acoustic tagging and acoustic receiver networks to reduce impacts of invasive lionfish, informing invasive species management strategies across the Cayman Islands and Caribbean.
• Little Cayman Research Centre Field Station Remote field station on the north coast of Little Cayman adjacent to Bloody Bay Marine Park, providing access to Caribbean reef ecosystems and serving as the hub for residential education, professional courses, corporate retreats, citizen science, and research activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of surveyed reefs classified as at least \u2018good\u2019 condition in 2023, dropping to 18% in 2024 following the 2023 marine heatwave (CCMI AGRRA surveys).
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Rutgers University (RUCOOL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Rutgers University\u2019s Institute of Coastal Ocean Observation and Application (RUCOOL) partnered with CCMI in June 2026 to deploy NSF-funded ocean glider RU37 from Little Cayman (NSF OCE-2421622). The glider collects temperature, salinity, and subsurface current data as it transits northward through the Caribbean toward Jamaica, helping researchers understand how Atlantic water transforms as it flows through the Caribbean basin \u2014 with direct implications for climate modelling and hurricane forecasting. Rutgers researchers (Joe Gradone, Elliot Brown) visited Little Cayman to deploy and recover the glider and delivered a talk to CCMI staff and visiting College of Charleston students.
• Cayman Islands Department of EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cayman Islands Department of Environment is a long-standing research partner in CCMI\u2019s annual AGRRA reef surveys and the three-year Darwin Initiative-funded herbivory biodiversity action plan collaboration. The Department relies on CCMI\u2019s monitoring data for government decision-making and marine protected area management. CCMI\u2019s 2021 surveys demonstrated that fish biomass is 40% higher inside MPAs, informing the case for continued protection.
• Smithsonian InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Smithsonian Institution partnered with CCMI and the Cayman Islands Department of Environment on a three-year Darwin Initiative grant to determine which herbivorous fish species are most essential to reef health. The collaboration included benthic habitat surveys and fish population surveys at 17 sites around all three Cayman Islands, followed by tracking of herbivorous fish feeding patterns. Findings highlighted the critical role of parrotfish in controlling algal growth that competes with coral.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaley Capone, a Wheaton Women in Ocean Science Award Scholar affiliated with CCMI, previously worked as a Marine Habitat Resource Specialist and Presidential Management Fellow at NOAA\u2019s Office of Habitat Conservation, providing technical and policy expertise for Gulf of Mexico restoration programmes. This affiliation brings NOAA-level scientific rigour to CCMI\u2019s blue carbon research methodology.
• Cayman Islands Ministry of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cayman Islands Ministry of Education is a key partner in CCMI\u2019s Marine Ecology Course scholarship programme, coordinating government school participation, student selection, and alignment with national education priorities. The Ministry\u2019s support enabled CCMI to meet its goal of providing free residential programmes for an entire Year 6 cohort.
• Cayman AirwayssupportingOthersCayman Airways provides flight transportation for CCMI\u2019s Marine Ecology Course scholarship students and chaperones from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman, making the residential field station accessible to government school students across the Cayman Islands.
• Mission Blue (Hope Spot)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLittle Cayman was designated a Mission Blue Hope Spot by Dr. Sylvia Earle\u2019s ocean conservation organisation, recognising it as one of the world\u2019s most ecologically significant marine ecosystems and a beacon of hope for coral reef conservation.
• University of FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientists from the University of Florida assisted CCMI with coral nursery maintenance and outplanting in December while collecting samples for a new microbiome research project investigating coral health at the genetic level.
• Rutgers University (Education Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRutgers University\u2019s study abroad programme sends students to CCMI\u2019s Little Cayman Research Centre for the Coral Reef Internship (4 transferable credits, July\u2013August) and Reef Research Experience (2-week intensive, June). CCMI\u2019s field station serves as the primary teaching location for Rutgers\u2019s tropical marine biology curriculum.
• Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR) & LECOM, BrazilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJessica Bleuel, a coral reef ecologist, conducts postdoctoral research at LABOMAR and LECOM in Brazil as well as at CCMI in Little Cayman, investigating how thermal stress affects coral ecophysiology and coral reproduction using Favia species from the Caribbean and Brazil as model organisms.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ocean Conservancy: Major U.S. marine conservation advocacy nonprofit running science, policy, and public engagement programmes with significant corporate donor support. Comparable on the donor-driven marine conservation and public awareness model, but at much larger scale and policy-focused rather than field-station-based.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Major oceanographic research and education institution within UC San Diego, running global ocean and reef research including Caribbean deployments. Comparable as a marine science and education institution but far broader and deeper than CCMI.
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI): Large established tropical marine research institution operating across Panama with long-term reef monitoring, postdoctoral programmes, and graduate education. Comparable on the long-term reef science and postdoctoral training axis, but at much greater scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF): Nonprofit running citizen science, marine education, and ocean conservation programmes with a global volunteer base. Comparable as a marine education and citizen-science nonprofit with similar GTM around volunteer engagement and free public programming.
• Blue Marine Foundation: Marine conservation NGO focused on ocean protection, restoration projects, and partnerships in multiple geographies. Comparable as a mission-driven marine conservation nonprofit combining science, restoration, and corporate partnerships.
• Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium: Independent marine research nonprofit in Florida running coral reef restoration, ocean science, and public education including PADI training. Directly comparable integrated research + restoration + education nonprofit at larger scale.
• Coral Reef Alliance: Global marine conservation nonprofit focused on coral reef protection and restoration. Directly comparable as a 501(c)(3) running community-based reef conservation, science, and corporate partnership programmes similar to CCMI's integrated model.
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium: Nonprofit marine education and conservation facility running research, animal rescue, and public-facing education programmes funded through donations and admissions. Comparable as a nonprofit combining research, conservation, and free/paid public education.
• Perry Institute for Marine Science: Caribbean-based marine research and education nonprofit operating reef monitoring, restoration, and education programmes across the Bahamas and wider Caribbean. Closest direct comparable in mission, geography, and reef science focus.
• Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS): Independent marine research and education institute in Bermuda operating a residential field station, university courses, and long-term reef monitoring. Closely comparable to CCMI in field station / residential education / reef research model; CCMI's Director of Research was previously a scientist here.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/reefresearch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ccmireefresearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/reefresearch
• Instagraminstagram.com/reefresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-caribbean-marine-institute

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Central Caribbean Marine Institute