The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation & Education Foundation

What The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation & Education Foundation does

The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation & Education Foundation (d/b/a Gray Whale Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Clemente, California (operating from Dana Point Harbor). The foundation delivers hands-on marine science education through whale watching field trips and in-class assemblies for students in grades 3-12, primarily serving public and private schools in Orange County and Southern California. Its stated mission is to fund student education programs entirely through private sector support so access is not limited by school budgets.

The core offering is the Field Trips and Assemblies Program, a roughly three-hour experience combining pre-trip classroom assemblies with on-water whale watching led by onboard naturalists and educators. Programs operate Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from Dana Point Harbor, where vessels are supplied through an operational partnership with Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. Additional programs include Science and Data Collection initiatives in partnership with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, In-School Assemblies with NOAA-aligned curriculum, and Corporate Team Experiences for CSR and team-building purposes. Citizen-science data (whale health observation, migration tracking, ecosystem research) is contributed to NOAA and Pacific Marine Mammal Center researchers.

Revenue is generated through individual donations (online via Givsum and mailed checks) and a tiered corporate sponsorship program (Supporting Sponsor through Legacy Sponsor, plus custom packages), with field trips offered at low or no cost to schools via sponsorship underwriting. The organization is governed by a five-member board (Michael Hansen as Chairman and Founder, Corey Hall as Vice Chair, Todd Mansur as Treasurer, Mitch Allen and Deanna Hansen as Board Members), with Captain Todd Mansur serving as Educational Director and Marine Naturalist and Nona Reimer as Science Advisor. The foundation does not operate proprietary technology and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

Name

The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation & Education Foundation

Legal name

The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation & Education Foundation

Website

https://graywhalefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation & Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2009 that delivers hands-on whale watching field trips and in-school marine science assemblies for grades 3-12 students in Orange County, California, funded through individual donations and tiered corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Science Education Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Whale Watching & Marine Mammal Tours (THAAAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine Wildlife & Coastal Nature Tours (Whale/Dolphin Watching, Sea Kayaking) (THAAAEAD), Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Marine science education
• Whale watching field trips
• Ocean conservation programs
• Environmental stewardship education
• Nonprofit marine education

Headquarters

HQ city

Dana Point

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors fund specific programs including student field trips, transportation, science/data collection activities, and in-school assemblies. Sponsorship levels include Supporting Sponsor, Program Sponsor, Education Partner, Field Trip Sponsor, Conservation Partner, and Legacy Sponsor. Custom sponsorship packages are available.
2. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through an online donation portal (via Givsum) or by mailing checks. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, making donations tax-deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The foundation delivers hands-on whale watching field trips combined with in-class educational assemblies for students in grades 3–12, departing from Dana Point Harbor aboard vessels provided by partner Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. Programs are standards-aligned, led by onboard marine naturalists, and are made accessible to schools at low or no cost through corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and grants. Additional offerings include science and data collection research experiences with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center and corporate team whale watching experiences for sponsors.

Product overview

The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation and Education Foundation operates as a non-profit educational organization offering marine science field trip programs centered around gray whale observation. The core offering is the Field Trips and Assemblies Program, which combines in-class educational sessions with on-the-water whale watching experiences for students grades 3-12. Additional sponsorship-funded programs include Science and Data Collection partnerships with Pacific Marine Mammal Center, In-School Assemblies with NOAA-aligned curriculum, and Corporate Team Experiences. The organization works with Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching for vessel operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of students served annually with first-time ocean experiences
• +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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and supporting.

• Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale WatchingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides vessels and operational support for field trip programs. Captain Todd Mansur works closely with this company. The company was founded in 1973 and is Orange County's first whale watching company. Captain Corey Hall serves as Operations Manager and is Vice Chair of the foundation's board.
• Pacific Marine Mammal CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for science and data collection programs. Participants contribute to real-world data collection including whale health observation, migration tracking, and marine ecosystem research in partnership with this organization.
• Catalina ExpressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorContributing partner providing marine transportation services supporting foundation programs.
• CA Coastal CommissionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner through the Whale Tail Programs supporting marine education initiatives.
• NOAAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner working with scientists and whale watching businesses to provide crucial data on Gray Whale occurrence, distribution, and behavior in and around Marine Protected Areas. The foundation's curriculum aligns with NO\AO standards.
• Rosodigital Creative SolutionssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCreative agency partner providing website and marketing services. Website credits Breo Media as website developer.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Marine Mammal Center: Bay Area-based nonprofit marine mammal hospital and education center running K-12 programs and citizen-science research. Comparable mission combining marine mammal conservation, education, and data collection.
• Heal the Bay: Santa Monica-based marine conservation nonprofit with K-12 education programs, citizen-science initiatives, and advocacy campaigns. Comparable Southern California conservation-education hybrid model with school outreach as core channel.
• Cabrillo Marine Aquarium: Los Angeles city-run marine aquarium and education facility offering K-12 programs focused on Southern California marine ecosystems. Comparable public-facing marine science education mission targeting local school districts.
• Pacific Marine Mammal Center: Laguna Beach nonprofit focused on marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, and education. Active research partner of the foundation; comparable mission around marine conservation education and citizen-science engagement.
• Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching: Orange County's first whale watching company (founded 1973) and the foundation's core operational vessel partner. Directly comparable whale-watching tour business, with overlapping leadership (Corey Hall serves on both boards).
• Ocean Institute: Dana Point-based nonprofit marine education organization offering hands-on ocean programs for K-12 students and families. Direct geographic and mission peer, also drawing on the same Southern California school district ecosystem.
• Wyland Foundation: National ocean conservation and education nonprofit recognized for environmental leadership (foundation's Science Advisor was named a Wyland Earth Month Hero). Comparable conservation-education hybrid with corporate sponsorship model.

Broad incumbents

• Surfrider Foundation: National coastal conservation nonprofit with significant Southern California presence and education programming. Comparable environmental advocacy and education focus, though broader than marine mammals specifically.
• Aquarium of the Pacific: Larger Long Beach-based aquarium and marine education institution serving hundreds of thousands of school visitors annually. Overlaps in K-12 marine science education mission but at much larger scale and broader programming portfolio.
• Birch Aquarium at Scripps: San Diego aquarium affiliated with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, providing K-12 marine science education and ocean conservation programming. Comparable mission and student field-trip model in the broader Southern California market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/graywhalefound

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation & Education Foundation