American Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay Chapter

What American Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay Chapter does

The American Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay Chapter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 33-0000196) founded in 1999 as a regional chapter of the American Cetacean Society, the first whale conservation group in the world, established in 1967. Headquartered in Mill Valley, California, with a staff of five, the chapter operates a community-driven model centered on cetacean (whale, dolphin, porpoise) research, education, and conservation in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. Its core programs include an annual Research Grant Program (offering named grants honoring Jonathan Stern, Christine Fitzsimmons, and Isidore Szczepaniak), citizen science research projects such as the Harbor Porpoise Study in San Francisco Bay and Barra de Potosi Humpback Whale Monitoring in Mexico, a Monthly Speaker Series, and a 10-week Cetacean and Ocean curriculum for K-8 schools. The chapter also offers an online course, a Northern California Naturalist Certification course, and tools for reporting distressed cetaceans and sightings via integrations with HappyWhale and Whale Alert.

The chapter is funded entirely through charitable revenue streams: individual donations (with $100+ donors recognized on a website honor board for one year), memberships, merchandise sales through a Bonfire online store, and Amazon Smile contributions. It is governed by a Board of Directors and operates in partnership with a dense network of scientific and conservation organizations, including Golden Gate Cetacean Research, San Francisco State University, Oceanic Society, The Marine Mammal Center, NOAA, the California Academy of Sciences, and Point Blue Conservation Science. The chapter serves three primary segments: marine scientists and graduate students (grant recipients and citizen science collaborators), Bay Area K-8 schools and students (curriculum users), and the general public/membership base (event attendees, donors, and volunteers). The underlying technology is limited to citizen science observation tools and photo-identification techniques rather than any proprietary software platform, with digital presence centered on a Squarespace-hosted website, email newsletter, and social media.

Name

American Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay Chapter

Legal name

American Cetacean Society, San Francisco Bay Chapter

Website

https://acs-sfbay.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Cetacean Society San Francisco Bay Chapter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that funds cetacean research grants, citizen science projects, and K-8 ocean education for Bay Area schools, scientists, students, and conservationist donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAGAE

Marine & Freshwater Conservation

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYTHAAAIAC

Whale Watching & Marine Mammal Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Marine & Coastal Ecotourism (Diving, Snorkeling, Whale Watching)

SECONDARYTHAAAEAD

Marine Wildlife & Coastal Nature Tours (Whale/Dolphin Watching, Sea Kayaking)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Ecotourism Operators & Nature-Based Tours

Keywords

• Marine conservation
• Cetacean research
• Environmental education
• Citizen science
• Wildlife protection

Headquarters

HQ city

Mill Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: The organization relies on charitable donations from individuals who want to support cetacean conservation. Members can donate $100 or more to be displayed on the website honor board for a year.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling merchandise through Bonfire to support operations.
3. Amazon Smile: The organization is registered as a charity on Amazon Smile, receiving donations from purchases made by supporters through the platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The American Cetacean Society San Francisco Bay Chapter is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects and conserves whales, dolphins, and porpoises (cetaceans) and their habitats through three core activity areas: scientific research grants to marine scientists and students, educational programs and curriculum for K-8 schools and the public, and citizen science projects such as the Harbor Porpoise Study and Humpback Whale Monitoring in Mexico. It also hosts a monthly speaker series featuring leading cetacean experts and offers naturalist certification courses for the Northern California region.

Product overview

The American Cetacean Society San Francisco Bay Chapter operates as a nonprofit conservation organization offering a portfolio of programs centered on cetacean (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) research, education, and conservation. The core offerings include an annual Research Grant Program supporting marine scientists with named grants, citizen science research projects such as the Harbor Porpoise Study in San Francisco Bay and Barra de Potosi Humpback Whale Monitoring in Mexico, and educational programs including an Online Course, Cetacean and Ocean Curriculum for K-8 classes, and a Monthly Speaker Series featuring experts. Additional programs include Northern California Naturalist Certification courses and tools for reporting cetacean sightings and distressed animals through external platforms like Whale Alert and HappyWhale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Grant Program Annual funding program that awards named grants (Christine Fitzsimmons, Isidore Szczepaniak, Jonathan Stern) to marine scientists and graduate students in the San Francisco Bay Area for cetacean research projects.
• Harbor Porpoise Study

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2 million children and hundreds of thousands of adults have participated in whale-watching trips sponsored by ACS since founding.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Golden Gate Cetacean ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project conducting harbor porpoise research in San Francisco Bay. The partnership involves citizen science data collection from land-based observation stations and transects across the Golden Gate Bridge. The study ran from Fall 2013 through Spring 2015.
• San Francisco State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in harbor porpoise study with Masters candidates using citizen science data for thesis research. Also partner in joint research on humpback whale habitat modeling.
• Oceanic SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Barra de Potosi Humpback Whale Monitoring Research Programs in Mexico, where participants assist scientists with whale identification and observation.
• Whales of Guerrero Research ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in humpback whale monitoring research programs in Barra de Potosi, Mexico, working alongside American and Mexican scientists and local fishermen.
• The Marine Mammal CentercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHotline partner for reporting distressed or stranded whales, dolphins and porpoises found between San Luis Obispo and Mendocino Counties. Contact: (415) 289-SEAL / (415) 289-7325.
• Whale Entanglement TeamcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHotline partner for reporting entangled whales, dolphins and porpoises anywhere along the California coastline. Contact: (877) SOS-WHALE / (877) 767-9425.
• California Academy of SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution partner involved in cetacean research, mentioned in connection with strandings research and sea star wasting disease coverage.
• Point Blue Conservation ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in humpback whale habitat modeling study. Part of the Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies (ACCESS) Program partnership.
• NOAAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mentioned as partner in shipping lane research and whale management areas. Collaborates on vessel speed reduction policies.
• University of California Santa CruzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned in connection with sea star wasting disease research and harbor porpoise studies. Partners with Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network.
• The Nature ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization partner in sunflower sea star breeding program mentioned in sea star wasting disease coverage.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Earth Island Institute: Environmental nonprofit incubator that has housed marine conservation projects. Operates as a broader umbrella for environmental causes including marine mammal protection.
• Ocean Conservancy: Large-scale marine conservation nonprofit addressing ocean health including cetacean protection. Comparable mission space but operates at a much larger national scale and broader ocean policy remit.
• Marine Conservation Institute: Marine conservation nonprofit focused on protecting ocean ecosystems including key habitat for cetaceans. Comparable advocacy and science-based conservation mission at national scale.
• Whale and Dolphin Conservation: Largest global charity dedicated specifically to whale and dolphin conservation. Mission is essentially identical to ACS (whales/dolphins/porpoises), but operates internationally with substantially larger resources.
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Marine conservation organization with cetacean protection among its core focuses. Comparable mission on whale protection but uses a much more direct-action advocacy approach and global operations.

Direct peers

• Golden Gate Cetacean Research: Bay Area cetacean research nonprofit co-founded by the late Jonathan Stern; ACS-SF Bay is a direct research partner on the Harbor Porpoise Study. Highly comparable scientific mission on SF Bay cetaceans.
• The Marine Mammal Center: California-based nonprofit focused on marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation research. Direct peer because ACS-SF Bay partners with them as a hotline partner and they operate in the same Bay Area marine mammal conservation space.
• Oceanic Society: Marine conservation nonprofit running whale-watching programs including the Barra de Potosi humpback project with which ACS-SF Bay directly collaborates. Closely comparable mission and citizen science model.

Regional players

• Pacific Marine Mammal Center: California-based marine mammal rescue and education nonprofit. Comparable as a West Coast marine mammal nonprofit, though primarily focused on rescue/rehabilitation rather than research grants and citizen science.
• Center for Coastal Studies: Cape Cod-based marine research and conservation nonprofit with whale research programs. Comparable cetacean research and education focus but on the U.S. East Coast.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-cetacean-society-san-francisco-chapter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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