Heal The Ocean

What Heal The Ocean does

Heal The Ocean is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax I.D. No. 77-0565183) headquartered at 1430 Chapala Street in Santa Barbara, California, focused on reducing ocean pollution and providing science-based solutions to improve ocean health and coastal resilience in Santa Barbara County. Its core programs include year-round ocean water quality monitoring at 16 beaches from Carpinteria to Guadalupe Dunes, volunteer-driven beach and watershed cleanups (with partners such as Earthcomb and Marborg Industries), septic system mapping and management advisory work, an EPS/Styrofoam recycling program (brought fully local to Santa Barbara in April 2026), a pollution-reporting hotline (1-877-OUR-OCEAN), and a research library of environmental studies spanning 1998-2024. The organization also conducts policy advocacy, including support for Senate Bill 44 (Oil Cleanup Act) and coastal resilience legislation, often in collaboration with the City and County of Santa Barbara, Montecito Sanitary District, Goleta Water District, the California State Lands Commission, and USGS.

The business model is donation-driven: Heal The Ocean does not charge for its services and is funded entirely through contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors collected via a Givebutter donation portal and targeted campaigns such as the Jack Johnson Matching Campaign. Go-to-market is community-engagement based — monthly e-letters, quarterly newsletters, social media, PR coverage (including Montecito Journal's "The Giving List"), and in-person cleanup and volunteer events serve as the primary distribution channels, with no commercial product or paid offering. The organization explicitly positions its Santa Barbara County methods as replicable models for other coastal communities nationwide, but its operational footprint today remains entirely regional.

Name

Heal The Ocean

Legal name

Heal the Ocean

Website

https://healtheocean.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Heal The Ocean is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs science-based ocean pollution reduction, water-quality monitoring, septic and watershed cleanup programs, and policy advocacy across Santa Barbara County, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), Remediation Services (562910), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Marine & Coastal Remediation (Shoreline/Port Spill Cleanup) (IMAIAGAI), Pollution Control & Environmental Remediation (Booming, Skimming, Shoreline Cleanup) (TLAHAIAH)

Keywords

• Ocean pollution prevention
• Coastal ecosystem restoration
• Watershed cleanup services
• Water quality monitoring
• Marine conservation advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation (Tax I.D. No. 77-0565183) funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. The website features a direct donation portal.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Heal The Ocean is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that delivers science-based environmental programs to reduce ocean pollution in Santa Barbara County. Its core offerings include volunteer beach and watershed cleanups, year-round ocean water quality monitoring, interactive pollution and septic system maps, a pollution reporting hotline, septic system management advisory services, a long-running research library, legislative advocacy, and community volunteer/education programs.

Product overview

Heal The Ocean is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on reducing ocean pollution through science-based solutions. The organization operates a portfolio of environmental programs including beach and watershed cleanup initiatives (removing 400+ lbs of trash per event with 110+ volunteers), water quality monitoring at 16 county beaches, interactive mapping of pollution sources, a pollution reporting hotline (1-877-OUR-OCEAN), septic system management and mapping, a technical research library with decades of environmental studies, policy advocacy for coastal protection legislation, and community engagement through volunteer programs and newsletters. The organization does not offer a commercial software product or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beach & Watershed Cleanup Programs

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marborg IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to expand regional EPS (Styrofoam) recycling program - now fully local to Santa Barbara. Marborg provides collection and processing infrastructure for styrofoam recycling operations.
• EarthcombcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental services partner that works with HTO to remove trash and hazardous waste from watersheds and coastal areas. Removed over 1,600 lbs from More Mesa and 3,080 lbs near Atascadero Creek in recent operations.
• TowBoatUSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRapid response partnership for protecting Summerland shoreline from beached vessels. TowBoatUS provides vessel removal services while HTO coordinates response efforts.
• City of Santa BarbaracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on water supply planning, sewer extension studies, groundwater studies, storm water permits, and sea level rise adaptation planning. Multiple joint technical advisory panels and studies.
• County of Santa BarbaracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration on septic system management, Local Agency Management Program (LAMP), watershed characterization, groundwater studies, and storm water management programs.
• Montecito Sanitary DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint studies on effluent plume tracking, groundwater basin recharge feasibility, and the groundwater-ocean pollution connection.
• Goleta Water DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on potable reuse facilities planning and coastal hazards vulnerability assessments.
• California State Lands CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Summerland Oil Field cleanup efforts and abandoned oil well remediation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Reef Check Foundation: 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on marine ecosystem monitoring and reef conservation through volunteer-driven citizen science. Adjacent marine-conservation peer with volunteer monitoring methodology that parallels HTO's beach water-quality monitoring approach.
• Algalita Marine Research and Education: Long Beach, California-based nonprofit focused on plastic pollution research and education. Comparable California-based marine plastic-pollution focus with research-advocacy model; overlaps with HTO's EPS/styrofoam and watershed trash programs.
• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global nonprofit alliance working to end plastic pollution through advocacy, education, and cleanup coordination. Adjacent plastic-pollution peer with overlapping EPS/styrofoam focus and policy advocacy emphasis relevant to HTO's recycling program.

Broad incumbents

• Ocean Conservancy: National 501(c)(3) focused on ocean health through policy, science, and the International Coastal Cleanup program. A larger and more established peer operating in the same ocean-pollution space, including the global volunteer cleanup model that mirrors HTO's local work.
• Waterkeeper Alliance: International nonprofit umbrella for clean water advocacy including coastal and marine waterkeepers. Comparable water-quality monitoring and pollution-reporting framework; broader geographic scope but overlapping grassroots water-protection mission.

Direct peers

• Heal the Bay: Santa Monica-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on coastal water quality, marine pollution prevention, and beach cleanup advocacy. Direct California-coastal peer with near-identical mission framing ('Heal' branding overlap) and analogous beach water quality monitoring programs.
• Save Our Shores: California-based 501(c)(3) focused on beach and inland cleanups, ocean policy advocacy, and marine debris reduction in Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay. Comparable California-coast nonprofit with volunteer cleanup model and policy advocacy overlap.
• Surfrider Foundation: 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on beach access, water quality, and ocean pollution reduction, with volunteer-driven beach cleanup programs. Most directly comparable peer — same coastal nonprofit model, similar volunteer-driven cleanup operations, and overlapping California beach focus.
• California Coastkeeper Alliance: California-focused clean water advocacy coalition of Waterkeeper groups. Operates in overlapping water quality and coastal pollution space within the same California geography; comparable regulatory advocacy and water-quality monitoring scope.

Regional players

• Coastal Cleanup Day / California Coastal Commission: California state agency that coordinates the annual Coastal Cleanup Day and runs Adopt-A-Beach programs statewide. Adjacent program operator in the same beach-cleanup and coastal-protection space; comparable volunteer mobilization model though publicly funded rather than donation-driven.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/healtheocean

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Heal The Ocean