Friends Of The San Juans

What Friends Of The San Juans does

Friends of the San Juans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization (EIN 91-1087153) founded in 1979 and headquartered in Friday Harbor, Washington. Its mission is to protect the San Juan Islands and the broader Salish Sea bioregion through four integrated program areas: Salish Sea Protection (advocacy, policy, and legal action on shipping, oil spills, and orca protections), Shoreline Ecosystems (science, mapping, habitat restoration, and the voluntary ShoreFriendly stewardship program), Island Communities & Resources (comprehensive planning advocacy, permit review, and resilience work), and Education for the Future (youth education, immersive VR/360-degree dome experiences, an open educational resource curriculum, the Green Boating program, and a community science program training volunteers in invasive-species detection and forage fish monitoring).

The organization's core technical assets are longitudinal scientific datasets and mapping products that guide regional decision-making, including a 20-year eelgrass study across 21 bays and 140 miles of shoreline, a 10-year shoreline armor change analysis covering 400 miles, biennial Salish Sea vessel traffic projections, and an interactive over-water oil transfer map. These data products, combined with in-house legal capacity (Staff Attorney/Legal Director) and partnerships with Earthjustice for litigation, have produced documented regulatory outcomes such as Washington's 1,000-yard orca buffer law and the blocking of a 12.6-million-gallon crude oil storage expansion.

The revenue model is donation-driven: individual donations and memberships exceed half of annual income, supplemented by foundation and government grants (including National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, WA State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), planned giving and estate gifts, donor-advised fund contributions via Fidelity/Schwab/Vanguard, and securities and real estate donations. Distribution is community-led, with 1 in 3 San Juan County residents engaged, hundreds of transboundary collaborators across nonprofits, research institutions, sovereign Tribal Nations, and regional agencies, and roughly 300 active volunteers amplifying programs. The organization holds a 2025 Platinum Candid transparency seal and is a 1% for the Planet member.

Name

Friends Of The San Juans

Legal name

Friends of the San Juans

Website

https://www.sanjuans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of the San Juans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 that protects the San Juan Islands and Salish Sea through science, mapping, restoration, policy advocacy, legal action, and immersive education for island residents, Tribal Nations, students, and government partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Environmental conservation
• Habitat restoration
• Marine policy advocacy
• Community science
• Environmental education

Headquarters

HQ city

Friday Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Memberships: Individual donations make up more than half of the annual income. Membership program supporting environmental protection, restoration, education, and long-term stewardship.
2. Planned Giving and Estate Planning: Legacy giving through wills, endowments, retirement plans, and real estate gifts. Create lasting impact by naming Friends in estate plans.
3. Foundation and Grant Funding: Funding from foundations supporting environmental protection, restoration, and education programs. Includes grants from organizations like National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and others.
4. Donor-Advised Funds: Accepts donations through DAF Direct, Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard donor-advised fund programs.
5. Securities and Property Donations: Accepts donations of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate for tax-efficient charitable giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Friends of the San Juans is a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit that protects the San Juan Islands and Salish Sea through four integrated program areas: science-based shoreline mapping and habitat restoration; policy advocacy, legal action, and permit review; community science mobilization; and immersive education including youth programs, a Green Boating stewardship program, and 360-degree/VR Salish Sea experiences. Programs are funded by donations, memberships, grants, and planned gifts, and delivered free to the community rather than sold as products.

Product overview

Friends of the San Juans is a nonprofit environmental organization (501(c)(3), EIN 91-1087153) established in 1979 with a mission to bring people and nature together to protect the San Juan Islands and Salish Sea. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs organized around four focus areas: (1) Salish Sea Protection—advocacy, policy, and legal action to reduce shipping pollution, strengthen orca protections, and improve oil spill prevention; (2) Shoreline Ecosystems—science, mapping, habitat restoration, and the ShoreFriendly voluntary stewardship program; (3) Island Communities & Resources—comprehensive planning advocacy, permit review, and community resilience work; and (4) Education for the Future—youth education, Immersive Salish Sea Education (OER curriculum with VR/dome experiences), Green Boating program, and Community Science. The Protector Platform serves as an advocacy resource tool. The organization does not offer a commercial product; all programs are mission-driven services delivered to the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education for the Future Program Environmental education initiative connecting students, lifelong learners, and educators to the Salish Sea through immersive video, virtual reality experiences, community science, and hands-on outdoor experiences that inspire stewardship of the ecosystem. Delivered free to the community by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
• Youth Education Educational programming for K-12 students including classroom visits, field trips, and youth advocacy opportunities such as the Eco Club that has advanced statewide legislation including Washington's Recycling Reform Act.
• Immersive Salish Sea Education Open educational resource (OER) online curriculum with place-based lessons and underwater imagery, combined with optional hands-on learning experiences and field trips. Delivered using 360-degree mobile dome and VR headsets to immerse learners in the Salish Sea ecosystem.
• Green Boating Program Education program helping boaters protect the Salish Sea through maps, tools, best practices, Green Boater Pledge, and a trained Ambassador network to reduce impacts on sensitive marine habitats.
• Protector Platform Educational advocacy tool providing key priorities, challenges, and opportunities with expert insights from the team in environmental science, policy, law, and community-centered education for protecting the San Juan Islands and Salish Sea.
• Shoreline Science and Mapping Research and mapping of eelgrass, kelp, priority habitats, and feeder bluffs to inform sustainable decision-making and restoration planning. Includes the multi-decade eelgrass study across 21 bays and 140 miles of shoreline, and the 10-year change analysis of 400 miles of shoreline armor.
• ShoreFriendly Program Voluntary stewardship program helping shoreline property owners make choices that support healthy habitat through free home visits, guidance, and resources for sustainable shoreline living.
• Habitat Restoration Coastal habitat restoration services removing and replacing outdated infrastructure, replanting native vegetation, and improving natural processes to keep beaches, wetlands, and nearshore waters healthy. Delivered through projects such as mooring buoy upgrades and removal of derelict overwater structures in herring spawning areas.
• Comprehensive Planning Advocacy Science-based policy review and public engagement to shape San Juan County's Comprehensive Plan updates, covering housing, water, farming, forests, and climate elements. Engaged 450+ islanders through workshops on five islands and dedicated action teams across the 2022 and 2025 plan updates.
• Permit Review Annual review of all county land-use permits to ensure compliance with shoreline, wetland, and critical area protections, used to identify gaps and improve policy.
• Community Science Program Volunteer-based research and data collection program training community members to detect and report environmental data such as invasive species (e.g., European green crabs) and forage fish spawning beaches.
• Action Alerts and E-News Monthly e-newsletter (Highwater Marks) and periodic action alerts mobilizing community members to advocate for environmental protections; activates thousands of supporters each year.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000-yard buffer protecting Southern Resident orcas adopted into Washington law
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

31 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EarthjusticecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal partnership where Earthjustice provides legal expertise when needed for Friends' regional environmental protection issues, ensuring industrial expansions receive full environmental review
• Northwest Straits FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongest-standing Shore Friendly partner, collaborating on on-the-ground restoration and outreach that turns voluntary stewardship into measurable shoreline recovery
• San Juan Preservation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded the same year by some of the same grassroots leaders; Friends provides shoreline science, policy, and landowner connections that help the Preservation Trust prioritize coastal protection
• SJI Conservation Land BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFriends helped start and advocate for the Land Bank in early 1990s, providing policy and science foundation; today collaborates on habitat restoration projects and provides science and data
• Gathering of the EaglescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSovereign Nations coalition; Friends served as fiscal sponsor for five years and has supported modern-day canoe gatherings for 21 years
• Lummi NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSovereign Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts and modern-day canoe gatherings
• Samish Indian NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in resiliency planning for San Juan Islands, applying new research and mapping data on shoreline ecosystems
• Swinomish Indian Tribal CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSovereign Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• The Tulalip TribescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSovereign Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Suquamish TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSovereign Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Makah TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSovereign Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Musqueam First NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Saanich First NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Se'Si'LecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous-led organization partnered in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Tsleil-Waututh First NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Tsawout First NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Tsarslip First NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Nation partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• San Juan CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner relying on Friends' expertise, maps, and data for shoreline planning and environmental protection; collaboration on educational programs including Plastic Free Salish Sea
• Washington State Department of Fish and WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner in marine resources and conservation efforts
• Washington State Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner in natural resource management and protection
• Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Washington research facility; Friends' leadership in eelgrass mapping and community science resulted in collaboration with top-tier researchers advancing understanding of underwater meadows
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner through Friday Harbor Laboratories, advancing understanding of Salish Sea ecosystems
• Plastic Free Salish Sea CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition that Friends helped launch in collaboration with San Juan County to address plastic pollution in the Salish Sea
• Orca Salmon AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working to protect orcas and salmon in the Salish Sea
• Fossil Fuel CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working to address fossil fuel impacts on the Salish Sea
• Natural Resources Defense CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational environmental nonprofit partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Center for Biological DiversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational environmental nonprofit partner in protection efforts
• Sierra ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational environmental nonprofit partner in Salish Sea protection efforts
• Columbia River KeepercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional environmental nonprofit partner in waterway protection
• Puget SoundkeepercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional environmental nonprofit partner in Puget Sound protection
• Bonneville Environmental FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner supporting Green Boater program and eelgrass protection

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• San Juan Preservation Trust: A San Juan Islands land trust founded the same year as Friends of the San Juans, working on conservation easements, coastal protection, and stewardship on the same islands. Directly comparable as a peer regional conservation nonprofit with overlapping programs and shared founding leadership.
• Northwest Straits Foundation: Regional marine conservation foundation supporting the Northwest Straits Initiative, focused on nearshore habitat restoration and community science across the Salish Sea. Comparable as a direct peer in marine habitat restoration and volunteer-based shoreline stewardship in the same geography.
• Puget Soundkeeper: Regional waterway protection nonprofit working on pollution reduction, policy advocacy, and community engagement in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. Comparable as a regional peer focused on water quality advocacy and clean water protection.

Regional players

• ReSources for Sustainable Communities: Bellingham-based environmental nonprofit focused on Salish Sea and Whatcom County watersheds, addressing oil refining impacts, marine pollution, and climate advocacy. Comparable in mission and advocacy tactics, but primarily operating in Whatcom County rather than San Juan County.

Emerging players

• Orca Salmon Alliance: Coalition working to protect Southern Resident orcas and salmon in the Salish Sea, addressing habitat, prey availability, and vessel impacts. Directly comparable on the salmon-orca advocacy agenda Friends pursues, though organized as a coalition rather than a regional member-supported nonprofit.
• Columbia Riverkeeper: Regional waterway advocacy nonprofit focused on the Columbia River basin, addressing pollution, fossil fuel infrastructure, and ecosystem health. Comparable as a regional waterkeeper-style peer pursuing similar advocacy tactics in a different but adjacent watershed.

Broad incumbents

• Earthjustice: National environmental law organization that provides legal representation to Friends on major regional cases, including ESA "harm" definition litigation. Comparable as a partner and broader-incumbent peer in environmental litigation affecting the Salish Sea.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Large national environmental nonprofit partnering with Friends on Salish Sea protection, oil spill prevention, and climate advocacy. Comparable as a broad-incumbent peer operating on overlapping marine and climate policy issues at a national scale.
• Sierra Club: National grassroots environmental organization partnering with Friends on Salish Sea protection. Comparable as a broad-incumbent peer pursuing overlapping marine habitat and fossil fuel advocacy at much greater scale.
• Center for Biological Diversity: National biodiversity-focused nonprofit partnering with Friends on Salish Sea protection and ESA-related litigation. Comparable as a broad-incumbent peer engaged in overlapping species and habitat protection advocacy.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbayhwFUjPUBMNOs6tGnA3g
• Facebookfacebook.com/FriendsSanJuans
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendsofthesanjuansinsta/?hl=en

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Friends Of The San Juans