Oceans Of Hope

What Oceans Of Hope does

Oceans of Hope (legally Sailing Sclerosis Fonden) is a Danish nonprofit foundation founded in 2013 and headquartered in Copenhagen SV. It delivers sailing-based programs for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), operating the 67-foot sailing yacht S/Y Oceans of Hope as the platform for its voyages, crew training and on-water rehabilitation activities. The organization is currently in its 12th consecutive sailing season (2025), with active participants, crew and alumni spanning Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia.

The program portfolio comprises Summer Voyages (Sommertogter) for MS participants, a Research Project stream that produces scientific outputs in partnership with Danish and UK universities, the Højskole program launched in 2023 with Danish folk high schools for broader adult education, the Oceans of Hope Challenge adventure sailing option launched by Robert Munns in 2016, and the foundational 2014–2015 Circumnavigation that established the organization's international profile. A book documenting the circumnavigation and the 2023 Skib & Båd Prisen award further extend the organization's reputational footprint.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations, grants and sponsorships rather than commercial sales. Major funding partners include the A.P. Møller Foundation — which committed 4 million DKK in May 2024 for vessel renovation — and the Trigon Foundation, which funds the research workstream. Research collaborations are maintained with the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, the Danish MS Center and Barts and The London School of Medicine, and additional partnerships exist with DTU Aqua on marine education and with Hedeselskabet on Naturmødet 2025. The organization operates with a small team of 1–10 employees.

Name

Oceans Of Hope

Legal name

Sailing Sclerosis Fonden

Website

https://oceansofhope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Danish nonprofit foundation operating sailing-based wellness, education and research programs for people with multiple sclerosis, active across Scandinavia, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Therapeutic Sailing and Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing Experiences (Lessons, Regattas, Day Sails) (THAJAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Educational Cruises & Shipboard Learning Programs (THAKAGAM)

Keywords

• Sailing rehabilitation programs
• Multiple sclerosis therapy
• Adaptive sailing experiences
• Maritime education courses
• MS community sailing

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Oceans of Hope operates as a nonprofit foundation funded primarily through donations and grants. Major funding received includes a 4 million DKK donation from A.P. Møller and Chastine McKinney Møller's Foundation for renovation of S/Y Oceans of Hope, and support from Trigon Foundation for the research project.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Oceans of Hope operates S/Y Oceans of Hope, a 67-foot sailing yacht used as a therapeutic platform to run week-long summer sailing voyages (Sommertogter) and other sailing-based programs for people with multiple sclerosis. The organization also delivers maritime folk high school courses (Højskole) in partnership with Danish educational institutions and conducts research into rehabilitation outcomes for MS participants. Programs are offered at no cost to participants, funded by donations and grants.

Product overview

Oceans of Hope is a Danish non-profit foundation (Sailing Sclerosis Fonden) operating primarily through its 67-foot project sailboat S/Y Oceans of Hope. The organization offers a portfolio of sailing-based rehabilitation and educational services: the core Summer Voyages (Sommertogter) program for people with multiple sclerosis, the Research Project documenting health outcomes, the Højskole maritime education course, and the international Challenge program. The organization completed a historic circumnavigation in 2014-2015 with MS crews and continues operating seasonal sailing activities from Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish waters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Oceans of Hope Challenge: International sailing initiative inviting people with MS from around the world to sail, initiated in 2016 by Robert Munns.
• Oceans of Hope Højskole
• Oceans of Hope Research Project

Products and services

• Sommertogter (Summer Voyages) Annual week-long summer sailing trips offered to people living with multiple sclerosis since 2015. Participants serve as active crew handling sails, helming, cooking, and cleaning in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish waters.
• Oceans of Hope Højskole Maritime folk high school course for adults over 18, run in collaboration with Oure Højskole and Ranum Højskole. Students learn to prepare and execute longer sea voyages and participate in diving activities in vulnerable marine areas, with curriculum focus on SDG 14 (Life Below Water).
• Oceans of Hope Challenge International sailing initiative inviting people with multiple sclerosis from around the world to participate in sailing activities. Initiated in 2016 by British sailor Robert Munns.
• Oceans of Hope Research Project Scientific research program investigating the effects of sailing activities on people with multiple sclerosis. Studies measure quality of life, self-efficacy, symptom experience, depression, anxiety, and social capital; findings have been presented at ECTRIMS 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• Positive effect on quality of life, self-efficacy, symptom experience, depression and anxiety documented through research presented at ECTRIMS 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Southern Denmark (SDU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with SDU's Institute of Sports Science and Biomechanics, led by Professor Jens Bojsen-Møller, for studying rehabilitation outcomes of sailing activities.
• Copenhagen UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with Copenhagen University researchers, including Professor Bobby Zachariae, studying psychological and social outcomes of the sailing program.
• Aarhus UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with Aarhus University, including Professor Ulrik Dalgas and PhD research on MS rehabilitation outcomes.
• Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center (DMSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with DMSC at Rigshospitalet, including Senior Consultant Morten Blinkenberg, for clinical research on MS patient outcomes.
• Barts and The London School of Medicine and DentistryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partnership with Professor Gavin Giovannoni and Dr. Saúl Reyes for MS research collaboration and ECTRIMS conference participation.
• Oure HøjskolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Oure Højskole's proskipper program for the Oceans of Hope Højskole sailing educational program, focusing on SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and maritime skills.
• Ranum HøjskolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Ranum Højskole for Oceans of Hope Højskole educational sailing courses, offering programs for young people and those facing life challenges.
• DTU AquaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with DTU Aqua for marine research and education components of the Højskole program, studying life in the sea.
• HedeselskabetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHedeselskabet invited Oceans of Hope to participate in Naturmødet 2025, a major nature conference in Hirtshals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sailors With Disabilities: Australian nonprofit providing sailing experiences for people with disabilities, including World Sailing–sanctioned regattas. Comparable in donation-funded model, disability focus, and use of competitive sailing as empowerment — but operates in a different geography (Oceania) from Oceans of Hope's Nordic base.
• Jubilee Sailing Trust: UK charity (now operating as Two Sailing) using tall ships to enable people of all physical abilities to sail together. Directly comparable in mission to integrate people with disabilities into active sailing, with donation-funded voyages and a fleet-based operating model similar to S/Y Oceans of Hope.
• Challenge Wales: Welsh charity using a large sailing vessel to deliver personal development voyages for young people, including those with disabilities or facing other life challenges. Operates a single project yacht on multi-day voyages with charity funding, similar in vessel-centric delivery to Oceans of Hope's S/Y Oceans of Hope model.
• Shake-A-Leg Foundation: US-based nonprofit providing adaptive sailing, kayaking, and other water-sports programs for people with disabilities, including MS. Comparable in mission, donation-funded nonprofit structure, and use of sailing as rehabilitation and empowerment, but with broader disability coverage rather than MS-only.
• Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust: UK charity using sailing to support young people in recovery from cancer, mirroring Oceans of Hope's model of using sailing voyages as a therapeutic and identity-restoration platform for a specific patient population. Operates a fleet of cruising yachts delivering multi-day trips funded by donations and corporate partners.
• Sailability: UK charity dedicated to enabling people with disabilities to sail through a national network of affiliated clubs. Comparable in adaptive-sailing mission, volunteer-led delivery, and grant/donation funding, though delivered through many small clubs rather than a single flagship vessel.
• Disabled Sailing Association: UK organization enabling people with disabilities to sail through training, equipment adaptation, and organized voyages. Comparable in adaptive-sailing mission, donation-funded structure, and partnership-based delivery model.

Others

• Sail Training International: International umbrella body supporting sail-training organizations, including those serving people with disabilities. Not a direct operator, but its member network and events shape the ecosystem in which therapeutic-sailing charities like Oceans of Hope operate, fundraise, and recruit volunteers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OceansofHope
• Instagraminstagram.com/oceansofhope
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oceansofhope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oceans Of Hope