Philanthropic opportunities
Major gifts that fund research, education, and protection for ocean giants.
We simply cannot achieve the ambitious scale of activity we need to deliver without your support.
Thank you for your interest in MMF and for supporting our oceans
MMF has a dedicated team to support philanthropic individuals, family offices, trusts, foundations, and corporate partners in creating a sustainable, transformational, and positive impact on the world’s oceans. We have a global portfolio of exciting programs, from scientific research and integrated conservation activities to education of our future ocean guardians.
To talk to our team, email [email protected]. If you are ready, use the donation setup form below and our team will be in touch.
What your support makes possible
Support one of our programs, or let us direct your gift where it is needed most. Each program shows what it has done, with dates, and what it aims to do next.
Global Whale Shark Program
We work with communities, industries, and governments to reduce the threats to whale sharks and help their populations recover.
Recent milestones
- 2025At its conference in Samarkand, which ended in December 2025, CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, moved whale sharks to Appendix I, its highest level of protection, which bars international commercial trade; the listing took effect on March 5, 2026. Our long-term science and Red List work form part of the evidence behind the listing.
- 2024We launched the Oman Whale Shark Project after assessing the site against our standard criteria for new work, building on the Sharkwatch Arabia sightings network.
- 2023The Madagascar Whale Shark Project's tourism code of conduct became Malagasy law in December 2023.
Next, as aims
- Continue whale shark research in the Galápagos and off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, including population trends and the threats the sharks face beyond protected waters.
- Help build national capacity for whale shark research in Kenya, and broaden our work in Tanzania to other threatened species.
Aims from our strategy and project pages, not results.
Global Manta Ray Program
We identify, track, and protect manta and devil rays, from Mozambique and Indonesia to Florida.
Recent milestones
- 2026The Lesser Sunda Seascape Tracking Network began tagging reef manta rays at Nusa Penida, the first step toward a network from Bali to Komodo National Park.
- 2025A study led by Nayara Bucair, with MMF co-authors, formally described the manta rays we study in Florida as a distinct species, the Atlantic manta ray. Its type specimen, the reference animal for the species' scientific name, was collected by the Florida Manta Project and is now held at the Smithsonian Institution.
- 2021Our research and advocacy were a major factor in the Mozambican government's decision to give manta and devil rays legal protection in January 2021.
Next, as aims
- Describe Florida's manta ray nursery formally, and seek its protection.
- Produce the first rigorous population estimates for Atlantic manta rays in US waters, with NOAA.
Aims from our strategy and project pages, not results.
Global Rhino Ray Program
Research on wedgefishes and guitarfishes in Mozambique and Florida, and community protection in Mozambique, for a group of rays that includes some of the most threatened marine fishes on Earth.
Recent milestones
- 2025In May 2025, the team tagged nine more wedgefish at The Sanctuary (Santuário Bravio de Vilanculos), more than doubling the number carrying acoustic tags.
- 2022The Inhassoro Wedgefish Project began. It has trained 26 community rangers from the local fishing councils to record wedgefish and guitarfish landings (the catch brought ashore) at six priority sites, and their records helped two communities propose protected areas, one closed to net fishing and one closed to all fishing.
- 2021We began fitting bottlenose wedgefish with acoustic and satellite tags in the Bazaruto Seascape, in the waters of The Sanctuary.
Next, as aims
- Continue ranger landings records at Inhassoro before and after the community marine areas are established, to help assess whether a no-net zone reduces wedgefish deaths.
- Publish the results of the wedgefish and Atlantic guitarfish tracking studies.
Aims from our strategy and project pages, not results.
Sea turtle projects
Photo-identification of hawksbill and green turtles on Indonesia's reefs, with completed studies of the turtles off Mozambique and of rescued turtles released in the United Arab Emirates.
Recent milestones
- 2021Dedicated in-water surveys of hawksbill and green turtles began in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, identifying and measuring the turtles without handling them.
- 2021The Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project tracked 26 rehabilitated turtles of four species by satellite after their release off the UAE, including six that had lost a front flipper. MMF scientists helped analyze the tracks, which suggested that 21 of the 26 survived for as long as they were monitored.
- 2017A PhD study at Tofo, Mozambique, with James Cook University identified 22 green turtles and 42 loggerheads from the scale patterns on their faces, and found both species use the area year-round.
Next, as aims
- Publish our long-term study of the demographics and dynamics of hawksbill turtles in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, that is, the population's structure and how it has changed over time.
- Build on the surveys begun in 2025 in Karangasem Regency, East Bali, to test how connected turtle populations are beyond the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area.
Aims from our strategy and project pages, not results.
Education programs
Our education programs run from children's swimming and ocean-education classes to the training of national staff who now lead entire programs.
Wherever it is needed most
Philanthropic partners can let MMF use a gift wherever its needs are greatest, or support a specific program or project. An unrestricted gift lets us direct funds to the most urgent work.
You’ll be supporting specific initiatives like these
Each one is work we already do, on a project page you can read.
Underwater surveys of the sharks and rays of Mozambique’s Inhambane coastFor example: Mozambique Elasmobranch Diversity Research Project 
Working with a fishing community and its council toward a locally managed marine area (LMMA)For example: Závora Marine Conservation 
Education programs for future ocean guardians in swimming and conservationFor example: Ocean Guardians 
Alternative livelihoods and savings groups that give fishing families food and income beyond fishingFor example: Sustainable Seas
We must act now before it is too late
MMF scientists have made a significant impact to date, conducting groundbreaking research, educating local and global communities, and inspiring lasting conservation solutions for marine megafauna.
We are proud of what we have achieved so far, but there is still so much more we can do. We can take our proven local approach and apply it on a global scale to achieve lasting and sustainable change. We will continue to use our innovative combination of research and community engagement activity to drive effective protection strategies.
Join our established network of collaborators
Help MMF continue to conduct cutting-edge research and build effective conservation strategies to protect the future of our oceans. By partnering with MMF you will have:
- A direct relationship with our Executive Director
- Opportunities to directly support the development of global, effective conservation strategies to protect marine megafauna and ocean health
- Invitations to exclusive events, including exhibitions, private dinners, and conferences
- Regular updates and efficient reporting on the impact of your gift
- The chance to see our global projects first hand, with optional world-class diving with megafauna and our scientists
- Responsible investment opportunities to sustain MMF for the future
- Opportunities to involve your family with your philanthropy and a lifelong understanding of the value of healthy, biodiverse oceans to the future of our planet
- A voice to decide how your gift is used. You can either enable MMF to use the gift to make impact wherever our needs are greatest, or you can support a specific program or project
Donation setup
We’ve partnered with Donorbox to provide our recurring donors their own login, where you can manage donation plans, access tax-deductible receipts, edit your details, and more.
Platinum Seal of TransparencyCandid, 2026. US 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 46-0645082.Financial transparency
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Platinum Seal of Transparency
MMF first earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency in 2024 and has renewed it every year since, most recently for 2026.
Candid awards seals to nonprofits that share information about their governance, finances, and programs on their Candid profile. It is recognition for transparency; it is not an audit and does not measure effectiveness.
Our Candid profile (opens in a new tab)Financial transparency
Assessing MMF first?
Records and documents for foundations, family offices, and advisors.
Talk to our Executive Director
Email us to talk about a major gift, a grant, or a family commitment. Our 2024 impact report invites funders to contact our Executive Director directly.
Dr. Simon Pierce, Executive Director
