This Sunday at the United Nations Ocean Conference Youth and Innovation Forum, our Founder and CEO Daniela Fernandez announced that we have raised an initial $15 million to help restore the health of the ocean in our lifetime. This will provide crucial funding to startups and community projects creating innovative ocean solutions – from converting waves into clean energy, to planting mangroves to sequester carbon, and much more.
This new funding will be deployed over the next three years to empower entrepreneurs and youth leaders as they develop technological and nature-based solutions. But a catalytic increase in capital is needed to address the greatest threats facing our planet, and the nonprofit’s ultimate goal is to raise $100 million. SOA is actively seeking new partners to join the race to save our ocean.
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This milestone is fueled by Marc and Lynne Benioff, who were SOA’s earliest supporters and continue to champion the organization. They made a significant investment and challenged other philanthropic leaders to match them, catalyzing $15 million in total funding, thanks to generous contributions from Resonance Philanthropies, Inclusive Capital Partners Foundation, Maja Kristin, and other partners.
“The fight to save our planet will be won or lost in the next decade, and Sustainable Ocean Alliance is on the front lines bringing youth leaders, experts, and ecopreneurs together to help restore the health of the largest ecosystem on Earth,” said Marc Benioff, Co-CEO and Chair of Salesforce. “Lynne and I are proud to support amazing leaders like Daniela Fernandez, and we congratulate the entire SOA team for the incredible progress they’ve made in finding innovative solutions for the ocean’s greatest challenges and inspiring others to take ocean action.”
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At the Forum on Sunday, Fernandez also announced the first award made possible by the new funding. Winners of the UNOC’s weekend “Innovathon,” a conference event during which youth delegates created and pitched ocean health projects, will receive financial support from SOA to launch or scale their projects.
“These ocean leaders are driving the solutions that will solve the critical challenges our ocean and fragile ecosystems face. I call on people around the world – whether you are a nonprofit working on a nature-based solution, or an ecopreneur with the next big idea ready to scale. Join us on this voyage to transform the state of our ocean,” said Fernandez.
For more information about becoming a partner, please contact Director of Development Ashley Pond.