Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue
Bridging funding gaps in ocean science and conservation
What is the Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue?
Philanthropic funding organisations are an essential partners in addressing the multiple issues compromising ocean health and resilience. Flexible and responsive, they can act as advocates and conveners, invest in innovative activities to test new approaches, and catalyze collaborative efforts and initiatives with governments and a wide range of partners including industry and civil society.
The Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue is an informal network of more than 25 philanthropic funding organisations working together to explore how best to create the partnerships and funding models that will underpin the enabling environment for the Ocean Decade.
By engaging in this global and highly visible UN-led initiative, philanthropic funding organisations are able to create new collaborations and partnerships and thus have a greater impact than by working alone. Rather than being bystanders to the process, they have the opportunity to shape the strategic implementation of the Ocean Decade.
The Foundations Dialogue is open to all philanthropic funding organisations with an interest in contributing to the Ocean Decade vision.
What does it do?
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to how philanthropy can support the Ocean Decade. The following suggestions can guide foundations in developing a tailored mix of ways in which to engage. This list is non-exhaustive and foundations are warmly invited to contact the Decade Coordination Unit to discuss these mechanisms, as well as other ideas for engagement and support.
Co-branding and sponsoring Calls for Decade Actions
The Decade Coordination Unit collaborates with foundations to co-design and co-brand requests for proposals focused on one or more of the Ocean Decade Challenges.
Developing Decade Actions through co-design
Foundations can initiate or participate in discussions with diverse actors to co-design and co-deliver Decade Actions, for instance by providing expert advice or financial or in-kind resources.
Resourcing Decade Actions
Foundations can commit resources to a ‘virtual resource pool’ and subsequently working with the Decade Coordination Unit to match these resources to high-priority endorsed Decade Actions seeking funding.
Supporting coordination costs
Foundations can provide financial or in-kind support and resources to the Decade Coordination Unit, or to programmatic or regional decentralized coordination structures.
Supporting communications and outreach activities
Foundations can produce and share communications, host events or conferences, contribute resources to the rollout of the Decade communications work, or promote the Decade at different events.
Encouraging grantee participation in the Ocean Decade
Foundations can share information through their grantee networks to encourage endorsement of their initiatives as Decade Actions, participation in Decade initiatives, engagement with stakeholder groups at the regional or national level or with Decade-affiliated groups.
Leading or participating in national and regional committees and taskforces or expert groups
Foundations will be important members in various stakeholder structures that will emerge throughout the Decade, including regional stakeholder platforms and National Decade Committees.
Engaging new philanthropic partners in the Ocean Decade
Foundations can act as ambassadors for the Decade and work to engage new philanthropic partners. Peer-to-peer networking can help to convince foundations outside the traditional ‘ocean science’ space of the need to support ocean science.
Philanthropic funding organisations wishing to make a significant investment in the Ocean Decade via one or more of these suggested pathways can also express their interest in becoming a member of the Ocean Decade Alliance.
Learn more about the transformative role of foundations in the Ocean Decade in this publication.
How does it work?
The Foundations Dialogue operates through a combination of virtual and in-person engagements to foster collaboration and drive impactful ocean conservation initiatives.
In particular, an annual in-person meeting serves as a crucial gathering to solidify commitments and strategize for the upcoming year. Notable milestones of past meetings include the Bouknadel Statement (2022), where foundations affirmed their commitment to investing in transformative ocean science for sustainable development, and the Monaco Statement (2023), which reinforced the collective voice and influence of the philanthropic community in global ocean action. These statements highlight the ongoing dedication and strategic approach of the network in supporting the Ocean Decade’s goals.
The 4th Foundations Dialogue meeting will be hosted by the Boticário Group Foundation on 3-5 September 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
For more information on the Foundations Dialogue, please contact: Ocean Decade Team
Resources and Publications
Latest news
OceanX Partners with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO to Implement Ocean Decade Goals
The partnership marks the ocean exploration nonprofit’s latest effort to collaborate with global entities to advance ocean protection and preservation benchmarks worldwide New York – October 19, 2023: Global ocean [...]
Monaco Statement reinforces the voices of philanthropic community in global ocean action
Already signed by 24 Foundations, a joint statement amplifying the role of the philanthropic community in global ocean action as part of the Ocean Decade was launched on the sidelines [...]
Philanthropic Foundations affirm their commitment to investing in transformative ocean science for sustainable development
Eighteen philanthropic Foundations have launched a joint statement on the occasion of the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, to raise awareness for the need to increase investment [...]
The Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission convene the Second Foundations Dialogue to mobilise the philanthropic community in support of the Ocean Decade
Rabat, Morocco – 1 June 2022: The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) and the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Patron [...]