Oceancare Alliance has partnered with leading marine conservation organizations across the Pacific Northwest, connecting resources to need, mobilizing volunteers, and ensuring critical programs continue.
These are genuine collaborations where we learn as much as we contribute. Please continue to support us!
THE STORY
Washington SeaGrant supports marine research and education
across the Pacific Northwest. Like many science organizations,
they face constant funding challenges—especially after the latest federal funding cuts. I wanted to help but didn't have money to donate.
So I learned about Benevity—a corporate giving platform where
company employees can donate to eligible nonprofits and have
their contributions matched by their employer. Many major
companies participate (Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, etc.), but
most people don't know the system exists.
THE APPROACH
1. Registered Oceancare Alliance as an eligible nonprofit (must be 501c3)
2. Invited parents' friends and friends' parents who work for major companies to donate and trigger matching donations
3. Result: $2,000 directed to marine education programs in Feb, 2025
THE IMPACT
Beyond the funds themselves, this experience taught me:
→ Systemic thinking beats individual wealth-- understanding how existing infrastructure works.
→ Accessibility is everything--If I hadn't learned about Benevity, these matching funds would
have gone unclaimed. I'll need to tap into and utilize this, as well as other obscure sources.
→ Sharing knowledge compounds impact
By documenting this process, I want to help other student organizers get more resources for their causes
HOW THE FUNDS WERE USED
$2,000 was directly allocated to support the 2025 NOSB Science Bowl, locally known as the Orca Bowl.
Next, I'll write more blogs and create a manual to teach others to do the same and support their causes.
THE STORY
Salish Sea Sciences runs intensive summer research experiences
for high school students, offering hands-on field work studying
the Pacific Northwest's unique marine ecosystems. Students don't just learn about marine science—they conduct actual research alongside professional scientists. These transformative experiences, however, come with real costs: residential housing, boat time, equipment, supplies, professional staff. Each student position requires significant funding, creating barriers for students whose families can't afford full tuition.
Check out their program: https://www.salishseasciences.org/
OUR CONTRIBUTION
$1,000 → 2 student researchers
Through Benevity, we funded two Summer 2025
students. These help to partially cover some scholarships.
WHAT THESE STUDENTS DID
→ Designed independent research projects on Salish Sea ecosystems
→ Collected field data using professional scientific equipment
→ Analyzed findings and learned when "interesting" beats "expected"
→ Presented results to actual marine scientists
→ Lived and worked alongside peers equally obsessed with the ocean
WHY WE PRIORITIZE THIS
When students support other students, we remember which opportunities changed our trajectories. I also knew about this program because two summers ago, when I was accepted into the same program, I was unable to attend due to a family emergency. However, I kept in touch with the program director, Caroline, and she was incredibly kind. I also believed that access shouldn't depend on family wealth.
THE SITUATION
Spring 2025: Federal budget cuts threatened NOAA's Seattle summer camp. The program needed both funding and volunteers. They needed marine science-fluent and background-checked volunteers to commit to a full week of programming with 11-to 15-year-olds.
OUR APPROACH
→ School marine science clubs (subject matter knowledge)
→ College students (scheduling flexibility)
→ Remaining donations to direct to NOAA camp
THE RESULT
→ Camp ran at full capacity (30 students)
→ All programming delivered as planned
WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT IMPACT
1. Proactivity matters. As soon as I realized about the NOAA cuts, I reached out directly to its program director, who would otherwise be unable to reach me.
2. Money solves some problems; networks solve others. I've dug into my network of friends to volunteer with me.
When organizations face a need, the question isn't always "how do we fundraise?" Sometimes it's also, "Who do we know who can help?""
Student organizers have something valuable beyond money: we have networks, energy, and the ability to mobilize quickly.
ONGOING PARTNERSHIP
We stay connected with NOAA Seattle, ready to support future
programs. Because federal funding will continue to fluctuate, I remain available to help bridge gaps when other partners have unexpected needs.
PARTNERSHIP STATUS: In Development
TIMELINE: Summer 2025 - Present
FOCUS: Merchandising collaboration; still working on traction..
THE FOUNDATION
Before Oceancare Alliance existed, I volunteered 140+ hours at the Seattle Aquarium as a Youth Ocean Advocate (Summer 2023). Those
months teaching families about Salish Sea ecosystems at touch pools weren't just service hours—they were my education in what actually makes people care about marine conservation.
I learned:
→ Which explanations made kids' eyes light up (Like stories about the Pacific Giant Octopus)
→ Which messages parents remember later
→ What questions people actually ask
→ Why the gift shop was often sparse, even though people should want to take the ocean, and see the wonders.
That last observation sparked an idea.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Seattle Aquarium's gift shop is packed with generic
merchandise, but there's a gap: Products designed by and for today's youth that connect conservation science to pop culture, they actually
engage with.
Currently, my design concepts have been completed, starting with a line of new stickers that teaches and amuses (Yes, Poisson Steve is also one of the designs)
Growth through reposts has been a unique strength of this platform with 4600+ views so far
Growth through spiky traffic, with latest analytics showing 22.1K visits!! Working on conversions using better visual arts
I learned early on that promoting conservation will take time and requires a different type of assets than popular entertainment. I’ve learned a lot by figuring as I do after posting 60+ assets and the best results were the educational videos. Whether it’s growing through hearts, likes, reposts, or traffic patterns, we are growing!
Give me more thumbs up and I’ll be motivated to make more!!
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© 2025 Washington Oceancare Alliance is a 501(c)(3) Organization
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