Sea Forward
Ocean Health Fund
Collective philanthropic capital — pooled, deployed across globally diversified ocean impact funds, and regenerated back into the ocean. Capital doesn't just arrive and settle. It pools, channels, upwells, and ripples outward.
The Everblue Model
How the Everblue Model Works
From isolated giving to collective ocean impact
The Everblue Model brings together donors, DAF holders, and foundations to pool resources into a shared, science-grounded fund of ocean impact funds. This unlocks access to diversified ocean investments that may be out of reach individually.
As investments generate returns, they go back into the fund to be redeployed, can be returned to donors' individual accounts, or granted to nonprofits. This approach builds a self-renewing engine for ocean impact — an everblue endowment for the ocean.
© Shawn Heinrichs
Why Collective Capital Works
The Everblue Model in practice
Most philanthropic capital is deployed once and stays put. The Everblue Model is different — we pool donor capital and channel it into globally diversified ocean impact funds, returns upwell back into the system, and impact ripples outward through the field. We deploy 95% in investments and 5% in grants, each designed to reinforce the other.
Collective Access to Impact Funds
Through a multi-donor DAF structure, Sea Forward aggregates capital across foundations, DAF holders, and individual donors to access diversified ocean funds that may otherwise require large individual minimums.
Science-Grounded Diligence
Founded by a marine biologist, investments are guided by science and measured by what actually changes in the ocean. Sea Forward's investment committee screens opportunities against rigorous ocean-health criteria, financial sustainability, and scalability.
Capital That Upwells
As investments generate returns, capital rises back to the surface — cycling to be redeployed, returned to donors' accounts, or granted to nonprofits. Like ocean upwelling that brings nutrients from the deep to fuel new life, every contribution keeps working for the ocean long after it's made.
The Process
How Sea Forward works
Donor Contribution
Donors contribute to Sea Forward Ocean Health Fund via ImpactAssets or Catacap.
Ocean Fund Screening
Sea Forward's investment committee screens opportunities against rigorous ocean-health criteria.
Capital Deployment
ImpactAssets deploys capital into approved investments. Sea Forward monitors portfolio performance and conservation impact on an ongoing basis using the 1000 Ocean Startups Ocean Impact Navigator Framework.
Returns Recycled
Financial returns flow back into the fund for re-deployment — compounding ocean impact over time and growing the pool of available capital.
Portfolio Themes
Where we invest
Sea Forward Ocean Health Fund targets high-impact opportunities across six interconnected ocean themes.
Sustainable Aquaculture
Fish farming systems designed to produce food with minimal environmental impact — reducing pressure on wild populations while building regenerative, ocean-positive food production at scale.
Science-Based Monitoring Tools
Technology platforms, satellite imagery, and AI-driven analytics that make ocean health measurable and transparent — turning scientific data into actionable intelligence for investors and policymakers.
Circular Economy
Business models that eliminate ocean-bound waste and keep marine resources in productive use — from plastic alternatives to closed-loop seafood supply chains and materials recovery.
Biodiversity
Investments in marine protected areas, habitat restoration, and species recovery that build the ecological resilience oceans need to function — and that healthy economies depend on.
Climate
Blue carbon, coastal resilience, renewable ocean energy, and maritime decarbonization to address a changing climate by supporting a thriving ocean.
Regenerative Nature-Based Solutions
Reef restoration, kelp farming, seagrass protection, and mangrove recovery — scalable approaches that regenerate marine ecosystems while generating measurable financial and ecological returns.
The Portfolio
Sea Forward invests in thoughtfully selected ocean impact funds across all six themes — each vetted for scientific rigor, financial discipline, and measurable ocean outcomes.
View Our Investments →Sea Forward Ocean Health Fund is administered through ImpactAssets, a leading nonprofit impact investing platform that manages over $3 billion in assets under management. ImpactAssets provides the Donor-Advised Fund infrastructure that makes collective ocean investing possible. Philanthropic flexibility. Investment discipline. Ocean impact at scale.
Ecosystem Partners
Working Together for the Ocean
Sea Forward is part of a broader ecosystem of organizations committed to mobilizing capital, innovation, and collaboration for ocean health.
An independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit financial services firm and leading impact investing management platform
A peer community of DAF holders sharing knowledge to mobilize the ~$330 billion sitting in DAFs
A global community of impact investors seeking positive impact across the spectrum of capital
A certification connecting businesses with environmental nonprofits to drive impactful giving
A global coalition accelerating innovative solutions for ocean health
You can connect your capital to the current. There's an ocean of opportunity here — and a community ready to welcome you into it.
— Laura Francis, Founder, Sea Forward Fund
Join Sea Forward
Ready to create ripples?
Your contribution — at any level — pools with others, flows into globally diversified ocean impact funds, and keeps working as part of a growing and self renewing endowment for the ocean. Together, we create the current.