Major Gift Opportunities

Marine Mammal Internships & Fellowships

Unpaid internships are a barrier to entry in the field of marine mammal science. We are committed to converting our unpaid internship program to paid internships that increase accessibility to a broader range of students.

Funding Need: $5,000 will support one student through a semester-long internship. $300,000 will support 60 interns through semester-long internships for a year.

Education & Outreach Operations

The NMMF empowers students with the knowledge necessary to be future leaders in marine mammal science. Through interactive workshops with our biologists, veterinarians, conservationists, and animal care experts, we promote creative thinking and inspire a greater commitment to the protection of marine mammals and their habitats.

Funding Need: $110,000 will provide essential support for our Outreach operations. This will expand programming and community partnerships to reach and transform the lives of more students through marine science and conservation.

Marine Mammal Rescue

Growing coastal development and human activity has increased the risk of entanglement, injury, and drowning for coastal dolphins. Extreme weather events continue to push these animals up rivers and out of their natural habitats, requiring rescue and relocation for survival. Our Charleston, SC-based team is on call to rescue stranded and displaced marine mammals along the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf Coast.

Funding Need: $15,000 will support operation of the NMMF’s vessel, the Fathom; $60,000 will secure a fully-outfitted rescue vehicle, and $50,000 will support rescue & travel for a year. $125,000 will ensure marine mammal rescue operations for a year.

Operation GRACE: Global Rescue of At-Risk Cetaceans and Ecosystems

Multiple marine mammal species are on the brink of extinction. Urgent action is needed to save these species and the ecosystems they call home. Operation GRACE integrates local communities and species experts with veterinary medicine and conservation science to protect porpoises, dolphins, and whales facing extinction.

Funding Need: $232,000 will provide essential operational and technical support for Operation GRACE. This will increase capacity to apply our expertise to save the most vulnerable cetacean populations on the planet.

Franciscana Dolphin Stranding Network Program

Franciscana dolphins are dying at unprecedented numbers in gillnets and fishing gear in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. Orphaned calves require intensive care and rehabilitation for a chance at survival. We have partnered with Yaqu Pacha and local experts to develop veterinary rehabilitation protocols to be implemented in marine mammal facilities in South America. This work is an essential step toward the successful rescue and release of these animals back into the wild.

Funding Need: $25,000 can support increased animal survival by implementing critical veterinary protocols for rescue, response and rehabilitation of dolphins, as well as capacity building for in-country rehabilitation centers.

Emergency Veterinary Action for the Endangered Indus River Dolphin

Endangered Indus river dolphins become trapped in the irrigation canals of Sukkur, Pakistan where they die unless rescued. We are responding to the urgent call for veterinary and scientific aid to improve their annual rescue and species survivability. Through partnerships with international species experts, we will aid in the rescue and translocation of stranded animals, while training in-country veterinarians on emergency care and dolphin health assessments.

Funding Need: $75,000 will increase species survivability and save individual animal lives while building local capacity and collecting critical health information on the Indus dolphin and its heavily impacted habitat.

General Operations Support

General operating support is critical to advancing the NMMF’s mission, as it builds a strong and sustainable infrastructure to maximize impact of programs and projects across the organization.

Funding Need: $165,000 will support essential Executive Operations to advance our mission and ensure the long-term protection of marine mammals around the world.