National Marine Mammal Foundation
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." - Mother Teresa
Join Our Efforts
NMMF Ocean Ambassador Awards
The NMMF is awarding our annual Ocean Ambassador Service Award at a virtual workshop, where we will highlight young Ocean Ambassadors and their efforts to engage their communities in protecting and preserving our shared oceans.
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OUR MISSION

The National Marine Mammal Foundation (NMMF) has a mission to improve and protect life for marine mammals, humans, and our shared oceans through scienceserviceeducation.

CORE EFFORTS

NMMF researchers, animal care experts and scientists advance the world’s knowledge in marine mammal biology and medicine. We study how human-made sound and changes to the environment impact marine mammals.

We are proud to protect the health and well-being of the U.S. Navy’s marine mammals. This important work allows the NMMF team to serve and protect wild marine mammal populations and inform critical conservation approaches.

Our team strives to foster the next generation of scientists and ocean ambassadors. As part of our commitment to education, we take our message of conservation and research to schools, organizations, and public events nationwide.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to be the leading laboratory in marine mammal science, where critical questions about marine mammal health, welfare, and conservation are answered by an unparalleled team of experts, and significant contributions are made locally and globally through science and education.

NMMF’s decades of service and experience allow us to partner with leaders in the scientific community to conduct high-priority investigations into marine mammal acoustics, conservation, and medicine. Significant scientific breakthroughs are continually being made by the NMMF.

Help us with our mission to improve and protect the life of all marine mammals, humans, and our shared oceans by becoming an NMMF donor today.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Dr. Sam Houston Ridgway
DVM, PhD, DACZM (1936 - 2022)

Project-specific giving opportunities.

Operation GRACE

Your Donation will help the NMMF to leverage our team’s veterinary and conservation medicine expertise and aim to apply our unique veterinary perspective to holistic conservation programs targeted at protecting threatened and endangered marine mammals, their ecosystems, and the human communities that depend on them.

Marine Mammal Rescue

Your contribution will support our marine mammal rescue efforts on the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf Coast. Our team relies on donations to rapidly respond when marine mammals need us most.

Dr. Sam Ridgway Fund

The Ridgway Fund will help carry on Sam’s life’s work, with a special focus on innovations in marine mammal science, medicine, and conservation.

Dr. Jeanette Fuller Ridgway Scientific Writing Fund

Contributions will allow the Dr. Jeanette Fuller Ridgway Scientific Writing Fund to support the ongoing development of literature that shares NMMF’s work with the scientific community and general public for years to come.

Community Engagement

The goal of NMMF’s Community Engagement program is to engage students through outreach events, spark their interest in STEM fields, and inspire them to care about marine mammals and our oceans. We are grateful that the initiative serves to honor our friend Jim Rohr, carry on his vision for NMMF outreach, and embolden what he started. With your generosity, we will continue our efforts to instill a sense of care and spark innovative thinking in our youth.

Vaquita Conservation

Your contribution will directly support VaquitaCPR’s Project Esperanza, aimed at gathering critical data on vaquitas to inform critical conservation and protection efforts. Currently being led by Museo de la Ballena, Project Esperanza involves four aims: photo identification, acoustic monitoring, sustainable development, and gillnet removal.

CGP Fund

In honor of our dear friend and colleague, Coll Perske, we have established the Coll Gordon Perske Memorial Fund for Marine Mammals. Your donation will directly support the CGP Fund’s efforts to improve the lives of marine mammals, with a focus on California sea lions, through scientific research, education, and promotion of ocean stewardship.

Stan Kuczaj Memorial Fund

On 14 April 2016, the scientific community lost Dr. Stan Kuczaj. For the past 20 years, Stan directed the Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Lab at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he inspired students and conducted novel dolphin cognition research. In honor of Stan’s memory, your gift to the Kuczaj Memorial Fund will support students and researchers who wish to examine questions involving animal cognition, behavior, and development.

GLOBAL CONSERVATION EFFORTS