National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

Voyage 2029 · 2026–2029 Strategic Plan

Safeguarding our shared waters

The Foundation's three-year strategic plan, charting a course to make every American understand the value of our marine sanctuaries — and feel invited to safeguard them.

Jump to: Letter from leadership Mission & vision Goal 1 · Relevance Goal 2 · Funding Goal 3 · Conservation Goal 4 · Excellence Download as PDF

Dear friends and partners

A voyage we're taking together

The Foundation is proud to announce its new three-year strategic plan: Voyage 2029: Safeguarding Our Shared Waters. An updated Mission and Vision ground this plan in a renewed sense of purpose and clarity.

As the official nonprofit partner of NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the Foundation is dedicated to inspiring and connecting all Americans to support and invest in our national marine sanctuaries. We envision a future in which America's marine heritage is understood, valued, and appreciated by all — now and for generations to come.

Simple, inclusive, and urgent — our mission guides everything we do as NOAA's partner. America's marine sanctuaries cannot thrive if people do not know them, visit them, or value them as their own. Awareness is the first act of stewardship, and connection is the key to lasting protection.

Our nation's marine sanctuaries safeguard some of the most extraordinary waters on Earth — iconic places where science, heritage, and community come together to sustain life and livelihoods. They are also the heartbeat of coastal economies, driving tourism, outdoor recreation, scientific research, new discoveries, and sustainable fisheries.

Yet too few Americans have experienced them. Through Voyage 2029, we are inviting the public to join us on a journey of change — to ensure that every American understands the value of our marine sanctuaries and feels invited to safeguard them.

Joel R. Johnson

President & CEO

Laura Zagar

Co-Chair, Board of Trustees

Dawn Rodney

Co-Chair, Board of Trustees

Mission

Inspiring and connecting all Americans to support and invest in our national marine sanctuaries.

Vision

A future in which America's marine heritage is understood, valued, and appreciated by all — now and for generations to come.

Waters for All

25 years in, a new journey of transformation

Voyage 2029 expands the reach of the Foundation's Waters for All campaign — telling the story of marine sanctuaries through the people and projects creating the greatest impact. It elevates sanctuary gateway communities, fosters community pride, and links ocean innovation to coastal resilience and future marine careers.

The plan

Four goals shaping the next three years

Voyage 2029 is built on four strategic goals — relevance, funding diversification, conservation leadership, and organizational excellence. Each one breaks down into specific objectives the Foundation will pursue between 2026 and 2029.

1

Goal 1

Make national marine sanctuaries relevant to more Americans everywhere

Cultivate and sustain a passionate, broad, and engaged community of donors, partners, and advocates. Increase public awareness, connection, and understanding of the National Marine Sanctuary System — and the action people can take to safeguard it.

Objectives

  1. 1.1

    Substantially increase sanctuary awareness by 2028

    • Launch a best-in-class national public awareness campaign in partnership with NOAA by 2028
    • Promote programs that educate the public about marine habitat protection, coastal community strength, and STEM careers
    • Build a Foundation strategy for educating families with school-age children — through certified curriculum, schools, and aquariums
    • Elevate sanctuary "gateway" communities through visitor centers, community events, and convenings
  2. 1.2

    Strengthen the Foundation's reputation as a trusted leader

    • Develop and execute annual marketing, PR, and communications plans
    • Publish engaging annual Impact Reports that capture the story of programs and grantees
    • Quantify the marine sanctuary system's contribution to the national, local, and sector marine economies
    • Ensure consistent access to scientific, education, and outreach subject-matter expertise
  3. 1.3

    Develop and strengthen alliances around shared stewardship

    • Convene diverse stakeholders — nonprofit, government, conservation, maritime heritage, alumni, and ocean influencers
    • Source best-in-class operational partners for Foundation events and outreach
    • Leverage the Congressional National Marine Sanctuary Caucus and develop state and regional government relations strategy
2

Goal 2

Establish state-of-the-art funding strategies that diversify revenue

Maximize the monetization and utilization of new and existing resources, increase public-private partnerships, and advance joint fundraising initiatives with ONMS in support of national marine sanctuaries and coastal communities.

Objectives

  1. 2.1

    Cutting-edge philanthropic, fundraising, and operations

    • Three-year development plan stewarding diversified revenue sources — individual, institutional, corporate
    • Major donor engagement program including planned gifts, peer-to-peer, and giving circles
    • National sustaining donor model — break-even or better direct response, with donor benefits and regular member communication starting 2026
    • Prepare for a national capital campaign — endowment and impact fund by 2028
  2. 2.2

    Monetize the National Marine Sanctuary brand, programs, and services

    • Establish a Foundation Corporate Council with annual strategy and programming
    • Build a National Marine Sanctuary brand licensing strategy and program
    • Develop a Nature Finance grants strategy — biodiversity and carbon credits, blue bonds, parametric insurance
    • Establish a fiscal sponsorship service for sanctuary visitor centers, exhibits, and vessel support
    • Integrated tracking and reporting across all fundraising, engagement, and monetization streams
3

Goal 3

Be the leading, trusted conservation and maritime heritage preservation partner

In shared stewardship with ONMS, conservation and maritime heritage organizations, government, tribes, and local communities — become the preferred partner to project-manage and steward national marine sanctuary funding toward conservation, restoration, resilience, and preservation projects.

Objectives

  1. 3.1

    Protect, restore, and enhance marine and Great Lakes habitats

    • National conservation and restoration strategy grounded in joint ONMS priorities
    • Focus areas: marine debris, species conservation, biodiversity, habitat restoration, fisheries enhancement, new protective technologies
    • Diversify funding with non-federal government, research institutions, and public-private sector partners
    • Annual published view of conservation and restoration project performance
    • Maritime heritage and cultural protection initiatives in partnership with tribal nations and Indigenous peoples
  2. 3.2

    Become the premier grantmaking partner with ONMS

    • Annual national funding strategy supporting projects that balance community health, economic growth, and healthy sanctuaries
    • Enhance grantmaking capacity through staffing and tools — best-in-class grant operations
  3. 3.3

    Workforce development with ONMS and coastal communities

    • Workforce development strategy ensuring best-in-class staffing support in sanctuaries
    • Funding for fellowships, internships, apprenticeships, and training programs
    • Shift toward a primary focus on fundraising and grantmaking
4

Goal 4

Strengthen organizational excellence for positive sanctuary outcomes

Enhance and optimize the Foundation's organizational efficiency by adopting a best-in-class model that promotes joint priorities, strengthens partnerships, and delivers quality execution with greater transparency and accountability.

Objectives

  1. 4.1

    A stronger workforce as ambassadors for America's marine sanctuaries

    • Evaluate organizational structure and operational capacity to achieve Strategic Plan goals
    • Deliver new core values, enhanced onboarding and training, and Board of Trustees support
    • Evaluate and improve the affiliate workforce program with ONMS
    • Internal communications plan that strengthens mission alignment across the team
  2. 4.2

    Organization-wide performance metrics and data systems

    • Core performance metrics based on best-in-class nonprofit and industry standards
    • Connected systems and tools to measure, evaluate, learn, and adapt
    • Consistent data collection and analysis informing organizational adaptation
  3. 4.3

    Prioritize programs that connect the public to sanctuaries

    • Evaluate all cooperative agreements and grant awards against mission and ONMS goals
    • Develop a strategy for prioritizing sustainably-funded programs and restoration efforts
    • Deprioritize non-core, less-fundable programs
  4. 4.4

    Sustainable business plan for visitor center management

    • Evaluate program support of visitor center management on behalf of NOAA
    • Recommendations for sustainable visitor center business plan with ONMS, local partners, tourism boards, and chapters

Join the voyage

Make Voyage 2029 happen

Awareness is the first act of stewardship. Whether you visit a sanctuary, volunteer with the Foundation, or give to the work — every step compounds. Pick one.

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