Mission:
To save the global oceans and the biodiversity contained therein by strengthening marine conservation grantmaking and providing a vehicle for information sharing, dialogue, strategy development and collaboration among funders.

Goals:
· Promote collaboration and cooperation within the marine conservation community;
· Increase collaboration among foundations devoted to addressing the challenge of global marine conservation;
· Increase the level of investment in the field, especially foundation funding;
· Reach out to other foundation networks as well as new funders; and
· Identify key entry points and leverage opportunities to advance strategies to address marine conservation.

Objectives:
· Ensure funder coordination and collaboration on long-term strategies to implement the recommendations of the Pew Oceans Commission and the National Oceans Commission;
· Investigate strategies to improve the effectiveness of public advocacy for the oceans;
· Educate funders on a wide range of international marine conservation issues, looking for strategic linkages to US domestic issues;
· Monitor developments on a wide range of marine conservation issues, including (but not limited to) fisheries management reform, establishment of a worldwide network of marine protected areas, reducing the global environmental impacts of mariculture, and promoting a worldwide consumer seafood movement; and,
· Provide an annual update through a survey on the issues and organizations being supported by Marine Working Group members.

Programs:
· Annual winter meeting (February/March) to educate funders on a variety of marine conservation issues and to investigate opportunities for collaboration; and
· Series of monthly conference calls on marine conservation issues, with an initial emphasis on issues which arose in the funder-only roundtable at the 2005 winter meeting in Monterey, California; and
· Other meetings of the Working Group (or sub-groups) to address strategic collaboration opportunities in a timely manner.