What We Do
Marine Ventures Foundation was created in 2000 to invest in cutting edge conservation projects with a goal to leverage and democratize newly collected scientific data to improve the management of marine ecosystems. We fund and invest in people and organizations who have deep local knowledge, a passion for the health of their communities and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. We have funded a wide range of projects including satellite tagging of pelagic fish, citizen science app development, documentary films and marine protected areas. We have also funded a number of new conservation startups including the Ocean Foundation and Ocean Champions. We actively work with our grantees on these projects and are not afraid of going down the rabbit hole to find the truth of what is really happening rather than maintain the status quo. We have funded and worked on projects in Mexico, Argentina, Madagascar, Australia, Cuba, Bahamas, Belize as well as the United States. We are incredibly proud of our grantees and partners’ continued work to protect these critical ecosystems around the world.
Documentary Films
What We Do
Marine Ventures Foundation was created in 2000 to invest in long tail conservation projects with a goal to leverage and democratize newly collected scientific data to improve the management of marine ecosystems. We fund and invest in people and organizations who have deep local knowledge, a passion for the health of their communities and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. We have funded a wide range of projects including satellite tagging of pelagic fish, citizen science app development, documentary films and marine protected areas. We have also funded a number of new conservation startups including the Ocean Foundation and Ocean Champions. We actively work with our grantees on these projects and are not afraid of going down the rabbit hole to find the truth of what is really happening rather than maintain the status quo. We have funded and worked on projects in Mexico, Argentina, Madagascar, Australia, Cuba, Bahamas, Belize as well as the United States. We are incredibly proud of our grantees and partners’ continued work to protect these critical ecosystems around the world.
Documentary Films
We have always felt that conservation stories were effective in changing people’s perspective. Here are three stories that made us a better funder and a better partner.
Keeping Country: A film about protecting the cultural and marine landscape in Western Australia.
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River to the Sea
They want to reconnect the Colorado River to the Sea of Cortez which has been dry for decades. The project will require 70 miles of dry riverbed to be flooded with water from the US and restore the native plants to revive the ecosystem. They asked if we could help.
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The Kimberley
It starts with a phone call. A proposed LNG plant in the Western Australia will destroy a critical ecosystem. It is in a place called the Kimberley which is the same size as California but has under 50,000 residents and rock art dating back 40,000 years. How do we stop this?
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Midway
Sometimes you get invited to help document the largest MPA in the US around a place called Midway Island, home of the decisive WWII battle and over one million albatross. Now known as Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, we jumped at the chance to help.
Who We Are
Tom McMurray
Tom McMurray founded MVF in 2001 with a simple mission: to fund the new conservation entrepreneurs of the world. Since then MVF has funded some of the leaders in fisheries research, citizen science, media production and grass roots organizing with some impactful results. Before MVF Tom was a partner at Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm that funded Apple, Oracle, Yahoo, Google and PayPal. Prior to that he worked in the wind energy business installing turbines in Alamont Pass, worked with the Navy to track Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic and ran CFD codes on some of the fastest computers in the world.
Tom received his Ph.D and BSME from the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University.
Brandon White
Brandon has been integral to MVF since the beginning. He has been involved in numerous projects and efforts including Chesapeake Bay fisheries, cyber security and citizen science. Outside of MVF, Brandon has created multiple successful start ups and has begun inspiring the next wave of entrepreneurs with his Build a Business with Brandon program. Today you can find Brandon biking, surfing or enjoying life near the beach. He currently resides outside of San Francisco.
McCain McMurray
McCain first got involved with MVF in the late 2000s, cutting his teeth on projects with the Dolphinfish Research Program and the Henry's Fork Foundation. Since completing a master's in GIS, his career has focused on using drone technology and spatial analysis to help solve a broad array of problems in mining, construction, and other industries. In 2016, he spent a delightful year in the dirt, working full-time on a good friend's organic farm. When he's not working, you can find McCain chasing carp with a fly rod, bushwhacking to remote alpine lakes, or descending desert rivers in a packraft. He lives outside Denver, Colorado
Carson McMurray
Carson first real experience with MVF was traveling down the Colorado River in 2012 to generate a snapshot of the ecosystem and people who rely on it. After wandering the west for a few years, Carson has found a calling as a field instructor for a wilderness therapy organization. The experiences with his students has spurred a desire to help people experience the healing effects of immersing in nature. Carson’s passions outside of MVF are exploring wild places, rooting for his beloved 49ers and sharing campfires with good friends. He lives on Vashon, WA.
“You are an explorer, and you represent our species, and the greatest good you can do is to bring back a new idea, because our world is endangered by the absence of good ideas. Our world is in crisis because of the absence of consciousness.”
― Terence McKenna