Partners and Sponsors

Alexandra collaborates with a number of organizations as an active member of their Boards and as an outspoken advocate for their issues. These organizations have different areas of focus and action, but all are actively involved in implementing solutions to some of the most critical challenges facing the protection our Water Planet and the communities that rely on the health and integrity of our water resources, both freshwater and marine, for their well-being, their livelihoods, and their future.

RBC - Royal Bank of Canada

RBC is Canada’s largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. They are one of North America’s leading diversified financial service companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and transaction processing services on a global basis. RBC employs approximately 77,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 18 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and in 53 other countries.

National Geographic Emerging Explorers Program

In January 2008, Alexandra was chosen to be one of National Geographic's Emerging Explorers for the Class of 2008. This program recognizes and supports uniquely gifted and inspiring young adventurers, scientists, photographers, and storytellers—explorers who are already making a difference early in their careers.

What qualities define Emerging Explorers? First and foremost, they should be at the beginning of a promising career in exploration. Their recent accomplishments should show a potential for future breakthroughs. In addition, the Emerging Explorers Program should reflect the world's diversity and should be a home for dynamic personalities who are making a significant contribution to world knowledge through exploration.

National Geographic works to inspire people to care about the planet.

Since 1888, National Geographic has traveled the Earth, sharing its amazing stories with each new generation. National Geographic's Mission Programs support critical expeditions and scientific fieldwork, encourage geography education for students, promote natural and cultural conservation, and inspire audiences through new media, vibrant exhibitions, and live events.

Over the years, National Geographic has awarded more than 8,000 grants for exploration, research, and conservation efforts. We support and fund explorers from traditional and emerging disciplines that bring you exciting new discoveries direct from the field. From the discovery of the R.M.S. Titanic to "Lucy's Baby," our grantees and explorers make extraordinary finds.

Learn more about the National Geographic Emerging Explorer's Program.

The Ocean Foundation

The Ocean Foundation’s mission is to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world.

The Ocean Foundation carries out this mission in three ways:
1. Expert education and advice for donors
2. Philanthropic tools
3. Financial support and mentoring of groups working in the field

Drawing from the top experts, research, and thinking in the field, donors benefit from high level counsel in improving the effectiveness and impact of their grantmaking decisions. In short, The Ocean Foundation provides the vital philanthropic portal and services necessary for more effective investment in promoting the health of our oceans. With simple yet sophisticated investment options, they match all those with an affinity for the oceans with the most efficient and effective way to invest in their particular causes. In this way, TOF makes the world of ocean conservation more comprehensible and accessible to donors through our website, newsletters, events, and special trip and research reports.

TOF is a 501c3 independent, international community foundation working to provide intensive, high-end philanthropic advisory services that are customized to meet the specific needs of all of our donors. They model our philanthropy on that of a traditional community foundation: Providing practical services to support philanthropic activity, and adding their unique expertise on where marine conservation can best be advanced.

The geographic community of TOF is the 70% of the earth’s surface covered by ocean. Their human community includes the donors and grantees that are engaged in ocean conservation anywhere in the world.

As a community foundation, TOF raises funds as though it were a charity. However, like a private foundation, TOF re-grants those funds with the advice of individual donors and ocean conservation experts to other non-profits. This structure provides all the tax advantages of giving to a public charity while retaining the personal quality of a private foundation.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.

They address the most pressing conservation threats at the largest scale. Thanks to the support of our more than 1 million members, they’ve built a tremendous record of success since our founding in 1951:

• They've protected more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide — and we operate more than 100 marine conservation projects globally.
• They work in all 50 states and more than 30 countries — protecting habitats from grasslands to coral reefs, from Australia to Alaska to Zambia.
• They address threats to conservation involving climate change, fresh water, oceans, and conservation lands. 

H20 for Life

H20 for Life connects schools in the United States with schools in developing countries to complete WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) in Schools projects.

A nonprofit, all-volunteer organization run by teachers, parents, and students, H20 for Life aims to help students build an allegiance to and an understanding of their partner school through curriculum and experiential learning while raising funds for WASH in Schools projects. 100 percent of contributions raised by schools goes directly to partner school projects. All overhead expenses are funded through in-kind donations and grants.

The Global Water Challenge

Global Water Challenge (GWC) is a coalition of 22 leading organizations, who have joined forces to catalyse transformational change in the water and sanitation sector. We believe that we have both the resources and the will to live in the world where everyone can drink clean water and use a safe toilet.

Their mission is to generate a global movement to meet the urgent need for safe water and sanitation by spurring collective awareness and investment in innovation by corporate, public, and nongovernmental actors. GWC focuses on collaborative learning, connecting leaders, and investing in sustainable, replicable, and scaleable projects. The goal of the GWC is unverisal access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation.

Why Now?

Most people don't think about water; they turn on a tap and clean water flows readily. But for more than 1.1 billion people around the world, water is a constant concern. Where will their next drink come from? Will it be clean? Will it last?

Suitable sanitation facilities are in even shorter supply. Basic human privacy and dignity are lost to 2.6 billion people who have no place to use the bathroom.

And these problems will get worse. In the near future, water scarcity will lead to even greater suffering for the world's poorest.

Solutions exist today to tackle this challenge. Scores of dedicated aid organizations are working throughout the developing world on the crisis but lack the resources and pathways necessary to scale-up effective approaches. That is why GWC is committed to Learning from past projects, Connecting those who can help each other, and Investing new resources and time.

The Shark Alliance

The Shark Alliance is a not-for-profit coalition of non-governmental organizations dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving European fishing policy. Because of the influence of Europe in global fisheries and the importance of sharks in ocean ecosystems, these efforts have the potential to enhance the health of the marine environment in Europe and around the world.

The mission of the Shark Alliance is two-fold:

    * To close loopholes in European policy regarding the wasteful and unsustainable practice of shark finning;
    * To secure responsible, science-based shark fishing limits for long-term sustainability and ecosystem health.

For more information, download this report revealing Europe's impact on shark populations.

National Environmental Education Foundation

The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) provides knowledge to trusted professionals who, with their credibility, amplify messages to national audiences to solve everyday environmental problems. Together, we generate lasting positive change.

NEEF partners with professionals in health, education, media, business and public land management to promote daily actions for helping people protect and enjoy the environment. Through our primary programs -- Classroom Earth, National Public Lands Day, National Environmental Education Week, Business and Environment, Earth Gauge® and Health & Environment -- we offer Americans knowledge to live by.

Chartered by Congress in 1990 to advance environmental knowledge and action, our ultimate goal is to activate environmentally responsible behavior in the general public.

Our strategy is to reach the public through a powerful network of trusted professionals who can help Americans make everyday choices for a healthy life and healthy environment.

Working with a network of health professionals, weathercasters, land managers and teachers our programs reach hundreds of thousands of households and translate in to direct actions, saving millions of dollars as well as reducing energy use, protecting nature, and improving the health of thousands of children.

EarthEcho

EarthEcho International is a nonprofit 501c3 organization founded in 2000 by siblings Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau in honor of their father Philippe Cousteau Sr., famous son of the legendary explorer Jacques Yves Cousteau.

EarthEcho International's mission is to foster extraordinary leaders to take action to restore and protect our Oceans.

EarthEcho International's programs are dedicated to the legacy of Philippe Cousteau Sr.; a legacy of devotion to the conservation and restoration of the oceans and one that can be shared by all people. Sadly, the last 50 years has seen the greatest amount of destruction of our Oceans, bringing us to a current state of crisis. However, we believe that it is the next 50 years in which we can embrace the new promise of just, healthy, and abundant Oceans. In order to achieve this, a whole new generation must take action to restore and protect our water planet.

Education combined with service-learning offers a tremendous opportunity to empower such a generation, but there is very little ocean education and service-learning available today on a national scale. EarthEcho International's programs works to fill these voids in ways that unite the efforts of other prominent organizations to identify and engage the most promising leaders of tomorrow in the struggle for ocean health today.