Great Barrier Reef Foundation
Lead charity for the Great Barrier Reef, founded after 1998 bleaching.
Founded in 1999, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation is an Australian non-profit created to safeguard the Great Barrier Reef, following the reef’s first recorded mass coral bleaching event in 1998. Climate change poses the greatest danger to the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs worldwide. As the primary charity for the reef, the foundation has backed over 300 projects alongside more than 400 partners, uniting scientists, Traditional Owners, local communities, citizen scientists, government bodies, businesses, and other non-profits in a shared mission to protect the reef and its biodiversity for future generations.
In 2018, during the International Year of the Reef, the Turnbull government awarded the foundation a AUD$443 million grant. This funding aims to deliver measurable improvements to the health of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, guided by the Reef 2050 framework and driven by innovation, science, and community involvement. Projects supported through the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the foundation focus on six key areas: improving water quality, controlling crown-of-thorns starfish, advancing reef restoration and adaptation science, supporting Traditional Owner-led reef protection, fostering community reef protection, and establishing integrated monitoring and reporting systems.
Quick Facts
- Former Name
- Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation
- Industry
- Environment
- Founded
- 1999-11-19 in Newstead, Queensland, Australia
- Founder
- <!-- or
- Area Served
- Australia
- Key People
- David Thodey AO (Chairman) · Anna Catherine Marsden (Managing Director)
- Num Employees
- 42
- Num Employees Year
- 2021
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation was established in 1999 in response to the first mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef in 1998. Climate change is identified as the number one threat to the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs globally. The foundation brings together science, traditional owners, community, citizen science, government, business and non-governmental organizations in the mission to save the Reef and all its living diversity for future generations.
During the International Year of the Reef in 2018, the Turnbull government announced a AUD$443 million grant to the foundation. The purpose of the grant is to achieve significant, measurable improvement in the health of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area in accordance with the Reef 2050 framework, underpinned by innovation, science and community engagement. Projects enabled through the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the foundation have six areas of focus: water quality, crown-of-thorns starfish control, reef restoration and adaptation science, traditional owner reef protection, community reef protection and integrated monitoring and reporting.
Reader's Guide
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation's significance lies in its role as the lead charity for the Great Barrier Reef, coordinating over 300 projects with more than 400 partners. Its formation in 1999 directly followed the first mass coral bleaching event in 1998, highlighting its reactive origin to a major environmental crisis. The foundation's work is framed by the recognition that climate change is the number one threat to the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs globally. The 2018 AUD$443 million government grant from the Turnbull government, announced during the International Year of the Reef, represents a major investment in the Reef's health. This grant is tied to the Reef 2050 framework and focuses on six areas: water quality, crown-of-thorns starfish control, reef restoration and adaptation science, traditional owner reef protection, community reef protection, and integrated monitoring and reporting. The foundation's legacy is its partnership model, bringing together diverse stakeholders including science, traditional owners, community, citizen science, government, business and non-governmental organizations to address the threats to the reef.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Great Barrier Reef Foundation?
It is an Australian non-profit organisation established in 1999 with the core mission of safeguarding the Great Barrier Reef and its biodiversity. The group was created in direct response to the reef's first documented mass coral bleaching event in 1998.
What is the role of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation?
The foundation serves as the lead charity for the Great Barrier Reef, coordinating and funding conservation work across the entire reef system. It has backed more than 300 projects alongside over 400 partners, bringing together scientists, Traditional Owners, local communities, government bodies, businesses, and other non-profits around a shared protection mission.
Why is the Great Barrier Reef Foundation important?
It provides a single coordinating structure that unites a vast and diverse coalition—Indigenous Traditional Owners, citizen scientists, academic researchers, government agencies, and private-sector partners—behind one conservation goal. Without that central hub, mounting the scale of response needed against climate-driven bleaching would be far more fragmented and difficult.
How much government funding has the Great Barrier Reef Foundation received?
In 2018 the Australian government awarded the foundation a grant of AUD$443 million. That level of public investment underscores both the severity of the climate-change threat to the reef and the foundation's central role in orchestrating a response.
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