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Your donation helps us do two things at once: bring free coral science directly to local schools and community venues across South Somerset, and expand our live coral research facility — the first of its kind in the South West of England.
Before we ran a public campaign, our founding directors invested over £15,000 of their own money to build the research infrastructure that is operational today. Phase 1 public fundraising builds on that foundation — funding the people, the programme and the equipment that will make this work grow.
Every pound donated to Phase 1 is allocated across three areas:
- 60% funds Education & Outreach — free events at local schools and community venues, workshop materials, citizen science training, digital resources.
- 30% funds Research & Propagation — expanding our coral facility, completing the deep-water tank system, equipment and consumables.
- 10% funds Operations — governance, insurance, administration and the organisational infrastructure that keeps everything accountable.
You make one donation. We make sure it goes where it is needed most.
Coral Futures was founded in Somerset in 2026. Before applying for any grant or asking the public for support, our founding directors opened their own wallets. Over £15,000 in personal funds — invested as zero-interest loans — became the propagation tanks, quarantine systems, acclimation equipment and monitoring infrastructure that form our research facility today.
That facility is now operational. Living coral colonies are in our tanks. Water chemistry is monitored around the clock. Propagation protocols are being developed and documented. We built it before we asked you to believe in us.
Phase 1 public fundraising extends that momentum. With your support, we will:
Deliver free coral science events to local schools across South Somerset — at no cost to the schools.
Run free community events at local venues — libraries, village halls, community centres — open to everyone.
Complete our deep-water coral tank system, expanding our research capability.
Launch our citizen science programme, training local volunteers to contribute to real ocean research.
Publish our methods and findings openly, so what we learn in Somerset benefits the wider field
Every pound donated to Coral Futures is tracked from the moment it arrives, ring-fenced for the purposes described here, and subject to board oversight before any expenditure is made. Our founding directors receive no salaries and claim no expenses. The people at the top of this organisation are personally and financially invested in its success.
We publish regular progress updates showing what has been spent, what has been built and what has been achieved. Our Governance page sets out our financial controls policy in full. Our Donor Dashboard gives you visibility of campaign progress in real time.
If our plans change significantly for any reason, we will communicate that directly to supporters and offer refunds where appropriate.
This is not just a donation campaign. It is an invitation to be part of something being built responsibly, transparently and with genuine commitment — from the first pound to the last.