Our Commitment

The ACP is building a $5-million Conservation, Research, and Education Endowment aimed at

• Understanding and protecting island and ocean ecosystems;
• Training the next generation of environmental scientists, educators, and advocates; and
• Raising awareness and building capacity of local communities through educational outreach.

The ACP's investment policy is managed by a committee of fiduciaries and aims to grow surplus through investment return while limiting volatility through diversification. The goal of our policy is consistent capital growth and high investment income.

OUR MAJOR INITIATIVES

Grants from the ACP have underwritten conservation and research projects that focus on

• Endangered coral reef systems that are home to incredible biodiversity;
• Migrating sea turtles, sharks, and whales that are dependent on healthy oceans from Central and South America and the Caribbean to Maine;
• Recovery of species that are on the brink of extinction;
• Invasive marine species that threaten native biodiversity;
• Deep water cave ecosystems that support ancient species; and
• Pollution-linked developmental abnormalities in amphibians.

The ACP's careful management of its endowment has also enabled it to fund education and training initiatives:

• Internships for 82 US students from 21 high-schools and 30 colleges and universities as well as for 47 teachers from six countries, involving field activities that focus on delicate marine and island ecosystems as well as the role of aquariums, museums and zoos in promoting conservation, research, and education.
• A yearly two-week interdisciplinary, three-credit undergraduate course for students from the U.S. and Bermuda, developed and conducted by leaders at the BAMZ, the ACP, and the St. John’s University Department of Biological Sciences.
• The annual International Course on the Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles, which provides training to university students, biologists, conservation officers and resource managers during an intensive two-week course on the biology and conservation of sea turtles.