Vulcan

Seattle-based Vulcan Inc is the engine behind philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen’s network of organizations and initiatives. Empowered by Paul’s vision to make a positive difference in the world, we work to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.

Vulcan’s founder, Paul G. Allen, was committed to saving our oceans through catalytic philanthropy and scientific and technological breakthroughs.

Coral reefs are among the most important, diverse, and beautiful ecosystems on the planet. Yet warming oceans are causing bleaching events — and the death of corals — on a scale never before seen. To respond to this crisis, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation launched the Global Find for Coral Reefs. Today, the GFCR is a 10-year, $625 million blended finance mechanism being implemented by a coalition of United Nations agencies, donor and host governments, local partners, private philanthropies, conservation NGOs and financial institutions. The GFCR supports business models that sustainably finance key conservation and development goals for coral reefs via two windows. Technical assistance, capacity development, and monitoring and evaluation are provided via the grant window, while the investment window generates de-risked investment capital to maximize the impact of projects incubated by the grant window.

Vulcan and its partners, Arizona State University, Planet, University of Queensland, and National Geographic Society developed the Allen Coral Atlas, the first globally consistent and regularly updated high-resolution image data set for coral reefs. In 2021, the Allen Coral Atlas met a major milestone by completing habitat maps of the world’s tropical, shallow coral reefs. By combining satellite imagery, advanced analytics, and object-based analysis, global collaboration has resulted in maps that show the marine ecosystem’s benthic and geomorphic data in unprecedented detail.

Working with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and Australian Institute of Marine Science, Vulcan has funded multi-year research to identify naturally resilient coral species and then replant them to advance the regeneration of declining coral reefs.

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