Nekton
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Nekton's stated work is ocean exploration, ocean conservation, marine science and ocean culture, so check first that your project sits in one of these areas.
- Its annual report gives a single total of £86,996, which may include grants to individuals, and no typical or maximum grant size is stated, so keep any request modest and tied to a specific activity.
- No application process is published, and the contact shown is for getting in touch, so start with a short enquiry rather than a full application.
- Nekton describes partnership as co-creation rather than sponsorship, so frame your approach as working together on a shared programme.
- Its register entry lists the Maldives, Seychelles, South Africa and Throughout London as areas of operation, but no geographic focus is stated, so ask whether your work fits before you write.
Overview
Nekton is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1162666).
Nekton is a UK charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, founded with funding from XL Catlin and Garfield Weston Foundation to advance the scientific exploration and protection of the ocean. Its objects are to promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the environment and to advance education in that area. Its work includes expeditions across the global ocean, open science with host nations and international scientists, and broadcasting and creative programmes that bring ocean science into public culture. The annual report gives total giving of £86,996 but does not divide it between programmes.
What they fund
Priority Areas
Nekton’s work centres on exploring and protecting the ocean. It undertakes expeditions across the global ocean and advances open, co-designed science with host nations and international scientists, making data openly accessible and using it to inform conservation, management and policy. It also brings ocean exploration and science into public culture through broadcasting, storytelling and creative programmes. Its partners include research institutes, governments, philanthropic foundations and trusts, NGOs and civil society organisations, businesses, and media, cultural and creative partners. Philanthropic partners support core operations, expeditions, ocean science, species discovery, nation-led missions, cultural programmes and policy work. Nekton describes its model as collaborative, with partners co-designing and co-delivering programmes.
Themes
- Ocean exploration
- Ocean conservation
- Marine science
- Ocean culture
How to apply
No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Nekton frames partnership as co-creation rather than sponsorship.
Where they fund
Registered area of operation (Charity Commission)
- Maldives
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Greater London
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2020 | £1,968,126 | £2,667,554 | £2,400 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2020 |
| year to 31 December 2021 | £438,371 | £797,443 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £3,206,735 | £3,313,305 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 March 2024 | £7,384,780 | £4,137,636 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2024 |
| year to 31 March 2025 | £3,199,739 | £5,442,844 | £86,996 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2020: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.
— No grants figure for those years.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- nektonmission.org
- nektonmission.org/about · read on 30 October 2026
- nektonmission.org/network · read on 30 October 2026
- nektonmission.org/about/story · read on 30 October 2026
- nektonmission.org/contact · read on 30 October 2026
- nektonmission.org/legal · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 March 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Nekton?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- enquiries@nektonmission.orgsource
- Nekton, Begbroke Science Park, Begbroke Hill, Oxfordshire, OX5 1PF, U.Ksource
- nektonmission.org
- Contact form
Applying to Nekton?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- enquiries@nektonmission.orgsource
- Nekton, Begbroke Science Park, Begbroke Hill, Oxfordshire, OX5 1PF, U.Ksource
- nektonmission.org
- Contact form