Our funding and finances

Our donors

Over our 20-year history, the MSC has always been extremely grateful for the generous support from its donors. Without their help, the MSC would not be able to achieve its long-term vision of ensuring oceans teeming with life. In addition to providing general operating support, donor funding is supporting the MSC’s work in the developing world, science and standards development and pre-assessment projects. 

Our other sources of income

We also generate income through charitable activities and investments.

Most of this funding comes from the logo licensing fee paid by brands, retailers and food service organisations which choose to use the blue MSC label on consumer-facing products. It means that every time a consumer purchases a product showing the blue MSC label, they’re helping to safeguard oceans and seafood supplies for the future. 

This income supports the MSC’s core activities, including our work to educate people about the importance of our oceans, raise awareness of sustainable seafood, ensure the integrity of the MSC certified supply chain, evolve our standards so that they continue to reflect best practice and support research projects, such as those funded through our Ocean Stewardship Fund.

Over the past 20 years, this funding has become increasingly important to the MSC, reflecting growing consumer awareness and demand for products with the blue MSC label.

 

Ensuring our impartiality

It’s important to note that the MSC receives no income from the assessment or certification of fisheries to its standards.  Fees for these services are paid to third party independent, accredited conformity assessment bodies, and are not passed to the MSC. This ensures that the MSC remains impartial in the assessment and certification process, in line with international codes of best practice.

Our income

1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

How we spend our funds

All funds received and generated through our activities are invested in further delivering our vision of oceans teeming with life and seafood supplies safeguarded for the future. This includes work to maintain world-leading standards, raise awareness of the MSC label, support the seafood industry in their commitments to certified seafood and maintain the integrity of our label. 

 

Our expenditure of overseen by a Board of Trustees, made up of representatives from across the science, fishing and retail/brand communities, as well as independent experts. The Board of Trustees ensures that we meet our objectives.

 

Our expenditure 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

Funds in reserve

As a registered charity and non-profit, we hold funds in reserve. This helps to protect us from potential fluctuations in our income and expenditure, including the loss or withdrawal of certified products from the MSC program. We aim to have 9-12 months of unrestricted free reserves to allow us to continue to deliver our vital work while flexing to meet changing circumstances. This is generally understood good practice for non-profit organisations.

Reinvesting our income

The MSC contributes 5% of its royalty income to support the Transition Assistance Fund, the Science and Research Fund and the Recertification Assistance Fund strands of the Ocean Stewardship Fund (with a small designation made to support administrative costs). These grants open for applications each year.

In addition, the Ocean Stewardship Fund supports a wide range of other projects that support the Fund’s aim of increasing the number of sustainable fisheries worldwide. Funding for these additional projects comes from a variety of sources, including the MSC or restricted and unrestricted donations from external trusts and foundations. Applications for this funding will be solicited by the Ocean Stewardship Fund. The Ocean Stewardship Fund is not open to unsolicited applications.

 

Non-profit status

• UK: Registered charity 1066806 
• USA: Non-profit status 501(c)(3) 
• Australia: ABN 69 517 984 605 
• Singapore: UEN 201215612M 
• Netherlands: geregistreerde Algemeen Nut Bevorderende Instelling (ANBI) 

Our latest audited Group Consolidated Financial Statements and Trustees Report are available upon request to [email protected].

How donations make a difference

Without generous support from donors, the MSC would not have been able to build and maintain world leading standards for sustainable fishing, and the positive impacts this delivers.

Improvements made by fisheries working with the MSC are helping to safeguard life in our oceans. Such fisheries are also securing a future for millions of people dependent upon fishing and seafood for a livelihood. Some of their commitments and the transformations they’ve achieved by working with the MSC are captured in our real life stories.  

Our aspiration is for more than a third of global marine catch to be certified or engaged by 2030. Support from our donors will continue to play an essential role in delivering this goal.

Read our 2017-2020 strategy

Our funders

We would like to thank the many donors, including trusts, foundations and statutory bodies, from across the globe that have supported our work in 2020-2021.

We received significant and new generous support from the Mava Fondation pour la Nature for our Project MedPath work helping small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean, as well as the A.G. Leventis Foundation for work in Greece, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for our East Asia Sea Pathway to Sustainability project.

We would also like to thank the Dutch Postcode Lottery for its continued support of the Fish for Good project in Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa, as well as ongoing core support; the Walton Family Foundation for its continuing generous support for projects around the world; the Adessium Foundation for supporting our work in the Mediterranean; WWF-Sweden for its support for our project in the Southwest Indian Ocean region; and the Remmer Foundation for a grant to work with small-scale fisheries in southern Africa.

Finally, we also continue to receive generous core support from the Triad Foundation, Holzer Family Foundation and Vowles Family Fund, for which we are truly grateful.

Some of our current and recent funders are listed below. Thanks also to those who wish to remain anonymous.

David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Walton Family Foundation

New Venture Fund

Remmer Family Foundation

Triad Foundation

Holzer Family Foundation

Vowles Family Fund

A.G. Leventis Foundation

Adessium Foundation (Netherlands)

Dutch Postcode Lottery

MAVA Fondation Pour la Nature (Switzerland)

Resources Legacy Fund / Sustainable Fisheries Fund

WWF-Sweden

WWF-UK (for Project UK)

Findus (Sweden)

Support the MSC

Find out how to support our work safeguarding oceans and seafood supplies for the future. 

With your continued support, we can secure lasting improvements to marine environments for future generations.  

Make a donation through the Charities Aid Foundation

 

Trusts and foundations

The support of trusts and foundations is critical to delivering our vision of oceans teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for future generations. We greatly appreciate the generosity of our trust and foundation supporters that share our vision of productive and healthy marine ecosystems. 

Whether large or small, towards our core costs or for a specific project, a donation from your trust will enable us to work with fisheries, businesses and the public to bring about a positive change in the way our seas are fished. 

As the most credible and globally recognized standard for sustainable fishing, the MSC provides a platform to incentivize real change in the way our oceans are fished. We provide a unique opportunity to influence both fishers and the market by driving consumer demand for sustainable seafood. 

To discuss supporting the MSC through your trust or foundation, please contact [email protected]