Over the last decade, the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) has played a key role in helping Coral Restoration Foundation™ (CRF) grow into the leading coral restoration nonprofit. Through strategic, catalytic support, DCF has provided crucial opportunities for our success.
Coral Collaborators
DCF began supporting CRF during a transformative time in our history. In the early 2010s, we were a small but ambitious organization with a team of just five or six staff, working toward an audacious goal: restoring Florida’s Coral Reef at a meaningful, scalable level.
With DCF’s help, that vision became reality. Their early grants supported our first large-scale restoration efforts and helped us transition from planting a few thousand corals a year to tens of thousands, a foundational step toward the global impact we strive for every day.
Seeding Innovation
DCF’s support didn’t stop at helping CRF expand our restoration work. Over the years, their funding has enabled CRF to pioneer several initiatives that helped shape our path forward:
- Pillar Coral Recovery Project (2021–2023): Often called the “unicorns” of the reef, pillar corals are some of the rarest and most threatened species in Florida. DCF’s grant support was instrumental in enabling efforts to protect and propagate these vulnerable corals, laying the groundwork for future species recovery.
- Broward Nursery & Club Coral (2018–2021): DCF funding supported the launch of our in situ coral nursery in Broward County and supported our education initiative, “Club Coral”, an after-school program to connect underserved students in Fort Lauderdale with reef ecosystems, inspiring a new generation of conservationists.
These projects reflected our growing role as a creative, inclusive leader in reef restoration.
Building a Legacy of Impact
In recent years, DCF’s support has extended to broader restoration and coral genetics work, particularly around coral spawning and propagation techniques. In 2024, a grant from DCF also supported education efforts aligned with our EPA-funded program, “Coral Reefs and You,” to teach students about the importance of coral reefs, their impact on local economies, and the need for conservation efforts.
DCF’s decade-long support of CRF has empowered innovation, expanded our reach, and created lasting pathways for education and engagement. From early restoration efforts to cutting-edge coral genetics, the ripple effect of their support continues to be felt across our programs and the reefs we serve.
DCF helped us go from planting possibility to cultivating global impact. As the Disney Conservation Fund celebrates its 30th anniversary year, we are proud to recognize their role in this journey and look forward to the future we’re building together—for the ocean, for communities, and for generations to come.
For information on CRF’s conservation programs, visit https://coralrestoration.org/.
For information on Disney’s commitment to conservation, visit Disney.com/Conservation.
Written by: Chelsea Co, Digital Marketing Coordinator
