Healing Our Ocean

Content: 

Driven to improve and safeguard the health of our oceans through science and technology, Marc and Lynne Benioff have made a gift of $60 million to UC Santa Barbara, one of the world’s most important marine research centers. 

The new donation is the largest ever for ocean science at UC Santa Barbara — and one of the largest known gifts anywhere to support ocean research.

The gift builds on the Benioffs’ legacy of support to the campus to address ocean problems and advance science-based solutions and establishes the new Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory. They previously have invested more than $28 million in ocean programs and collaborative partnerships at UC Santa Barbara.

“We are deeply grateful to Marc and Lynne Benioff for their extraordinary generosity,” said UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry Yang. “This transformative gift establishing the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory underscores the Benioffs’ continuing commitment to marine science research that seeks to address the most pressing ocean environmental issues of our time. The laboratory builds on the achievements of the Benioff Ocean Initiative, whose groundbreaking research under the direction of Professor Douglas McCauley has expanded our knowledge and understanding of marine ecosystems and promoted innovative solutions to the concerns facing our world’s oceans.

News Date: 

Monday, September 26, 2022