The official biography below was current at the time of the award. See the organization's website for its latest information.

For the past decade, Ocean Discovery Institute has been empowering diverse youth from an urban district to protect our oceans and natural environment, improve the health of our communities and strengthen our quality of life. Ocean Discovery Institute is the only non-profit in the San Diego region using the ocean as an educational tool to capitalize on young people's instinctive attraction to the sea and builds knowledge of our planet's defining feature. Ocean Discovery Institute leads a series of initiatives that incorporate education, scientific research and environmental stewardship. Currently these initiatives reach over 4,500 low-income students and community members each year. All of Ocean Discovery Institute's programming is provided tuition-free.