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LONELY WHALE INC
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 873249420 · Form 990EZ · FY2024 · NTEE S20 · Community Improvement · Micro (<$100K) · lonelywhale.org
revenue
$1K
expenses
$3K
net assets
$4K
employees
—
program ratio
93%
mission · from form 990

LONELY WHALE INC. (LONELY WHALE) IS A NONPROFIT CORPORATION WHOSE MISSION IS TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF PLASTIC WASTE THAT ENTERS RIVERS, LAKES, AND OCEANS. ITS EFFORTS SEEK TO (I) INCREASE AWARENESS OF PLASTIC WASTE, (II) PROVIDE FOUNDATIONAL EDUCATION ON THE ISSUE, AND (III) ENGAGE A BROAD AUDIENCE ON PLASTIC WASTE AWARENESS TO ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR CHANGE NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE GREATER IMPACT.

profile · synthesized from sources

Lonely Whale is a nonprofit organization founded in 2015 by Adrian Grenier and Lucy Sumner that focuses on reducing plastic waste in oceans through public awareness campaigns, youth engagement, and corporate collaboration. The organization designs initiatives to shift consumer behavior and industry practices around single-use plastics, particularly in the fashion and beverage sectors. It operates globally, leveraging media, storytelling, and partnerships to promote ocean-positive choices among individuals, businesses, and governments.

named programs · 7 · from sources

What they call their work

52 Hertz Podcast
Podcast series featuring advocates and changemakers working on ocean conservation and plastic waste reduction
For A Strawless Ocean
Public awareness campaign challenging individuals, brands, and policymakers to eliminate single-use plastic straws through the #StopSucking movement
NextWave Plastics
Member-led initiative co-founded and amplified by Lonely Whale to divert 25,000 tonnes of ocean-bound plastic by 2025 through a global network of companies and recyclers
OH-Wake Media
Youth-produced publishing platform that elevates the voices of young leaders and Ocean Heroes in the global movement for clean seas
Question How You Hydrate
Impact campaign promoting awareness of single-use plastic water bottles and encouraging sustainable alternatives through the #HydrateLike initiative
Sea Sign
Monthly astrology-inspired engagement tool that connects personal identity with ocean advocacy to motivate behavior change
Unwrap the Future
Multi-year initiative targeting the elimination of 180+ billion single-use plastic polybags used annually in the fashion industry through innovation and brand collaboration
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Ocean Ecosystem Restoration & Research 1 activity
    • Build capacity and amplify youth voices in ocean conservation
      Supports and amplifies the global youth movement for ocean conservation by providing tools, networking opportunities, and platforms such as OH-Wake Media and the open-source community action toolkit to empower young leaders.
  • Toxic Chemicals and Plastics Reform 1 activity
    • Drive systemic change in industries through cross-sector collaboration and innovation
      Partners with brands, governments, and innovators to transform environmental challenges into actionable public conversations and systemic solutions, including co-founding NextWave Plastics to divert 25,000 tonnes of ocean-bound plastic and launching initiatives to eliminate plastic polybags in fashion.
  • Ocean and Plastic Pollution Research and Reduction 1 activity
    • Raise public awareness and drive behavior change on plastic waste through advocacy campaigns
      Conducts public awareness and education campaigns focused on reducing plastic waste, promoting alternatives to single-use plastics, and encouraging individual behavior change through initiatives such as #HydrateLike, For A Strawless Ocean, and Question How You Hydrate.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Engage the public in ocean advocacy through creative and personalized content
      Produces and distributes creative content including the '52 Hertz' podcast, monthly personalized Sea Sign readings, and astrological engagement tools to foster emotional connection and sustained participation in ocean conservation.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1K
Contributions & grants$1K99%
Program service revenue——
Investment income$91%
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$3K
Program expenses93%
Admin / overhead7%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$44
Grants paid out—
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$4K
Cash$104K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$4K
Liquid reserves371.7 mo
3 years on record · 2022–2024 · YoY revenue -98.3%
relationships · 5

Who they work with

  • Re:wild Partner — Fiscal sponsor that supports Lonely Whale’s operations.
  • The Circulate Initiative Partner — Co-convenes the NextWave Plastics initiative with Lonely Whale.
  • brands Partner — Collaborates with brands to transform environmental challenges into public conversations and action.
  • governments Partner — Partners with governments to advance ocean conservation through public engagement and systemic change.
  • innovators Partner — Works with innovators to develop and scale solutions for ocean conservation challenges.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Awareness-to-Action Movement Building
    methodology: awareness_movement
    By launching global awareness movements, we drive public engagement and individual behavior change around plastic consumption because mass cultural visibility creates social norms that motivate participation at scale.
  • Cultural Engagement Through Identity-Aligned Messaging
    methodology: astrology-for-engagement
    By using astrology to align personal identity with environmental action, we increase public engagement in ocean conservation because culturally resonant, identity-based narratives produce deeper emotional investment and sustained behavior change.
  • Radical Collaboration for Systemic Change
    methodology: radical_collaboration
    By convening cross-sector partnerships between science and market actors, we translate ocean conservation issues into cultural movements because collaborative innovation across disciplines accelerates systemic change more effectively than isolated efforts.