Giving Tuesday 2026
For the Love of the Lab
For the Love of the Lab
Donate this Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2026, to help Plastic Ocean Project build out the laboratory to meet our research needs.
Every organization has hopes and dreams of how to make the world a better place and a vision for the steps it will take to get there. We’re so honored and grateful to share that vision with hundreds of supporters like you who have helped us walk toward them one step at a time over the years.
When our FTIR instrument, vital to our lab and micro-plastics research, suddenly needed $20,000 in repairs in 2023, Giving Tuesday supporters jumped in to save the day. Then, in 2025 when we lost not one, but two POP vans within a couple of years, our Giving Tuesday campaign goal of $15,000 was exceeded allowing us to secure a newer, much larger POP van to help accommodate the needs of our growing Trees4Trash, Education, and Research programs.
Last year, when moving our lab and our office was inevitable, our supporters rallied, helping us secure our very own space, equipped with room for the POP lab we’ve always dreamed of. We were so thankful for contributions, hand-me-downs from other labs and scientists, and for donations and grants that made FTIR maintenance possible.
Now, thanks to supporters like you, our lab space is ready for the next step. From evaluating bear scat, to analyzing stormwater, and assessing sediment samples our facility has become a respected microplastics research laboratory. And For the Love of the Lab, we’re asking the community to help us build out and refine our lab with the goal of becoming accredited by the state water board. This accreditation will build trust with scientists across the state as well as global partners to uphold the integrity of the lab.
Consistent upkeep, replacements, certification, software, and updated lab equipment are all necessary for accreditation. With your help, we know we’ll get there!
This Giving Tuesday, we’re asking you to help turn a promising laboratory into an even stronger resource for environmental science. Every gift helps advance careful, credible research and the people behind it.
With an ocean of gratitude,
Bonnie Monteleone, Co-Founder
Jason Andre, Executive Director
Emily Mulvihill, Operations Director
Kayla West, Laboratory Director
Hailey Irving, Communications Manager
and the rest of the POP Team!
