CORAL's work includes aquatic research, educating local communities, and building alliances with governments, agencies, research institutions, and other NGOs to protect coral reefs.[4] CORAL also has a coral bleaching response network using high-resolution satellite images to monitor coral reefs and bleaching events.[5] CORAL estimates that 90% of the world's coral reefs could undergo annual coral bleaching, and in a Nature Ecology and Evolution publication, predict that a significant portion of coral reefs may go extinct without further intervention.[6]
CORAL operates at reef regions in Hawai'i (Hawai‘i Island and Maui), Honduras and Mexico to maintain clean water, healthy fisheries, and protected habitat.[7] In a March 2023 interview with CORAL employee Javier Pizaña-Alonso, it was reported the organisation is planning to expand operations to Roatán, Honduras, and Belize as these are major cruise ship destinations with a large amount of reef tourism.[8]
In the fiscal year of 2020, tax documents (IRS Form 990) show a total revenue of $4,056,840 and expenditure of $3,430,103.[9] They are funded by individual donors, foundations, as well as corporate and government grants.[10] In 2021, CORAL raised $4 million in total revenue. $1.3 million of this came from individual and corporate contributions, with the remaining $2.7 million coming from foundation and government grants.[11]
