Currently, the Galapagos boasts a large amount of international support from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) across the world. The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), a primary player in the organization and funding of the Galapagos, currently draws together support from many NGOs across the world. It is involved in the Friends of the Galapagos organization, which donates much needed funds to the CDF. Its members include the Frankfurt Zoological Society, the Galapagos Conservation Trust, Stichting Vrienden van de Galapagos Eilanden, and over ten thousand others. Last year, the organization donated more than seven thousand Swiss Francs to the CDF. This accounts for more than one eighth of the CDF's total income. The CDF then sends the money it receives to its Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS). The CDRS uses the money to promote education of the local population, study the Galapagos' unique habitat, and preserve the Galapagos in coordination with the Galapagos Park Service. Other NGOs also donate money to the Galapagos through other means, such as donating funds directly to the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment, whereupon it is distributed to the Galapagos Park Service and other organizations.
Other NGOs choose to donate their services in diverse manners. The New Era Galapagos Foundation dedicates itself to "conserve the Galapagos Islands by empowering local residents through educational programs and environmental action projects. Our approach is twofold: to promote and provide educational alternatives while helping develop an appreciation and respect for the natural environment and biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands" ("Our mission", 2004). The Ocean Alliance is attempting to do research on the marine life in the region. Some organizations, like the New Era Galapagos Foundation are attempting to educate the populace and raise their standard of living. Others are attempting scientific study of the region in order to better the global understanding about this unique environment. While each of the NGOs operating within the Galapagos has a different specific objective and a different way to operate, many of them are attempting to conserve the Galapagos in one way or another.
NGOs can serve many different functions. New Horizons "is the NGO's NGO, so to speak. Working with NGOs and nonprofit organizations of all stripes, New Horizons provides a variety of them with the labor, funds, toys, books, and medicine that they need to effectively make a positive change in the lives of underprivileged Ecuadorians. Working in all corners of Ecuador and the Galapagos, New Horizons spearheads and assists in a wide variety of social, educational, community developmental, environmental, business, and healthcare projects."
Furthermore, the United Nations has been very active in the preservation of the Galapagos. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), placed the Galapagos Archipelago on the World Heritage List. The United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) is currently spearheading a project called Removal of Barriers to Renewable Electrification of the Galapagos Archipelago in order to provide a renewable source of electricity. The project plans to ascertain and eliminate current obstacles to developing renewable sources of energy. In short, the program must come up with a way to replace diesel power generation.
