Save the Harbor and DCR Will Award Over $200,000 in Grants

Photo 2: Artist Andres Amador made art in the sand as part of Save the Harbor and DCR’s 2015 Better Beaches Program

Photo 3: Storyteller Norah Dooley appeared as the Pirate Mary Read at beach festivals and events from Nahant to Nantasket as part of Save the Harbor and DCR’s Better Beaches Program in 2015

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) are now seeking proposals from organizations in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull to be considered for the Better Beaches Program grants. The grant program will support free beach events and activities at the region’s public beaches this year.

Funds for the Better Beaches Program are provided through appropriations made by DCR to support summer programming, and the proceeds of the Harpoon Shamrock Splash, which will be held on Sunday, March 6, 2016 at the BCYF Boston Center for Youths and Families Curley Community Center at M Street Beach in South Boston. You can register today at www.shamrocksplash.org.

Last year, Save the Harbor and DCR awarded grants to 35 organizations in nine waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket, including Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull. The Better Beaches Program leveraged nearly $650,000 in cash and in-kind support from local businesses and government, including over 8,500 volunteer hours that were utilized to support the 70 free beach events and programs. More than 500,000 people attended the free beach events in 2015.

“All of these great events have one thing in common,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s President Patty Foley. “They bring people together to strengthen their communities and enjoy our region’s most stunning natural resources, the 19 miles of DCR’s public swimming beaches that connect us to each other and to Boston Harbor, Mass Bay and Broad Sound.”

“The Department of Conservation and Recreation looks forward to working with Save the Harbor to deliver another summer full of fun, free events and programs at our beautiful public beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy,” said DCR Commissioner Leo Roy. “The Baker-Polito Administration remains committed to fostering such partnerships to protect, promote, and enhance our state’s resources for generations to come.”

“Our waterfront and our beaches are remarkable assets with the power to connect our communities. We have heard again and again how modest investments in free events and programs have put these beaches to work and have provided expanded opportunities for residents, businesses and tourists,” said Senator Thomas M. McGee, Co-Chair Metropolitan Beaches Commission, Lynn and Nahant.

“At public hearings from Nahant to Nantasket we heard how important free events and programs are to the region’s residents, who really love our beaches,” said Representative RoseLee Vincent, Co-Chair Metropolitan Beaches Commission, Revere and Saugus. “Thanks to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and DCR for working together to strengthen our beachfront communities and waterfront neighborhoods.”

Better Beaches Program Grants range from $500 - $10,000, with a typical grant of $3,500. In rare cases, larger grants may be considered. Past events have included concert series, sand- sculpting competitions, campfires, art festivals, neighborhood beach parties, and family reading and movie nights on the beach.

“Save the Harbor would like to thank our foundation funding partners The Boston Foundation, the Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, our corporate sponsors Harpoon, JetBlue, Comcast and National Grid and the hundreds of participants and donors to the Harpoon Shamrock Splash for their support.” said Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy and Communications for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

“We would also like to thank Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee and Representative RoseLee Vincent and the legislative and community members of the Commission, the Baker-Polito Administration and our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation for making this great program possible.”

To learn more about the Better Beaches program or apply for a Better Beaches Grant, visit Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s blog, Sea, Sand & Sky at www.blog.savetheharbor.org or download an application at http://savetheharbor.org/Content/2016_BBP_RFP.docx and return it by email to info@savetheharbor.org by April 15, 2016. The Better Beaches Program Grants Committee will review all proposals and notify you of their decisions in May.