Clean Ocean Access is Now a Nonprofit

Raising money and supporting the ongoing effort to make area waters cleaner and more sustainable and accessible just got a lot easier for Clean Ocean Access.

The organization has recently been granted nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service.

Clean Ocean Access can now accept tax deductible gifts and the status solidifies the groups mission, ensuring their efforts will continue in perpetuity.

About a year ago, the group asked the public how it should move forward to ensure that its efforts continue long into the future. It ultimately was agreed that COA needed bylaws, a board of directors and to obtain 501c3 status “and become a sustainable organization such that our mission lasts forever,” they said on their Facebook page.

The next step is a big fundraiser on OCt. 4 “so we can pay the operating costs and salary to keep the boat afloat.”

That funraiser will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at Easton’s Beach Rotunda. The catered event is free and open to the public and will include rides for kids, music, drinks and more.

COA members will showcase their vision for the future, talk about the past eight years of hard work organizing cleanups, lobbying on behalf of the ocean and its resources and spreading awareness about critical issues facing Rhode Island’s beaches, coasts and waterways.