Who it Helps

Proceeds from the Cape Ann License Plate go back to non-profit and educational organizations in the four Cape Ann communities (Essex, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Rockport) to support Promotion of the Cape Ann region, Economic Development, Training & Education.

Cape Ann Community Foundation

 2024 Grant Recipients

The Cape Ann Community Foundation (CACF) announced its 2024 grant recipients on June 6 at the first-ever Candlepins for a Cause event at Cape Ann Lanes.

More than 90 bowlers and dozens more supporters came together to celebrate the non-profit organizations and community programs funded by the Foundation. Since its inception in 2015, the Foundation has awarded more than 50 grants totalling over $100,000 to Cape Ann non-profit organizations.

This year’s grant recipients are:

  • Essex Historical Society & Shipbuilding Museum – the Foundation’s grant will support a program aimed at helping 5th graders transition to a unified middle school, intertwining art, science, and engineering while promoting community connection and environmental responsibility; Natasha Taylor represented the museum at the event
  • Gloucester High School Vocational Tech – this grant will support the school’s integrated Workforce Development and Financial Empowerment programs; Career/Vocational Technical Education Coordinator Brenda Waslick represented the Voc Tech at the event
  • Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum – the Foundation’s grant will support the museum’s new seasonal “Tea by the Sea” venture, which will offer visitors both light refreshments and information on sightseeing and tourist attractions; Matthew Swindell and Sue Thompson represented the museum at the event
  • Manchester-by-the-Sea Summer Stage – this grant will support a program that enables young people to participate in professional-caliber theater productions
  • Ocean Alliance – the grant will support Ocean Alliance’s focus on marine research, community engagement, blue economy development and environmental sustainability; Allyson Wyle represented Ocean Alliance at the event
  • Rockport Public Library – the Foundation’s grant will support STEAM programs for elementary and middle school students, art and storytimes for preschoolers, community service and art opportunities for teens, and family concerts; Emily Souza represented the library at the event
  • Rocky Neck Art Colony – this grant will support the production of a video that showcases art colony activities and cultural venues across Cape Ann; CEO Elizabeth Carey and Trustee Susan Alvey represented the art colony at the event
  • Sargent House Museum – this Foundation grant will support programming that will focus on the history of enslavement on Cape Ann, including a Downtown Gloucester walking tour and a community-wide book club; representing Sargent House Museum at the event was Board President Jeremy Melvin
Cape Ann Community Foundation 2024 Grant Recipients

These eight grant recipients were selected by the Foundation’s board from the more than 40 grant applications received during this April’s proposal submission period.

At the June 6 event, the Foundation also honored former Board President Ruth Pino, who led the organization since it was founded in 2015. In January, Gloucester attorney Britta Cahoon and Blue Shutters Beachside Inn owner Tony Sapienza were named board co-chairs, succeeding Pino.

Read Full Press Release

2023 Grant Recipients

Marking their seventh annual funding cycle, The Board of Directors of the Cape Ann Community Foundation (CACF) today announced that they have awarded grants to seven Cape Ann area non-profit and community organizations. Grants totaling $20,000 and funded by the proceeds of Cape Ann license plate sales and renewals, together with direct donations to the CACF, are being made to the following organizations:

Grant funding this year was supplemented by a special gift of $5,000 from NEXT GEN Young Professionals, a committee of the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, as a portion of their proceeds from the first annual Blackburn Brewfest.

“We wish to congratulate the seven successful grant applicants and we would also like to commend and express our thanks to all the Cape Ann area non-profits and civic organizations that submitted proposals.  My fellow Board members and I were greatly impressed by the quality of every grant application, and we encourage applicants who were not successful this time to come back to us for future funding rounds. We also urge all Cape Ann residents and visitors to buy the Cape Ann License Plate, to ensure that we will have ample funds to support more of these worthy initiatives,” said CACF Board President Ruth Pino. “Just $20 a year is added to our registration renewals, but the benefits for Cape Ann that these dollars help deliver are immeasurable.”

 2022 Grant Recipients

Marking their sixth annual funding cycle, the Board of Directors of the Cape Ann Community Foundation
(CACF) today announced that they have awarded grants to ten Cape Ann area non-profit and community
organizations. Grants totaling $19,000 and funded by the proceeds of Cape Ann license plate sales and
renewals, together with direct donations to the CACF, are being made to the following organizations:

Grant funding this year was supplemented by a special gift of $4,000 from Cape Ann Plein Air (CAPA) to
support proposals related to the arts and cultural education.

“We wish to congratulate the ten successful grant applicants and we would also like to commend and express our thanks to all the Cape Ann area non-profits and civic organizations that submitted proposals. My fellow Board members and I were greatly impressed by the quality of every grant application, and we encourage applicants who were not successful this time to come back to us for future funding rounds. We also urge all Cape Ann residents and visitors to buy the Cape Ann License Plate, to ensure that we will have ample funds to support more of these worthy initiatives,” said CACF Board President Ruth Pino. “Just $20 a year is added to our registration renewals, but the benefits for Cape Ann that these dollars help deliver are immeasurable.”

2021 Grant Recipients

Marking their fifth annual funding cycle, The Board of Directors of the Cape Ann Community Foundation (CACF) has announced that they have awarded grants to eight Cape Ann area non-profit and community organizations. Grants funded through the proceeds of Cape Ann license plate sales and renewals are being made to the following organizations:

• CCB Foundation, Inc. to support addiction recovery services on Cape Ann.
• Gloucester’s City-Owned Cemeteries Advisory Committee to support the professional restoration of damaged historic gravestones.
• Gloucester Stage Company to support live performances this summer on the outdoor stage at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport, in partnership with Windhover and other local arts organizations.
• NAMI, Cape Ann to support the Cape Ann Social Club whose members are living with mental health challenges and working on active recovery and management of their symptoms.
• Rockport Council on Aging to help pay for transportation by taxi for seniors needing medical services out of town.
• Seaside Sustainability to help purchase video recording equipment and motion graphics software to bring their “Green Scholars” curriculum to an online platform.
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Holy Family (Cape Ann) Conference to support the reopening of their “Clothes Closet” and their work helping Cape Ann people meet basic needs, including rent, energy, food and clothing.
• Young Legends Street Hockey, Inc. to help build a state-of-the-art street hockey rink in Gloucester for the community.

“We wish to congratulate the eight successful grant applicants and we would also like to commend and express our thanks to all of the Cape Ann area non-profits and civic organizations that submitted proposals.  My fellow Board members and I were greatly impressed by the quality of every grant application, and we encourage applicants who were not successful this time to come back to us for future funding rounds. We also urge all Cape Ann residents and visitors to buy the Cape Ann License Plate, to ensure that we will have ample funds to support more of these worthy initiatives,” said CACF Board President Ruth Pino. “Just $20 a year is added to our registration renewals, but the benefits for Cape Ann that these dollars help deliver are immeasurable.”

2020 Grant Recipients

Marking their fourth annual funding cycle, The Board of Directors of the Cape Ann Community Foundation (CACF) today announced that they have awarded grants totaling $15,000 to six Cape Ann area non-profit organizations. Grants of $2,500, funded through the proceeds of Cape Ann license plate sales and renewals, are being made to each of the following organizations:

  • Backyard Growers, to help maintain and adapt programs to support their food security mission and to meet the growing need for their services. This will include adapting school garden programs to deliver content to students in grades K-7 to coordinate with schools’ COVID-19 operating plans.
  • Essex Historical Society & Shipbuilding Museum, to introduce Cape Ann students from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds to three vital components of Cape Ann’s history, present and future. The grant will support an online interactive curriculum that introduces students to the local trades and histories associated with Salt Marsh Ecology, Shipbuilding and Shoe Making.
  • Manchester Summerstage, Inc., for students of Cape Ann to explore all aspects of theatre. The grant will support three workshops – an introduction to musical theatre, an audition workshop, and an introduction to stage management – to keep providing the live theatre experience to participants and audience members.
  • Maritime Gloucester, to support design and installation of permanent outdoor interactive learning stations along their pier. These will provide a destination point in the community and continue their mission of education in maritime history, STEM science, and marine environmental literacy.
  • North Shore Health Project, to offer much-needed support to some of the most marginalized members of the Cape Ann community. With this funding they will have the ability to help shelter our homeless population and continue their robust nutrition programming.
  • Rockport Exchange, to support the 2020 season of the Rockport Farmers Market. The grant will help them meet expenses that they would otherwise be unable to cover due to the cancellation of major events and anticipated fundraising, and the modifications they have had to make in their market season.

In reviewing this year’s grant applications in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CACF board came together around support for projects that address food insecurity, education and underserved, at-risk populations on Cape Ann. “We wish to congratulate the six successful grant applicants and we would also like to commend and express our thanks to all of the Cape Ann area non-profits that submitted proposals. My fellow Board members and I were greatly impressed by the quality of every grant application and we encourage applicants who were not successful this time to come back to us for future funding rounds. We also urge all Cape Ann residents and visitors to buy the Cape Ann License Plate, to ensure that we will have ample funds to support more of these worthy initiatives”, said CACF Board President Ruth Pino.

2019 Grant Recipients

The Board of Directors of the Cape Ann Community Foundation (CACF) recently announced that they have awarded grants totaling $15,000 to six Cape Ann area non-profit organizations. Grants ranging from $2,000 to $3,000, funded through the proceeds of Cape Ann license plate sales and renewals, were presented to the following organizations:

  • $2,000 to Cape Ann Art Haven, to support their project entitled “Art Onsite – Cape Ann Art Haven Brings It”, delivering onsite art programs to low income Cape Ann elementary school students
  • $3,000 to The Sunrise Fund, to support their program entitled “Hope for a New Day”, providing scholarships for addiction treatment and sober living.
  • $3,000 to the Education Foundation for Rockport, to support their project entitled “Reach for the Stars! A Community Observatory for Rockport”
  • $3,000 to Generous Gardeners, in support of their project for the renovation of Elizabeth Gordon Smith Park on Stacy Boulevard
  • $2,000 to Pathways for Children, Inc., for their project entitled “Enrichment Activities for Students”, including field trips, arts education, literacy and STEM programs for low income Cape Ann students
  • $2,000 to Windhover Performing Arts Center in support of Windhover’s Mini Modern Dance Festival: Summer 2019, including Quarry Dance VIII and Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company, offering free performances, master classes and open rehearsals.

2018 Grant Recipients

The Directors of the Cape Ann Community Foundation have presented grant checks to six Cape Ann area non-profit organizations at special ceremonies scheduled the end of June. Checks ranging for $1,000 to $3,000, funded through the proceeds of Cape Ann license plate, were delivered to the following organizations.

  • On June 18 a check for $3,000 was presented to Project Adventure to support their project, in partnership with Schooner Adventure, entitled “Adventure Leadership Lab” for Cape Ann high school sophomores and juniors. The ceremony took place alongside Schooner Adventure at the ship’s berth located at the Maritime Gloucester docks.
  • On June 21 a check for $3,000 was presented to the Manchester Essex Regional High School Green Team to support the development of their three season gardening system. The ceremony took place at the high school garden.
  • On June 23 a check for $3,000 was presented to Rockport Exchange in support of their community food programming project. The ceremony took place at the season’s first Rockport Farmers Market in Harvey Park located in downtown Rockport.
  • On June 25 a check for $1,000 was presented to Cape Ann Art Haven to support their summer art programs for Cape Ann middle and high school students. The ceremony was held at Art Haven’s studios on Main Street in Gloucester.
  • Also on June 25, checks were presented for $1,000 to Sawyer Free Library to support their project to create a grant resource hub for Cape Ann area non-profits
    (ceremony took place in the library), and to The Open Door to support Maridee’s community nutrition workshops for Cape Ann area seniors (ceremony took place at Open Door’s headquarters in Gloucester).

We congratulate the six successful grant applicants and we are eager to see these great projects move forward with this boost from the foundation. We also urge all Cape Ann residents and visitors to buy the Cape Ann License Plate, to ensure that we will have ample funds to support more of these worthy initiatives, said CACF Board President Ruth Pino.

2017 Grant Recipients

  • $3,500 to Action Inc. for their project entitled “Healthcare Career Pathways”
  • $5,000 to Backyard Growers for their project entitled “Backyard Growers Farm to School”
  • $3,500 to Cape Ann Farmers Market for “Fresh Food Access and Supporting Local Business”