Cape Cod Foundation Promotes Carrie Thornburg-Bearse

The Cape Cod Foundation has recently promoted Carrie Thornburg-Bearse to the position of Program Officer, which coordinates the Foundation’s grantmaking and scholarship programs. In 2017, the Foundation distributed $3.4 million in grants and scholarships, an increase of $500,000 over 2016. This year, the Foundation and its supporting organization, the Cape Cod Association, awarded $950,000 in scholarships to more than 430 local students continuing their education.

Originally from Decatur, Illinois, Bearse earned a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and an M.B.A from The Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. During her early career, she worked as a Development Assistant at The Little Red Schoolhouse/Elisabeth Irwin High School in Greenwich Village.  Later, she served as a Development Associate/Direct Mail Manager/Event Coordinator at Citymeals-on-Wheels, a public-private partnership service organization which provides weekend and emergency meals to elderly homebound residents in New York City.

Bearse moved to Cape Cod in 1990. While taking time off to raise her two boys, she worked part-time as a Library Assistant with the Barnstable Public Schools and became very active in the Cape community, volunteering with the MSPCA, United Way, and Cape Abilities.  She is a former Trustee of Sturgis Library and currently serves on the Barnstable Old King’s Highway Historic District Committee.

Bearse joined the Foundation in 2015 as its Program Assistant. “Coming back to the world of philanthropy was thrilling,” she said.  “The Foundation has been serving the Cape Cod community for over 25 years, and I am very committed to doing whatever I can to advance its mission.”

“Carrie has been an integral part of our growth for many years now,” said Kristin O’Malley, President and CEO of The Cape Cod Foundation.  “She has done an excellent job informing the nonprofit community of the grant opportunities available through the Foundation and helping parents and students navigate the highly-competitive scholarship process. Her dedication and professionalism have made her not only an asset to the Foundation, but also to the community.”