Murray Rust, one of The Cape Cod Foundation’s Founders once said, “We are not smart enough to know what the needs of the future are going to be, but we are smart enough to know we need to plan for them.” Legacy Gifts have been and will always be critical to communities, including ours. Specifically, they have given the Foundation the unprecedented ability to seize opportunities, navigate challenges, respond nimbly to needs as they change over time, and strengthen the community in perpetuity.

Since 2010, The Cape Cod Foundation has received over $36 million in planned/legacy gifts. The amounts have ranged from $1,000 to nearly $6.5 million. The gifts have supported all areas of community life: educational opportunities and scholarships, nonprofit leadership development and capacity building initiatives, workforce and career development, the creative arts community, healthcare, housing, animals, and wildlife.

Learn about several generous, forward-thinking individuals who have made bequests to the Foundation below. They have created a legacy because of their love for the Cape; its land and its people.  While we have known many of these donors, we have no history with others. They have entrusted their legacy with the Foundation for many reasons. Our flexible giving options. Our community knowledge and connections. Our ability to adapt as the community and its needs change over time. Our ability to leverage resources and maximize impact through collective giving.  Our history. Our permanence.

We are the stewards of these legacies.  We are the gatekeepers who ensure each gift continues to impact the community in the way each donor intended. As you read their stories, consider the individual impact of each gift over time. Then marvel at the collective impact of our Legacy Donors. In less than 25 years, these ten donors alone have generated more than $4.7 million for the community they cared about. Imagine what 100 people could do.  One thousand people!  These wonderful legacies will outlive us all!

Breast Cancer Reconstructive Surgery Fund

In 2014, The Cape Cod Foundation received a $1.5 million bequest to establish an endowment fund to support women in Barnstable County impacted by breast cancer. This gift is particularly meaningful. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Barnstable County; the rates of invasive breast cancer are higher here than the state average. Grants from the Breast Cancer Reconstructive Surgery Fund support women who need reconstructive surgery due to a breast cancer diagnosis or those who choose to undergo a prophylactic removal. They cover costs associated with the surgery not covered by health insurance. To maximize awareness of the funding and to identify prospective grantees, the Foundation partnered with Cape Cod Healthcare. The provider cares for many women on Cape Cod, understands the need for surgery related to breast cancer, and has a network and financial need process in place. We never met the donor of this bequest. Because of her generosity, eligible patients have received $550,000 in funding through Cape Cod Healthcare from this fund since 2015.

Daysie Day Scholarship

Hortense “Daysie” Day was an educator. She lived in Chatham from 1951 until her passing in 2001. She wanted to create a scholarship that would provide one full year of tuition to Chatham residents pursuing higher education. Her original gift was almost $1.3 million. The fund is now over $2 million. Since 2002, it has awarded over $900,000 in scholarships to local students.

The Arethusa Charitable Fund

In 2022, we received a three-part bequest. The donor entrusted us to establish a designated fund to support specific nonprofit organizations and a scholarship fund to support local students. The third part provided the Foundation with discretionary resources to support “current needs on Cape Cod,” with a preference for housing initiatives. Over the last three years, we have awarded nearly $300,000 in grants from this fund. While we don’t have the resources to “develop” housing, we have supported initiatives focused on long-term, collaborative solutions to the housing crisis, community education and advocacy, financial literacy for residents, and the attainment and retention of safe, affordable housing. We have also participated in the formation of a regional Housing Strategy and Action Plan and discussions about creating a regional housing land bank with other community leaders. Having a seat at the table allows us to be part of strategic community leadership and stay current on community needs and opportunities for impactful grantmaking.

We actively fundraise for this fund. If you are interested in supporting housing initiatives, learn more and donate here.

The Fund for Visual Arts

In 2020, The Foundation received a $6.4 million bequest from an anonymous donor to support the visual arts and other aspects of community life. As per the donor’s wishes, a portion of the gift has been allocated to endowment funds to support the Cape Cod Museum of Art and the Cape Cod Center for the Arts. The remaining portion will support the visual arts and other aspects of community life on Cape Cod.

This generous gift turned out to be a lifeline to several arts organizations who were not open and generating revenue during and in the wake of the pandemic. It enabled us to invest more than $200,000 into the local creative arts community while most state and federal funding was directed to health and human services.  Since inception, we have awarded $971,922 in grants from this fund.

Thomas C. McGowan Fund for Animals

Thomas McGowan had a passion for animals and wanted to ensure there would be funding to support their welfare on Cape Cod and the Islands long after his death. In 2009, the Foundation received a significant bequest from Mr. McGowan’s estate to establish a fund focused on animal protection and welfare with a preference for funding medical treatment and spaying/neutering services for domestic animals and programs focused on the prevention of cruelty to animals and educating the public on issues affecting animals and their welfare.  Since 2010, we have awarded $688,116 in grants from this fund.

We actively fundraise for this fund.  If you would like to support animals and wildlife, learn more and donate here.