Recent Initiatives
We established this section of the website in November 2025 to highlight recent initiatives by The Cape Cod Foundation in one place. To have updates sent directly to your inbox, please sign up for our newsletter.
The Boat
MAY 2026
President and CEO Column
When Chief Brody gets his first close-up of the great white shark in the 1975 film Jaws, he is visibly shaken. He walks backward into the cabin and tells Captain Quint flat-out, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” That iconic phrase quickly took on a life of its own. Today, when a task requires more resources than anticipated, it’s suddenly—and justifiably—all about the boat. LEARN MORE
Legacy Story: Phyllis Sears
APRIL 2026
President and CEO Column
Phyllis Sears had a storied life. It spanned continents and oceans—from Liverpool, England, to Lima, Peru, to her backyard in East Dennis, where she hosted cocktail parties “under the tree” for her family and friends. She entrusted the remainder of her estate to The Cape Cod Foundation “for preservation of open space and wildlife habitats and to provide care for injured or displaced animals and birds.” Per her instructions, in 2023, we established The Priscilla Alden Sears Memorial Fund in honor of her mother and have awarded numerous grants focused on her special interests. READ MORE
Land Aquisition Grants
APRIL 2026
In 2025, we piloted a land acquisition grant program and awarded $50,000 grants to the Dennis Conservation Trust for the expansion of the Plashes Conservation area and to the Provincetown Conservation Trust for the purchase of the Josephine Del Deo Memorial Woodland through the Priscilla Alden Sears Memorial Fund. Because of the pilot’s success, we offered this grant opportunity again in 2026, recently awarding a total of $200,000 to Bourne Conservation Trust, Buzzards Bay Coalition, Harwich Conservation Trust, and Orleans Conservation Trust. The land acquisition grants have helped conserve 77 acres of open space on Cape Cod. LEARN MORE
Blizzard Grants
FEBRUARY 2026
While everyone expected the February blizzard would have a dynamic, multi-day impact on Cape Cod, no one could predict its true impact. We quickly deployed $220,000 in funding to 40 organizations through our first-ever Blizzard Grants. Funding supported food pantries and meal delivery services; increased staff costs; generator fuel, maintenance, and repair; tree removal, and lost revenue, among other storm-related needs. In addition, since many lost work during the blizzard, some residents needed emergency assistance to pay their rent, utilities, or grocery bills. READ MORE
The Lombardi Method
FEBRUARY 2026
President and CEO Column
The Cape Cod Foundation received a bequest—almost $6 million—from a man we never met. It is the largest, single unrestricted gift we’ve received to date. Unrestricted gifts give the Foundation flexibility, sustainability, the ability to innovate, and support for the unexpected. Kristin outlines how the funds will be strategically allocated to provide resources for immediate and long-term needs.
READ MORE
Mission Possible
JANUARY 2026
President and CEO Column
Kristin O’Malley recaps the Foundation’s 2025 accomplishments and provides an overview of key priorities for 2026:
- Building and Deploying Resources for Basic Human Needs
- Re-Launching the Competitive Capacity-Building Grant Program
- Advancing the Annual Scholarship Program
- Promoting Planned/Legacy Giving
- Facilitating Community Engagement
Food Security Grants
NOVEMBER 2025
Foundation Deploys $100,000 in Additional Funds for Food Security
As the federal government shutdown continues, mounting pressure on local food systems in Barnstable County threatens to impact food security across Cape Cod, especially with the recent SNAP program pause. In response, The Cape Cod Foundation directed over $100,000 in additional funds to bolster regional efforts to ensure food remains accessible to those most affected. READ MORE
Flexible Funding Grants
NOVEMBER 2025
Foundation Distributes over $900,000 to Local Organizations Through Flexible Funding Grant Program in 2025
This year, The Cape Cod Foundation distributed over $973,000 in grants to 53 local organizations responding to policy changes, funding uncertainty and increased demand through our newly created Flexible Funding Grant Program. READ MORE
Together, we have invested more than $113 million in grants and scholarships in the Cape Cod Community. For good.
Stay Connected
Subscribe to our Enewsletter +
What Matters to You!
Cape Cod Foundation
508.790.3040
261 Whites Path, Unit 2
South Yarmouth, MA 02664
info@capecodfoundation.org
