2022 Better Beaches Program Grants Request for Proposals

 

Save the Harbor Seeks Applications for 2022 Better Beaches Grant Program

Group will distribute $250,000 to community organizations for free beach events from Nahant to Nantasket

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) are now seeking Better Beaches Program grant proposals from organizations in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull to support free beach events and activities on the region’s public beaches this year.

In 2021, Save the Harbor’s Better Beaches Program invested nearly $300,000 in the program, supporting 67 organizations in nine waterfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket. In turn, those organizations ran 188 events, including festivals, movie nights, concerts, beach parties, fitness classes, sailing and kayaking sessions, speaker series and summer programs.

If you or your organization has a great idea for a free beach event or program, just follow this link.

Among the 188 events funded by the Better Beaches Program in 2021 was the Beach:Ability Festival at Constitution Beach in East Boston

“Nothing brings more life to our beaches than free events and programs like these,” said Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chair Rep. Adrian Madaro of East Boston, who was instrumental in securing funds for the program. “They are particularly important for kids and families this year, as we put the pandemic behind us and return to the beach. Thanks to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay for making it happen.”

The Better Beaches program puts resources in the hands of local beach lovers, supporting and empowering them to execute events for their communities. The impact is clear — in 2021, these events connected more than 1 million people to the water at 13 different beaches and waterfront parks.

This summer, Save the Harbor has chosen to center community voices by reserving $25,000 of Better Beaches funds to be distributed by participatory budgeting.

From December 2021 to February 2022, individuals from local schools and community centers submitted their ideas for free events and programs to activate the region’s beaches in the warmer months.
Cast your vote by April 11 here

Better Beaches funds will be intentionally awarded to organizations, programs, individuals, and creatives who empower, amplify and invest in community members of color, members of the Queer community, and people with disabilities. “Save the Harbor has recommitted ourselves to equity and anti-racism in our programs and on our beaches. We are excited to see the creative ways organizations and individuals will be activating our beaches this summer!” said Save the Harbor’s Executive Director Chris Mancini.

Funds to support the program come from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Baker/Polito Administration, and from the Harpoon Shamrock Splash, which was held on March 6, 2022 at Constitution Beach in East Boston. As a result, Save the Harbor will be able to invest nearly $250,000 to support free beach events and programs. These programs will activate beaches in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.

“The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is committed to ensuring that all Massachusetts residents who visit our properties have the opportunity to partake in recreational activities - something we know is paramount to everyone’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” said Acting DCR Commissioner Stephanie Cooper. “We are especially proud to again partner with Save the Harbor/Save on our Better Beaches Program and are looking forward to another great season of free beach programs from Nahant to Nantasket.”

“The Better Beaches Program events are as diverse as the communities that host them,” said Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chair, Senator Brendan Crighton of Lynn, “But one thing they all have in common is that they bring communities together to enjoy our region’s public beaches. Thank you to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and DCR for working together to strengthen our beachfront communities and waterfront neighborhoods.”

Save the Harbor’s success would not be possible without our program partners and event sponsors, including Arctic Chill and Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue, FMC Ice Sports, P&G Gillette, National Grid, Coast Cannabis, the Daily Catch, Comcast, Mix 104.1, The Blue Sky Collaborative, Boston & Maine Webcams, BostonHarbor.com, The Boston Foundation, and The Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation. 

In addition, Save the Harbor recognizes the Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Brendan Crighton of Lynn, and Representative Adrian Madaro of East Boston and the legislative and community members of the Commission as well as Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano for their support for our beaches and our communities. We also thank the Baker-Polito Administration, the Massachusetts Legislature, Save the Harbor's partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the YMCA of Greater Boston, and the hundreds of people who took part in the Shamrock Splash for their support.

Better Beaches Program grants range from $1,500-$5,000 with a typical grant of $2,500, and in some cases Save the Harbor may consider larger grants. Information about the events and programs that were supported last year can be found in Save the Harbor’s 2021 Impact Report, which is available at  https://www.savetheharbor.org/publications

To apply for a grant, visit https://www.savetheharbor.org/better-beaches. If you have any questions about the Better Beaches Program, please contact Maya Smith at smith@savetheharbor.org.

Applications are due by April 22, 2022, after which Save the Harbor’s Better Beaches Grants Committee will review the proposals. They will present the checks at their annual Better Beaches Award Reception, which all grant recipients are expected to attend, on June 11, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Boston’s Fish Pier. 

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Shamrock Splash at Constitution Beach

 

On Sunday, March 6^th at noon more than 150 “Shamrock Splashers” hit the cold, clean water at Constitution Beach in East Boston and raised more than $50,000 to support Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Program partnership with the Department of Conservation & Recreation.

 

 

Newly elected State Senator Lydia Edwards of East Boston and State Representative Jessica Giannino of Revere joined event host and Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chair Representative Adrian Madaro of East Boston in welcoming the crowd to Constitution Beach and thanking Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, which has invested nearly $2 million dollars in free beach events and programs since the first Splash in 2008.

Participants won prizes for biggest fundraiser and best costumes, including flights on JetBlue and great swag from Harpoon Brewery, and enjoyed quesadillas, chowder, Arctic Chill Hard Seltzer and Harpoon after their splash.

 

 

From left to right: Congratulations to Raffle Winner Kristen Barry of Cambridge, Event Master of Ceremonies Kennedy Elsey of Mix104, Event Sponsor Donnie Todd of JetBlue, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Executive Director Chris Mancini, Top Fundraiser Jane Kepros of West Roxbury, Event Sponsor Charlie Storey of Harpoon Brewery, Raffle Winner Derek Green of Dorchester, and Top Fundraiser David Nardella with his Penguin Plunge teammates Jeff Reagan and John Murphy all from Charlestown.

 

 

Kennedy Elsey congratulates Costume Contest winners Jenn Brundage of Allston and Christian Matyi  of the South End who splashed as the “Grapes of Raft” and Felicia Harwood of Worcester, who splashed as a stylish troll.

 

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Executive Director Chris Mancini thanked their program partners and event sponsors, including Arctic Chill and Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue, FMC Ice Sports, P&G Gillette, National Grid, Coast Cannabis, the Daily Catch, Comcast, Mix 104.1, The Blue Sky Collaborative, Boston & Maine Webcams, BostonHarbor.com, The Boston Foundation, and The Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation.

 

Mancini thanked Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Brendan Crighton of Lynn, and Representative Adrian Madaro of East Boston and the legislative and community members of the Commission as well as Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano for their support for our beaches and our communities. He also thanked the Baker-Polito Administration, the Massachusetts Legislature, Save the Harbor's partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the YMCA of Greater Boston, and the hundreds of people who took part in the Shamrock Splash for their support.

 

Here's a screenshot of the leader board which you can find at www.shamrocksplash.org.

 

Please note that Joe, Chris and Bruce aren't eligible to win prizes - but had fun getting cold for a great cause anyway.

Proceeds from this year’s Shamrock Splash will be invested in free events and programs on the metropolitan region’s public beaches in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull. You can find out more on their website at www.savetheharbor.org

 

You can also watch a short video of this year’s Shamrock Splash on Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtectGBbNDQ and a recording of the event live stream on BostonHarbor.com’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/VN_2ayhv17Y

Participatory Budgeting

For the summer of 2022, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is introducing participatory budgeting for the first time. We're using this process to bring community voices into our annual Better Beaches program. To let the community decide how money is spent on free beach events, $25,000 of Better Beaches funds will be put toward ideas from community members! Ideas are being collected until February 28, 2022. All community members who use the Metropolitan region’s public beaches are eligible to submit an idea through our website's form at this link: https://bit.ly/savetheharborpb 

 After the idea collection phase, Save the Harbor will narrow the number of submitted ideas through its steering committee. The committee, composed of young people, staff members, and partner organizations that engaged in designing the process, will prioritize ideas that increase access to the beaches for young people of color and young low-income residents. Ideas must be for free programs on the Metropolitan Region’s public beaches in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull. 

After the ideas have been narrowed down to ten possible projects, organizations and individuals will be able to submit full project proposals that align with one of the ideas. The steering committee will review the project proposals and match each idea to the best proposal. Those projects will be placed on an online ballot, open to all Massachusetts residents over the age of 12. The projects with the most votes will be funded until the total of $25,000 has been allocated.

Save the Harbor conducted idea collections with senior students at Boston's public schools, including this class at O'Bryant High.

This democratic, participatory process is part of Save the Harbor’s annual Better Beaches program. Since 2008, Save the Harbor has partnered with the Department of Conservation and Recreation to award $200,000 annually in small grants to local organizations and artists who activate the region’s public beaches through free public events on beaches in the Metropolitan Region. Over $1,000,000 in grants have been awarded since the Better Beaches program started. For more information about the process, please contact Maya Smith at smith@savetheharbor.org or 617-451-2860 x1006.