Welcome to CARE for the Cape & Islands!
The Cape and Islands bring a unique pleasure to our lives. The beauty, ecology, and culture form a place unlike any other. It’s a destination that inspires. It’s a character we must preserve for generations to come. And, it takes change to stay the same.
Love Cape Cod? So Do We!
“People have long been attracted to Cape Cod whether to live here year round, part-time or for a vacation by the natural beauty of Cape Cod. It is imperative that we do our part to maintain that beauty for generations to come, our livelihoods and the livelihoods of those to come depend on it.”
“What CARE is building is a link that brings together the people that call this place home with visitors that share a common purpose. We love it.”
“CARE plays a vital role in educating Cape Codders and our guests of our shared responsibility to sustain what makes this place so special, and in equipping and empowering us to fulfill that responsibility,”
“At the chamber we’re working to find a balance between the development needed for long-term sustainability and protecting our environmental and cultural assets. This is one of many reasons why CARE’s work should be supported.”
“Cape Cod has so many different communities each with its own distinct character and concerns. CARE plays a vital role in connecting us and making us stronger. They share resources, bring fresh ideas to the table, and draw businesses, non-profits and towns together so we can work toward a common goal of preserving this special environment.”
Join CARE Now to Protect What You Love!
CARE needs your support to change the way we think about the impact that our actions make. Together, we can provide more experiential learning programs, opportunities that promote sustainable travel and an overall sustainable mindset. CARE believes education is most influential at a grassroots level. By involving our businesses, residents, and visitors alike, we build collaboration connections that strengthen this extraordinary community. As knowledge grows, action becomes organic. Your support for CARE’s programs demonstrates leadership and pride in creating a responsible environment that make a positive impact on the Cape and Islands. Sustainability does more than preserve your personal relationship with our heritage and ecosystem. It preserves the very essence of Cape Cod. And that’s real change!
Help Chart a New Course to Cape Cod and the Islands.
CARE is a different kind of philanthropy promoting a different kind of partnership. We directly engage with the lifeblood of our community – our visitors – by welcoming your involvement in our fun, educational activities. As part of the growing global movement toward sustainable travel, we focus attention on both the Cape’s fragile ecosystem and its significant place in American history. Think about it. Why wander around town when you could follow Falmouth Preservation Alliance’s walking map of Falmouth’s Heritage Trail or the Sea Captains’ Trail in Hyannis that leads you to the Cape Cod Maritime Museum? You’ll learn about maritime history, Falmouth native Katherine Lee Bates, the author of “America the Beautiful”, historic buildings and landscapes that have shaped our towns over 325 years, while cultivating awareness of the resources that continue to sustain it. Or, visit Waquoit Bay Reserve to learn about the indigenous peoples’ special relationship with their environment, tour Cape Abilities Farm, a hydroponic farm that provides jobs to local residents with disabilities or find out about important “pollinators” at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster. Visit our Funded Projects page for more ideas.
1% of the Planet
We are a proud nonprofit member and welcome your support through your agreement to donate to us through their program. Find all of the details on how it works here.
Center for Responsible Travel (CREST)
CARE for the Cape & Islands™ is pleased to have the support of its former fiscal sponsor, CREST. CREST’s Mission is to promote responsible tourism policies and practices so that local communities may thrive and steward their cultural resources and biodiversity. They are a unique policy-oriented research organization based in Washington, DC dedicated to increasing the positive global impact of responsible tourism. CREST assists governments, policy makers, tourism businesses, nonprofit organizations, and international agencies with finding solutions to critical issues confronting tourism, the world’s largest service industry.
CARE is proud to join the Future of Tourism movement, comprised of a coalition of six non-governmental organizations that have come together to stand united in an appeal for change.
As world tourism begins recovering from the Coronavirus crisis, the Future of Tourism Coalition shares a global mission: to place destination needs at the center of tourism’s new future.
Decades of unfettered growth in travel have put the world’s treasured places at risk – environmentally, culturally, socially, and financially. Now the tourism industry faces a precarious and uncertain future. Re-centering around a strong set of Guiding Principles is vital for long term deep-rooted growth.
We invite you to be a part of this movement. Additional information is available here.