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Our Philanthropy

Remain Nantucket is committed to supporting the evolution of a healthy year-round community across the island. Remain taps into continuous dialogue to identify challenges and explore solutions. By supporting resourceful thinking and research, Remain builds on Nantucket’s traditions of independence and innovation while adding expertise from a worldwide network. Remain Nantucket engages in charitable work as a subsidiary of the Schmidt Family Foundation.

Why Philanthropy?

In 2006, Wendy and Eric Schmidt founded the Schmidt Family Foundation—the first of several philanthropic organizations and initiatives they fund to work toward a healthier and more just world. Veterans of Silicon Valley, the Schmidts seek to bring the dynamism, optimism and power of networks and communities to drive change from the world of technology to the world of philanthropy. In 2008, those same lessons and strategies were applied in Nantucket and Remain Nantucket and Remain Ventures were established.

Our Vision

Philanthropy

Featured Projects

Explore our philanthropic community partnerships and collaborations

Since 2008, Remain has spearheaded initiatives on circular economies, renewable energies, environmental resilience, multimodal transportation, affordable housing and regenerative agriculture. It has supported island nonprofits and vitality in the downtown through cultural and community engagement.

See All Work

54 Main Street – Mitchell’s Book Corner

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Mitchell’s Book Corner first opened its doors at 54 Main Street in 1968 and continues to function as a key business in the downtown to this day. Remain purchased the building in 2008 and embarked on a LEED Silver Certification renovation of the historic property. 
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56 Centre Street – Nantucket Community Music Center and Nantucket Community School

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Remain transformed a historic hotel into a home for the Nantucket Community Music Center and the Nantucket Community School with classrooms, music rooms, a parlor for lectures and concerts, rehearsal space, a computer lab and a recording studio. 
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CFN’s Remain Nantucket Fund

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The Community Foundation for Nantucket’s Remain Nantucket Fund provides grants to organizations with 501(c)(3) tax status, municipalities or religious organizations that deliver programs and services to Nantucket residents.
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Remain Nantucket Grants

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Remain Nantucket partners with island nonprofits and the Town of Nantucket to support mission-focused projects and expand the reach of its programming.
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The Envision Resilience Challenge

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A multi-university design studio and community engagement initiative, the Envision Resilience Challenge connects interdisciplinary student teams with coastal communities to envision adaptive and creative pathways forward in the face of climate change.
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Salvage and Reuse

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Leaders on Nantucket are exploring systematic advances in deconstruction and repurposed materials to foster a circular economy and a more responsible future for the island.
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Nantucket Footprints

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Nantucket Footprints, a program of Remain Nantucket, serves as an online and social media hub for amplifying abundant community-wide sustainability efforts on Nantucket and offering original educational content. Its commitment to the environment ignites meaningful conversations, inspires positive change and builds partnerships.  
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Nantucket Cultural District

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Remain assembled an advisory committee that would eventually initiate an application to the Massachusetts Cultural Council to become the Nantucket Cultural District. Nantucket was granted its designation in 2016. 
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Transportation and The Wave Bus System

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The 2008 purchase of the Greenhound building at 10 Washington Street marked the beginning of Remain’s relationship with the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority (NRTA) and ongoing efforts to increase access to multimodal transportation across the island.      
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More Nantucket

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More Nantucket is a multi-media campaign designed to encourage people to walk, bike or ride public transportation into downtown Nantucket in order to get more out of the island by experiencing it car-free.
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Nantucket Data Platform

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The Nantucket Data Platform (NDP) and Community Data Platforms (CDP) use data, analysis and visualizations to help communities make better decisions. 
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How It Works

 

Remain Nantucket primarily awards grants to island nonprofits through a partnership with the Community Foundation for Nantucket (CFN). The CFN’s Remain Nantucket Fund supports organizations delivering programs and services to Nantucket residents, enhancing Nantucket’s downtown, fostering professional development and
driving environmental sustainability.

 

Visit the Community Foundation for Nantucket’s Remain Nantucket Fund

“The Remain Nantucket Fund has provided significant grantmaking to our island nonprofits in support of environmental initiatives, downtown vitality and professional development. The Community Foundation for Nantucket has been honored to partner with Remain since 2016 and watch the impact those grants have had on our nonprofits and ultimately, our community. Remain Nantucket’s generosity has been outstanding, and I know our nonprofit recipients are most grateful.”

Margaretta Andrews

Former Executive Director, Community Foundation for Nantucket