West Marine’s BlueFuture fall grant cycle ends Oct. 1

Less than two weeks remain in West Marine’s BlueFuture Fund fall grant cycle. West Marine is accepting online applications through the end of the day on Saturday, Oct. 1 and will announce the names of the fall BlueFuture grant award winners in early November.

Encouraged to apply for a BlueFuture grant are nonprofit, youth-focused, community-based organizations that teach sailing, powerboating, fishing or boatbuilding skills; foster aquatic sustainability and conservation practices; and encourage learning in the marine sciences. The $1,500 grants are given without restriction; grant recipients are free to use the funds as they see fit.

“We’ve streamlined our grant application process to make it as straightforward as possible,” says Lindsey Johnson, West Marine’s director of communications. “Simply visit www.westmarine.com/BlueFuture, click ‘Grants,’ and you’ll be able to fill out and submit your application entirely online.”

West Marine created its nonprofit BlueFuture Fund in May 2015 to provide critical grant funding to charities across North America. The Waterlife Outfitter conducts three annual in-store fundraisers to support the fund’s growth: National Safe Boating Week in May, World Oceans Day in June, and the Month of Giving in December. It also encourages year-round donations through its website.

“With each grant cycle, we seek to reach even more nonprofit organizations around the country,” Johnson says. “We want to help them to provide young people in their communities with better access to the water and more opportunities to engage in Waterlife recreation and education.”

The BlueFuture Fund is a donor-advised fund through the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz. All donations are fully tax-deductible, and twice each year, West Marine awards grants to worthy nonprofit organizations across North America. These much-needed funds allow the community-based groups to provide scholarships, purchase new equipment, maintain staff, add programs and more.

To learn more about West Marine’s 2016 BlueFuture grants and to submit an application, and for detailed information about the company’s BlueFuture initiative and how you can help, visit www.westmarine.com/bluefuture.