Sail Newport Blue Space campaign receives $500K grant from van Beuren Charitable Foundation

SAIL NEWPORT, Rhode Island's Public Sailing Center, said Tuesday that the van Beuren Charitable Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to Sail Newport's Campaign for Blue Space, which will support a new education and recreation facility in Fort Adams State Park. / COURTESY SAIL NEWPORT
SAIL NEWPORT, Rhode Island's Public Sailing Center, said Tuesday that the van Beuren Charitable Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to Sail Newport's Campaign for Blue Space, which will support a new education and recreation facility in Fort Adams State Park. / COURTESY SAIL NEWPORT

NEWPORT – Sail Newport’s Campaign for Blue Space, which is building an education and recreation center at Fort Adams State Park, received a $500,000 grant from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation.

Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport, the state’s public sailing center, thanked the foundation for its dedication to the county in a statement released by the nonprofit on Tuesday.

He added: “This new building will provide the local community as well as sailors from around the country and the world with a first class portal to the fabulous on-the-water education and experiences” of Narragansett Bay.

Tuesday’s announcement marks nearly $6 million in fundraising efforts toward Sail Newport’s $10 million goal for its Campaign for Blue Space, which will also increase the organization’s endowment as well as its outreach to area nonprofits and community programs. Approximately $5 million is expected to go toward the construction of the center.

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Currently under construction, with an expected completion date of July, the new center will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED compliant. More than 70 solar panels will be installed on the building’s roof. Energy-efficient fixtures and systems also will be installed, and recycled materials will be featured throughout the interior and exterior. A rain harvest system will capture water and repurpose it as irrigation for the landscape and flushing water for the year-round public restrooms.

The center will house multiple new indoor and outdoor classroom spaces, administrative offices and expand dock space.

Located on Fort Adams Drive, the new facility was designed by NewPort Architects’ Mohamad Farzan with a nod to historic buildings present on the site of the state park.
The van Beuren Charitable Foundation is a family philanthropic organization focusing on preserving the unique characteristics of Newport County.

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