Tourism Cares Awards 2011 Special Grant to Mystic Seaport


(Mystic CT) - Tourism Cares, the travel industry’s premier charitable organization for tourism preservation, conservation, restoration and education, is proud to award a $10,000 Special Grant to Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. 

Mystic Seaport, the nation’s leading maritime museum, is located on the historic Mystic River in Connecticut. Comprising of 19 acres and over 100 structures, the Museum is home to a recreated 19th century seafaring village and over 500 historic watercraft, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W, Morgan, the last wooden whaling vessel in the world.

The special grant will be used to for tools and supplies to help the Museum maintain its grounds and infrastructure.

“ We are very grateful to Tourism Cares for this grant. Maintaining our expansive campus in this economy is not easy,”  said Mystic Seaport president Steve White. “The funds will help us continue to provide our visitors with the first-rate experience we work very hard to achieve.“

“Tourism Cares Grants Program is a vital part of our organization’s mission,” explains Bruce Beckham, Executive Director and CEO of Tourism Cares. “Thanks to the generous support of our corporate partners, our grants program supports a variety of tourism related nonprofits working to fulfill the conservation, preservation, restoration, and education needs of cultural, historic, or natural sites around the world.” 

To date, Tourism Cares has awarded grants to more than 150 organizations in
42 U.S. states and 29 countries. These grants, when combined with matching funds, total more than $2 million. 

About Tourism Cares

Tourism Cares is an innovative nonprofit organization formed in 2005 through a consolidation of the National Tourism Foundation and the Travelers Conservation Foundation. The organization works to preserve the travel experience for future generations through a three pronged approach. We award grants to natural, cultural, and historic sites throughout the world.  In addition, we host unique volunteer restoration projects designed specifically for travel professionals. Recognized as the most innovative “give-back” program in the industry, Tourism Cares volunteer project and Volunteer Day draw thousands of corporate leaders and individuals together to share in the conservation and preservation of treasured cultural and historic sites. We also help assure a knowledgeable tourism workforce by granting academic and service-focused scholarships to hospitality and tourism students.

For more information about Tourism Cares, please visit www.TourismCares.org.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world. Mystic Seaport also features a recreated 19th-century coastal village, a working shipyard, over 500 historic watercraft, and a state-of-the-art Collections and Research Center housing over 2 million historic artifacts from America’s maritime past.

For more information about Mystic Seaport, please visit www.mysticseaport.org.