Cape & Coast Bank Foundation Awards $18,500 in Q2 Grants to Help Cape Cod Neighbors Access Care, Stability and Opportunity

The Cape & Coast Bank Foundation awarded $18,500 in second-quarter fiscal year 2027 (July–September 2026) grants to seven local nonprofit organizations working to address essential needs across Cape Cod.

“Community banking is rooted in the belief that when our neighbors are supported, our entire region is stronger,” said Cape & Coast Bank President and CEO Erik Porter. “These organizations meet people where they are, often during difficult moments, with compassion and practical help. We are honored to support their work and the lasting difference it makes for individuals, families, and communities across Cape Cod.”

Through these grants, the Cape & Coast Bank Foundation continues to partner with organizations helping Cape Cod residents remain healthy, housed, connected and hopeful. The Foundation’s areas of focus include building community; financial and economic vitality; health and wellbeing; housing solutions and initiatives; and support for families.

Grantees for this quarter include:

Cape & Islands Veterans Outreach Center
A $2,500 grant will support the organization’s Veteran Healthcare Access Transportation Program, providing safe, reliable and no-cost transportation to healthcare appointments in Providence and Boston. Since 2022, the program has transported more than 5,000 veterans, ensuring that distance, mobility challenges, and financial constraints do not prevent local veterans from receiving vital care.

For one 92-year-old veteran, access to transportation became part of a lifesaving chain of care. After attending a dental clinic coordinated through CIVOC, he was urged to seek medical attention for a concerning spot on his scalp. CIVOC arranged transportation to a Boston specialist, where doctors identified stage 4 melanoma and performed urgent surgery.

Cape Cod Brite Lights
Cape Cod Brite Lights received $2,500 to help meet immediate needs in Dennis and Yarmouth, including weekend nutrition for elementary school students, hygiene products, school supplies, and targeted assistance for local families. The funding will also support resources for schools, special-needs groups and community partners.

“Cape & Coast Bank’s support represents an investment in the community,” said a representative of Cape Cod Brite Lights. “With these funds, we can continue helping our neighbors where the need is greatest and provide resources that make a meaningful difference for local children and families.”

Cape Cod Council of Churches
A $2,500 grant will support the Cape Cod Council of Churches’ Faith Family Kitchen program, which provides free, hot and nutritious meals for food-insecure and housing-insecure individuals and families in Hyannis.

Dignity Matters
Dignity Matters received $1,000 to purchase menstrual-care products for women and girls experiencing homelessness or low incomes on Cape Cod. The organization distributes these essential products through local partners including The Family Pantry, Cape Cod Community College and Falmouth Service Center Food Pantry. The grant will provide a year of monthly menstrual-care supplies for 41 women and girls. “Very important, like just as important as toilet paper; a real necessity,” one Falmouth Service Center client shared about access to these products.

Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod
A $5,000 grant will support Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod’s Yarmouth build at 1121 Main Street and Wood Road. The project will create six homes and help provide stable, attainable homeownership opportunities for an anticipated 22 local residents.

Housing Assistance
Cape & Coast Bank Foundation awarded Housing Assistance a $10,000 commitment over four years, including $2,500 this year, to support its Housing Consumer Education Center. The center provides a single point of entry for housing support, offering counseling, financial assistance, budgeting education, credit-improvement strategies, and referrals. In 2025, Housing Assistance served 9,000 households through this vital resource.

For residents like Mary, a part-time healthcare worker and single mother facing a 25 percent rent increase, these services can create a more stable future. With assistance through the organization’s RAFT program, she was able to remain housed while participating in financial-education and first-time homebuyer classes and pursuing affordable rental and homeownership opportunities.

Pause A While
A $2,500 grant will support Pause A While’s Community Recovery Support and Recovery Capital programming. Through peer support, social connection, accountability and accessible 12-step programming, the organization helps people build the resources and relationships needed to begin and sustain long-term recovery.