SHORERIVERS ENDOWMENTS

Restoring and preserving the health of our Eastern Shore waterways requires long-term perseverance and commitment. It took our forebears centuries to pollute our estuaries. It will take us time and money to restore them. And it will take an involved and galvanized community to protect them. ShoreRivers, with 35 years of history, is here for the long term. We are growing our endowment funds to assure we will have the financial resources to stay the course.

For questions, please contact Rebekah Hock, Director of Development at 443-385-0511 ext 206 or rhock@shorerivers.org.

NINA RODALE HOUGHTON RIVERKEEPER ENDOWMENT

Initiated by friends and family in 2020, the Nina Rodale Houghton Riverkeeper Endowment is the first established memorial endowment fund for ShoreRivers. Nina lived her passion for connecting environmental, agricultural, and educational initiatives for the betterment of the Chesapeake Bay. She was committed to bringing communities together to retain Maryland’s working landscapes and the industries they support, while protecting and improving the health of the waterways.

The Nina Rodale Houghton Riverkeeper Endowment was established to support the Riverkeepers at ShoreRivers. The Riverkeepers are the fundamental voice for our rivers and our essential leaders advocating for the public right to clean water. This fund is also professionally managed and a small percentage can be withdrawn annually, but if the ShoreRivers board deems it necessary, its principal may be used, in the intermediate term, if needed to ensure the sustainability of the Riverkeepers.

You can read this article in Attraction Magazine to learn more about Nina’s tireless work as an environmental advocate and philanthropist. We are grateful to the inaugural donors to this endowment; you can see them listed on page 7 of our 2020 Annual Report.

HERITAGE FUND ENDOWMENT

The ShoreRivers Heritage Fund Endowment is envisioned to grow over the years through prudent investment to help secure ShoreRivers’ future. The fund is professionally managed, the principal cannot be invaded, and a percentage can be withdrawn annually (currently 4–5%) to help pay for ShoreRivers’ staff salaries, programs, or facilities. A strong endowment will help sustain us through increasingly competitive and unreliable grant cycles.

Many donors choose to support endowment through a planned gift. Read more about “giving the gift that keeps on giving” in our brochure.