DOVER, NH: The Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation, more commonly known as COAST, has received a $50,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, made possible by gifts from the John F. and Dorothy H. McCabe Environmental Fund, Margaret S. Carter Fund, and Parker Denaco Charitable Fund. The funds will help support COAST’s internal capacity building efforts and allow the organization to achieve its mission to provide a broad range of public transportation services that connect the people and communities of the greater Seacoast.
Since 1982, COAST has provided over 16 million rides to people in the Greater Seacoast region, linking them to work, school, doctor appointments, shopping, and social events. COAST connects people and communities in two primary ways: with fixed route buses that serve ten communities in the Greater Seacoast area; and by providing demand response and paratransit services to 13 communities in New Hampshire and Maine.
Last fiscal year, ridership on COAST soared by over 28% to a total of 373,940 riders. Ridership is once again up by double digits in this fiscal year, even during the coldest winter months when ridership is typically the lowest. On average, between 20-30% of COAST riders would not be able to make their trip without public transportation.
“For more than 40 years COAST has been linking the people and communities of the greater Seacoast,” said Rad Nichols, Executive Director of COAST. “We are grateful to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation for recognizing, and investing in, our ability to evolve as an organization. Their generous support will allow us to build our internal capacity to navigate the road ahead so that COAST remains a public transportation resource for everyone.”
For more information about COAST, please visit www.coastbus.org.
About the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation, founded in 1962 by and for the people of New Hampshire. The Foundation is the place where generosity meets the dedication and ingenuity of nonprofits and the potential of New Hampshire students. For six decades, thousands of people have entrusted their charitable resources to the Foundation, creating a perpetual source of philanthropic capital and making it possible for the Foundation to award more than $60 million in grants and scholarships every year. For more information, please visit www.nhcf.org or call 603-225-6641.