National Marine Life Center Announces $50K Matching Fundraiser
The National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay has announced that it received a proposal from an anonymous supporter offering to donate up to $50,000 in matched funds to the organization.
The news comes shortly after the NMLC was informed that one of its annual grants was cut significantly.
“It has been a challenging year for us here at the NMLC caring for animals,” Connie Merigo, president and executive director of NMLC, said in an email. “If we can match $50,000, we will make up the difference and come out a little ahead of our projected budget target.”
The NMLC is a nonprofit organization that rehabilitates and releases stranded marine mammals and sea turtles in order to advance science and education in marine wildlife health and conservation. Through donations, fundraising and grants, the NMLC is usually able to carry out its mission of rehabilitation uninterrupted, but cuts to grant funding have impacted its operations significantly.
In a phone interview with the Enterprise, Ms. Merigo said that this is the second year in a row that this particular grant has seen cutbacks of $45,000, which has thrown a wrench in the organization’s financial plans.
“It’s a significant amount for a small organization,” she said. “It’s not guaranteed money but we’ve been very successful. We meet our goals, we meet our milestones, we make sure that our reports are in when they’re due... for this particular opportunity to be a cut back for the second year in a row, it’s starting to have a cumulative effect, and we have to find ways to make that up.”
Donations can be made by visiting www.NMLC.org and selecting the Ways To Help or Donate options. There is no hard deadline; Ms. Merigo said the NMLC will likely run the matched donation initiative for the next four to six weeks.
“An organization like ours just can’t survive without the kindness and generosity of the followers and those who believe in saving endangered species and protected species,” she said. “There are just so many ways that we impact the ocean and the animals in it, so we are very lucky to have such good supporters. We rely heavily on them, and that’s not lost on us. Just a big, heartfelt thank-you to the supporters and anyone who joins us on the quest to match this fund.”