Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe summer STEM program taught sailing basics and campers became boat builders—designing, constructing, and racing their own wooden river boats down the South Upper Truckee River.

TAHOE MARITIME FOUNDATION

A 501c3 Public Benefit Corporation

Tahoe Maritime Foundation provides support to maritime activities, history & education.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2025 GRANTEES

Tahoe Maritime Foundation is proud to announce that we have granted a total of $220,000 to 11 deserving not for profit organizations from California to New York. Our Lake Tahoe grantees are Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, Gatekeepers Museum, League to Save Lake Tahoe, and the Tahoe Community Sailing Foundation. In the San Francisco Bay, our grantees are Call of the Sea, VetBoats, and Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation, and in Monterey Bay, our grantee is the Western Flyer Foundation. In Minnesota, our grantee is Legacy of the Lakes Museum. In Virginia, our grantee is Mariners Museum and Park, and in New York state our grantee is Antique Boat Museum. Congratulations to each and every very deserving organization!

Since our first grant cycle in 2022, Tahoe Maritime Foundation has granted $811,000. Our 2026 grant cycle will begin in late October 2025. Keep an eye on our Success Stories to learn about the great programs our Foundation has supported.

Nine Stops, Two Days, Endless Inspiration: Our 2026 Site Visit Tour!

In late February, half of our Board of Directors hit the road for an exhilarating, 48-hour marathon across Northern California to see our grantees in action. From the historic docks of Sausalito to the delta waters of Stockton and down to the rugged beauty of Moss Landing, this wasn't just a tour, it was a powerful reminder of why we do what we do!

The Whirlwind Itinerary:

Day 1: Sausalito to Stockton. We started at the Spaulding Marine Center learning about their apprenticeship program before zipping over to Richmond to see the Clover restoration and learn of the inspiring work of VetsBoats. After a trek east to see the restoration progress of the USS Lucid at the Stockton Maritime Museum and learn of their plans for the future, we made it back to Sausalito just in time to visit Call of the Sea's vessels Seaward and Mathew Turner that take youth sailing under multiple programs.
Day 2: The South Bay & Beyond. After hearing fun and inspiring student stories at San Rafael High School Sailing Program, we headed south to Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation where students were preparing for a regatta. After meeting the busy Sea Scout Ship 300 scouts in Alviso, we finished strong in Moss Landing. There, we learned how students explore the intersection of art and science with the Western Flyer Foundation on it's namesake boat and finally, touring the prestigious SJSU Moss Landing Marine Lab sites.

Our Three Big Takeaways:

Unstoppable Passion: Whether volunteer-led or headed by pros, every single leader we met exuded an infectious love for their mission. They aren't just running programs; they are proudly changing lives.
Scrappy & Scaling: We saw the full spectrum of the nonprofit journey—from organizations performing miracles on a shoestring budget to those finally gaining community momentum.
Shared Resilience: No matter if they’ve been around for decades or are just launching, these groups face the same hurdles with incredible grit.

We are beyond proud to partner with these nine organizations. Seeing so many young people discover the water from such diverse, fresh perspectives was one of the highlights of our year.

To our grantees: Thank you for the work you do. The future of our youth is bright because of you!