Leveraging luxury tourism to build resilience in a remote community
Shorefast
Funded since 2015
Shorefast’s mission is to build cultural, environmental and economic resilience on Fogo Island and to serve a broad range of communities by sharing innovative place-based models of economic development. Shorefast operates a set of charitable programs and owns social businesses in service of the local community – a determined effort to think holistically about how to find a way of life that is equitable, dignified, sustainable – and joyful.
Why we fund Shorefast
Many people who know the world-renowned Fogo Island Inn don’t know it’s owned by a charity, but it is. Shorefast is, we think, one of the best examples of social entrepreneurship in Canada. Not only does revenue from the hotel create economic opportunity in a community that was levelled by a collapsing fishing industry; it’s also an inspirational model for a new, more sustainable approach to tourism that’s good for visitors and locals, the community and the planet.
