Many thanks to the Tupancy-Harris Foundation for a recent, very generous gift to our Community Investment Tax Credit program. This support will allow us to make significant expansions to our rental housing program in the year ahead.

A pervasive thread

“During my visits to the island, the lack of employee housing was a continuous thread through conversations with all of the island non-profits we support,” said Doug Burden, Investment Officer responsible for managing the foundation.. “We are pleased to assist Housing Nantucket in their efforts to create new housing opportunities for island residents.”

Historical context

The Tupancy Harris Foundation is an independent non-profit private foundation established by Nantucket residents Ozwald “Tup” Tupancy and his wife Sallie Gail Harris Tupancy. One of the organization’s stated goals is to provide for the welfare of Nantucket Island. Since its founding in 1986, the foundation has donated millions of dollars to nonprofits across the island.

After giving a home known as the Thomas Macy House on Main Street to the Nantucket Historical Association, Tup observed how difficult and expensive it was to maintain residential property on the Island. He established the foundation to provide funds for the permanent maintenance of the dwelling, from major repairs to insurance and landscaping.

Still relevant today

These origins are particularly meaningful to our organization as we use this support to provide quality affordable rental housing for the Nantucket community. We express our deepest gratitude to the Tupancy Harris Foundation and those who administer these funds for this assistance.