YOUR COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IN ACTION

Legacy Story: Phyllis Sears

Phyllis Sears had a storied life. It spanned continents and oceans—from Liverpool, England, to Lima, Peru, to her backyard in East Dennis, where she hosted cocktail parties “under the tree” for her family and friends.

Phyllis lived with passion and purpose for ninety-six years, making each chapter of her life an interesting tale: escaping England mere months before the Liverpool Blitz, the German Luftwaffe’s intense two-year bombing campaign against Britain; flying as a stewardess for American Airlines aboard the pioneering aircraft of the day; sharing an apartment with a pet falcon who flew around at will; and achieving international acclaim as a horsewoman, international competition judge, and expert on equestrian bloodlines.

She passed her property and possessions on to family members and made several generous bequests to nonprofits working in the areas she was passionate about: animal and wildlife protection and environmental conservation and preservation. She entrusted the remainder of her estate to The Cape Cod Foundation “for preservation of open space and wildlife habitats and to provide care for injured or displaced animals and birds.” Per her instructions, in 2023, we established The Priscilla Alden Sears Memorial Fund in honor of her mother and have awarded numerous grants focused on her special interests.  

Because the fund was substantial and could have a large impact, we met with The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts early on to deepen our understanding of regional conservation efforts and needs to inform our grantmaking. In 2025, we piloted a land acquisition grant program and awarded $50,000 grants to the Dennis Conservation Trust for the expansion of the Plashes Conservation area and to the Provincetown Conservation Trust for the purchase of the Josephine Del Deo Memorial Woodland (see below). Because of the pilot’s success, we offered this grant opportunity again in 2026, recently awarding a total of $200,000 to four additional local nonprofit conservation trusts featured below.  

To date, we have distributed nearly $465,000 from this fund. Its assets have grown to over $6 million and will provide resources in perpetuity. 

Phyllis lived intentionally and gave passionately. Her legacy continues. If you would like to take a page from her story, schedule a time to chat about your philanthropic legacy. Your legacy story can begin now or later. It can support one or many impact areas. And, as you can see through several other legacy stories, whatever you create will have an individual and collective impact for generations to come.

Kristin O’Malley

President and CEO

508.790.3040, Ext 115

komalley@capecodfoundation.org

2025 GRANTS

13.45 ACRES AT PLASHES CONSERVATION

Dennis Conservation Land Trust

To support the acquisition of 13.45 acres in Dennis Port to protect sensitive habitats, expand access to nature, and enhance 44.7 acres of adjacent open space. Located in a Massachusetts-designated Environmental Justice Community, the project will preserve critical resources, such as an Atlantic white-cedar swamp, while increasing equitable opportunities to experience nature.

.64 ACRES AT JOSEPHINE DEL DEO MEMORIAL WOODLAND
Provincetown Conservation Trust

To support the acquisition of .64 acres at Josephine Del Deo Memorial Woodland. This parcel is a rare, undeveloped woodland along the Provincetown Greenway, which is in the State's BioMap Core Habitat, the highest ranked designation for wildlife habitat diversity, quality, and persistence. 

2026 GRANTS

7.34 ACRES AT 940 COUNTRY ROAD
Bourne Conservation Trust

To support the acquisition of 7.34 acres at 940 Country Road, connecting trails and wildlife habitat across multiple, adjacent, conserved properties. The parcel consists of rolling forest land abutting a 50-acre forest owned by Barnstable County and protected by a Conservation Restriction held by the Town of Bourne Conservation Commission. It borders cranberry bogs that link to the Bourne Conservation Trust's trail network at its Red Brook Pond Conservation parcel. 

50 ACRES AT BUTTERMILK BAY
Buzzards Bay Coalition

To support the acquisition of 50 acres at Buttermilk Bay, safeguarding

significant, valuable natural resources and enabling protection and restoration efforts. The acquisition will help create a contiguous 2,000-acre block of conservation land that is highly vulnerable to fragmentation from increasing development pressures. This parcel includes a BioMap 3 Core Habitat and will protect forested uplands, critical wetlands, and retired cranberry bogs slated for restoration to natural wetlands adjacent to Bourne's Buttermilk Bay. 

2.3 ACRES AT SIX PONDS-HAWKSNEST WOODS
Harwich Conservation Trust

To support the acquisition of 2.3 acres at Six Ponds-Hawknest Woods, enabling the creation of a new trailhead that will connect to an extensive network of trails across the adjacent 400-acre landscape, including town conservation land, existing conservation trust holdings, and Hawksnest State Forest. This purchase will permanently protect critical woodlands within the Six Ponds Special District of the largest and most ecologically significant remaining assemblage of undeveloped land and pond shoreline on Cape Cod. 

3.78 ACRES ALONG CEDAR POND SHORELINE
Orleans Conservation Trust

To support the acquisition of 3.78 acres along the Cedar Pond Shoreline, expanding an existing 12-acre block of protected land, and strengthening a key wildlife corridor connecting Cedar Pond to an Atlantic White Cedar swamp. Permanent protection will safeguard water quality, preserve freshwater shoreline habitat, and provide much-needed public access. The acquisition will provide the first formal public access to Cedar Pond, which is within walking distance of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, Orleans Town Center, and nearby affordable housing.