BOSTON— Real estate developer Related Beal announced a $200,000 investment in New England’s fishing community, with $200,000 directed to Fishing Partnership Support Services (FPSS) and an additional $200,000 pledged toward the creation of a new Boston Fisheries Foundation museum.
The contribution to FPSS, made in consultation with the Boston Fisheries Foundation, will support the nonprofit’s mission to provide health, safety, and economic resources to fishing families across Greater Boston and the region. The funding is part of Related Beal’s public benefits commitment tied to its Leiden Center II (LCII) development in the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park.
FPSS delivers vital services including affordable health insurance access, preventative health support, safety-at-sea training, life-saving equipment distribution, and financial assistance for injured fishermen and their families. The organization anticipates tripling the impact of Related Beal’s donation through a Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Training Project Grant administered by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition to the FPSS donation, Related Beal committed another $200,000 to help establish a museum honoring Boston’s fishing history, to be developed in partnership with the Boston Fisheries Foundation.
“We’re proud to support FPSS and the Boston Fisheries Foundation to further the essential services they provide to the fishing industry, our neighbors and this historically important component of the South Boston waterfront and our local economy,” said Stephen Faber, Executive Vice President at Related Beal. “As Boston grows and invests in new industries, including this cutting-edge life sciences facility in Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park, it is important that we also invest in and support the people who have made this area a working port for generations.”
Located at 20-22 Drydock Avenue, LCII is the third phase of Related Beal’s Innovation Square life sciences campus and will serve as a research and manufacturing space for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, supporting the company’s rapidly growing cell and genetic therapies programs.
“Advocating for, educating, and promoting Boston’s maritime heritage remains at the forefront of our work,” said Robert Nagle, President of the Boston Fisheries Foundation and principal owner of John Nagle Co. “We applaud Related Beal for recognizing the industry’s economic impact and historical significance in the Seaport neighborhood and look forward to continued collaboration as a longtime community partner.”
“Commercial fishermen are essential to the vitality of coastal Massachusetts communities and our food system, yet they remain one of the most underserved workforces in the Commonwealth,” said J.J. Bartlett, Founder and President of Fishing Partnership Support Services. “Related Beal’s commitment to FPSS will help us ensure that fishermen and their families continue to receive life-saving support programs focused on health, safety, and economic security.”
Today’s announcement builds on Related Beal’s previous support for the Boston Seafood Festival, which annually draws more than 7,000 attendees to the historic Fish Pier to celebrate and support the local seafood industry.
