Over the past five years, Katie Clancy of The Cape House has strengthened the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s (AFCC) mission as a donor and Business Patron. She gives intentionally to causes important to her (like the arts), and as a way to remain connected to this community where she lives and works.
“It’s great for your business to do it, but also it just makes you feel good,” she said of giving back and supporting the AFCC.
With so many nonprofits on the Cape to choose from, Clancy is selective about where she channels her time, energy, and resources. “I support things I believe in,” she said. “I love the Arts Foundation’s bold leadership and their commitment to their mission. It gives me real faith that my dollars are going to be used really well and get to the people and to the places where it will make the most impact.”
As a successful realtor and business owner, she highlighted the professional benefit of becoming an AFCC Patron. It has allowed Clancy to expand her network and meet like-minded people who understand the critical role the arts play on Cape Cod.
She encouraged other business leaders to find ways they can give back. “One of the things I preach to other small businesses is you have to be a leader in your community, and you have to personally invest in your community,” she said. “There are a couple of rules to that – you have to believe in the mission of the organization you’re supporting. And you have to be giving of your time, talent, or your treasure, but definitely your treasure because every nonprofit needs you to support them financially, and that is what the Patron Program does.”
Through the AFCC Patron Program, members get to participate in special events like meeting with iconic artist Bob Henry of Wellfleet, in September, and a behind-the-scenes tour of Heritage Museums & Gardens and its Arts Foundation-funded outdoor exhibit, Treasured Trash, in July.
In December, patrons will join Clancy at the AFCC’s Deck the Walls, a festive gathering at the Arts Foundation’s Hyannis office.
The event, which Clancy and The Cape House is sponsoring, allows the public to celebrate the AFCC’s work while purchasing small works of art – all are made by Cape-based artists – that make for great holiday gifts. Proceeds from each sale will go directly to the artist as well as supporting the AFCC’s mission.
“This event is not a spectator sport where you have a few big donors who can participate in buying a $10,000 painting,” Clancy said. “There is a huge variety of art that is affordable to buy as a gift for a special client or as a gift for yourself. It is a festive occasion and happening on the same night as the Hyannis Village Christmas Stroll.”
Clancy is emblematic of the AFCC’s loyal and generous business patrons which includes The Cape House’s parent company, William Raveis Real Estate, which has served as the Arts Foundation’s Title Sponsor since 2021. To learn more about how you can support the AFCC as a Business Patron, contact Amy Tuttle at atuttle@artsfoundation.org or at 508-362-0066, ext. 112.
The AFCC’s Deck the Walls will be held on Saturday, December 3, 4-6 PM, at its offices at 396 Main Street, Suite 10 (above Puritan Cape Cod) in Hyannis. The event is free and open to the public. Enjoy light fare, free drinks, live music, and purchase locally made artwork for a loved one this holiday season.