Shorefast

Many luxury properties have a charitable foundation. Our charitable foundation has a luxury Inn.

Fogo Island Inn is an initiative of Shorefast, a registered Canadian charity founded in 2004 by Zita, Anthony, and Alan Cobb. Shorefast is dedicated to helping to secure a resilient economic future for Fogo Island, Change Islands, and similar rural communities worldwide. All surpluses from the operation of Fogo Island Inn are reinvested in the community of Fogo Island, through the projects and programs of Shorefast. There is no private benefit.

A shorefast is the line and mooring used to attach a traditional cod trap to the shore. It is a strong symbol of Fogo Island’s cod fishing heritage and the foundation chose this name because it symbolizes a belief in the importance of holding on to community and culture, and in the power of authentic connections between individuals, their communities, culture, and place.

A Traditional Newfoundland Cod Trap

Fogo Island Inn is Shorefast’s largest undertaking to date. Other projects include Fogo Island Arts, a micro-lending fund for small businesses on Fogo Island and Change Islands, various academic residency programs, heritage building preservation initiatives, the New Ocean Ethic, Fogo Island Fish, a social business that brings ethically-harvested seafood to Canadian restaurants and partners, and a retail furniture business, Fogo Island Workshops.

The significant success achieved by Shorefast to date illustrates that reviving small communities is a possible and worthy undertaking. There is inherent value in rural places that can be reclaimed and made relevant for 21st-century life, and losing our small communities and the human ways of knowing they contain is neither inevitable nor necessary. Shorefast’s work is not done. It continues to nurture and support current projects as well as develop new ideas and initiatives to serve Fogo Island, Change Islands, and similar small places around the world. Shorefast’s approach and processes can translate well to other communities, as a small island like Fogo Island is a good proxy for a small planet.