Wendy Schmidt is President of The Schmidt Family Foundation, where she works to advance the development of renewable energy and the wiser use of natural resources. The Foundation houses its grant-making operation in The 11th Hour Project, supporting more than 150 non-profit organizations around the world in program areas including clean energy, healthy food systems and human rights. The Foundation also includes Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, which uses a venture philanthropy model to support the development of ocean technologies with compelling conservation and research applications as well as strong commercialization potential.

In 2010, Wendy co-founded 11th Hour Racing, to promote sustainability in the sailing and maritime industries, harnessing the power of sport through engagement with grantees, partners and ambassadors.

11th Hour Racing was the Exclusive Sustainability Partner for Land Rover BAR, the British team that competed in the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda. It is also a co-title sponsor with Vestas for the team currently competing in the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race, and serves as the Sustainability Founding Principal Partner of the Volvo Ocean Race.

In 2009, Wendy Schmidt and her husband, Eric, created the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), and in 2012 launched the research vessel, Falkor, as a mobile platform to advance ocean exploration, discovery, and knowledge, and catalyze the sharing of information about the oceans. Since 2012, Falkor has hosted more than 500 scientists from 29 countries, has mapped nearly a quarter of a million miles of ocean floor in high resolution, and has hosted the discovery of new ocean features, ecosystems and species.

In 2010 and 2012, Wendy partnered with The XPrize Foundation to sponsor two multimillion dollar competitions that generated innovations to greatly improve surface oil spill clean up and to create a new generation of accurate and affordable ocean acidification sensors.

In the fall of 2017, Wendy and Eric Schmidt launched the Schmidt Science Fellows program, a post-doctoral fellowship that provides the next generation of leaders and innovators with the tools and opportunities to drive world-changing advances across the sciences and society. With an initial commitment of at least $25M for the first three years, the effort is the beginning of a broader $100M commitment to promote scientific leadership and interdisciplinary research.

Wendy Schmidt is the lead philanthropic partner for The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Initiative (NPEC), which brings together a broad group of global companies, cities, philanthropists, policymakers, academics, students, NGOs, and citizens to rethink and redesign the future of plastics, beginning with packaging.

Wendy Schmidt earned an M.J. in Journalism from The University of California at Berkeley, and a B.A. magna cum laude from Smith College.

Cecil Barron Jensen moved to Nantucket with her husband in 1996 seeking a small, tightknit community in which to raise their three daughters. In the years since, Cecil worked at the Nantucket Historical Association and Nantucket New School, and, most recently, served as the Executive Director of the Artists Association of Nantucket. Cecil became the Executive Director of ReMain Nantucket and ReMain Ventures in 2018.

In addition to her experience in leading dynamic organizations to achieve strategic goals, Cecil has a deep understanding of how cultural organizations contribute to the vitality of downtown Nantucket and the enthusiasm to drive ReMain’s mission forward into the future. A past board member of several Nantucket nonprofits, Cecil has recently been appointed to be a member of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Rachel Hobart has been a summer resident of Nantucket since 1968, and moved permanently to the Island in 1987 in order to practice law. She took a break from her practice to raise her three children, and was a partner in the opening of Fahey and Fromagerie, a gourmet wine and food store. In that time, she also served as Vice President of the Nantucket New School. Rachel started with ReMain in May of 2008 as its Project Manager.

Rachel manages ReMain’s public/private partnerships with the Town of Nantucket, particularly focusing on the Island’s transit and transportation systems. Furthermore, Rachel’s 17 years with the Nantucket New School has informed and enhanced her work in encouraging the educational offerings on the Island at ReMain’s 56 Centre Street facility. She also serves on the board of trustees of the Nantucket Dreamland. Rachel graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in English and received her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.

A frequent visitor to Nantucket since 1989, Virna Gonzalez received her B.F.A. from St. John's University. From there, she began her New York City graphic design career in areas of television, software manufacturing, book publishing, and promotional advertising before running her own design firm for several years. She traded her urban life in 2002 to find a new home in the bucolic beauty that is Nantucket within its incredibly welcoming community.

In 2008, Virna joined the ReMain team. As Program and Marketing Manager, she applies her skills to support ReMain's colorfully diverse projects that benefit the Nantucket community especially in the areas of plastics reduction education and awareness, sustainability support, grant management, and cultural programming. She has served on the boards of the Nantucket Arts Council and the Nantucket Education Trust. She currently serves as an Advisor for the Nantucket Cultural District.

Jenn King first discovered Nantucket through the suggestion of family friends during her time as an undergraduate student at Mount Holyoke College. As soon as she received her B.A. in Biology, she completed her move to the Island.

After 13 years of experience at Nantucket Bank, Jenn now brings her project management and accounting skills to the ReMain Ventures team. She has been instrumental in the planning, supervision, and maintenance of ReMain’s building projects on 22 Federal Street, 35 Centre, and 56 Centre. When she isn’t taking care of her two boys or chasing around her new puppy, Jenn also sits on the board of directors as secretary for Small Friends on Nantucket, the early-education and care group for young children on the island.

ReMain Philanthropy Location: 
58 Main Street, 2nd Floor
Office Line:  508.901.4140

Mailing Address:
P.O Box 359 
Nantucket, MA 02554

ReMain Ventures Location: 
58 Main Street, 2nd Floor
Office Line: 508.901.4145

Mailing Address:
P.O Box 868 
Nantucket, MA 02554

Please email all inquiries to:
info@remainnantucket.org

ERIC AND WENDY SCHMIDT ANNOUNCE NEW $1 BILLION PHILANTHROPIC COMMITMENT TO IDENTIFY, DEVELOP AND SUPPORT GLOBAL TALENT WORKING IN SERVICE OF OTHERS

MENLO PARK, Calif.— Eric and Wendy Schmidt announced today a $1 billion philanthropic commitment to identify and support talent across disciplines and around the world to serve others and help address the world’s most pressing problems.

Building on the last 13 years of their family’s philanthropy, led by Wendy Schmidt, the couple has steadily increased their philanthropic giving—more than $1 billion to date through The Schmidt Family Foundation, The 11th Hour Project, Schmidt Ocean Institute, 11th Hour Racing, and Schmidt Marine Technology Partners. In 2017, Eric and Wendy Schmidt also created Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative and venture facility for public benefit that focuses on finding exceptional people and helping them do more for others. Today, the couple is deepening their philanthropic work with a new, $1 billion talent commitment to these initiatives. They also announced the flagship program for Schmidt Futures and anchor to this new commitment—Rise, a partnership with the Rhodes Trust.

“We believe that when we harness the human power of great ideas and support them with resources, tools and a network to leverage that raw talent and potential, only then will we solve the environmental, societal and health problems that threaten our very existence,” said Wendy Schmidt. “We’ve learned so much over these past years, and across all initiatives and every issue, we know that people are the critical foundation for success. We’re excited to increase our philanthropic commitment to have an even greater impact on our communities and world.”

“My life's work has been to build tools that empower people at scale,” said Eric Schmidt. “This $1 billion for talent serving others, including the work of Schmidt Futures and our flagship program Rise, is part of our ongoing commitment to help lift people up who can change the world at scale in their lifetimes.”

Rise, an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, will find and connect exceptional people around the world who could do more to serve others in their communities throughout their lives if they had more opportunity. The program, which will seek young people between the ages of 15 and 17, will be designed to encourage a lifetime of service and learning by providing support that could include scholarships, career services, and funding opportunities to help these leaders serve others for decades to come. The first annual competition for Rise in 2020 will build a global community of students, teachers and others—including finalists and ultimately at least 100 extraordinary young people who could have a unique impact on their communities with more connection and support.

More information about Rise is available here. To hear an interview with Eric and Wendy Schmidt about their new talent commitment, click here. 

Over the past 13 years, Eric and Wendy Schmidt have established a number of philanthropic organizations and initiatives, and people have been the central drivers of their work and areas of focus.

They created The Schmidt Family Foundation in 2006 to address the global crisis of climate change through grants and impact investments in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, human rights and marine technology. The grant-making arm of the foundation, The 11th Hour Project, focuses on supporting local organizations and solutions that protect human rights and build resilient food and energy systems. Among The 11th Hour Project’s most notable work is the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the organization has supported local park officials in protecting one of the world’s largest natural parks and the communities living in and around the park from illegal fossil fuel extraction. Grant support has helped develop micro-hydropower that has for the first time brought electricity to more than 1 million residents and sparked the creation of a local economy through new businesses like a rice mill and factories that produce chia seed, chocolate and soap.

Additionally, Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, another program of The Schmidt Family Foundation started in 2015, supports the development of innovative technologies that solve complex ocean health problems and have strong commercialization potential. To date, 42 funded projects from five countries have worked to combat illegal fishing and plastic pollution and have advanced habitat health and ocean research. Among the successful technologies developed is Saildrone, a global fleet of unmanned wind- and solar-powered ocean drones that monitors climate and sea conditions, among other things, in real- time.

The Schmidt Ocean Institute was established in 2009 to advance oceanographic research through the development of innovative technologies, open sharing of information, and broad communication about ocean health. The institute operates the research vessel Falkor and the 4500m remotely operated underwater robotic vehicle, SuBastain, and is made available to the international science community at no cost. To date, more than 850 scientists have worked on the ship conducting research on 63 expeditions. As a result, more than 400 underwater robotic dives have taken place and more than 1 million square miles of the ocean floor have been mapped, leading to the discovery of dozens of new species and expanded protection of marine protected areas.

11th Hour Racing, founded in 2010, works with the sailing community and maritime industry to advance solutions and practices that protect and restore the health of the oceans. The organization leverages grants, sponsorships and its sailing ambassador program to reach and engage as many people as possible in promoting collaborative, systemic change benefitting ocean health. It has awarded grants in more than 25 countries through its programs. With its partners and sailing teams, 11th Hour Racing has sailed more than 45,000 miles around the world, rounded Cape Horn, detected micro-plastics in the most remote parts of the ocean, contributing to critical scientific research, and removed more than 60 tons of debris from the sea. ReMain Nantucket and ReMain Ventures are the charitable and entrepreneurial organizations that support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, the organizations have revitalized the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses. They include a transportation center for a fleet of clean-fuel buses, culinary center and sustainable coffee shop, bakery, independent bookstore, community school for continuing adult education and community music center.

ReMain Nantucket and ReMain Ventures are the charitable and entrepreneurial organizations that support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, the organizations have revitalized the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses. They include a transportation center for a fleet of clean-fuel buses, culinary center and sustainable coffee shop, bakery, independent bookstore, community school for continuing adult education and community music center.

Schmidt Futures is a philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt in 2017 to find exceptional people and help them do more for others together. Schmidt Futures knits talent into networks, bets on the most promising ideas through diverse forms of competition and support, and equips people to scale through partners and modern tools. To realize this vision, Schmidt Futures uses a broad set of tools—including gifts, grants, investments and startup activity—for charitable, educational and commercial efforts with a public purpose. One of Schmidt Futures’ major programs, the Schmidt Science Fellows, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust, aims to create a new generation of scientific leaders by giving the world’s best aspiring scientific minds a broader perspective, exposure to interdisciplinary approaches, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on society. The year-long postdoctoral research fellowship immediately after the fellows’ completion of their PhD in the natural sciences, computing, engineering or mathematics places them with global scientific leaders and internationally renowned labs in a scientific discipline different than their core area of study. The third cohort of fellows will be announced in 2020.

“Philanthropy’s biggest challenge is time,” said Wendy Schmidt. “What we’ve learned over the last dozen years is it takes time to get results. You have to allow time for failure and recalibration so you can adjust your approach, apply what you’ve learned and deepen and refine your work.”

Added Eric Schmidt, “Just imagine the possibilities as we bring talent together into networks, bet on their most promising ideas to help others, and equip them to scale through partners and thoughtful application of modern science and technology. This $1 billion commitment is only a starting point for the many ways we look to help others in the coming years.”

Wendy Schmidt is president of The Schmidt Family Foundation. Eric Schmidt is technical advisor and former chairman of Alphabet Inc. and the former CEO of Google. 

ReMain Nantucket released “trACK Nantucket”, a phone app that offers a brand new way to learn about the island. TrACK sports 8 different routes that allow you to transform your bike ride into an insider’s tour. TrACK gives audio directions and alerts riders when they have reached a landmark or highlight along the way.

Many of our past projects have supported multimodal means of transit as a critical component in reducing our reliance on the fossil fuels. We are committed to helping people on Nantucket get around the Island in environmentally responsible ways ...Read more here

ReMain is working to increase public awareness about the impact of single-use plastics on our landfill and our harbor. In collaboration with the Inquirer & Mirror’s “Make a Difference” campaign focusing on plastics pollution, the Town’s “Stop the Straw” initiative, Maria Mitchell Association and the Dreamland Foundation, we sponsored the screening of Plastic Ocean and Straws, distributing reusable straws to those who attended the latter.  We are also sponsoring the creation of an episode of the locally produced Out to See children’s television program featuring a tour of the Island’s composting and material recovery facilities.

In April of 2018, ReMain Nantucket helped celebrate the launch of year-round public transportation at our Greenhound Building, where we have hosted the Island’s seasonal bus service for the past 10 years. In addition to helping re-brand the system and initiating an app that provides real time bus tracking for riders, ReMain has supported the regional transit authority’s research into the feasibility of year-round service and advocated for the system’s expansion. At long last, year-round service has been implemented, providing a reliable alternative to driving a car and critical access to necessary services for those without vehicles in the off-season months.

We are proud that in 2016 both our renovation of 56 Centre Street and of 22 Federal Street were awarded Gold Certifications by the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program. Our first major renovation in downtown Nantucket was Mitchell’s Book Corner at 54 Main Street and that project was awarded a LEED Silver Certification in 2010.

The majority of the commercial buildings in downtown Nantucket will need renovation to preserve them for their next 100 years. We seek to lead that effort by demonstrating renovations can be done with sustainability in mind...Read more here

ReMain uses a combination of research and advocacy to strengthen the sustainability of the island’s downtown district. With these tools, ReMain helps to address the island’s seasonal challenges and works to keep downtown Nantucket a center of activity for the community year-round.

To better understand the nature of Nantucket’s downtown community, we have worked with various research groups such as the Urban Land Institute,  and hosted prominent speakers like Douglas Loescher from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Streets Program and Kate Levin, former Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs.

ReMain also understands the barrier to downtown activity created by traffic congestion in the summer, and has worked with Nelson|Nygaard to research ways to manage vehicles in the downtown during the high season and support the use of public transportation.

For more stories about ReMain Philanthropy’s own work in enhancing the downtown’s vitality, visit our Archives page.

ReMain collaborates with our local government and nonprofits to identify and support  projects for assisting the year-round community, often relying on professional resources to bring to comprehensive thinking to the issues.

Strong local educational offerings are especially important to Nantucket’s residents, given the extra effort needed to travel off-island, and the presence of visiting students enhances our community. We, along with UMass Boston and Nantucket Community School conducted a study of islanders' needs in a report called "Learn without Leaving". We have also funded various educational programs by Island nonprofits, and worked with institutions like UMass Boston and Worcester Polytech Institute to support their students who study on the Island in the off-season.

To help residents and visitors get around without cars, ReMain collaborates with The WAVE, Nantucket's regional transit system to improve the rider’s experience, by providing a downtown bus stop at its Greenhound property and helped initiate the TransLoc “Ride the WAVE” app which allows riders to track the location of their bus in real time. Efforts to expand the transit system to year-round service are ongoing.

Housing for the Island’s year-round and seasonal workforce is in critically short supply.  ReMain has provided grant funding to the Town to enable an Independent Housing Consultant to focus on public policy initiatives and developing funding sources to help alleviate the problem.

For the full stories on ReMain’s efforts to strengthen the Island community, visit our Archives page.

ReMain seeks to promote the wiser use of natural resources in all of its operations, from simple office practices to major collaborations and investments.

We provided the funding for the Town’s initial efforts to monitor and encourage energy demand management on the Island, and for research about Nantucket Harbor’s water quality.

Our building at 10 Washington Street serves as both a transit station and an education center for environmental stewardship. From the beginning, ReMain has encouraged public transportation and biking to reduce pollution and dependence on individual automobile use, particularly during the busy summer season.

ReMain’s operations also encourage environmentally friendly practices by others. In its past non-profit event sponsorships, partners were required to adhere to the ReMain Sustainability Guidelines. While no longer sponsoring events, our non-profit support is now funded through the ReMain Nantucket Fund at The Community Foundation for Nantucket, and environmental stewardship is one of the grant-making criteria.

For more stories about ReMain’s environmentally responsible projects, visit our Archives page.

After renovating buildings to reflect our commitment to the wiser use of energy and natural resources, we provide space for local businesses that serve as gathering places and for educational programing. Our ventures work to give more people more reasons to come downtown and encourages their suppport of surrounding businesses.

Here are the buildings:

• Mitchell's Book Corner at 54 Main Street
• Petticoat Row Bakery at 35 Centre Street
• 56 Centre, housing Nantucket Community School and Nantucket Music Center
• 22 Federal, home of the Nantucket Culinary Center and Corner Table Cafe 

All Ventures projects encourage the use of our local resources - ingredients, consumer products, and human capital - since money spent on Island multiplies when it remains on Island.

For more stories about ReMain Ventures’ downtown investments, visit the ReMain Archives page.

Our buildings are open year-round and give Island residents and vistors a place to connect in the downtown. 

• 22 Federal Street creates a platform for Nantucket Culinary Center's demonstrations and group cooking classes. In its lower level, The Corner Table Cafe is a welcoming space for people to meet.
• Renovated for downtown education, 56 Centre provides rooms for the Nantucket Community School's and the Nantucket Music Center's classes, meetings and recitals.
• Petticoat Row Bakery, a neighborhood staple, offers casual seating for both loyal customers and visitors. 
• For decades, Mitchell's Book Corner has been an iconic gathering place. Now renovated to include a second-floor retail space, it can be used for book club meetings and informal community activities. 

For more stories about ReMain’s commitment to these important “third places” places and their contribution to the island community, visit our Archives page.

Our buildings are open year-round and give Island residents and vistors a place to connect in the downtown. 

• 22 Federal Street creates a platform for Nantucket Culinary Center's demonstrations and group cooking classes. In its lower level, The Corner Table Cafe is a welcoming space for people to meet.
• Renovated for downtown education, 56 Centre provides rooms for the Nantucket Community School's and the Nantucket Music Center's classes, meetings and recitals.
• Petticoat Row Bakery, a neighborhood staple, offers casual seating for both loyal customers and visitors. 
• For decades, Mitchell's Book Corner has been an iconic gathering place. Now renovated to include a second-floor retail space, it can be used for book club meetings and informal community activities. 

For more stories about ReMain’s commitment to these important “third places” places and their contribution to the island community, visit our Archives page.

Our buildings are open year-round and give Island residents and vistors a place to connect in the downtown. 

• 22 Federal Street creates a platform for Nantucket Culinary Center's demonstrations and group cooking classes. In its lower level, The Corner Table Cafe is a welcoming space for people to meet.
• Renovated for downtown education, 56 Centre provides rooms for the Nantucket Community School's and the Nantucket Music Center's classes, meetings and recitals.
• Petticoat Row Bakery, a neighborhood staple, offers casual seating for both loyal customers and visitors. 
• For decades, Mitchell's Book Corner has been an iconic gathering place. Now renovated to include a second-floor retail space, it can be used for book club meetings and informal community activities. 

For more stories about ReMain’s commitment to these important “third places” places and their contribution to the island community, visit our Archives page.

Our buildings are open year-round and give Island residents and vistors a place to connect in the downtown. 

• 22 Federal Street creates a platform for Nantucket Culinary Center's demonstrations and group cooking classes. In its lower level, The Corner Table Cafe is a welcoming space for people to meet.
• Renovated for downtown education, 56 Centre provides rooms for the Nantucket Community School's and the Nantucket Music Center's classes, meetings and recitals.
• Petticoat Row Bakery, a neighborhood staple, offers casual seating for both loyal customers and visitors. 
• For decades, Mitchell's Book Corner has been an iconic gathering place. Now renovated to include a second-floor retail space, it can be used for book club meetings and informal community activities. 

For more stories about ReMain’s commitment to these important “third places” places and their contribution to the island community, visit our Archives page.

Our buildings are open year-round and give Island residents and vistors a place to connect in the downtown. 

• 22 Federal Street creates a platform for Nantucket Culinary Center's demonstrations and group cooking classes. In its lower level, The Corner Table Cafe is a welcoming space for people to meet.
• Renovated for downtown education, 56 Centre provides rooms for the Nantucket Community School's and the Nantucket Music Center's classes, meetings and recitals.
• Petticoat Row Bakery, a neighborhood staple, offers casual seating for both loyal customers and visitors. 
• For decades, Mitchell's Book Corner has been an iconic gathering place. Now renovated to include a second-floor retail space, it can be used for book club meetings and informal community activities. 

For more stories about ReMain’s commitment to these important “third places” places and their contribution to the island community, visit our Archives page.

The goals for ReMain Ventures’ renovation projects are environmental responsibility and historic preservation.

• 54 Main Street was certified LEED Silver and won the Nantucket Preservation Trust's Preservation Award in 2009. By making decisions like using old horse hair plaster to repoint the interior of the brick walls, 96% of the original historic fabric was able to be preserved or reused.
• 56 Centre Street has a geothermal system to regulate room temperature. Rainwater is captured for facility use, and sustainable products are featured throughout the interior. It was certified LEED Gold in 2016. 
• 22 Federal Street, also certified LEED Gold, features locally sourced materials, Energy Star rated kitchen equipment, and hot water from a 93% thermally efficient boiler.

With these projects, ReMain Ventures seeks to lead the way in building renovation. In the process, we have shown how expert designs can achieve the highest distinctions in environmental stewardship while strictly conforming to historical preservation standards.

For the full stories of ReMain Ventures’ renovation projects, visit our Archives page.