Tom Niles Donates $1 Million to Coast Guard Foundation to Create Education Fund

About 20 years ago, a young Tom Niles found himself adrift off the coast of Massachusetts when the outboard on his 15-foot Boston Whaler died near Boston Light. Chilly September air, an outgoing tide and a fading sun compounded the situation. He used a handheld VHF to call for help. A U.S. Coast Guard vessel that was headed toward Quincy stopped, tied to his Whaler and towed him safely to shore.

“I said to the guys, as they dropped me off, ‘Someday I’m going to pay you back, when I can,’” Niles recalls.

That promise came to fruition in March when Niles, now a real-estate developer, donated $1 million to the Coast Guard Foundation. It ranks among the foundation’s largest gifts since its founding in 1969 and builds on a strong fundraising record, including a banner year in 2019.

The donation establishes the Thomas H. Niles Education Fund, expanding the Coast Guard Foundation’s scholarship program for children of active, retired and fallen Coast Guard members. Last year the foundation awarded roughly $385,000 in scholarships to 139 students, according to Susan Ludwig, the foundation’s president. Niles’s gift will increase both the number of scholarships and the awards’ size, broadening long-term support for Coast Guard dependents.

“These Coast Guard dependents move every few years, yet they consistently excel,” Ludwig says. “A gift like this will change how we can impact these children for generations.”

The Coast Guard Foundation, based in Stonington, Connecticut, supports scholarships and morale programs that include recreation, fitness and family-focused facilities. The foundation also maintains regional offices in Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Ludwig first met Niles in 2013, after he had quietly supported the foundation with small annual donations since 2007. During a thank-you call, he told the Coast Guard towing story. A lunch meeting followed, then a tour of a Cape Cod base where Niles regularly sails, and soon he made his first major contribution.

At the Cape Cod base, a family community center had fallen into disrepair—worn pool table and dartboards, a bowling alley and bar that were breaking down. As a developer, Niles envisioned the space renewed as a true family hub for birthday parties, community events and everyday recreation. He provided roughly $40,000 to refurbish the bowling alley, and the facility remains a lively gathering place today.

Niles also supported programs that connect Coast Guard families with local educational opportunities. He funded access for Coast Guard children to the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center, which brings City of Boston kids to the harbor for field science and social-emotional learning. “They got in canoes and went from island to island around the harbor,” Niles says. Parents and students regularly sent thank-you notes, a sign the program resonated with families.

The million-dollar commitment traces back to 2017, when Niles arranged a $500,000 planned gift in his estate. After further conversations with Ludwig, the pledge became a blended $1 million gift—part immediate, part planned—so the foundation could start expanding scholarship support now while ensuring future funding.

“We talked about adding to that gift while he was still alive, and he agreed,” Ludwig says. “I couldn’t wait to tell the staff. The impact on Coast Guard dependents will be enormous.”

Today Niles serves on the Coast Guard Foundation’s 24-member board of directors, having stepped up from the larger board of trustees. He remains active as a boater—his Sabre 45, Invictus, is often seen between Cape Cod and Long Island Sound—and still values time on the water as a way to relax.

Niles says he hopes to see more recreational boaters become involved with the foundation. Many supporters come from shipping and equipment industries; he believes recreational boaters share a direct connection to the Coast Guard’s mission to patrol and protect coastal waters where leisure boating takes place.

“That’s where recreational boaters go out to have fun,” he says. “It’s a worthwhile endeavor. These servicemen protect the coastline and the country—many have families and modest pay.”

Ludwig calls Niles both a generous donor and a model for others. “The world is a better place because of people like Tom Niles,” she says. “He’s doing the right thing for the right reasons, and he shows others how to step forward.”

This article originally appeared in the June 2020 issue.