MaineCF grants help strengthen projects and nonprofits across the state

More than $298,000 in Maine Community Foundation grants will help strengthen nonprofit organizations and projects across the state. The 22 grants through MaineCF’s Community Building Grant Program include $203,371 recommended by a statewide committee and 11 additional grants totaling $95,000 from people with donor-advised funds.

2023 grants from the Statewide Committee are: 

Challenger Learning Center of Maine, for a new moon mission simulation for Maine students: $5,935; 

Elder Abuse Institute of Maine, to establish an internship program with students from Maine colleges and universities: $10,000;

Finding Our Voices, to support female domestic violence victims and their children: $10,000;

Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights Education Funds, for programming that keeps older people current on reproductive rights issues and builds intergenerational ties: $10,000;

Hardy Girls Healthy Women, to expand the Feminist Action Board, a free program for high schoolers: $10,000;

Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, to expand legal immigrant services asylum seekers: $10,000;

JustME for JustUS, to pay rural youth to lead climate organizing and civic engagement work: $10,000;

Ladder to the Moon Network, to expand Amjambo Africa’s reach to help new Mainers thrive through radio, video and audio programming: $10,000;

Maine Association for the Education of Young Children, to build a strong and stable child care system for young children and families: $10,000;

Maine Association of Nonprofits, to fund the Cultural Alliance of Maine as it expands and deepens statewide programs and services: $10,000;

Maine Environmental Education Association, to share new data and education goals on outdoor and environmental education and provide educator training at community listening sessions: $10,000;

Maine Equal Justice, to improve access to legal services for immigrants: $10,000; 

Maine School Garden Network, to provide resources and organize events and programs that benefit school gardens: $10,000;

Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, to increase financial and educational opportunities for aspiring and established Maine writers and strengthen community connections through free, public literary events: $10,000; 

Maine Youth for Climate Justice, to stipend youth leaders, increase staff capacity and expand programming: $10,000; 

New Beginnings, for a statewide Youth Action Board to provide trainings and improve engagement for underserved youth: $10,000; 

Preble Street, to empower people who have experienced homelessness to advocate for solutions to food insecurity: $5,936; 

Rural Aspirations Project, for the Maine Forest Collaborative program to empower rural youth to contribute to the vitality of forested communities: $10,000; 

Speaking Up for Us, to bring an equity lens to programs that advocate for the rights of people with developmental disabilities: $10,000; 

Team Hailey Hugs, to support families of children with cancer through emergency funds to travel for treatment and maintain stability at home: $2,500; and 

Volunteers of America Northern New England, to ensure older Mainers living at its affordable housing properties have access to in-house food pantries: $9,000.

From donor-advised funds (as of April): 

Camp Kita, to provide support for children who have been affected by suicide through mental health resources, community and nature: $10,000;

Christine B. Foundation, to expand nutrition, cancer prevention and treatment services for rural children and adults: $10,000;

Forest Society of Maine, to make its website accessible to those with disabilities and for whom English not their first language: $3,000; 

Generational Noor, to improve culturally competent access to treatment and recovery services for people in the BIPOC community: $10,000; 

Maine Access Points, to support access to overdose and harm reduction education and supplies, and peer support in rural and underserved regions: $10,000; 

Maine Paws for Veterans, to provide canine-assisted therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress symptoms: $10,000; 

Maine Recovery Fund, to provide transportation to work for people reentering the workforce following substance use disorder treatment and incarceration: $10,000; 

Marine Mammals of Maine, to respond to stranded marine mammals and sea turtles though rehabilitation, research and education: $10,000; 

Our Climate Common, to provide a path to power for young people by seating them on boards of nonprofits, businesses and government bodies: $10,000; 

Restorative Justice Institute of Maine, to engage young people in restorative practices that build belonging, connection, and confidence in one’s ability to address conflict: $2,000; and  

Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, for Art Unites, a cross-cultural community-building project that seeks to create unity through art: $10,000.

Statewide funding supports multi-county projects and nonprofit organizations that strengthen communities. Proposals are submitted through MaineCF’s Community Building Grant Program, the foundation’s largest, and are reviewed by a committee of community members.

The next proposal deadline is Feb. 15, 2024. For more information, visit www.mainecf.org/communitybuilding.

For more information about the fund or grant program, contact Director of Strategic Learning Cherie Galyean at 207-412-2017 or cgalyean@mainecf.org.   

The Maine Community Foundation brings people and resources together to build a better Maine through strategic giving, community leadership, personalized service, local expertise and strong investments. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.mainecf.org.