Mills announces $5.1M in grants improve resilience to severe storms, increase energy efficiency
AUGUSTA – Gov. Janet Mills announced the award of $5.1 million in grants to 76 cities, towns and tribal governments for community-led projects that strengthen critical infrastructure against climate effects, such as severe storms and flooding, and reduce costs to taxpayers through energy efficiency upgrades.
The grants are through the state’s Community Resilience Partnership program, created in 2021 by Mills based on a leading recommendation of Maine’s climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait.
Area funding recipients are $73,000 for the Town of Cambridge for Stream Smart Culvert design and engineering on the Bailey Road and Bridge Road over Packard Brook; and $60,650 for the Town of Garland for the Garland Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Project.
Eastern Maine Development Corporation was awarded a $50,000 Service Provider Grant to help Brewer, Brownville, Holden and Milo enroll in the partnership and/or complete community vulnerability assessments.
Over the last five years, the program – first launched under the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, now administered by the Maine Office of Community Affairs – has grown to include nearly 300 communities and has awarded nearly $25 million in State and Federal funding for local projects across the state.
“Through the Community Resilience Partnership, nearly 300 towns, cities and tribal governments across Maine are taking pro-active steps to become more prepared for flooding, storm surge, rising sea levels and other climate effects that put lives and livelihoods at risk,” Mills said. “I’m proud of the historic investments in storm recovery and resilience that my administration, in partnership with the Legislature, have made to protect Maine’s people, businesses, infrastructure and environment from the effects of severe weather today and into the future.”
“Behind each of these grants is a community that has come together to plan for a resilient future,” Samantha Horn, director of the Maine Office of Community Affairs, said “I admire the tremendous work and dedication that happens at the local level in identifying shared goals and taking action. I am so pleased that the Maine Office of Community Affairs can assist by administering the Community Resilience Partnership grant programs.”
“The Community Resilience Program should serve as a blueprint for future state–municipal partnerships,” Cathy Conlow, executive director of the Maine Municipal Association, said. “The time and collaboration invested by staff in the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future — and now the Maine Office of Community Affairs — demonstrate that when municipal perspectives are heard and considered, the outcomes are stronger and more impactful.”
A full list of awardees is available online (https://www11.maine.gov/moca/sites/maine.gov.moca/files/CAG2025-6%20Award%20list.pdf). Visit the Partnership webpage for an interactive map of communities awarded grants through the program.
This latest round of grants is sourced from both state and federal funds. The federal funding is part of a five-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge grant awarded to the State of Maine in the fall of 2024. Maximum awards to communities range from $50,000 to $75,000. Two or more entities could also jointly apply for up to $175,000.
Applications are open for the next round of Community Action Grants. In addition to Community Action Grant funding that goes directly to communities, Service Provider Grants are available to support organizations that assist communities with climate action, energy and resilience planning. More information is available on the Partnership’s grants webpage.
The Partnership is part of the Maine Office of Community Affairs, which was created by Governor Mills and the Legislature in 2024 as a one-stop-shop to assist municipalities, tribal governments and regional planning organizations in building a more resilient future.
MOCA, through its State Resilience Office, leads cross-agency efforts to enhance climate resilience across the state, especially in communities with significant climate vulnerabilities. That includes implementing LD 1, landmark legislation the governor introduced with overwhelming bipartisan support that improves how Maine communities, homeowners, businesses, and emergency responders can prepare for, and ultimately withstand, the effects of severe storms.
LD 1 built on $60 million Mills proposed and the Legislature approved in 2024 to support the recovery and rebuilding of Maine communities and businesses following the severe storms of December 2023 and January 2024 — the single largest investment in storm recovery by any Administration in Maine history.
For more information about MOCA, visit the Maine Office of Community Affairs website.