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Updated: May 20, 2020

Maine Community Foundation awards $1.2M in COVID-19 grants

Courtesy / Present Maine A volunteer with Present Maine’s food  prepares bags of food to deliver to low-income people in Portland. Presente Maine, in Portland, received a $1,000 Maine Community Foundation COVID-19 response grant.
By Staff

Nonprofit organizations that serve Maine people most affected by the coronavirus pandemic have been awarded $1.2 million from the Maine Community Foundation 's COVID-19 emergency response fund and a fund for food security. 

The 130 grantees include community and statewide organizations providing basic support such as food, shelter, child care, mental health care and domestic violence services, according to a news release.

Recipients are determined proactively based on needs around the state; there is no application process. 

“Maine’s demographics and economic makeup place many residents in extremely vulnerable positions during this pandemic,” said Steve Rowe, the foundation’s president and CEO.

“The generosity of our donors has allowed the Maine Community Foundation to expeditiously support community-based organizations on the front lines of the crisis. Our latest round of grants provides resources to food pantries and homeless shelters as well as other social service organizations across the state.”

The COVID-19 fund began with a $500,000 transfer from an unrestricted foundation fund and has grown substantially due to transfers from donors with advised funds at the community foundation and contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations.

A complete list of grantees is available here.

In addition to the $1.2 million issued from the funds for COVID-19 relief and food insecurity, donor giving through the foundation has increased threefold compared to this period last year. Donors with advised funds at the community foundation have stepped up by making more than $6 million grants since mid-March.

Community-building

The foundation also awarded $219,800 in community-building grants to 24 nonprofits across Maine through its statewide fund.

Recipients include:

• Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Portland, to pilot decision-support resources for coastal communities to develop the skills, knowledge, and processes needed to implement actionable plans to respond to sea-level rise

Courtesy / Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Fishermen, fisheries managers and other marine stakeholders gather for a workshop at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland. The institute received a community-building grant from the Maine Community Foundation.

• Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, Brunswick, to create a guide for fishermen that provides information and resources about mental health, wellness and well being

• OUT Maine, Rockland, to develop training for board members at youth organizations and for school boards to educate decision-makers on how to foster safety for LGBTQ+ youth.

The foundation said it recognizes that many nonprofits are facing new challenges and making changes in their work due to the pandemic, and so the grant recipients are able to use these funds at their discretion.

The statewide fund is a permanent endowment that supports organizations that apply for multi-county projects. Applications go through the foundation’s community-building grant program and are reviewed by a committee of leaders. The next proposal deadline is Feb. 15, 2021. The application, guidelines and a complete list of 2020 grants can be found here.

The statewide fund is built through donations from the community. For more information, contact Cherie Galyean, director of strategic learning, at cgalyean@mainecf.org or 207-412-2017.

Maine Community Foundation COVID-19 response grants to fund child care for essential workers:

  • Alfond Youth Center (Boys and Girls Club of Waterville): $10,000
  • Bangor Region YMCA: $10,000
  • Boothbay Region YMCA Child Enrichment Center: $10,000
  • Children's Center, Augusta: $5,000
  • Penobscot Bay YMCA, Rockport: $10,000
  • Sanford-Springvale YMCA: $10,000
  • We Care Baby Center, Machias: $10,000
  • YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston: $10,000
  • YWCA Central Maine, Lewiston: $5,000

Maine Community Foundation COVID-19 response grants to fund food pantries and meal services:

  • Adopt-a-Block of Aroostook, Houlton: $6,000
  • Angolan Community Association, Portland: $1,000
  • Aroostook Agency on Aging, Presque Isle: $5,000
  • Aroostook Band of Micmacs, Presque Isle: $6,000
  • Augusta Food Bank: $9,000
  • Band of Maliseets, Littleton: $8,000
  • Bangor Area Homeless Shelter Food Pantry: $9,000
  • Belgrade Rome Special Needs Food Pantry: $7,500
  • Bethel Area District Exchange and Food Pantry: $6,000
  • Boothbay Region Food Pantry: $5,000
  • Bowdoinham Food Pantry: $7,500
  • Bridgton Food Pantry: $7,500
  • Caribou Ecumenical Food Pantry: $6,000
  • Centre Street Congregational Church, UCC (Machias Food Pantry): $7,500
  • Community Concerns, Bucksport: $6,000
  • Camden Area Christian Food Pantry: $7,500
  • Congolese Community Association of Maine, Portland: $5,000
  • Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Brewer: $15,000
  • Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry: $8,000
  • Good Shepherd Food Bank, Auburn: $75,000
  • Greater Ecumenical Fort Kent Food Pantry: $6,000
  • Health Equity Alliance, Bangor: $9,000
  • In Her Presence, Portland: $1,000
  • Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry, Calais: $7,500
  • Leeds Community Church (Deacon’s Food Pantry): $7,500
  • Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, Ellsworth: $6,000
  • Lubec Community Outreach Center: $7,500
  • Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services, Lewiston: $1,500
  • Mano en Mano, Milbridge: $2,500
  • Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, Brunswick: $8,000
  • New England Arab American Organization, Portland: $1,000
  • No Greater Love Food Pantry, Belfast: $6,000
  • Oxford Hills Food Pantry, Norway: $6,000
  • Passamaquoddy Tribe, Indian Township: $9,000
  • Passamaquoddy Tribe, Pleasant Point: $13,000
  • Penobscot Nation, Indian Island: $14,000
  • Phillips Area Food Pantry: $8,000
  • Piscataquis Regional Food Center, Dover-Foxcroft: $7,500
  • Presente Maine, Portland: $1,000
  • Richmond Area Food Pantry Incorporated: $7,500
  • Saco Food Pantry: $7,500
  • Second Congregational Church, UCC, Newcastle: $5,000
  • Seniors Plus, Lewiston: $15,000
  • Skowhegan Community Food Cupboard: $7,500
  • Somali Bantu Community Association, Lewiston: $2,500
  • Southern Maine Agency on Aging, Scarborough: $15,000
  • Southwest Oxford County Nutrition Inc., Brownfield: $6,000
  • Spectrum Generations (Central Maine Agency on Aging), Augusta: $15,000
  • St. Mary’s Health System (St. Mary's Nutrition Center's Food Pantry), Lewiston: $10,000
  • Town of Dover-Foxcroft: $7,500
  • Town of Jackman: $7,500
  • Volunteer Regional Food Pantry, Unity: $6,000
  • Wayside Food Programs, Portland: $10,000
  • What’s for Suppa? Food Pantry, Mariaville: $6,000
  • York Community Service Association: $8,500

Maine Community Foundation COVID-19 response grants to fund agencies providing food, shelter, child care, mental health, rental assistance and transportation services:

  • Angolan Community Association, Portland: $4,000
  • Aroostook County Action Program, Presque Isle: $15,000
  • Capital Area New Mainers Project, Augusta: $10,000
  • Catholic Charities Maine: $16,000
  • Community Concepts, Lewiston: $20,000
  • Downeast Community Partners, Ellsworth: $15,000
  • Gateway Community Services, Portland: $10,000
  • Immigrant Resource Center of Maine, Lewiston: $10,000
  • In Her Presence, Portland: $10,000
  • Kennebec Valley Community Action Programs, Augusta: $20,000
  • Ladder to the Moon/Amjambo Africa, Portland: $9,000
  • Maine Access Immigrant Network, Portland: $10,000
  • Maine Association of Nonprofits: $10,000
  • Maine Community Integration, Lewiston: $10,000
  • Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services, Lewiston: $8,500
  • Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, Portland: $10,000
  • Mano en Mano, Milbridge: $5,000
  • MCH (Making Community Happen), Rockland, $7,500
  • Midcoast Maine Community Action, Bath: $20,000
  • My Place Teen Center, Westbrook: $5,000
  • New England Arab American Organization, Portland: $10,000
  • New Mainers Public Health Initiative, Lewiston: $10,000
  • Opportunity Alliance/PROP, South Portland: $20,000
  • Penquis CAP, Bangor: $20,000
  • Presente Maine, Portland: $10,000
  • ProsperityME, Portland: $10,000
  • Somali Bantu Community Association, Lewiston: $10,000
  • Somali Community Center of Maine, Portland: $5,000
  • Sustainable Livelihoods Relief Organization, Lewiston: $7,000
  • Waldo Community Action Partners, Belfast: $15,000
  • Western Maine Community Action, East Wilton: $15,000
  • York County Community Action Corporation, Sanford: $20,000

Maine Community Foundation COVID-19 response grants to fund mental health, domestic violence and substance abuse recovery services:

  • Caring Unlimited, Sanford: $5,000
  • Elder Abuse Institute of Maine, Brunswick: $10,000
  • Family Violence Project, Augusta: $4,000
  • Hope and Justice Project, Presque Isle: $5,000
  • NAMI Maine, Hallowell: $10,000
  • New Hope for Women, Rockland: $5,000
  • Partners for Peace (aka Spruce Run), Bangor: $5,000
  • Safe Voices, Farmington: $5,000
  • Spurwink Services, Portland: $15,000
  • Through These Doors, Portland: $8,000

Maine Community Foundation COVID-19 response grants to fund shelters for the homeless, homeless prevention organizations, and housing services for low-income Mainers:

  • Avesta, Portland: $10,000
  • Bangor Area Homeless Shelter: $8,000
  • Bread of Life Ministries, Augusta: $6,000
  • City of Portland Oxford Street Shelter: $10,000
  • Emmaus Homeless Shelter, Ellsworth: $5,000
  • H.O.M.E. Inc., Orland: $7,500
  • Homeless Services of Aroostook, Presque Isle: $8,600
  • Hope Haven Gospel Mission, Lewiston: $6,400
  • Knox County Homeless Coalition, Rockport: $10,400
  • Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, Waterville: $10,000
  • New Beginnings, Inc., Lewiston: $7,500
  • Penobscot Community Health Center, Bangor: $15,000
  • Preble Street, Portland: $10,000
  • Rumford Group Homes, Rumford: $11,000
  • Rural Community Action Ministries, Leeds: $5,000
  • Shaw House, Bangor: $8,000
  • Tedford Housing, Brunswick: $3,200
  • Volunteers of America Northern New England, Bangor: $10,000
  • Western Maine Homeless Outreach, Farmington: $10,000
  • York County Shelter Programs, Alfred: $10,000

Maine Community Foundation community-building grants

• American Civil Liberties Union of Maine Foundation, to create volunteer-driven know-your-rights trainings (including engaging Customs and Border Patrol officials) for directly impacted immigrant communities and allies providing services: $10,000

• Boys & Girls Club of Augusta, for teen driving program, designed to enhance driver’s education and help teenagers become better, safer drivers: $10,000

• Capital Area New Mainers Project, to increase visibility and expand programming by creating a welcoming community hub at the Augusta Multicultural Center: $10,000

• Central Maine Area Agency on Aging, to support people with IDD (Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities) and memory disorders to grow food in raised garden beds: $5,550

• Children's Center Early Intervention and Family Support, to implement an electronic health record that can improve program quality by accurately and efficiently collecting data that will inform treatment and produce better outcomes: $10,000

• Community Concepts, Inc., to build capacity to meet the identified transportation needs of the most underserved living in Western and Central Maine: $10,000

• Community Dental, to expand access to oral healthcare through technology upgrades: $10,000

• Girls on the Run – Maine, to expand the Girls on the Run program to all Maine counties by spring 2021 through serving sites in Lincoln, Hancock, Somerset, and Franklin counties: $5,000

• Gulf of Maine Research Institute, to pilot decision-support resources for coastal communities to develop the skills, knowledge, and processes to implement actionable plans to respond to sea-level rise: $10,000

• Knox County Homeless Coalition, to improve organizational efficiency by streamlining systems and coordinating community resources to support clients receiving homeless services: $10,000

• Maine Association of Nonprofits, to identify and develop the best ways for MANP to support Maine nonprofits with regards to greater equity awareness and equitable practices: $10,000

• Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, to create a guide for fishermen that provides information and resources about mental health, wellness, and well-being: $10,000

• Maine Development Foundation, to deliver programs that are more inclusive by first ensuring a deep understanding of MDF and its programs and inherent barriers to inclusion: $10,000

• Maine Handgun Violence Education Foundation, to provide pediatricians with the resources and materials necessary to ensure their patients live in homes with safely-secured firearms: $10,000

• Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, to continue to support our community integration efforts for newly arrived asylum seekers in Maine and filling in the gaps where city services end: $10,000

• Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, to address issues of confined and formerly confined citizens and to expand state-wide meeting locations in order to increase access to people of color: $10,000

• Maine Youth Justice, to train young people who are directly impacted by the juvenile justice system in organizing and advocacy skills: $10,000

• New England Arab American Organization, to reach different communities in Maine by traveling with different partners to provide art, science, and music and raising health awareness: $10,000

• New England Music Camp Association, for an Orton Family Heart & Soul coordinator who will also work on the Community Development Plan for the Belgrade Lakes: $8,000

• OUT Maine, to develop trainings for boards of directors of youth organizations and for school boards to educate decisionmakers on how to create safety for LGBTQ+ youth: $10,000

• Salt Pond Community Broadcasting Company, to create a digital library of newly acquired music and to update WERU's preexisting digital archives so that both are permanently available to the public: $10,000

• Sexual Assault Support Services of Midcoast Maine, to purchase fundraising software to manage and maintain growing donor lists and fundraising events in support of core programming: $5,000

• Southern Maine Agency on Aging, for technology upgrades to the organization's server hardware and operating systems: $7,640

• Waterville Creates!, to develop one unified website for Waterville Creates! and its divisions (Maine Film Center, Waterville Opera House, Common Street Arts) with a comprehensive event calendar: $10,000

About the Maine Community Foundation

Maine Community Foundation is based in Ellsworth and has additional personnel in Portland, Dover-Foxcroft, and Mars Hill. The nonprofit works with donors and other partners to provide strong investments, personalized service, local expertise, and strategic giving to improve the quality of life for all Maine people.

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