The Ecology School will receive a $500,000 charitable gift from L.L.Bean Inc. to support three major components of the school’s $14.1 million River Bend Farm campus in Saco.
The gift is one of the largest charitable contributions ever received by the school.
The funding will support construction of a new arrival plaza, a new waterfront area for recreation and environmental education on the Saco River, and a three-year sponsorship of the new River Bend Farm Family Camp.
The gift marks the retailer’s largest charitable contribution to a Maine nonprofit thus far in 2021 and the third-largest gift the company has bestowed to date in 2021.
“We are so grateful for this generous gift from L.L.Bean and energized by the fact that they wanted to invest in our work to invite people of all ages away from their screens and into the outdoors,” the school’s president, CEO and co-founder, Drew Dumsch, said in a news release. “All of these important gifts have allowed us to fulfill our hope of creating a campus of national significance.”
The school is a nonprofit environmental residential learning center founded in 1998. Its $14.1 million project broke ground in 2019.
The school is the first location in Maine to aim for Living Building certification, which exceeds the rating of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and the Passive House Institute.
Dumsch noted that L.L.Bean’s support of the plaza, waterfront area and family camp is in keeping with the company’s brand.
The family camp is scheduled to open this summer as a blend of curated programming and free time for families to reconnect with nature and with each other.
The River Bend Farm expansion is the result of dozens of generous donors and brought together green design, construction and renewable energy.
“We know that time outside can have a tremendous impact on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing,” said Shawn Gorman, executive chairman of L.L.Bean. “We’re proud to partner with The Ecology School as they focus on helping kids of all ages learn about the world around them through an outdoor-first education approach.”
News of the gift came on the heels of the campus unveiling over Earth Week, which included opening a 9,000 square-foot dormitory and 7,000 square-foot Poland Spring Education and Dining Commons, and flipping the switch on a 712-panel solar array that generates 105% net positive energy.
Fundraising is nearly complete, but the school continues to seek support for handicapped accessibility features, permaculture landscaping, staff housing and a new kitchen root cellar for storing produce grown on the farm.