Harold Alfond Foundation

This is the third Harold Alfond Foundation grant for the School of Technology and Innovation, which offers degrees in extended reality, computer information systems, software development and business analytics.

The three-year challenge grant "marks a pivotal moment for FocusMaine," the organization said in Thursday's announcement.

The funding comes three years after the foundation pledged $90 million toward new sports facilities at Maine's only Division I school.

The My Alfond Grant program, which invests $500 for the future education of each newborn Mainer, has now provided funds for more than 150,000 children. 

The new center for ocean education and innovation will support expanded programming and solutions-focused science.

James Herbert offered lawmakers a range of strategies, including expanding partnerships, leveraging technology, recruiting "more students who look like the communities we need to serve," offering incentives for rural assignments and changing educational models.

The project's projected cost is $93 million. It is made possible by a gift of $30 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation, the largest gift in university's history.

The Central Maine Growth Council's Facade and Building Improvement Grant program, funded in the amount of $60,000 for the 2022-23 grant cycle, will reimburse projects up to 50% of the total projected cost. The program has distributed 22 grants since it launched in 2019, investing more than $2.1 million in the downtown area.

Donors Phillip and Susan Morse have committed $10 million for naming rights to a planned multipurpose arena.