Search Through History Grants in Maine in the U.S.

What We Support

The Rauch Foundation takes an entrepreneurial approach to promoting change by investing in areas where we can have a fundamental impact.

Our mission has two main priorities:

• To promote a healthy planet through research into global food systems.
• To promote the financial preparedness of rising generations of students by supporting schools in the delivery of financial literacy programs

Building on the Rauch Foundation’s long history of providing evidence-based research and data to inform policy, our work in food systems is centered on exploring the nexus between the food we consume and the systems involved in its financing, sourcing, production and delivery. Using the island of Poros, Greece and its efforts to stop the expansion of open net pen industrial fish farming as a case study, we have been laying out a case for how global, national, and regional actions can impact the health of a community, its economy, and the local environment.

Our school-based work in financial literacy acknowledges growing national support for a curriculum that helps young people develop the skills to navigate a successful future for themselves and their families.

Working for systemic change.

The Rauch Foundation invests in ideas and organizations that spark positive systemic change.

We are not afraid of controversial ideas, original approaches, or new ways to tackle old problems. However, we do look for sound data, leadership, other grant partners, strong management skills, and a focus on evidence-based outcomes. Once we invest in the work of an organization, our involvement may include a long-term partnership or assistance with capacity building and leadership.

We are committed to partnering with nonprofits and NGOs, the private sector, labor, research institutions, universities, the media, and other funders to help achieve shared goals and work through common issues.

About Our Grants

Haymarket currently offers two kinds of grants - Sustaining Grants and Urgent Response Grants - for social justice organizing work happening in the New England region. We are committed to supporting both urban and rural organizing across the region. In addition to supporting groups that have a long history of grassroots organizing, we also support start-up and emerging organizations. We make grants for both general operating support and project work.

​​Haymarket gives grants to groups active in the 6 New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Grant decisions are made by Funding Panel Members who collectively determine grant awards according to Haymarket's mission, vision, and principles. Through their organizing and accountability to their constituencies, Funding Panel members help shape Haymarket's work for justice and equity across New England.

Urgent Response Grants

Urgent Response Grants are for up to $5,000 to help grassroots, social change organizations respond quickly to unforeseen crises or opportunities that critically affect your organization and constituency. This includes unexpected events, political crises, or organizing opportunities. 

World Future Fund Grant

Our planet is a world out of balance. We are borrowing from the future at a pace unprecedented in history. There needs to be a giant change in direction. We need to start building for a real future. We are interested in working with and funding groups that have a similar commitment. Our grant program is aimed at areas where other organizations may be better organized than we are, so a grant is more efficient that a WFF program.

The World Future Fund is a non-profit organization that has been set up to do research and to educate people about the need for a greater commitment to investment in the future. We have been in business since 1995 and have been monitoring long term trends.

Priorities

A key goal is creating a sane society here at home in America. This means creating a social democratic society with basic government services that protect the people. America is nothing short of social chamber of horrors among developed states with astronomical levels of child poverty, millions in jail and no universal health insurance.

We are committed to the creation of a social democratic society like Germany or Norway. A particular priority is the creation of a system which places labor union representatives on corporate boards.

Moving Image Fund Grants

The goal of LEF New England is to fund the work of independent documentary film and video artists in the region, and to broaden recognition and support for their work, both locally and nationally. It also supports programs that highlight the rich history and ongoing legacy of innovation within New England’s independent film community.

LEF New England launched the Moving Image Fund (MIF) in 2001 to support new film and video work. The Moving Image Fund provides funding across all phases of production, supporting films from the early risk-taking stage, through a film’s completion. In this way, MIF offers a continuum of support for selected projects, while also identifying new talent.

Through MIF, LEF New England champions work that is provocative, heartfelt, and challenging in style and substance. Since its inception, LEF’s Moving Image Fund has awarded approximately 450 grants to New England-based independent filmmakers with over $5 million in funding. The overarching goal of LEF New England’s philanthropic investment is to help build a sustainable and strong community of support for artists and their work.

LEF invests in documentary film and video projects that demonstrate excellence in technique, originality of vision and voice, and creativity in form. The strongest proposals will be those that clearly articulate the ways in which the proposed project aligns with the program’s funding criteria.

Funding Criteria: 

• Quality of cinematic form and technique
• Originality of filmmaker’s voice, vision, and point of view
• Resonance and power of the film’s core idea or story
• Feasibility of production

Production Funding

A maximum of (8) grants of $15,000 each will be awarded to projects in the Production phase during LEF’s major grants review. 

Appropriate Use of Funds: Production funds may be used for shooting picture and sound, early stage editing, equipment costs, materials, travel, and staffing (creative, technical, or otherwise).

Post-Production Funding

A maximum of (6) grants of $25,000 each will be awarded to projects in the Post-production phase during LEF’s major grants review. In order to be eligible for Post-production support, the project for which you are applying must have received previous LEF support.

Appropriate Use of Funds: Post-production funds may be used for editing costs, rights, online, sound mix, color correction, transfers, distribution strategy, and staffing (creative, technical, or otherwise).

History

The Davis Family Foundation is a public charitable foundation established by Phyllis C. Davis and H. Halsey Davis of Falmouth, Maine, to support educational, medical and cultural/arts organizations located primarily in Maine.

The Foundation was established following Mr. Davis' retirement as President and Chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. Their overriding goal for the Foundation was simple and straightforward: “to make grants where they will do the most good and where our gifts make a real difference.” The Foundation has provided more than $63.5 million in grants since its grantmaking activities began in 1986.

Project Guidance

Education projects

Ideal education projects

• Are innovative, inspirational, and based on research
• Involve educators in both design and execution
• Strive to make a meaningful impact:
  • Transforming the learning experience or post-academic outlook for specific learners
  • Inspiring systemic change in Maine education

Medical projects

Ideal medical projects:

• Solve systemic medical issues through programs or initiatives backed by evidence. The project should be scalable, replicable and ultimately sustainable independent of grant funding
• Are unique and not ongoing and/or managing care

Cultural/Arts projects

The Foundation seeks Cultural/Arts Projects that will create an engaging and/or informative cultural/arts experience for Maine community members, or preserve important cultural and historic elements of Maine in a manner that reflects best practice.

Ideal cultural/arts projects:

• Are unique and not ongoing
• Increase/expand access to year-round residents of Maine
• Support an organization's strategic goals as defined in a strategic plan
• Include multiple funding sources

About Third Wave Fund

​​Third Wave Fund is the only national fund that supports youth-led Gender Justice activism to advance the political power, well-being, and self determination of communities of color and low-income communities in the United States.

We hold the following beliefs:

• People directly impacted by an issue are best positioned to design and lead solutions.
• The leadership of young women of color, trans, intersex, queer and gender non-conforming youth brings critical analysis and power to all social justice movements.
• We will only achieve deep and lasting change if we address the root cause of an issue.

Mobilize Power Fund

The Mobilize Power Fund is a rapid response fund that resources gender justice organizations to adapt or pivot their work when met with unanticipated, time-sensitive opportunities or threats to their movement building work and organizing conditions. ​The Mobilize Power Fund prioritizes organizations that are responding to specific incidents or changes of circumstances that have occurred in the last six months. This can include rapid response mobilizations, healing justice work, conflict resolution/conflict transformation, community accountability, mutual aid, direct actions, emergency safety, security, and defense needs, and more. This fund prioritizes groups and organizations who are experiencing an unanticipated incident. Because of this, organizations applying on behalf of a budget shortfall or preplanned events or ongoing programming will not be prioritized.

History

We launched the Mobilize Power Fund because powerful movements need the ability to respond to and heal from immediate threats and opportunities with flexible and responsive funding. Mobilize Power Fund’s first iteration was to support organizers against HB2, the transphobic “Bathroom Bill” proposed in North Carolina in 2016.

Who is the fund for?

The Mobilize Power Fund prioritizes organizations that are led by young women of color (transgender and cisgender), and trans, queer, gender non conforming and intersex young people of color under 35, led by and for communities directly impacted by the issues they focus on, have an intersectional gender justice lens, and have a total organizational budget under $500k​. Groups do not need 501c3 of fiscal sponsor status to apply.

What kind of work do the funds support?

The fund covers unanticipated and time-sensitive community organizing or direct action, Participatory Action Research, healing justice work, conflict mediation/resolution, legal or bail fees, marches or rallies, leadership training & skills building, mutual aid, unanticipated legislative or ballot initiative campaigns.

How much are the grants for?

Grants can be made for up to $10,000 USD. Larger grants may be made on a case-by-case basis. Partnership or coalitions of two or more groups can request up to $20,000 USD.

Community Building Grant Program

Purpose

This grant program supports projects and organizations focused on making communities stronger.

Criteria

All applicants must meet the Maine Community Foundation’s grant eligibility requirements. Please read our eligibility and grant guidelines before applying.

Your proposed project or organization must:

• Invest in people by increasing skills/abilities, knowledge, and/or well-being
• Engage the people you serve in the design, delivery, and/or evaluation of the work
• Strengthen community resources including organizations, partnerships, and built and natural environments.

Types of Funding

The Community Building Grant Program is one of the only grant programs in Maine that supports a broad range of projects and organizations across the entire state, including arts, education, environment, economic development, and human services. It is also MaineCF’s largest grant program and receives more than 600 applications annually. It provides project grants and general support grants.

Project Grants are for new projects (defined as within the first two years), including capital expenses. Your project must meet the Community Building criteria listed above AND your organization must:

• Be located in Maine, defined as your organization has a Maine address
• Have had expenses AT or ABOVE $500,000 in the most recent completed fiscal or financial year
  • Municipalities, government agencies, public schools, or faith-based organizations may apply regardless of expenses for their most recent completed fiscal or financial year
• Total project budget does not exceed $100,000
• Project expenses DO NOT to include endowments, annual appeals, or scholarships.

General Support Grants are for flexible funding of any type such as new/expanding/ongoing programs and operational needs including capital expenses. Your organization’s primary work must meet the Community Building criteria listed above AND your organization must:

• Be located in Maine, defined as your organization has a Maine address
• Have had expenses BELOW $500,000 in the most recent completed fiscal or financial year
• NOT be a municipality, government agency, public school, or faith-based organization. (These organizations may be eligible for NEW project grants only.)

Amount

Max Award: $10,000

Animal Welfare Grant Program

The Sewall Foundation’s support for animal well-being is rooted in the interests of its founder and our recognition that the health and well-being of animals, people and environment are inextricably linked. A just, healthy, and sustainable Maine requires that all life is recognized for its inherent value. We will fund organizations working to reduce barriers to equitable pet ownership, keep pets with their owners, and humanely control pet populations. The focus of this funding is on cats and dogs.

With the adoption of the Sewall approach in 2024 we have further refined our priorities to focus on companion animals and the intersection of human and companion animal well-being.

Priorities

Our focus is on supporting organizations and efforts that are working on at least one of the following:

• Provide humane sheltering and rehoming services primarily for cats and dogs (animal shelters)
• Provide supports to keep pets with their owners (animal shelters or social service agencies)
• Provide access to affordable veterinary care
• Advocacy and field building
• Humanely controlling pet population

We will prioritize organizations that:

• Are under-resourced and serve under-resourced communities
• Provide (or seek to) community supports designed to keep animals in homes and out of shelters (e.g. access to affordable neutering services, pet food pantries, veterinary assistance programs, training and humane-education, crisis management assistance such as temporary sheltering)
• Work collaboratively to meet animal and community needs

Funding

• Available Funding: $1,515,000
• Generally, grant funding levels in this program area are:
  • Animal Shelters: $10,000 to $50,000 per year
    • 1–3-year proposals will be considered
  • Field Building: $25,000 to $75,000 per year
    • 1–5-year proposals will be considered
  • Social Services: $10,000 to $50,000 per year
    • 1–3-year proposals will be considered
  • Pet Population Control: $10,000 to $50,000 per year
    • 1–3-year proposals will be considered

Food Systems Grant Program

The Sewall Foundation is committed to working with our grantee and philanthropic partners to co-create a thriving, healthy, and just food system where local communities are guiding decisions about, and have abundant access to, the resources needed for collective well-being and the foods that remind us we belong.

Priorities

The Food Systems program will support efforts that are working in one or more of the follow areas in Maine:

• Food justice
• Food sovereignty
• Land and water sovereignty and access
• Nutrition equity 
• Food networks
• Food policy

Funding will be prioritized for efforts that: 

• Are led by, and/or serving, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, rural Mainers, and women that strengthen Maine’s local food system
• Are equity-driven, grassroots efforts guided by the expertise of those closest to the injustices of our current food system
• Contribute to the viability of healthy and just food systems (this may be through resourcing, technical assistance, capacity building, partnerships, etc.)
• Resource communities most affected by racial and socioeconomic inequity to build collective power and wealth
• Support both the immediate material conditions of those in need and the emergence of sovereign and just food systems 
• Are smaller and have barriers to accessing resources (e.g., historically marginalized groups, fiscally sponsored work, etc.)

Funding

• Available Funding: $1,870,000
• Generally, grant funding levels in this program area are:
  • Individual organizations/efforts: $10,000 to $60,000 (per year)
    • Increased funding amounts may be available to organizations that meet multiple program priority areas.
    • 1-5 year proposals will be considered.
  • Collaborations/efforts involving multiple organizations/groups: up to $200,000 (per year)
    • Occasionally, organizations may apply for both organizational and collaborative funds.
    • 1-5 year proposals will be considered.
  • Transformational opportunities: variable funding levels
    • The purpose of transformational opportunities is to address critical community priorities and create sustainable, systemic changes. These efforts should advance processes and approaches that heal, correct unjust conditions and structures, and create conditions for fair access to power, resources, and opportunities.
    • Generally, 1-2 year proposals will be considered.

Keystone Grant Program

The Keystone program prioritizes grassroots and community-led efforts to address environmental and racial justice, as a key strategy for equitable social change and community well-being. By funding efforts that use advocacy and community organizing, and strategic messaging and communications, and by funding organizations that provide essential capacity supports for grassroots and community-led efforts, we will contribute to building a robust civic engagement infrastructure to advance a just, sustainable, healthy Maine.

Priorities

Our focus is on supporting organizations and efforts that meet at least three of the following criteria:

• Demonstrate a clear commitment to environmental justice and racial justice
• Are grassroots or community-led. Sewall understands grassroots efforts to be inclusive community-led and -based efforts that include everyday people working to bring about a change through collective action. Grassroots efforts include and are led by people from the community that is primarily affected by the issue they are addressing
• Provide meaningful capacity and technical support to grassroots and community-led efforts in Maine
• Work to create conditions necessary for a just, healthy, sustainable future, with a primary focus on advocacy, community organizing, civic engagement, and/or field- and movement-building efforts
• Work statewide in Maine or regionally with clear impact in Maine

We prioritize applicants that: 

• Are led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color, rural Mainers, and women;
• Are working collaboratively across sectors; and/or
• Have an explicit commitment to environmental justice and/or racial justice

Funding

• Available Funding: $1,500,000
• Our normal grant range is $10,000-50,000 for individual organizations. Collaborative grants that will be shared with multiple partners may be up to $200,000.

Lewiston-Auburn Program Grant

Sewall Foundation, in partnership with other funders, supports organizations in Lewiston and Auburn (L-A) that are engaged in a broadly participatory, community-based, collaboration-building process. Sewall grants support organizations that are working together through L-A’s Systems Approach to strengthen collaboration, build sustainable capacity, and deepen equity, by centering leadership by youth and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Grants in the Lewiston-Auburn Program are allocated through L-A’s collaborative decision-making process.

Priorities

Our grants, convenings, and values-aligned investments, support collective work in L-A that addresses one or more of these four priority areas:

• Equitable Municipal Systems
• Workforce Access and Economic Development
• Community Health, Wellness and Food Systems
• Healthy, Affordable Housing

Funding

• Available Funding: $1,710,000
• Most of the available funding will support multi-year grants over 2 or 3 years.
• A modest portion of funding will be available to support emergent work, mostly through 1-year grants.
• Grant sizes will vary and will be determined by the participatory process prior to the grant deadline.
  • Normal operating grants are $10,000 per year per organization.
  • Larger grants may be made for collaborative efforts which include several non-profit partners.

Nature-Based Education Program Grant

Meaningful experiences in nature demonstrably improve individual well-being and strengthen communities. However, current systems perpetuate inequities, including those rooted in systemic racism, and fail to fairly provide access to outdoor experiences and education for all Mainers. We believe that conservation efforts benefit from individuals that have a personal connection with nature. Our Nature-Based Education funding supports collaborative and organizational initiatives that advance the field, build strong networks that change systems and policy, include and elevate diverse voices and leadership, and result in equitable outcomes for all Mainers.

Priorities

Our focus is on two main areas: Systems Level Funding and direct Programming Funding.

• Systems Level Funding supports:
  • Field Building
  • Network & Movement Building
  • Data & Evaluation
  • Advocacy & Policy
• Direct Programming Funding provides general operating grants that prioritize organizations led by groups historically underrepresented in the nature-based education sector and working to create equitable opportunities that will have transformational impact for the field.

Funding

• Available Funding: $1,305,000
• We anticipate making multi-year systems funding grants of up to $200,000. Direct Programming grants will typically range from $10,000 to $50,000 and multi-year requests will be considered. 

Rural Partnerships Program Grant

The Sewall Foundation works with our partners to create a thriving, healthy, and resilient rural Maine where communities envision and guide their future. We support collaborative backbone infrastructure and partnerships that co-create solutions to structural problems with the communities closest to the issues at hand and achieve outcomes beyond what any single organization could achieve on their own.

Priorities

For over a decade, the Sewall Foundation has focused on place-based rural grantmaking in the Katahdin Region and Washington County. Over the next three years, we will continue to prioritize work in the Katahdin Region and Washington County while also exploring ways to expand support by the specified year for additional regional, statewide, and cross-sector partnerships.

Priority work supported in the past includes:

• Affordable housing
• Broadband expansion
• Climate change planning and adaptation
• Community development
• Economic development
• Food systems
• Human health and social service systems change initiatives
• Natural resource-based economic opportunities (ex. regional trail systems, industrial mill site cleanup and redevelopment)
• Regional visioning or planning initiatives
• Two-generation (2Gen) approaches
• Wabanaki partnerships (land back, habitat restoration, economic development)
• Workforce development and training

Funding

• Available Funding: 2,885,000
• Generally, grant funding levels in this program area are:
  • Individual organizations: $10,000 to $60,000 per year
    • Increased funding amounts may be available to organizations that are acting as a hub for federal grants or that have special capital, operating, or project needs.
  • Collaborative efforts involving multiple organizations/groups: up to $200,000 per year
    • Occasionally, organizations may apply for both organizational and collaborative funds
  • Transformational opportunities: variable funding levels
    • These efforts address critical community and regional priorities and create sustainable, systemic changes. Generally, funding is limited to one to two years.

About School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN).

Utilizing a unique framework of funding systems offered by the Department of Health and Human Services, managed care organizations, health insurers, and private donors, SBHSN promotes a system of care model (Coaching Model℠) offering a mix of evidenced-based intervention, prevention, and care coordination services to children in grades K-12. The Coaching Model aims to expand quality mental healthcare access on public school campuses and improve children's social, emotional, behavioral, family, and wellness outcomes.

School-Based Mental Health Implementation Grant

In response to the growing number of students who need mental health counseling, the School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN) is accepting applications from Local Education Agencies (LEA), Public and Private Universities, State and local Colleges, Charter School Management Companies, Public Schools, Charter Schools, and Non-Profit Organizations (501c3) to implement and expand mental health program services on local school campuses. Grantees will receive direct funding and reimbursement to support the following activities: 

• Expanding access to School-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
• Coordinating mental healthcare services with school administration and staff. 
• Delivering mental healthcare services and coordinating academic-support activities to students with a history of attendance, behavior, and poor academic performance.

FUNDING

5-Years, renewable based on meeting performance goals 5-year award ceiling is $5,500,000.

Grant Guidelines

For application-based grants, the Betterment fund’s minimum annual grant is $10,000. The maximum annual grant usually does not exceed $35,000. The average annual grant, whether for multiple years or a single year, is $15,000-$20,000. Three years is the maximum period of time the Betterment Fund will consider for a multi-year grant. The largest grants tend to be made to applicants with a successful history of grant management with the Betterment Fund

Current Grant Priorities

Education, health, conservation and community support are our primary grant categories. We also recognize that certain projects transcend these categories and have defined a number of “cross-sector” areas.

Community Support

We favor community-wide programs or regional systemic approaches to issues to improve well-being within the following current priority areas:

• Downtowns
• Basic Human Needs:
• Legal Protections

Proposals less likely to be funded include individual school programs, programming supplementary to the curricula of schools, and construction projects. Any funding of scholarships at Maine colleges and universities is done only at the initiative of the trustees rather than in response to grant requests.

Education

We believe that every Maine resident is entitled to an education which equips the individual to lead a satisfying, productive and economically independent life, and we are interested in funding broad-based educational policy initiatives to that end. Please see “Health” and the Cross-Sector areas of “Early Childhood” and “Economic Development” for initiatives related to education in those areas. More particularly we fund:

• Educational Quality
• Adult Education
• Arts Education
• Higher Education Aspirations

Proposals less likely to be funded include individual school programs, programming supplementary to the curricula of schools, and construction projects.

Conservation

Perpetuating a balanced, dynamic relationship between the natural and built environments in the three-million-acre corridor between the White Mountain National Forest and the Moosehead Lake region is of particular interest. To that end we sponsor the following initiatives within the extensive and varied landscape which covers most of Oxford, Franklin and Somerset counties:

• Preservation of special places, particularly those identified by the local communities, along the spine of the Appalachian Trail and in the Maine West and High Peaks Regions.
• Support of the responsible development of working forests and agriculture.
• Preservation and restoration of threatened natural habitats.
• Opportunities for traditional Maine recreation in the target region.
• Support of water quality preservation of lakes, rivers and ponds.

Occasionally we may fund projects of land trusts and environmental organizations located in the other rim counties, but we focus primarily on the Western Maine counties listed above.

Health

We are currently focusing our Health grants in the following areas:

• Maine Public Health Policy
• Oral Health
• Increasing Educational Opportunities for Health Careers
• Community Health Projects
• Substance Use Disorder

Please note that projects focused primarily on physical activity and healthy eating should be submitted under our cross-sector “Moving Communities to Health.”

Proposals that are not as likely to be funded include medical research, projects relating to a single disease, actual delivery of medical treatment and capital construction or equipment purchases

Cross-Sector Areas

We have identified these areas as being particularly susceptible to consideration under more than one of our traditional priority categories.

Economic Development

We recognize that the expansion of Maine’s economy will advance other areas of Betterment Fund concern. We particularly support the following programs:

• Entrepreneurship
  • Programs that promote scalable entrepreneurship, particularly in rural areas.
  • Areas of particular interest include women- and minority-owned businesses and improved coordination of existing entrepreneurship and economic development efforts, including with educational initiatives.
  • The development of careers and businesses in the trades is also of interest.
• Agricultural Capacity
  • Improvements to the competitiveness and long-term viability of Maine farms and farmers by providing technical support and improving access to distribution and markets.
• Tourism
  • Promotion and development of quality tourism as an engine for economic opportunity in the mountain and forest regions, with particular preference for the Western Mountains region.
• Broadband
  • Support of planning and implementation projects to increase access to broadband in local communities of Oxford, Franklin, Somerset, and northern Cumberland Counties, conditioned upon local municipal and/or nonprofit community entities’ commitment of resources to such projects.

Creative Economy

The Betterment Fund is primarily interested in regional and statewide strategies promoting the economic enhancement of communities through arts and culture.

Early Childhood

The Betterment Fund has prioritized improvement of the education, health, and general well-being of Maine’s youngest children, from before birth through preschool age. Our focus in this area is funding the development of best practices for the physical, mental, and psychosocial health and development of young children. We support policy work that leads to the adoption of state or federal policies to achieve these outcomes and the establishment and maintenance of the broad infrastructure to carry out this work. We also are interested in the development of an economically viable and accessible system of childcare for working families. We are unlikely to make grants to individual school or childcare center programs.

Moving Communities to Health

Of interest are community-scale initiatives taking advantage of natural and other qualities inherent in the community’s locale and promoting the participation of its residents in active recreation and other activities (such as healthy eating) conducive to healthy lifestyles and prevention of illness. Essential elements of this priority include:

• A demonstrated connection to individuals’ physical and/or mental health; and
• Initiation by and for the residents of an identified geographic-based community (as opposed to individuals with common interests or attributes drawn from more disparate geographic areas).

Philanthropy

The Betterment Fund embraces opportunities to collaborate with other state-wide philanthropic organizations that seek to improve grant-making and support charitable activities in Maine. In addition to making grants, the Betterment Fund supports and participates in a number of funder groups around specific issues.

Grant Philosophy

Growing Human Wholeness

Fostering stronger relationships between people and nature through movement and nourishment. We award grants to Maine-based nonprofits who are working to advance Human Wholeness.

We have two grant periods each year, one for each of our focus areas.

Focus Area: Nourishment

Empowering people to consistently choose regional and plant-based foods that restore human and environmental health.

Strategies include (but are not limited to):

• Promoting participation in community gardens and farms
• Growing knowledge and skills for selecting and preparing healthy, natural, local foods
• Addressing community disparities to access affordable regional foods
• Educating Mainers on the human and environmental health benefits of a regional, plant-based diet
• Expanding gleaning, food waste reduction and composting programs
• Advocating for healthier menu options within institutions
• Building awareness and skills for regenerative, sustainable farming techniques
• Awakening pride and joy from growing food in a family or community setting
• Exploring ecological truths that link humans with nature through daily food choice 

Funding

The Quimby Family Foundation awards grants from $2,500 up to $25,000. We provide a very small number of larger investments on an invitation-only basis. 

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

JSF is a young, growing organization. In 1992, we funded two projects totaling $2000; in 1996, we funded ten projects for a total of $13,265; in 1998, we funded nine projects for a total of $18,300; and in 2000 we have funded 5 projects for a total of $24,550.  Projects have ranged from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

While we generally like to fund a variety of projects, we will consider giving the majority of our funds to a single entity in any grant cycle.

It is the objective of John Sage Foundation to promote and enhance a harmonious relationship between people and the natural environment.

Type of projects JSF has funded:

• Land acquisition and site evaluations
• Water testing programs
• Environmental education - programs, planning and scholarships
• Support for an environmental center and library
• Boardwalks for nature preserves
• Community garden program
• Natural history museum equipment

The Fund for Wild Nature provides grants to small groups who get things done, and we’ve been at it for nearly 40 years. Please see our History page for some highlights. Our Board of Directors is comprised of lifelong environmental activists who know which steps are needed to protect and restore species and habitat, and which strategies and tactics will work. We will direct your donation to where it is most needed. Join us as an investor in wild nature!Guiding Principles

The Fund for Wild Nature’s board is rooted in biocentrism and believes that native species and healthy ecosystems are too essential to be sacrificed. Wild areas are increasingly rare and under relentless pressure from a variety of threats. Yet these wild areas constitute the main reservoirs of biodiversity, and provide key scientific reference points for our understanding of the planet’s wondrous cycles of birth, life, death, and decay. Wild nature, and the native flora and fauna within, also provide priceless ecosystem services, including clean air, water, pollination, and climate regulation, which are vital to life on Earth.

Our goal is to fund groups that recognize the inherent value of wild places and work to preserve and protect natural systems. We support efforts that challenge destructive policies and actions: bold groups that often face tough odds and politically and economically powerful opponents. Hope for the future depends upon active, informed, and passionate people who defend wild nature. Our strength is in the groups we fund and the donors that give us the opportunity to invest in wild nature.

Arts & Humanities Grants

Arts and Humanities Grants supports organizations in Maine that present stories and cultural expressions of the state, its communities, and its people.

A partnership between the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Arts Commission, these grants support innovative community projects that have both arts and humanities components.

What are the humanities?

The main goal of the humanities is to develop awareness and understanding of people’s lived experience, and to put it into words. Any aspect of human culture — literature, art, music, history, laws, ethics, philosophy – becomes humanities content when participants in the program or project are invited to deepen their understanding of the work and its context through interpretation, analysis, or discussion.

Humanities programs and projects can take many forms: exhibitions, conferences, film/video productions, podcasts/radio shows, discussions, performances framed by interpretation. What they have in common is a commitment to involving people in thinking, reflecting, and talking about important aspects of what it can be like to be alive.

One of the hallmarks of the humanities is the ethic of nonjudgmental discussion. All projects must evidence a spirit of inquiry, a balance between critical and celebratory perspectives, and provide a range of viewpoints and informed opinions, consistent with MHC’s non-partisan mission. This is especially true when projects treat highly charged issues. Please note that MHC does not fund projects that promote a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view or discriminate against persons or groups.

Criteria

We evaluate proposals on their strength and clarity in the following areas: humanities content, project goals and impact, project design, outreach and engagement, and budget.

Funding

Up to $1,000

About MainStreet Foundation

The MainStreet Foundation awards grants for projects that impact the essentials, like food, security, shelter and education. We strive to positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community so they may have a supportive and safe environment.

Who We Are

The MainStreet Foundation’s board is comprised of Androscoggin Bank employees, members of the Bank’s Board of Directors, Bank Corporators and community members. The MainStreet Board is made up of individuals who care about our community and who understand the importance of creating a stable childhood in the development of Maine as a place to live and work.

History of Giving

The MainStreet Foundation was started by an investment from Androscoggin Bank in 1997, and issued its first grants in 1998. The Foundation works separately from Androscoggin Bank, but uses resources and in-kind support provided by the Bank.

25K for Kids Grant

Once a year we collect applications for the $25K for Kids grant. After applications are submitted, the Board meets and selects three finalists to make a presentation. From the finalists, one organization receives the special $25,000 award.

Grant Philosophy

Growing Human Wholeness

Fostering stronger relationships between people and nature through movement and nourishment.  We award grants to Maine-based nonprofits who are working to advance Human Wholeness.

We have two grant periods each year, one for each of our focus areas.

Focus Area: Movement

Creating and supporting opportunities for people to consistently choose, and meaningfully experience, nearby nature and wilderness through movement and activity.

Strategies include (but are not limited to):

• Deepening the bonds between people, nature, and one another through immersive wilderness journeys
• Growing outdoor recreation events to discover nearby nature and commune with neighbors
• Reducing barriers (social, physical, logistical) for people to access nearby nature and open space
• Creating, promoting, or restoring parks, gardens, and green spaces
• Addressing community disparities to encourage safe, equitable outdoor access
• Promoting active transportation choices to benefit self and environment
• Marketing successful programs and under-utilized nearby nature spaces
• Building or improving trails for walking, hiking, biking, and winter travel
• Partnering with healthcare professionals to champion movement as a tool - and nature as an asset - to support public health
• Awakening instinctive bonds and exploring relationships that link humans with nature

Funding

The Quimby Family Foundation awards grants from $2,500 up to $25,000. We provide a very small number of larger investments on an invitation-only basis. 

Rapid Response Program Fund

The Rapid Response Fund is a grant opportunity that supports emergency and/or time-sensitive needs of organizations and communities whose work aligns with the Sewall Foundation’s mission: To support a culture of equity and interconnected well-being for people, animals, and the environment in Maine.

• Emergency refers to an unexpected and unplanned event or situation that requires an immediate and time-limited response.
• Time-sensitive refers to opportunities that are short-term in duration (usually within the next few months) and purpose.

Some examples of Rapid Response Fund grants that we’ve recently made are included below. Funding requests can be for work happening anywhere in Maine and do not need to fit into one of our grant programs.

Priorities

In keeping with Sewall’s values and commitment to fostering equity and centering community voice, Rapid Response Fund grants are generally focused on:

• Community-based organizations with operating budgets under $250,000
• Organizations led by and/or serving black, indigenous, people of color, rural Mainers, and women
• Land back and land access efforts. Up to $100,000 of available Rapid Response funds will be dedicated towards down payments, legal fees, appraisals, due diligence, and other time sensitive acquisition costs

Additional priorities include:

• Organizations, networks, or grassroots efforts working to coordinate or mobilize response/action for their field or sector, a geographic region, or a specific community or population
• Collaborative and cross-sector efforts
• Efforts that are explicit in their commitment to racial and environmental justice
• Efforts that integrate the well-being of people, animals and the environment

Funding

• Available Funding: $400,000
  • Up to $100,000 is for land back and land access projects
• Grant Size: Most Rapid Response Fund grants will be no greater than $10,000.
• Grant Term: All Rapid Response Fund grants are limited to a 12 month term.  

What We Support

The Rosamond Thaxter Foundation’s mission is to support charitable organizations in and around Kittery Maine, Portsmouth New Hampshire, and the Isles of Shoals. While the Foundation’s trustees have broad grant-making authority, they focus on supporting local non-profit organizations involved in the following areas:

• History; 
• Healthcare and Social Services;
• Land Conservation;
• Education;
• Museums and Libraries;
• The Arts.

Background

The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust was established in 1988 by Joan Morton Kelly and her mother, Mildred Duncan Morton, to facilitate their philanthropic activities.

Foundation Program Areas

The overarching interest of the Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust is to connect people and place through the arts, culture and the natural environment in Maine. Program Areas reflect how communities, organizations and individuals can cultivate creative expression and a sense of responsibility towards one another and to the lands and waters around us. Proposals may be for operating support or specific projects and may be of local or statewide benefit. Across all programs, community connection is paramount.

Program Areas of interest to the Trust are Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation and Environmental Initiatives.

Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation

The Trust is interested in community arts and cultural programs, cultural facility improvements, historic preservation projects and celebration of the diverse cultural heritage of Maine.

Arts and culture programs and organizations help foster vibrant communities, creative expression, inspiration and build community connections. Community cultural centers and preservation of historic sites and resources can enhance downtown and community revitalization efforts and be a cornerstone of community arts and cultural life. The Trust is also interested in programs that expand cross-cultural understanding of the unique and layered histories of Maine and contemporary expressions of culture and heritage.

The Trust’s Arts and Culture Program Area welcomes operating support or project proposals that meet any of the following goals:

• Access to the arts, creative expression and community cultural programs
  • Priorities include:
    • Access to arts experiences of all kinds, arts education for all ages, and performances and programs that serve Maine communities and residents.
    • Visual and performing arts programs in Maine museums, public libraries, historical societies and other cultural organizations.
    • Both urban and rural programs that reflect local needs and bring community members together, including lectures, exhibits and special events.
    • Projects and programs that serve diverse populations and cultural experiences including Black, Indigenous and people of color in Maine.
• Facility improvements for community cultural centers and historic preservation projects that contribute to community vitality
  • Cultural facility improvement priorities include:
    • Structural, health, safety, public access or energy efficiency improvements.
    • Technology upgrades and other renovation needs.
    • Small venues in rural or underserved areas where few other resources are available, and which contribute to community revitalization.
• Historic preservation projects that contribute to community vitality
  • Priorities include:
    • The restoration and conservation of significant historic structures such as those listed on the National Register, or have documented importance through Tribal Historic Preservation Departments or are a known community landmark.
      • The Trust will support structural improvements and building systems (such as electrical service) rather than maintenance, painting or short-term repairs.
    • Preservation projects may also include restoration of significant material cultural resources.
    • Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide a letter indicating that the Maine Historic Preservation Commission or appropriate Tribal Historic Preservation Office is aware of the project, and that work is being conducted to appropriate preservation standards.
• Celebrate the diverse cultural heritage and multiple histories of Maine
  • Priorities include:
    • Programs that build community connection, celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of Maine communities and elevate the unique experiences of Black, Indigenous and other under-represented groups.
    • Efforts that build bridges within communities to elevate cultural histories of place, expand awareness, cultural connection and share learning.

Environmental Initiatives

The Trust is interested in environmental initiatives that protect ecological values, water quality and ecosystem health through land conservation, stewardship, education and research programs. The Trust is interested in supporting organizations that promote positive relationships with nature including scientific, ecological and cultural perspectives. The Trust is also interested in expanded efforts to conserve culturally significant lands for Wabanaki communities.

The Trust’s Environmental Initiatives Program Area welcomes proposals for operating support or projects that meet any of the following goals or related priorities:

• Provide equitable access to outdoor experiences and nature-based education
  •  Priorities include:
    • Programs that offer outdoor experiences and nature-based education for youth and community members to inspire care and responsibility for the environment.
    • Programs that provide safe, inclusive spaces for youth and others to develop appreciation for nature, science and the social and cultural dimensions of land and place.
    • Programs that benefit BIPOC and underserved communities.
• Enhance environmental stewardship.
  • Priorities include:
    • Support of the growing stewardship responsibilities of conservation groups in light of development pressures, climate change and greater public use of conserved lands and waters.
    • Support of staffing, programs and partnerships for stewardship, education and community engagement.
• Advance new approaches for land conservation
  • Priorities include:
    • Partnerships, tools and relationships for conservation that emphasize equity and inclusion.
    • Land conservation that protects biodiversity or provides access to lands and waters for recreation, education and restoration.
      • Organizations requesting funding for land acquisitions should include a funding plan for the project.
    • Building capacity for the protection, stewardship and management of culturally significant lands for Wabanaki lifeways and culture.
• Promote restoration and improvement of water quality in coastal and inlandwatersheds
  • Priorities include:
    • Applied science and research for the restoration and management of ecosystems, especially the coastal and inland waters of Maine.
    • Relevant research and education for water quality and habitat improvement.
    • Addressing climate change impacts on coastal and aquatic resources.
    • Initiatives that use science, policy and community engagement to improve and restore natural resources and ecosystems.

Funding

Up to $20,000 in grant funding may be requested.

The Elizabeth M. Pfriem Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in March 2015 and based in Rye Brook, New York.

Elizabeth M. Pfriem was the daughter of a Polish immigrant coal miner moves with her family at the end of World War II from the dying coal mines of Scranton, Pa., to the prospect of a better life in the prosperous city of Bridgeport. When you talk about business impact and philanthropic influence in Bridgeport, Mrs. Pfriem’s legacy is to be admired with the likes of P.T. Barnum and industrialist Frank D’Addario. She went about her business quietly yet her impact was wide and loud that benefited school kids, neighborhoods, social service organizations, medical facilities and the Barnum Festival for which she served as ringmaster, the only woman to occupy that role in its 70-year history. 

The Elizabeth M. Pfriem Foundation is dedicated to improving the human condition by supporting public charities that provide education, health services, food security, and safe, affordable housing, primarily focusing on the greater Bridgeport, Connecticut area. The foundation's mission centers on facilitating provisions that help vulnerable populations, especially children and families in need. It supports organizations that align with its goals of enhancing education, healthcare, food access, and housing safety. The foundation is committed to sustainable, high-impact programs that address community needs, particularly in Bridgeport.

Foundation Grants

Grants are made by invitation only to 501(c)(3) public charities that demonstrate fiscal responsibility, strong leadership, and innovative programs poised for growth. The Elizabeth M. Pfriem Foundation considers organizations that fit our funding criteria and align with our mission statement. The Foundation reviews Letters of Inquiry on an ongoing basis. Applications received after the deadline date will be considered for the following year.

DAR Historic Preservation Grants

Since our founding in 1890, the National Society of the DAR has supported historic preservation as one of our three main mission areas (along with patriotism and education). In tens of thousands of locations around the world, we have saved historic properties, erected historic markers, digitized documents and helped to preserve the American story in thousands of meaningful ways.

We’re proud to also provide $250,000 in grants annually to support historic preservation efforts in local communities. The DAR Historic Preservation Grants provide financial assistance for projects that preserve historic resources, sites and other history-related projects. Examples include restoration of historic buildings; digitization or preservation of documents/records; preservation of historical items/artifacts; erection of new or rededication/relocation of existing historical markers; cemetery headstone and monument conservation, etc.