Best Grants for Mentoring Programs in Maine

The Maine Department of Education is inviting proposals for the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) Grants, aimed at funding afterschool and summer programs for students from Pre-K to grade 12. This initiative supports partnerships that enhance academic performance and provide essential enrichment opportunities for students in economically disadvantaged areas, while also offering safe environments for families during non-school hours.

The Neighborhood Builders Program, supported by Bank of America, empowers 501(c)(3) nonprofits through a two-year leadership development initiative. Participants receive funding, training, and networking opportunities to enhance their impact in communities. Since its inception, the program has invested over $346 million, training more than 4,000 leaders. The initiative focuses on advancing social mobility and economic opportunities, ensuring affordable housing, and fostering resilient communities. This program is vital for nonprofits aiming to strengthen their leadership and community engagement.

Maine Community Foundation

Founded in 1983, the Maine Community Foundation brings people and resources together to build a better Maine through strategic giving, community leadership, personalized service, local expertise and strong investments. We offer a range of giving options tailored to fit each donor’s financial means and charitable objectives. Our staff provides personalized service, community leadership, and a deep understanding of local issues.

River Rock Shared Future Fund

Purpose

The River Rock Shared Future Fund’s long-term goal is achieving greater racial equity by increasing economic opportunities, education levels and health and wellness in communities of color in Maine.

Types of Funding

Two-year general support grants 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 River Rock Shared Future Fund criteria listed below.

Multi-year grantees will be selected every two years.

The McGraw Foundation offers annual grants to not-for-profit organizations, primarily in the greater Chicago area, focusing on education, conservation, and human services. Grant amounts typically range from $2,000 to $10,000, with larger grants available for particularly impactful projects. While supporting diverse initiatives, the Foundation does not fund individuals or specific events. Organizations must be tax-exempt under IRS regulations to qualify for funding. The Foundation encourages innovative approaches and partnerships in grant applications.

The Health Career Connection Internship, offered by John Muir Health, is a 10-week full-time program aimed at empowering underrepresented college students in healthcare. This internship provides valuable mentorship, networking opportunities, and real-world experience, focusing on diverse backgrounds. It encourages participants to explore careers in health professions, particularly those from low-income and first-generation college student backgrounds. The program is designed to inspire and motivate interns as they embark on their professional journeys.

The CLIMB Near Peer Mentorship Program by John Muir Health offers a year-long mentorship initiative aimed at developing family medicine learners into community-engaged providers. This program supports high school, undergraduate, and medical students by pairing them with mentors in the healthcare field. Participants engage in weekly virtual meetings and receive guidance throughout their educational journey, fostering a diverse and inclusive future in healthcare professions.

The Reel Change Film Fund is a five-year initiative aimed at supporting underrepresented film composers in the industry. It provides grants averaging $20,000 to assist US-based projects in production or post-production. Created by Christophe Beck and SESAC, this fund addresses the lack of diversity in film scoring, promoting inclusivity for diverse composers. Through mentorship and financial support, it seeks to elevate the careers of talented individuals from various backgrounds, enhancing the overall landscape of film music.

The Josh Dubin Fellowship, launched in January 2022 by the Shawn Carter Foundation, is a seven-week paid program designed for five exceptional students interested in the legal field. This immersive experience includes mentorship from legal professionals, direct involvement in case analysis, and off-site visits to courtrooms. Fellows not only gain invaluable insights into legal practices but also receive additional scholarship support for their educational pursuits, empowering them to overcome socio-economic barriers and achieve their dreams.

The Ai2 Predoctoral Young Investigators Program offers predoctoral candidates a unique opportunity to engage in advanced research through collaboration with experienced mentors. Participants can co-author papers and benefit from a generous travel budget, along with support for visa acquisition. This program is designed for candidates preparing to enter a PhD program in the next 1-2 years, providing essential resources and experiences to facilitate their academic journey.

The Jacob A. Bradley Memorial Scholarship, funded by the Bradley Family Foundation, offers a renewable annual scholarship for U.S. citizens graduating from Conroe Independent School District. This scholarship supports students pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Business or Engineering, providing mentorship alongside financial aid. Eligible candidates must demonstrate strong character and leadership skills. The scholarship honors Jacob A. Bradley, whose legacy inspires students to succeed and make a meaningful impact in their communities.

The Pediatric Oncology Student Training (POST) Program Grant, offered by Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, aims to foster the next generation of pediatric oncology researchers. This summer internship provides undergraduate, graduate, and medical students with hands-on research experience in a supportive environment, focusing on diversity and inclusion. Grants will specifically support students from underrepresented communities in the scientific workforce, enabling impactful research and mentorship opportunities to advance pediatric cancer care.

The Rotary Club of Milwaukee Scholarship provides financial support and mentorship to high school seniors in Milwaukee pursuing higher education. This program, which has been active for over 110 years, aims to invest in the next generation of community leaders. Recipients not only receive financial aid but also engage in educational programming and are paired with mentors for guidance throughout their college journey, ensuring they have the resources needed to succeed.

The Bergel Institute

The Bergel Institute is dedicated to the advancement of human knowledge and the human condition.

The Institute focuses on six major areas:

• Economics
• Science
• Technology
• Consciousness
• Health
• Culture

The common theme in all of the Institute’s work is the pursuit of what is possible. It brings a commitment to critical thinking and the questioning of accepted norms and approaches to issues that lie at the foundation of what we think and how we live. In every discipline, assumptions are tested against evidence.

In addition to its research and programmatic endeavors, the Institute offers fellowships. Fellowships come with high expectations and are supported with structure and active mentorship.

Bergel Institute Fellowships

The Bergel Institute offers Fellowships to individuals of all ages who wish to spend a year in intensive study and project development in a subject area that aligns with the advancement of human knowledge and the human condition. Each year, the Institute will list specific fellowship topics within these areas. Applicants may pick one or propose a different topic, as long as it aligns with the Institute’s goals.

Fellowships run from June to May and are primarily virtual, with two paid Institute visits (to the home office in Florida) as the only in-person expectations during the Fellowship year. Fellows are expected to work approximately 20 hours per week and to bring a strong intrinsic motivation for the project. They will spend the year conducting intensive research and/or project development, supported by Institute staff, with monthly meetings and quarterly progress reports to help maintain momentum.

The Fellowship is also intended to function as an incubator, providing time, guidance, and structure for work that continues beyond the Fellowship year.

As noted above, Fellows travel to the Institute twice during the Fellowship year to present to leadership: once in August, at the end of Q1, and again in May, at the end of the Fellowship year. The May presentation focuses on what was accomplished during the year and the Fellow’s plans for next steps. Final work may take many forms, including detailed manuscripts, the launch of a business or organization; or a video series, documentary films, etc. Travel and lodging for both presentations are covered by the Institute.

Upon completion of the Fellowship year, all Fellows are required to serve as mentors for future Fellows, ensuring that accumulated knowledge and experiences are passed to their successors.

FE3: The Creation of the Mentoring Industry in the United States

In communities where mentors are needed the most, young children look up to the individuals who have preceded them. These individuals understand the local realities firsthand and can offer the type of consistent encouragement that changes life trajectories. This is at the heart of the Fellowship.

Individuals born and raised in communities characterized by high levels of poverty often face challenges that have made it difficult for them to find satisfying employment that leads to generational wealth.

For younger children, the cycles of poverty start at birth, and by age seven they are often part of a cycle of academic underperformance and youth violence. Soon thereafter the lack of career-building pathways are devastating, and yet this continues generation after generation in urban, rural, and suburban neighborhoods across the U.S.

This Fellowship focuses on building the mentorship industry into a credentialed profession, an essential part of the educational system. The goal is to produce a blueprint and complete the early implementation steps needed to create full-time jobs and career pathways, while improving outcomes for children.

The Fellowship includes designing the training, certification, and licensing framework, with The Bergel Institute serving as the standards-setting and certification body. The Institute will work with the Fellow to define competencies, set requirements, approve training partners, and issue credentials to mentors and mentoring organizations beyond the initial pilot site, which will launch during the Fellowship year.

United Institute for Theatre Technology

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) connects performing arts design and technology communities to ensure a vibrant dialog among practitioners, educators, and students.

Driven by our core values of inclusion, excellence, and responsibility, we provide mentorship programs, exhibit opportunities, grant funding, awards, and other opportunities for our members and for the entertainment industry. 

Carolyn A. Satter Production Management Mentorship Program

Carolyn A. Satter Production Management Mentorship Program supports an individual who has begun their professional career as a production manager in live entertainment by providing the chance to manage events and connect with a fellow production manager mentor at our Annual Conference & Stage Expo.

Funding for this award is generously provided by Carolyn A. Satter, former USITT President.

Grant Information

Grant winner will receive:

• $2000 stipend to cover Conference expenses such as registration, housing, travel, and per diem.
• A match with a mentor who is an experienced professional production manager.
• The opportunity to serve as the production manager for all Mainstage events at the Annual Conference.

Funding Parameters

• Registration and hotel will be booked by the National Office; the remainder of the $2000 will be paid directly to the Mentee.
• Should the Grantee be unable to attend Conference and/or complete their duties, Grantee is responsible for returning funds to the National Office.

About

Six Decades of Human(e) Progress

At IHS, we build bridges across coalitions working to renew the liberal project—creating a 21st century that's freer, more tolerant, and more prosperous than any in human history.

This work takes on new urgency in a world of rising illiberalism and authoritarianism. Thanks to the generosity of over a thousand individual donors and foundations, IHS continues to find new ways to support the thinkers and leaders who are carrying liberal principles forward.

Impact

IHS works where ideas take root. We place smart bets on the people and research projects that are redrawing the boundaries of human potential in classrooms, in policy, and in public life.

Free Society Grants

For Faculty

Free Society Grants support faculty seeking to develop or expand undergraduate programming grounded in the liberal tradition. Grants are awarded based on project scope and need. The next application cycle opens March 13, 2026; the deadline is June 15, 2026. Funding decisions will be announced by August 7, 2026.

Support for Undergraduate Programming

These grants are designed for faculty who want to cultivate sustained intellectual engagement through mentorship, structured reading, and rigorous discussion—inside and beyond the classroom. The goal is not simply exposure to ideas, but intellectual formation.

All grants include access to ScholarsEdge digital tools, including registration support, to help ensure smooth execution and sustained engagement.

American College Of Sports Medicine Foundation Inc

ACSM is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world, with nearly 50,000 international, national and regional members and certified fitness professionals.

Our Mission: To educate and empower professionals to advance the science and practice of health and human performance.

GSSI Pathways in Sports Science Award | Graduate Student Research & Mentorship Award

GSSI celebrates the passion, resilience, and academic excellence of first-generation college students pursuing graduate degrees in exercise physiology, sports science, kinesiology, and/or sports nutrition. Designed to empower emerging leaders in the field, the award recognizes individuals who are breaking new ground, not only in their families but in the science of human performance.

In addition to research funding, to help promote professional development, award winners will receive one year of 1:1 mentorship from a GSSI scientist. Award winners will also receive complementary registration to ACSM’s 2027 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN.

ACSM requires award winners to:   

• Submit official transcripts if selected as an award winner, 
• Attend the 2027 ACSM Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. 
• Present funded research at a future ACSM Annual Meeting, and   
• Send ACSM a copy of any publications or presentations related to the funded research. 

About

What is the Pizza Hut Foundation?

In pursuit of happiness, the Pizza Hut Franchisee community, in partnership with Pizza Hut U.S. is proud to announce the formation of the Pizza Hut Foundation.

Our foundation is seeking to touch the lives of over 100 youth annually by partnering with youth-serving nonprofit organizations focusing on literacy education programs to enable our team members and their peers to be career and life ready.

Pizza Hut Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under the Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

Financial Assistance & Scholarships for Education

Education is key to success in life. However, each year two million students drop out of college due to financial hardship and a lack of financial assistance. In the United States there are more than 900,000 college-bound students who qualify for federal financial assistance each year. Yet almost 90% of these students don’t receive adequate guidance or support, leaving hundreds of thousands of students’ needs unmet.

The Pizza Hut Foundation is proud to partner with Kaleidoscope as our scholarship platform provider, pairing education dreams with funding.

Mentorship Program

While the Scholarship program financially supports the awarded students enrolled in higher education, it doesn’t stop there. The Pizza Hut Foundation offers a mentorship opportunity, through leaders from within the Pizza Hut organization and Vendor partners, to engage Scholarship recipients in a meaningful way throughout their educational journey.

The Pizza Hut Foundation will support engagements with the students via monthly connections to ensure a positive experience for both the mentors and the mentees.

$20K for changemakers with transformative ideas & firsthand insight in early childhood

About the Imagine Award

The Imagine Award by the Promise Fund offers $20,000 in flexible funding (see definition in FAQs) and a six-month cohort-based learning experience for community-rooted early childhood leaders with ideas for transformative impact. ​​Award recipients are at the idea stage and will launch a pilot within six months, testing their solutions with real users, gathering feedback, and refining their approach.

Imagine Award recipients will learn strategies for designing and executing lightweight tests for rapid learning while gaining clarity on their idea's direction using impact and business models. They will craft a compelling story about their work to build future partnerships and run a focused pilot with strong feedback loops for gathering data, all while growing alongside a supportive peer community.

What We Provide

Our grant dollars are flexible and meant to be used at award recipients’ discretion for the pursuit of tests or a pilot of a transformative idea. Read the FAQ for more information.

Direct, one-on-one support from our team to help you learn, get tailored help, and make relevant connections.

Multi-day gathering for peer connection, learning, and pilot design.

Access to a bench of mentors to guide you as you transition out of the program and navigate next steps with your pilot.

Light, tailored coaching to support pilot preparation, launch, and implementation.

Ongoing peer community and resources to continue learning and collaboration

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) offers research training programs aimed at advancing education research through two key initiatives: the Early Career Development and Mentoring Program and the Methods Training Program. These programs support emerging researchers in developing their skills and enhancing their research capabilities to address vital education issues. The funding is designed for early career investigators and current education researchers, fostering rigorous and relevant research that informs education policy and practice.

Chicken & Egg Pictures Inc

Chicken & Egg Films was founded in 2005 by documentary film industry veterans Julie Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, and Judith Helfand. As filmmakers, teachers, funders, and impact producers, they were inspired to utilize their collective expertise to uplift the power of fellow women storytellers. Chicken & Egg was thus created to help address financial and creative challenges uniquely faced by women in the field–a model that married funding with mentorship to create not just an organization, but a growing community. 

Chicken & Egg Films shapes a more equitable and just world with the catalytic power of documentary films by providing funding, mentorship and industry access to a global community of women and gender-expansive filmmakers. 

Chicken & Egg Award

The Chicken & Egg Award recognizes women and gender-expansive filmmakers at advanced stages in their careers who are poised to reach new heights in their creative and impact trajectories across the world.

Despite progress by talented women and gender-expansive documentary filmmakers across the globe, there are often still numerous roadblocks that stand in the way of a true industry breakthrough. These barriers are often tied to gender, race, class, disability, and geography. Only a few women and gender-expansive nonfiction directors in the United States and abroad are able to work full time as independent storytellers, and few are folks of color, from working-class backgrounds, or from under-represented countries. 

There are, however, a growing number who are getting close. Each has made several films, and each is an influential leader for the issues they explore on screen. With this Award, Chicken & Egg Films is making a bold investment in these creatives and a statement about gender equity. A greater diversity of voices participating in storytelling drives change. We believe this effort is inextricably connected to elevating critical social justice, environmental, and human rights issues. 

The Chicken & Egg Award consists of a $75,000 USD cash award and a year-long mentorship program. Of the total, $50,000 is unrestricted, allowing filmmakers to decide how to use the funding to support their creative and business practices. The additional $25,000 is a grant for the project(s) the filmmaker will work on during their program year. Our in-depth mentorship program is focused on strengthening Awardees’ professional infrastructure, increasing their visibility, and fulfilling their personal and creative goals.

The Established Clinician Investigator Award to Support Mentoring (KS1) is designed to provide established clinician investigators with dedicated time for mentoring early-career clinician research scientists. This initiative by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services: National Institutes of Health (NIH) aims to enhance the quality of mentorship, fostering the development of future leaders in clinical research. It supports a sustained commitment to training and guidance, ensuring a robust pipeline of skilled professionals.

The Mentored Career Transition Award (KT1/R00) offers a biphasic funding opportunity for up to 5 years, supporting the transition of postdoctoral researchers to independent faculty positions. The first phase provides 1-2 years of mentored career development, while the second phase grants up to 3 years of independent research support, contingent upon satisfactory progress and faculty appointment. This grant aims to enhance the capacity of early-career researchers in achieving research-intensive roles.

The Mentored Clinician Research Scientist Career Development Award (KC1) from the NIH supports clinician research scientists for up to five years, providing dedicated time for intensive research career development. This award aims to guide candidates with clinical doctoral degrees towards achieving research independence by pairing them with experienced mentors who can help navigate their career paths.

The Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (KR1) offers crucial support for researchers aiming for independence. Funded by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services through the NIH, this award allows candidates to engage in intensive research training under a mentor's guidance for up to five years. It is designed for those with research doctoral degrees, facilitating their transition into independent research roles and enhancing their contributions to the scientific community.

About

Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.

We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.

People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.

AHCJ International Health Study Fellowships

A fellowship for experienced journalists with a focus on international health.

In comparing the U.S. health care system to its global counterparts, journalists traveling to different countries as part of the AHCJ International Fellowship program can produce projects that provide valuable insights that can help inform policy decisions, improve health care outcomes and contribute to the ongoing evolution of health care systems worldwide.

Through the AHCJ International Health Study Fellowships, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, you can pursue a story or project comparing a facet of the U.S. health care system to that of another country. 

For 2027, the focus will be on the U.K. and France in comparison with the U.S. health care system. You’ll pursue the projects with the support of your newsrooms or arranged outlets, which commit to publish or air the work.

This fellowship allows highly experienced journalists to maintain their regular employment while working to evaluate a key component of the health care system, a health outcome, access, performance, providers, efficiency or other focal point over a six-month period.

That period allows for preparatory time, a site visit to the chosen European country, interviews and information gathering, as well as follow-up and writing time. Guidance is provided through seminars, conference calls and consultations with AHCJ fellowship leaders, a mentor and exposure to various topic experts.

About

Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.

We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.

People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.

AHCJ U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship

This opportunity is for U.S.-based journalists.

Issues with the U.S. health care system are often obvious — from large swaths of uninsured residents and junk insurance plans, to high maternal mortality rates and preventable medical errors. But what is at the root of issues like these? What could an equitable health care system look like? 

Through the U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, you can pursue a significant reporting project related to the U.S. health care system at the local, regional and/or national level.

This fellowship allows mid-career journalists to maintain their regular employment while working on a major project over a 12-month calendar year. You’ll pursue the projects with the support of your newsrooms or arranged outlets, which commit to publish or air the work.

We believe that issues of health equity impact every facet of the health care system, which is why we’re specifically interested in projects focused on health equity. This might include racial disparities within a community, gaps in public health inclusion, unstable housing, insurance access, food insecurity, violence as a health issue, how health care institutions or systems are applying a racial equity lens to their policies and practices or otherwise addressing inequities or disparities, or other examinations of systemic problems that have become so apparent over the last few years.

Guidance is provided by AHCJ mentors through customized seminars on health care systems, conference calls and email consultations. The fellowship covers the cost of attending the seminars and the annual AHCJ conference, as well as a $2,500 project allowance to defray the cost of field reporting, health data analysis and other project-related research. In addition, you will receive a $5,000 fellowship award upon the successful completion of the project.

The Retina Society, Inc.

The Retina Society was founded in 1968 exclusively for educational and scientific purposes concerning the diagnosis, care and treatment of diseases and injuries to the retina. The Retina Society began as an outgrowth of alumni meetings of Retina Associates, a retina practice founded in Boston in 1951 by Charles L. Schepens. Dr. Schepens is credited with establishing retina surgery as a sub-specialty.  

Our mission is to reduce worldwide visual disability and blindness by promoting the education and professional interaction of vitreoretinal specialists, providing optimal care for patients with vitreoretinal diseases, and encouraging, through clinical and basic research, the discovery and development of new means to further patient care.

Retina Society Underrepresented in Medicine (RESOURCE) Mentoring Program

The Retina Society Underrepresented in Medicine (RESOURCE) Mentoring Program was created to engage and interest ophthalmology residents from underrepresented populations* in research and in pursuing careers in the retina subspecialty through dedicated mentoring exposure. The program will pair ophthalmology residents from underrepresented backgrounds with Retina Society mentors, with the goal of providing the residents with research and career mentorship.

*The American Association of Medical Colleges definition of underrepresented in medicine is: "Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population." We define the following groups as underrepresented: Black (African American or African), Latino/Hispanic, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. We will also be considering applicants from LGBTQIA+ and socioeconomically underprivileged backgrounds.

Mentors will work with their designated mentees on research projects that will be presented at the Retina Society Annual Meeting in 2027 and submitted for publication consideration. Mentors and mentees will be acknowledged at the Retina Society Annual Meeting.