The Maine Community Foundation’s Maine Expansion Arts Fund has awarded 13 grants totaling $42,600 to support indigenous, ethnic, or rural arts programs or projects, particularly those that serve areas with limited access to arts events.

Grant recipients include:
• Belfast Flying Shoes, to expand collaboration with inmates at the Maine Coastal Regional Reentry Center, adding participatory music-making and a contra dance program;
• Creative Learning and Performance Inc., to develop a resident marionette company and create the initial sound track of a full length play produced for audiences of all ages; and
• Americans Who Tell the Truth, for “Show ME Who I Am,” a program featuring self-portraits and narratives by indigenous, immigrant, and rural youth to be shared in local schools and communities and in the Maine State House Hall of Flags.

The Maine Expansion Arts Fund is a collaborative effort of the National Endowment for the Arts, Lillian Berliawsky Charitable Trust, Maine Community Foundation, and Maine Arts Commission to strengthen and ensure the future of Maine’s artistic traditions. Additional funding is provided through the Elizabeth Laughlin Anderson Memorial Fund.

The next deadline for grant applications is Sept. 15. For guidelines, application and a list of recent grants, visit mainecf.org.

Headquartered in Ellsworth, with additional personnel in Portland, Dover-Foxcroft, and Mars Hill, the Maine Community Foundation 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. To learn more about the foundation, visit its website.