The Maine Community Foundation’s Maine Land Protection grant program seeks proposals from organizations and projects dedicated to helping Maine people access and connect to the outdoors.

The Maine Land Protection grant program provides funds for land acquisition or land conservation easement projects. “The Maine outdoors is a uniquely special place, and we believe all of us should feel welcome to enjoy and connect with all it has to offer,” MaineCF Senior Program Officer Maggie Drummond-Bahl said in a news release. “Maine Land Protection grants help us preserve these special places that strengthen our communities and our connection to the natural world.”

Last year the grant program awarded $250,000 to eight organizations across Maine. Grantees included:

• Blue Hill Heritage Trust, to conserve the Edgehill property and secure public access to the Mill Pond and 520-foot shoreline along Eggemoggin Reach in Sedgwick, for this and future generations;

• Kittery Land Trust, to support preserving 30 acres for use as an outdoor center for students, volunteers, teachers, farmers, and diverse residents of the town; and

• Western Foothills Land Trust and Mahoosuc Pathways, Norway and Bethel, to support acquiring 1,026 acres, formerly Chadbourne forests, in Bethel and Oxford within the Androscoggin River watershed.

The deadline for applications is Sept. 15. Guidelines, applications and a list of 2020 grants can be found at mainecf.org. The program will award $145,000 to four to five projects this year, with a maximum grant size of $50,000.

Contact Drummond-Bahl with questions at [email protected] or 877-700-6800.