PORTLAND & ELLSWORTH —Nonprofit organizations in Kennebec County may be eligible for grants from the Maine Community Foundation’s Community Building Grant Program.
The program invests in local projects and organizations that help build strong communities. In 2023, eight Kennebec County nonprofit organizations were awarded grants totaling $68,470. A donor with an advised fund at MaineCF awarded one additional grant totaling $5,000, according to a news release from Taylor Mace with the foundation.
The Community Building Grant Program supports projects and organizations that invest in people, engage with the people served, and strengthen community resources. Applicants must identify how the organization or project invests in people’s skills, knowledge and/or well-being. They will also be asked to explain how they engage the people served in the design, delivery and/or evaluation of the work. The grantmaking committees are also interested to learn which community resources are being strengthened.
Last year’s grantees included:
• Children’s Discovery Museum, to ignite curiosity and celebrate learning through hands-on programs and interactive play spaces;
• Maine Resilience Building Network, to develop a coalition of Gardiner-area community members to develop locally driven solutions for youth; and
• New England Music Camp Association, for musical instruction to vulnerable teens through a Learn to Own program.
For a full list of grants by county, visit mainecf.org.
The Community Building Grant Program is MaineCF’s largest grant program. It is one of the only grant programs in the state that supports a broad range of interest areas, including arts, education, environment, economic development and human services.
The grant program offers two types of funding: project grants and general support. Project grants are only available to larger organizations for new projects. General support grants are geared towards smaller organizations and this flexible funding may support new, expanding or ongoing programs as well as operational needs.
Learn more at mainecf.org.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less