AUGUSTA — The Catalyst Grant Committee has selected three organizations to receive the 2024 Catalyst Grant: Maine Arts Academy, Foundation for Portland Public Schools, and the Alfond Youth & Community Center.

They will receive funding for transformative community projects. Each organization will be awarded $30,000 over three years, for a total of $90,000 in grant funding, according to a news release from Kennebec Savings Bank.

Maine Arts Academy, a public high school emphasizing visual and performing arts, will use the grant to purchase approximately 100 portable, theater-style seats. This investment will create a versatile performance space, enabling students to host community events and collaborate with groups like the Augusta Colonial Theatre’s Senior Players.

Serving Maine’s most diverse student body, Foundation for Portland Public Schools will launch the “Healthcare Access” program with the grant. This initiative includes a mobile vision van offering eye exams and glasses to students, as well as free personal care products in middle and high schools. By addressing essential health needs, the program aims to reduce absenteeism and ensure students are ready to learn.

The Alfond Youth & Community Center, a combined Boys & Girls Club and YMCA, will establish a Behavioral Support System in its afterschool program using the grant. This initiative will provide mental health support through staff training, “calm-down” spaces, and mobile calm-down carts, creating a nurturing environment for children.

Since its inception in 2016, the Catalyst Grant program has awarded more than $440,000 to over a dozen projects.

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