More than $73,000 in Maine Community Foundation grants aim to help strengthen nonprofit organizations and projects in Kennebec County.

The eight grants through MaineCF’s Community Building Grant Program include $68,470 recommended by the Kennebec County Committee and one additional grant totaling $5,000 from a donor-advised fund, according to a news release from the foundation with offices in Ellsworth and Portland.

2023 Grants from the Kennebec County Committee:

• Children’s Discovery Museum, to ignite curiosity and celebrate learning through hands-on programs and interactive play spaces: $10,000;
• Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church, to expand its resource department for people with low incomes in Greater Augusta: $10,000;
• Maine Resilience Building Network, to develop a coalition of Gardiner-area community members to develop locally driven solutions for youth: $8,470;
• Maine Society of the Children of the American Revolution, to purchase a pavilion for veterans and their families to meet outdoors and for community events: $2,500;
• New England Music Camp Association, for musical instruction to vulnerable teens through a Learn to Own program: $7,500;
• Project Sparrow, to expand programs that provide immediate needs such as clothing, shoes, equipment, bedding and support to foster children: $10,000;
• Viles Arboretum, to expand its Community Agriculture Program to support people experiencing food insecurity: $10,000; and
• Waterville Area Soup Kitchen, to provide meals for residents of the Greater Waterville area: $10,000.

From donor-advised funds (as of April 2023):

• Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope, to provide housing, peer support, basic needs, wellness plans and group therapy to current and former female-identifying service members and their families: $5,000.

The Kennebec County Fund is a permanent endowment that supports projects and nonprofit organizations that strengthen communities. Proposals are submitted through MaineCF’s Community Building Grant Program, the foundation’s largest, and are reviewed by a committee of community members.

The next proposal deadline is Feb. 15, 2024. For more information, visit mainecf.org/communitybuilding.

The Kennebec County Fund, established in 2018, is built through donations from the community. For more information, contact Program Officer Stephanie Cesario at 207-412-0824 or [email protected].

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