OVERVIEW: The Maine Community Foundation is a community funder for the state of Maine that supports early childhood education, access to education, racial equity, seniors, entrepreneurship, and other community issues.
IP TAKE: Describing Maine as “a vibrant and equitable place where people and communities thrive,” the Maine Community Foundation covers a large territory and offers a little bit of everything in terms of grantmaking. It can be challenging to sift through the numerous funds at MCF to determine which one is most relevant to the work your nonprofit is doing. Therefore, it might be a good idea to contact this accessible foundation to learn more about the funds most pertinent to your work.
Fortunately, MCF is a transparent funder that welcomes grantseeker contact and has a sizable professional staff to field questions. The online application process is straightforward, with detailed information and helpful tips provided on the foundation website. Essentially, every Maine nonprofit should be in touch with this foundation and tapping into its resources.
PROFILE: Established in 1983, the Maine Community Foundation (MCF) is the state's community foundation and has offices in the cities of Ellsworth and Portland, Maine. MCF’s mission is to “brings people and resources together to build a better Maine.” Since 2016, MCF has had five priorities: early childhood education, access to education, racial equity, seniors, and entrepreneurs.
MCF’s main grantmaking avenue is its Competitive Grant Programs, which support many different projects through various funds. The topics addressed by these funds include animal welfare, land and water conservation, traditional handicrafts, and the arts. Some funds have a geographic focus, such as the capital city of Portland, while others prioritize the needs and engagement of people of color in Maine. Certain initiatives of the foundation address the needs of local women and girls, climate change, and topics specific to counties and regions in the state.
MCF also conducts some giving through Donor Advised Funds and awards Scholarships to local students graduating from high school or attending college in Maine.
Grants for Health and Community Development
The Maine Community Foundation is committed to ensuring “fairness, dignity, respect, and equitable access to opportunities.” To that end, it supports programs dedicated to improving health outcomes, economic opportunity, and racial justice in its giving areas. Its racial equity grants aim to reduce barriers for people of color in the community and local economy. Since Maine has the oldest median age in the U.S., the foundation also supports the wellbeing, civic engagement, and continued workforce involvement of seniors in the state. The foundation values entrepreneurship and education, with grants for entrepreneurial endeavors and efforts to boost the state economy. Competitive grant funds dedicated to health, human services, and equity include:
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Fund: grants for organizations led by and serving BIPOC Mainers.
Community Building Grants: grants broadly funding organizations “focused on making communities stronger.”
Belvedere Historic Preservation and Energy Efficiency: grants for “the preservation, restoration, and retrofitting of historic buildings in Maine.”
Frances Hollis Brain Foundation Fund: grants for projects that “serve disadvantaged, underserved, and/or vulnerable communities” in Auburn, Bath, Biddeford, Brunswick, Greater Portland, Lewiston, Saco, and or Sanford.”
Hospice Fund: grants for programs that provide “end-of-life volunteer and bereavement services” in Cumberland and York counties.
Investing in Leaders of Color: capacity building grants for organizations led primarily by people of color.
Maine Charity: grants for programs that provide transportation for people with limited access to transportation.
Peaks Island Fund: grants broadly funding programs that serve the community of Peaks Island.
PF Fund for the Baldwin Area: grants broadly funding programs that serve the community of Baldwin, Maine.
Welch Charitable Fund: grants for programs in the Greater Portland Area related to alcohol and substance-abuse rehabilitation, among other interests.
Grantees include Bar Harbor Historical Society, Durham Historical Society, Cross Cultural Community Services, Bright Stars USA, Avesta Housing Development Corporation, Intercultural Community Center, Hospice Help Foundation, Center for Grieving Children, Black Owned Maine, Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Lake Region Senior Services, Lions Club of Peaks Island, Breakwater Learning, Maine Medical Center, Milestone Recovery, and My Place Teen Center.
Grants for Education and Youth
The Maine Community Foundation’s grants for education mainly focus on funding for programs that help Maine children get a strong start in school and arrive prepared in kindergarten. Its interest in education access extends to youth and adults and focuses on college degree attainment and advanced job training. Programs that provide funding for education and youth-related causes include:
Grantees include the Locker Project, Maine Youth Court, Opportunity Alliance, Woodfords Family Service, Youth Led Justice, My Place Teen Center, Robbie Foundation, and Joseph’s College. MCF also manages a number of Scholarships for high school students, college students, trade and vocational schools, and adult learners.
Grants for Environment
The Maine Community Foundation conducts environment grantmaking through several of its competitive grant programs. It primarily supports the conservation of parks, land, and water resources in Maine. Competitive grant programs that address environmental issues include:
Conservation for All: grants for projects that “build strong connections between people in Maine and our land and water.”
Maine Land Protection: grants for “land acquisition or land conservation easement projects that build strong connections between people in Maine and our land and water.”
Rines Thompson Fund: grants for organizations in Greater Portland supporting environmental conservation, among other interests.
Grantees include Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Friends of the Presumpscot River, Kennebec Land Trust, Frenchman Bay Conservancy, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Trust for Public Land, Friends of Casco Bay, and Maine Audubon Society.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Maine Community Foundation is a major funder of the arts and arts education in Maine. It funds theaters, performing arts, museums, arts education in schools, and community outreach programs. Competitive grant programs that fund arts-related organizations include:
Maine Expansion Arts: grants for arts-related organizations and programs serving “rural communities and/or Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.”
Maine Theater: grants supporting “professional and community theaters in the production and presentation of live theater.”
Rines Thompson Fund: grants for organizations in Greater Portland supporting arts and culture, among other interests.
Welch Charitable Fund: grants for organizations in Greater Portland supporting arts and culture, among other interests.
Grantees include Aroostock Arts and Education Center, Barn Arts Collective, Creative Norway, Heartwood Regional Theater Company, Mad Horse Theatre Company, Penobscot Theatre Company, Classical Uprising, Maine College of Art, Maine Pops Concert Band, Maine State Ballet, and Maine Academy of Modern Music.
Grants for Animal Welfare
MCF provides grants for Animal Welfare through its competitive grant programs. This fund supports any organization working to “advance animal welfare for small companion animals, primarily cats and dogs.” It supports animal shelters and other organizations working to improve population control measures, educate the community and pet owners about humane treatment of animals, and prevent surrender or abandonment when owners face times of hardship.
Grantees include Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, Bangor Humane Society, Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary, Franklin County Animal Shelter, Halfway Home Pet Rescue, Rattletrap Ranch, Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills, and Waldo County Pet Food Pantry.
Grants for LGBTQ
MCF conducts grantmaking related to LGBTQ+ causes through its Equity Fund, one of its competitive grant programs. It funds organizations that “increase access to health care and reduce health disparities,” “reduce race-based disparities or barriers to opportunities,” “reduce violence and/or harassment,” and “promote respect and understanding.” To be eligible, organizations must have members identifying as LGBTQ+ in leadership positions, involved in design and delivery of programs, and/or primarily serve LGBTQ+ members of the community. Grantees include Downeast Rainbow Alliance, Equality Maine Foundation, Frannie Peabody Center, and Maine Transgender Network.
Important Grant Details:
Competitive grants generally range from $10,000 to $20,000, though targeted grants and grants from donor-advised funds may be much larger. Grantseekers may review the foundation’s recent grants and reports for more information on its grantmaking strategy.
Grantmaking is limited to the state of Maine.
MCF's competitive grants program accepts proposals through its online grant application form. Deadlines vary by fund.
MCF refers proposals it receives in its competitive grant process to donor-advised funds for grant deadlines that occur throughout the year.
MCF's online grantmaking platform accepts just one application per nonprofit per grant program. However, it will accept multiple applications from large groups that have budgets of at least $2 million if different Maine counties are served and the requests are for separate programs.
MCF also provides scholarships, technical assistance, and group convenings to address emerging issues.
Direct general questions to (877) 700-6800 or info@mainecf.org.
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