core/heading

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Our grantees bring communities together and make change happen.</h2>

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We encourage you to take your time here: read about our grantee partners and the powerful work they are doing to advance justice and equity across our state. Explore. Learn. Get involved. <a href="https://maineinitiatives2.my.site.com/">You can donate to any and all of these organizations directly through MaineShare.</a>

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Our grantees bring communities together and make change happen.</h2>



We encourage you to take your time here: read about our grantee partners and the powerful work they are doing to advance justice and equity across our state. Explore. Learn. Get involved. <a href="https://maineinitiatives2.my.site.com/">You can donate to any and all of these organizations directly through MaineShare.</a>

<h1>Grantees</h1>

Grantees

Community organizing is an essential part of the work of advancing equity and justice, inviting a broad range of perspectives and lived experiences to bear upon activism and movement building. These organizations raise awareness, invite deeper civic engagement and participation, and build power among local community members to take action on the issues that directly impact their lives. 

Community Organizing

These organizations work to improve economic opportunities for all people by advocating for fairer tax policies, access to education, health care, and livable wage jobs, and investment in government programs and services on which people in Maine rely.

Economic Justice

These organizations recognize the life-giving power of education, art and culture. The work of these organizations cuts across sectors but is unified by a commitment to building community and creating opportunities for connection, learning and health. 

Education, Arts & Culture

These organizations defend animal welfare and all people’s right to environmental protections, benefits, and the ability to participate freely in decisions that affect their environment. 

Environmental Justice & Animal Welfare

These organizations work to ensure equal rights and non-discrimination, equal access to resources, and equal representation and opportunities for all, regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity.

Gender Justice

These organizations fight for fair opportunity for all people to attain their optimal health and access to essential healthcare services. 

Health Equity & Safety

Maine benefits from a robust and diverse ecosystem of immigrant-led and immigrant-serving nonprofit organizations working across geographies, sectors, program areas, languages, national origins, immigrant status, etc. These organizations are providing direct services, doing community organizing and policy advocacy, building bridges between communities, and providing ladders of opportunity for the newest arrivals to our state.

Immigrant-Serving

Addressing racial injustice is an essential commitment for any work dedicated to achieving a more just and fair society. These organizations are prioritizing this work: addressing the ongoing impacts of racism and settler colonialism, supporting communities of color with advocacy for essential services, abolitionism, and efforts that center joy, liberation, and cultural preservation. 

Racial Justice

Social justice is essential to protecting human rights, access to essential services, and participation in democratic society for all people. These organizations work to defend equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities for everyone, regardless of race, gender, class, sexual identity, or ability.   

Social Justice

Wabanaki sovereignty — honoring Wabanaki nations’ inherent rights to sustain traditional cultural values and practices, establish their own form of government, enact legislation, — is an essential racial justice commitment here in Maine. These are Wabanaki-led organizations whose work is rooted in a vision and practice of Wabanaki sovereignty. We acknowledge that we benefit from the unceded territory that is Wabanakik. By honoring Wabanaki Sovereignty and Self-determination, we recognize that the five Wabanaki Tribes —  the Abenaki Nation at Odanak and Wôlinak, the Houlton Band of Maliseets, the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Nation at Sipayik and Motahkomikuk Reservations, and the Penobscot Nation — have the inherent right to self-governance, cultural preservation, power to regulate and manage activities on tribal lands, and determine their own destiny. These tribes, in addition to Wabanaki-led organizations, are working with a vision rooted in this autonomy and independence while concentrating on their relationship with the Earth.

Wabanaki Sovereignty and Self-Determination

2023

Grants for Change at Maine Initiatives is a grantmaking and community organizing program. It funds and strengthens Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color-led and -serving nonprofit organizations that are leading the work of advancing racial justice in Maine, and engages and connects communities around shared values of racial justice and equity. Grants for Change Grantees are all chosen through our community-led, participatory grantmaking process. 

Grants for Change

2022

2021

The Immigrant-Led Organizations Fund supports immigrant flourishing in Maine. We fund and strengthen the ecosystem of nonprofit, community-based organizations led by and serving Maine’s immigrants, refugees, asylees, migrant farm workers, and those who are undocumented. Grantees are chosen through our community-led, participatory grantmaking process. 

Immigrant-Led Organizations Fund

MaineShare legacy organizations are a coalition of community-based nonprofits who have worked to advance justice and equity in our state across multiple sectors since 1989.

MaineShare Legacy

The Outdoor Equity Fund is a partnership between Maine Initiatives and the Nature Based Education Consortium to improve safe, equitable access to outdoor spaces and increased opportunities for nature-based learning for Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color in Maine. Outdoor Equity Fund Grantees are all chosen through our community-led, participatory grantmaking process. 

Outdoor Equity Fund

Maine Initiatives has led multiple rounds of rapid response funding during crises where state and national funding for impacted organizations has been insufficient: responding to the 2017 Muslim Ban; to the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19; and to on-going, multi-year Asylum Seeker Crisis Support efforts.

Rapid Response

The Giving Project

The organizations below are past grantees across multiple Maine Initiatives’ funding programs. 

Past Grantees

Other

<div class="grants align-me">2023Grants for Change</div>

Our mission: To increase the number of historically underrepresented law school graduates in top positions of leadership and scholarship. We create &amp; sustain a deep pipeline of diverse legal talent and leadership, starting in Maine where the first Black attorney was licensed in 1844.

Alpha Legal Foundation

<div class="maineshare align-me">MaineShare</div>

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine works to make Maine a better and safer place to bike, walk, and roll. Founded in 1992, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine has grown into the leading bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group in the state. The Coalition believes all Mainers should have access to bikes and bike education, and we envision a future where Maine’s roads, public ways, and trails are safe and accessible, resulting in cleaner travel options, improved health, and stronger economic benefits for Maine communities.

Bicycle Coalition of Maine

<div class="grants align-me">2023Grants for Change, Outdoor Equity Fund</div>

Bomazeen Land Trust enables the Abenaki/ Wabanaki people to renew and resume their land caretaking and stewardship roles for lands and waters with historical, spiritual, and ecological significance to the Abenaki/Wabanaki people.

Bomazeen Land Trust

<div class="grants">2018-2022 
ILO Fund, Rapid Response, Grants for Change</div>

The Capital Area New Mainers Project is a cross-cultural organization that welcomes immigrants and works to create a thriving, integrated, multicultural community in central Maine. Based in Augusta, CANMP embraces immigrants as “New Mainers” who bring much-needed diversity, energy, and vitality to our area. At a time when fearful rhetoric dominates the news, CANMP aims to cultivate personal relationships, meet immigrants’ needs, and educate the broader community about diverse cultures and immigration issues.

Capital Area New Mainers Project

<div class="grants align-me">2022Grants for Change</div>

Community Organizing Alliance (COA) is a social justice, civic engagement organization that centers the voices and experiences of BIPOC &amp; low-income Mainers to ensure they are empowered and engaged in their communities.

Community Organizing Alliance

The mission of Consumers for Affordable Health Care is to advocate for Maine people to be heard, respected, and well-served in a health system that provides coverage, access and quality, and affordable care to all.

Consumers for Affordable Healthcare

Defend Our Health works to create a world where all people are healthy and thriving, with equal access to safe food and drinking water, and products that are toxic-free and climate-friendly.



Toxic chemicals in our food, water, and products are threatening our families, our climate, and our communities. But we have a vision and proven strategy for change. For the past two decades, we’ve empowered a grassroots movement and won major victories to protect environmental public health.



Today, with your help, we’ll continue to fight, find solutions, and Defend Our Health.

Defend Our Health

Democracy Maine works to make government more equitable, inclusive, and accessible by improving elections, protecting and engaging voters, increasing civic engagement, and reducing the influence of private money in politics. Democracy Maine is a collaboration between three nonpartisan organizations — League of Women Voters of Maine, Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, and Maine Students Vote — that partner on advocacy and education efforts. As Democracy Maine, we work together and with other partners to make government more equitable, inclusive, and accessible by improving elections, protecting and engaging voters, and reducing the influence of private money in politics. We helped to pave the way for the first-in-the-nation Ranked Choice Voting laws and public funding system.

Democracy Maine

Our mission: To advance justice and equality by enforcing rights and expanding opportunities for people with disabilities in Maine.



Disability Rights Maine is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and is Maine’s designated Protection &amp; Advocacy agency for people with disabilities. This means we represent people whose rights have been violated or who have been discriminated against based on their disability. We also provide training on rights and self-advocacy and we advocate for public policy reform.

Disability Rights Maine

Our mission is to protect and advance full equality for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Mainers by creating an inclusive and intersectional movement through political action, community building, education, engagement and collaboration.

EqualityMaine

<div class="grants align-me">2023Grants for Change</div>

Food For All Services is a registered 501c3 nonprofit African grocery store located in Portland, Maine. We provide food-insecure new immigrants with a low-barrier, dignified, and respectable solution to access culturally-relevant food. New immigrants are often expected to assimilate into American culture but at FFA we celebrate and appreciate our customers&#8217; lived experiences while coming together in a space that is welcoming and people of color focused.



The market is managed by Charles Williams with assistance from Firdaws Hakizimana and oversight from Board President, Khadija Ahmed.

Food for All Services

Friends of Casco Bay&#8217;s mission is to improve and protect the environmental health of Casco Bay. We meet our mission through science, community engagement, and advocacy.



It is a privilege to live, work, and play on Casco Bay. With that privilege, comes great responsibility. We remind our members, supporters, and community that the Bay is special to all of us, and its stewardship is the responsibility of all. Our work compels people to factor in the health of Casco Bay in actions and decisions that affect our coastal waters.

Friends of Casco Bay

There is a growing need for culturally sensitive treatment and recovery programs. Generational Noor aims to find the best way to make accessible, retain, engage and support BIPOC individuals seeking to end their substance dependency.

Generational Noor

The Genesis Community Loan Fund connects communities who are creating affordable housing and other essential resources with the capital and expertise they need to overcome barriers to opportunity and prosperity. A Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Genesis works throughout Maine and in Northern New England to make flexible loans, deliver expert project guidance, and promote policy solutions and systemic change. Genesis offers impact investing for individuals and institutions to move resources toward community needs. As simply as possible, Genesis makes projects happen that otherwise wouldn&#8217;t.

Genesis Community Loan Fund

Hardy Girls is a Maine-based, research-driven nonprofit. Established in 2000, we partner with girls and nonbinary youth to ignite curiosity, promote thinking critically, build coalitions, and challenge the status quo. We believe in changing the culture, not fixing the young person. Hardy Girls works with 1,200+ girls and nonbinary youth annually through year-round, statewide&nbsp;programs.



Since day one, Hardy Girls programming, resources and services have been powered by the latest research in girls’ development. Much of that research comes from the work of Hardy&nbsp;Girls co-founder, Lyn Mikel Brown. Read Dr. Brown’s&nbsp;keynote address:&nbsp;<a href="https://hardygirls.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Cultivating-Hardiness-Zones-for-Adolescent-Girls.pdf">Cultivating Hardiness Zones for Adolescent Girls</a>&nbsp;and learn more about the&nbsp;<a href="https://hardygirls.org/our-research/">research</a>&nbsp;that was used as the guiding&nbsp;principles to help found this organization.

Hardy Girls

The mission of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine is to promote universal respect for human rights through outreach and education. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other events, past and present, we encourage individuals and communities to reflect and act upon their moral responsibilities to confront prejudice, intolerance and discrimination.

Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine

<div class="grants">2016-2018, 2021, 2022 
Rapid Response, Grants for Change, ILO Fund</div>

Organized and led by immigrant women living in Maine, we strive to bring together immigrant women from across communities and generations to ensure that Maine’s economic agenda includes the aspirations and needs of immigrant women. We create spaces that support women’s empowerment and personal ambitions without losing our unique identity and connect immigrant women and girls for collective empowerment in their communities to address common challenges and issues.

A young black woman speaks into the microphone in front of an audience.

In Her Presence

<div class="grants">2019-2021 
Rapid Response, Grants for Change</div>

Our Mission is to build global connections by bringing together Black and Brown artists from diverse backgrounds to engage in their creative process, while building lasting relationships rooted in co-mentorship. An integral aspect of the Indigo vision is to provide Maine based artists of African descent access to a broader range of practicing artists of color from around the world.

Indigo Arts Alliance

<div class="ilo">2023 
Outdoor Equity Fund</div>

The Intercultural Community Center supports and improves the lives of immigrants by providing health, social and educational opportunities.

Intercultural Children laugh and smile by the Maine coast

Intercultural Community Center

<div class="oef align-me">2023Outdoor Equity Fund</div>

Journey ONEderland works to liberate Afro-Indigenous people in Maine and beyond by strengthening relationships between people and the earth through healing retreats, art, science, and outdoor recreation.

Journey ONEderland

<div class="grants align-me">2023Grants for Change, Outdoor Equity Fund</div>

Juneteenth Downeast exists to give people of the African diaspora a place to connect, and opportunities to replenish that which was taken away. Whether through connection to the land, the water, to resources or to each other. May we find through this commemoration ways to be true to ourselves, our history, and our Heritage. May we find ways to nourish who we are amidst that which is the best of us.

Juneteenth Downeast

Formerly The Cambodian Community Association of Maine (CCAM), Khmer Maine is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to improve the quality of life and the social and economic well-being of Cambodian people in Maine through cultural exchange, community building and civic engagement.

Khmer Maine

Our mission is to create inclusive healing practices that are affirming and accessible for marginalized communities.



In collaboration with our partners we co-design a yoga and empowerment program specifically for immigrant women living in Maine. Together, we conduct focus groups and community consultations to gather input and feedback from immigrant women about their preferences and needs and develop a program that integrates culturally relevant yoga practices, mindfulness techniques, and empowerment workshops.

Kivulini Afro Yoga Project

<div class="ilo">2018-2022 
ILO Fund, Rapid Response, Grants for Change</div>

Maine Access Immigrant Network (MAIN) bridges access to health and social services for immigrants and refugees in Portland Maine. Our organization works to build a stronger multicultural community in Portland, and to address refugee health literacy, health care enrollment, and coordination of health care benefits and non-clinical care. MAIN provides resource and referral information that is culturally and linguistically appropriate in English, Arabic, Somali, and French to ensure equal access to programs and services for new Mainers from Africa and Middle East.

An immigrant man speaks to a woman in front of the computer

Maine Access Immigrant Network

The mission of the Maine Alliance for Arts Education is to promote and encourage education in all of the arts for all Maine students.



The Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) was founded in 1973 and incorporated in 1980. Through a creative network of teachers, parents, artists, organizations, and community supporters, the Alliance works at the state level and in local communities to strengthen educational excellence in visual art, music, dance, drama, and creative writing. MAAE is a member of the national Kennedy Center Alliances for Arts Education Network, which has recognized the MAAE for its exemplary work on the local level and in advocacy.

Maine Alliance for Arts Education

<div class="maineshare align-me">MaineShare</div>

<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Since 1987, with the help of its dedicated volunteers, Maine Animal Coalition has worked to promote compassion towards all animals.</h3>



Education is our most important tool. We believe in educating the public about animal suffering and exploitation in hopes that this knowledge will fundamentally change society’s approach to animals.



Members of the Maine Animal Coalition also believe in leading by example. Therefore, an important function of our organization is to provide members with the information needed to live lives that minimize animal suffering.



Please join the Maine Animal Coalition and help us create a community where our relationship with others, animals and humans, is guided by compassion, respect, and empathy.

Maine Animal Coalition

MANA is an immigrant-led organization that promotes social &amp; personal empowerment of immigrants through: 



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Raising awareness of individual and collective trauma and how they affect our lives </li>



<li>Expanding people’s resilience building strategies by exploring various resources </li>



<li>Providing trauma-aware, multilingual transportation services to address social determinants of health </li>



<li>Connecting people with their peers across cultures</li>
</ul>

Maine Association for New Americans

Maine Audubon works to conserve Maine wildlife and wildlife habitat by engaging people of all ages in education, conservation, and action.



Maine Audubon, your wildlife community, is the oldest and largest Maine-based conservation organization. It hosts eight public centers and sanctuaries across the state, seven chapters, and 30,000 members, volunteers, and supporters, and connects with more than 250,000 people annually.

Maine Audubon

<div class="grants align-me">2022Grants for Change</div>

The mission of MBEC is to support Black Educators in the state of Maine through educational opportunities and socio-emotional connection.

Maine Black Educators Collective

The Maine Center for Economic Policy advances equity and prosperity for all Maine people through issue-based analysis, education, and advocacy.



Since 1994, the Maine Center for Economic Policy has helped secure improved economic opportunity for working families by advocating for fairer tax policies, for access to education, health care, and livable wage jobs, and for critical investment in government programs and services on which Maine people rely.

Maine Center for Economic Policy

The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault is organized to end sexual violence and to support high quality sexual violence prevention and response within Maine communities.



For over 40 years, MECASA has represented and served Maine’s sexual assault support centers. MECASA works toward ending sexual violence through:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Supporting sexual assault support centers and other partners in the anti-sexual violence movement through:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>coordinating training and peer sharing opportunities,</li>



<li>developing resources, and</li>



<li>providing one-to-one support and advice.</li>
</ul>
</li>



<li>Funding victim services and prevention efforts in Maine’s communities; and</li>



<li>Advocating for victim-centered public policy and systems change.</li>
</ul>



MECASA engages in programming and partnerships to bring the voices of Maine’s sexual assault support centers and the victims/survivors they serve to inform statewide and national sexual violence prevention and response.

Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault

MCEDV advocates for the right of all people to live free from domestic abuse and all forms of violence. The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence serves our network of ten members throughout the state, helping them do the very best work they can for survivors of abuse. We provide support for state level partners as they respond to abuse, create frameworks to inform the public’s understanding of the issue, and advocate for policies that will hold abusive people to account and keep survivors safe.



The Liberation Fund, which was established in 2020 to provide survivors with immediate access to services and resources that will help them establish a life free from abuse. This is the only funding source that can be used directly to support survivors, and with the flexibility to meet each survivor’s unique needs and is funded through private donations from individuals and foundations.



MCEDV is proud to promote the&nbsp;Liberation Fund, our only funding source that can be used to directly support survivors. Established in 2020 to provide survivors with immediate access to services and resources they need which can help them establish a life free from abuse, and with the flexibility to meet each person’s unique needs individually, the Liberation Fund is sourced entirely through private donations from individuals and foundations.

Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

Maine Community Integration is committed to integrating New Mainers into their communities while respecting and uplifting their diverse cultures, identities, and traditions. We serve the interests of both immigrant and local communities by bridging gaps in mutual understanding in order to create social and systemic change.



We believe in the capability of youth, especially New Mainer girls, to overcome the struggles they face every day. Through our social advocacy programs, we equip New Mainer girls and women with the skills and resources to raise their voices, access equal opportunities, and create healthy communities.

Maine Community Integration

We speak with a prophetic voice of faith, connecting people within, through, and beyond the church to create a more just, compassionate and peaceful world.



Founded in 1938, the Maine Council of Churches is a nonprofit, ecumenical coalition of seven mainline Protestant member denominations, all of whom have their roots in Hebrew and Christian scripture. Our seven members have 435 congregations in Maine with more than 55,000 members in their care.  We also have two associate member congregations who are not affiliated with a member denomination, and one cooperating body denomination.

Maine Council of Churches

Maine Equal Justice is a nonprofit legal aid and economic justice organization working to provide economic security, opportunity, and equity for people in Maine. We:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Advocate for fair public policies in the legislature and with governmental agencies;</li>



<li>Provide direct legal services and representation through impact litigation on systemic issues; and</li>



<li>Partner with diverse low-income communities and agencies through outreach, organizing, and education.</li>
</ul>



We are a civil legal aid organization&nbsp;that represents the interests of people with low income in all three branches of government to ensure access to economic security programs (the safety net of government assistance) and to protect and advance the rights and interests of people with low income. We have expertise in the laws governing economic security programs and consumer finance protections. We fight hard for our clients and persistence and collaboration help us achieve the best possible outcomes.



We are an economic justice organization&nbsp;that strives to bring people and communities together to build the movement for economic security and opportunity for ALL Mainers. We partner with people who are impacted by poverty because we believe that they should be at the forefront of the fight to end it. Together we aim to shape policies that increase economic security and address systemic discrimi¬nation and disparities. People coming together across differences to work toward shared goals can make significant systems-level change to improve peoples’ lives, our communities, and our state.

Maine Equal Justice

Maine Farmland Trust is a member-powered statewide organization that protects farmland, supports farmers, and advances the future of farming. Our goal is to keep agricultural lands working and help farmers and their communities thrive.



Thriving local farms feed our communities, strengthen our local economy, and contribute to our environment. Our investment in Maine’s farms and advocacy for policies and programs that support local farms give our abundant farm and food system a fighting chance.



The farms we all depend on are facing many challenges: development pressure, climate change, rising costs of production, industry consolidation, and fragile supply chains. Maine has all of the ingredients we need for a thriving food and farm economy – quality soil, water, proximity to markets, enthusiasm for local food, and a rich agricultural history. When more farmers are able to access the land and the robust network of support they need to grow thriving and diverse businesses, we can make this future possible.

Maine Farmland Trust

The Maine Federation of Humane Societies is a cohesive statewide network of humane organizations working to support animal welfare groups promote the adoption of homeless animals and responsible pet ownership, and to end pet overpopulation and animal cruelty through education, outreach, and advocacy.



We are companion animal welfare advocates from Calais to Caribou, Kittery to Ft. Kent, and Wells to Waterville – the Maine Federation of Humane Societies serves the entire State of Maine.



Founded in 1953 and incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1980, we are Humane Society Executive Directors, Animal Welfare Facility Managers, Shelter Board Members and private citizens.



We represent companion animal welfare organizations, humane societies, animal welfare and rescue leagues, animal shelters, and private breed rescue organizations.

Maine Federation of Humane Societies

The Maine Hospice Council is the leading advocate, educator and technical resource for Hospice and end-of-life care in Maine. Our mission is to promote universal access to quality end of life care through innovation, creativity, education, advocacy and collaboration.



Since 1984, the Maine Hospice&nbsp;Council has been the leading advocate, educator and technical&nbsp;resource for Hospice and end-of-life care in Maine. Promoting&nbsp;universal access to quality end of life care through innovation, creativity, education, advocacy&nbsp;and collaboration while funded by&nbsp;financial support from&nbsp;diverse&nbsp;sources, including grants, donations, MaineShare,&nbsp;membership dues, sponsorships, annual appeals, Maine State General Fund, earned income,&nbsp;and&nbsp;education events.



Through collaborative partnerships, the council continues to provide advocacy, consultation and educational events aimed at policy development, assistance and analysis for and of state hospice and palliative care.

Maine Hospice Council and Center for End-of-Life Care

<div class="grants">2016-2018, 2020, 2022 
Rapid Response, Grants for Change</div>

Maine Inside Out is a 501 © (3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 based in Lewiston, Maine. Maine Inside Out groups create powerful theater to inform and engage the greater community in dialogue about social change.

Young actors stand and pose on a stage in red sweatshirts

Maine Inside Out

The purpose of Maine Labor Group on Health is to educate Maine’s working people about health and safety in the workplace and to function as a statewide advocate for working people within the health care system. We offer training in cooperation with OSHA training priorities as well as other workplace health and safety training. We advocate for worker empowerment through education.



The MLGH has established a reputation in Maine as a provider of training, as an advocate for workers, and as a group committed to controlling health care costs. Funding currently comes from member dues, fee for service programs, federal and state grants and contracts, private foundation grants and MaineShare. Funding sources have included the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Maine Safety Education and Training Fund.

Maine Labor Group on Health

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), formed in 1971, is the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country. MOFGA is a broad-based community that educates about and advocates for organic agriculture, illuminating its interdependence with a healthy environment, local food production, and thriving communities.



MOFGA believes in creating a food system that is healthy and fair for all of us. Through education, training and advocacy, MOFGA is helping farmers thrive, making more local, organic food available and building sustainable communities.

Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

Maine Peace Fund(c3) [Peace Action Maine(c4)] is a grassroots, membership-driven organization dedicated to disarmament &amp; peace, to nonviolent conflict resolution, and to creating a climate for peace &amp; peace for climate, one of the founding Maine Share organizations.



Mission : Promote a broad understanding of security based on nonviolent conflict resolution, social justice, sustainable environmental policy, and conversion from a military to a peacetime economy.



History: The Peace Fund was established by Peace Action Maine (known at the time as the Maine Freeze Campaign) in 1984 as an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization that supports Peace Action’s goals and activities.

Maine Peace Fund

Maine People’s Resource Center (MPRC) is a statewide organization that engages, teaches and empowers everyday citizens to participate in political, legislative policy decision making that impacts their lives via grassroots organizing.



MPRC was founded in 1984 by leaders of Maine People’s Alliance (MPA), with whom we partner in advancing local, statewide and national campaigns for progressive social change.



Over the past nearly-four decades, MPRC has recruited and trained thousands of grassroots leaders, registered tens of thousands of new voters, and educated hundreds of thousands of Mainers about legislative and ballot initiatives and the importance of voting to make their voices heard.

Maine People’s Resource Center

<div class="grants">2017-2019, 2020, 2022 
Rapid Response, Grants for Change</div>

MPAC is a statewide group formed in 2007 to improve conditions for inmates, former inmates, their families, victims of crime and others.

Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition

The mission of the Maine Resource Recovery Association is to assist the Maine community with implementing professional solid waste management systems that are environmentally and economically sustainable.



Our goal is to promote sustainable materials management in Maine by providing educational programs, materials brokering services, and planning tools to municipal and business managers and to solid waste professionals.

Maine Resource Recovery Association

Maine Soccer Development&#8217;s primary mission is to provide young athletes from disadvantaged families the opportunity to pursue their professional goals in soccer by helping them develop their skills and discipline in and off the field.



Maine Soccer Development (MSD) is a non-profit program that aims to provide all athletes from disadvantaged families in the Greater Portland area, Cumberland District and other neighboring districts in Maine, the opportunity to gain discipline, performance skills, endurance and strength needed in the game of Soccer. In 2024 as Maine becomes more diverse, we believe it is important to be inclusive and address some of the needs of the Immigrant community along with the local Mainers through sports in the game of soccer. MSD was primarily developed for athletes who&#8217;s love and passion is soccer and dream of a professional or higher level of play, but may not be able to afford the resources needed to achieve this. Soccer is growing throughout the Nation and in Maine especially, and it is our hope to align these athletes with their goal.

Maine Soccer Development

Veterans For Peace is the one veterans organization that says no to war and informs the public on the true costs of war.



We, having dutifully served our nation, do hereby affirm our greater responsibility to serve the cause of world peace. To this end we will work, with others to:



(a) Toward increasing public awareness of the costs of war; (b) To restrain our government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations; (c) To end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons; (d) To seek justice for veterans and victims of war; and (e) To abolish war as an instrument of national policy.



To achieve these goals, members of Veterans For Peace pledge to use non-violent means and to maintain an organization that is both democratic and open with the understanding that all members are trusted to act in the best interests of the group for the larger purpose of world peace. We urge all people who share this vision to join us.

Maine Veterans for Peace

The Maine Women’s Lobby works to build gender justice in Maine through legislative advocacy and systems change.



We do this by providing direct legislative advocacy and policy analysis, and by building and supporting a gender-responsive Legislature.



Our vision is a gender-just world: one where all people have dignity, equity ,justice, and autonomy, and where they are free from sexism, misogyny, and all oppressions.

Maine Women’s Lobby Education Fund

<div class="grants">2020 
Grants for Change, Rapid Response</div>

We believe that safety comes through strengthening communities, addressing the root causes of harm, and promotion individual and collective well being, not incarceration.

A smiling man holds a sign saying, Maine Youth Justice

Maine Youth Justice

Maine&#8217;s Black Future podcast highlights Black excellence all over Maine, showcasing Maine&#8217;s Black historical figures and Black change makers today. In highlighting Maine&#8217;s continuum of Black influence, we interrupt the violence of erasure, creating a grounded space for Black Mainers to actively create a fulfilling future.



The Maine’s Black Future podcast boldly visits stories of historic Black Mainers and the legacies they carved into the state. Then we connect this longstanding history to Black changemakers weaving Maine’s Black future today!



We define terminology, keep it real, and invite you to connect deeply with Black Mainers creating the future that we want to live in. We showcase Black excellence occurring all over Maine and feature original music production from the GEM CITY Maine collective.

Maine’s Black Future Podcast

<div class="maineshare">2016-2018, 2021, 2022 
Rapid Response, Grants for Change, ILO Fund</div>

To ensure that immigrants and migrant farm workers in Maine are heard, celebrated and thriving in their communities, as determined by community members themselves.

A young child holds a slug in his hands for a closer look

Mano en Mano

Mawita’nejEpijij is a community of Wabanaki people reclaiming their cultural lifeways to nurture and nourish one another and honor the inherent dignity of all. We are disrupting the legacy of inequitable colonial systems by creating safe spaces to gather to reconnect with our language, culture, food, land, and one another. Ultimately, by coming together for healing and sustenance, we thrive on the lands of which we have always been a part.

Mawita’nej Epijij (Welcome to the Gathering Place)

More Women+ Surf is a women-led surf organization in Maine breaking down socio-economical, physical, and emotional barriers to create surf and water access for underserved individuals. Hand in hand with allies in the community, MWS+ fosters an inclusive environment that centers women-identifying individuals in the line-up through community-based events, surf and other board sports lessons, and creative storytelling projects.

More Women+ Surf

The Natural Resources Council of Maine is a nonprofit membership organization protecting, restoring, and conserving Maine’s environment, now and for future generations. For more than 60 years, the Natural Resources Council of Maine has been protecting the places and way of life that make Maine so special. We work statewide to—



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Protect the health of Maine’s rivers, lakes, streams, and coastal waters;</li>



<li>Promote sustainable communities through initiatives that reduce toxic pollution and waste;</li>



<li>Decrease air and climate-changing pollution through energy efficiency and renewable sources;</li>



<li>Conserve Maine lands and wildlife habitat, including our treasured North Woods; and</li>



<li>Defend the federal environmental policies and programs that help protect Maine.</li>
</ul>



NRCM harnesses the power of the law, science, and the voices of more than 30,000 supporters statewide and beyond.&nbsp;<a href="https://nrcm.salsalabs.org/giveagift/index.html">Join us today.</a>&nbsp;NRCM is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Natural Resources Council of Maine

We envision a future where people live in culturally diverse, productive, and welcoming communities, with a sense of pride, inclusion, empowerment, and fulfillment.



NEAAO bridges cultures, celebrates diversity, and empowers Arab Americans and New Mainers to build healthy, fulfilling, and productive lives in their community while preserving their heritage.

New England Arab American Organization

New Ventures Maine empowers Maine people to define and achieve their career, self-employment, and financial goals. Through free classes and individual coaching, we help people find success in their careers, start and grow small businesses, and gain financial stability.



Our classes and workshops, offered at no cost, are open to all Maine adults. Individual coaching is also available for free online and in person. Our programs encourage and empower those thinking about making a change to take the next step. Whatever your goal and no matter where you’re starting from, New Ventures Maine’s professional staff is here to empower and support you. Learn more at www.newventuresmaine.org or by calling 800-442-2092.

New Ventures Maine

<div class="grants">2019-2021, 2022 
Rapid Response, Grants for Change</div>

Nibezun celebrates culture as medicine, provides an inclusive space for healing, and promotes sustainability for all people and future generations.



Present and future generations nurture the sacred unbroken relationship with Mother Earth and each other, living in balance on the ancestral lands and waterways of the Wabanaki.



Rivers have sustained Wabanaki people since Koluskap shot his arrow into the ash tree and they stepped forth from the opening left behind. Rivers are cleansers, life givers, and connectors of communities. Located on sacred Wabanaki lands along the Penobscot River, Nibezun translates to “medicine” in the Penobscot language. Its root word, “nibi” means water, our first medicine. Here we water the seeds of healing for present and future generations.



In 2016, an 85-acre property was listed for sale in Passadumkeag, Maine. The land – a traditional meeting ground and harvesting place for red ochre by the Wabanaki and their ancestors, the Red Paint People – is the last access point to Olamon Island, the original residential village of the Penobscot Nation and essential to traditional activities such as gathering medicines, fasting, and ceremony. Nibezun was formed when a small group of tribal members and allies came together to purchase this sacred land, protecting it for the healing of all people and the next seven generations.

Nibezun

Niweskok, a collaboration of food and medicine providers, rematriates Wabanaki lifeways through engaging with our kinship responsibilities and reclaiming traditional foods &amp; healing. We prioritize restoring the Penobscot Bay region as a Wabanaki foodhub.  



Encoded within Wabanaki traditional languages are our cosmologies. Niweskok in the Penobscot language translates to “dried seeds for planting”, as well as “essence of life” and “spirit”. Wabanaki cosmologies embed us in broad kinship networks which illuminate our interconnections, extending from the stars to seeds. Collectively, we dreamt Niweskok into existence, and with this has come clarity on pαkatəkkʷéwehla, our echo, our impact into the future that we have a responsibility to nurture. &nbsp;



As Wabanaki food providers, herbalists and birth workers, we enact our responsibilities to our traditional matriarchies and to the generations forward, while grounded in the wisdom of our ancestors. We contribute to restoring matriarchies through centering nurturing in all our decision making. Niweskok embodies the transformative power that comes from moving away from extractive practices of exerting power over the land and our relatives (the animals, plants, water, people) towards the balance that comes from acknowledging the earth as our first teacher once again.&nbsp;

Niweskok

<div class="grants">2020-2022 
Grants for Change, Rapid Response, ILO Fund 2020</div>

At Presente! Maine, we work to empower displaced Afro/Indigenous and Latinx peoples of Maine through survival programs, community power building, cultural celebration, and transformative healing practice.



Presente! envisions a world where everyone enjoys their rights to joy, beauty, wellness, food, land, and home. As we continue to lead critical initiatives &#8211; such as preventing eviction, restoring Indigenous foodways, and ensuring our community is healthy and fed &#8211; we invite passionate individuals to join our team and contribute to our mission of empowering displaced Afro/Indigenous and Latinx peoples of Maine.

Presente! Maine

ProsperityME empowers, through education and counseling, members of refugee and immigrant communities to invest in themselves to build financial stability, careers, businesses and wealth.



Founded in 2008 by Claude Rwaganje — a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo — ProsperityME is a non-profit service organization dedicated to helping Maine’s immigrants and refugees build successful, rewarding lives in their new homeland. Our services are open to all refugees, immigrants, asylees, and low-income individuals in Greater Portland and Lewiston/Auburn, Maine. Many New Mainers come from cash-based societies and are unfamiliar with how money and credit work in America, our banking system and how to save for the future.  By providing basic money management understanding and skillsets, ProsperityME enables them to attain financial stability — the first step to fully integrating and participating in our communities, joining our workforce and planning for the future.



​In the 16 years since launching our first class, we have offered over 300 financial courses and workshops and helped over 10,000 immigrants, refugees and asylees understand their finances and start building a better future in the state of Maine. This number includes over 1,000 individual financial and college planning sessions with one of our financial counselors. Today, we welcome low-income individuals from all over the world and help them build a better future here in Maine.



​Our work is made possible by corporate partnerships and sponsorships, private donations and grants.  We are also grateful to the many volunteers who donate their valuable time and expertise to our programs and students.

ProsperityME

<div class="grants">2019-2021 
Grants for Change, Rapid Response</div>

Resources for Organizing and Social Changing (ROSC) is here to nourish the landscape of social change work that grows power from the grassroots up.



Our goal is to share resources and support people in Maine who want to engage in social change work, particularly those who are the most affected by oppressive systems. We strive to build infrastructure and strengthen cross-issue, statewide movement building by increasing leadership development for grassroots organizers, promoting democratic practices within organizations, and supporting work that gets to root causes of injustice. Our mission is to build and support a movement for nonviolent social change that will educate, activate, &amp; empower people in Maine through grassroots community organizing.

Resources for Organizing and Social Change

Founded in 1892, the Sierra Club is the oldest and largest environmental advocacy organization in North America. Our mission is to explore, enjoy and protect the planet.



The Maine Chapter, which celebrated its 30th year in 2023, is a volunteer-run, grassroots organization, working with volunteers like you to:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Protect Maine’s wilderness heritage</li>



<li>Fight global warming &amp; promote smart growth</li>



<li>Safeguard Maine’s clean water and coastline</li>



<li>Promote clean air and energy efficiency</li>



<li>Hold public officials accountable</li>



<li>Support pro-environment candidates for public office</li>
</ul>



maine.chapter@sierraclub.org

Sierra Club Foundation, Maine

The purpose of the Sipayik Resilience Committee is to build the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point&#8217;s internal capacity to facilitate community resilience and energy projects that were prioritized during the Sipayik Resilience Meeting in August 2022. Priorities included weatherization, heat pumps, and renewable energy. We are beginning with weatherization and are conducting a window insert building workshop to weatherize homes in Pleasant Point in Fall 2023. For more information about the Window Insert Build, see the &#8220;Sipayik Weatherization&#8221; tab. The SRC was formed in 2022 with funding from the State of Maine&#8217;s Community Resilience Partnership.

Sipayik Resilience Committee

<div class="grants">2016-2018, 2021, 2022 
Grants for Change, ILO Fund, Rapid Response</div>

Our mission is to provide vital transitional services, advocacy, and food production that empowers members of the refugee community to uphold cultural identity and economic well-being to thrive in their new life here in Maine.

Grantees

Our grantees bring communities together and make change happen.

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