Sharing Progress, Addressing Challenges: Laura Young (standing), MaineCF vice president for philanthropy, addresses nearly 30 volunteers and directors of nonprofits involved in the Maine Community Foundation's 25/25 Endowment Challenge. The meeting, held in Ellsworth on June 9, was the mid-campaign check-in offered by the foundation for the nonprofits involved in the $25,000 endowment challenge. So far, three of the 19 organizations in the program have met the challenge. Photo: JaneA Kelley
As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, the Maine Community Foundation awarded $25,000 challenge grants to 19 nonprofits in Oxford, Franklin, Somerset, Piscataquis, Aroostook, Washington, and Hancock Counties to establish new permanent endowments or expand existing endowments. The challenge grants recognize the foundation’s origins in rural Maine and in Hancock County, where MaineCF has been headquartered since its founding in 1983.
The 25/25 Nonprofit Endowment Challenge is a one-to-one matching opportunity that requires selected organizations to raise $25,000 in new funds within 18 months in order to secure the challenge grant, resulting in $50,000 of new or additional endowment dollars.
The winners are receiving technical assistance from MaineCF to help them develop a case for support for their endowment-building campaigns and to explore new advancement opportunities such as bequests and other planned gifts.
The 25/25 Endowment Challenge Grant winners are:
- Acadia Senior College, Mount Desert
- Center Theatre, Dover-Foxcroft
- Frenchman Bay Conservancy, Hancock
- Great Auk Land Trust, Milbridge
- Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust, Orland
- Healthy Island Project, Deer Isle
- Mahoosuc Land Trust, Bethel
- Maine School of Science and Mathematics, Limestone
- Milbridge Public Library, Milbridge
- Northeast Historic Film, Bucksport
- Opera House Arts, Stonington
- Penobscot East Resource Center, Stonington
- Pierre Monteux School, Hancock
- Rangeley Region Health Center, Inc., Rangeley
- Robert Frost Memorial Library, Limestone
- Salt Pond Community Broadcasting, East Orland
- Western Mountains Alliance, Farmington
- Whitneyville Library and Whatnot Association, Inc., Whitneyville
- Woodie Wheaton Land Trust, Durham
The foundation received 57 applications for the challenge grants. A committee of MaineCF county and regional program advisors and several staff members reviewed the applications and made the selections.
September 26, 2008
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