Over the years, donors to the Maine Community Foundation have created Field of Interest funds to address specific issues in our communities. You can increase the impact of your gift by pooling it with those of others who share a similar interest.

The following funds represent some of the programs that will accept contributions of any size and type. Most of these funds are advised by groups of experts or community representatives who are familiar with the targeted field.  Please call the foundation for more information about contributing to one of these funds, criteria for setting up a new field of interest fund, or additional giving opportunities.

Community Building

The Maine Community Foundation’s community-building grant program supports a spectrum of organizations and projects. The program seeks project proposals that recognize and build on a community’s strengths and assets. Preference goes to projects that encourage collaborative relationships and include the people who will benefit from the project in its planning and implementation.

Program for Nonprofit Effectiveness
The goal of this program is to strengthen the impact of Maine-based nonprofit organizations by improving their organizational capacity. We recognize that nonprofits throughout the state are effective, yet still strive to accomplish more on limited resources. Planning, resource development and financial sustainability, and board and staff training are emphases. Grant funds are accompanied by strategic management assistance from Common Good Ventures.

Maine Expansion Arts
The Maine Expansion Arts Fund provides support for indigenous, ethnic or rural arts programs or projects in Maine, particularly those that serve geographical areas with limited access to arts programming.

Equity Fund
The Equity Fund supports organizations working to improve the lives and guarantee the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals in Maine. The fund is strongly committed to building relationships with other minorities in the state and to combating all forms of prejudice.

Fund for Maine Land Conservation
This fund provides land trusts with small grants to expand their programs and build a constituency to provide a permanent base of support. Priority goes to proposals that encourage collaboration on many levels, from the sharing of office space or professional staff to actual mergers of trusts that serve adjacent geographic areas.

Martin Dibner Memorial Fellowship for Maine Writers Fund
This fund, established in memory of Maine author Martin Dibner, supports promising Maine writers. A review committee considers the quality of the work, stage of development of the writer and financial need. The Dibner Fellowship alternates year to year between fiction and poetry.

Jane Morrison Memorial Film Fund
The Morrison Film Fund, named for the filmmaker Jane Morrison, was established by family and friends to help filmmakers pursue careers in film. Maine residents receive preference, but the award is not restricted to individuals who reside in the state. An advisory committee selects recipients based on the quality of work and financial need.