The Maine Community Foundation’s People of Color Fund Committee recently awarded almost $64,000 in grants for projects related to leadership training and organizational development in Maine’s people of color community.
The 12 grants are the first from the People of Color Fund, which was established at MaineCF in 2007 with a gift from the River Rock Foundation.
“The response to the first grant cycle far exceeded our expectations,” said MaineCF Senior Program Officer Lelia DeAndrade, staff coordinator for the People of Color Fund. “We received 44 applications totaling more than $300,000 in requests.”
Among the 12 organizations awarded grants were:
- Somali Culture and Development Association of Maine, Portland, to develop a strategic plan and to help the organization respond more quickly to the needs of the Somali community
- Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, Old Town, to conduct two, two-day tribal community basketry workshops at Tribal Boys and Girls Clubs in the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Nation communities.
- Maine Migrant Health Program, Augusta, to provide stipends to two members of the migrant and seasonal farm worker communities to serve as liaisons between their communities and MMHP’s staff
- Hand in Hand (Mano en Mano), Milbridge, to provide scholarships for two low-income, immigrant Latino students to attend a four-week intensive English immersion program at the University of Maine in Orono.
The People of Color Fund is the first grantmaking fund in Maine dedicated to addressing the needs of people of color, with a goal of achieving greater racial equity.
A complete list of grantees can be found here.
For more information about the fund, contact Lelia DeAndrade at the Maine Community Foundation, by e-mail or by phone, toll-free, at (877) 700-6800
June 24, 2009