2026 River Rock Shared Future Fund

Quick Overview

Cycle Stats

Max Award: $15,000 Interest Areas: Civil Rights/Social Action/Advocacy; Community Improvement/Capacity Building; Employment; Health Care; Human Services; Youth Development Geographic Area: Statewide Types of Funding: Two-year general support grants Application Opens: Dec. 15 Deadline: Feb. 17, 11:59 p.m. Notification: By June 1 Staff Contact: Gloria Aponte C., gaponteclarke@mainecf.org, 207-412-0847 Apply: Click on the orange “Apply” button at the top right of this page.

Not yet applicable

Purpose

The River Rock Shared Future Fund’s long-term goal is achieving greater racial equity by increasing economic opportunities, education levels and health and wellness in communities of color in Maine.

Criteria and Priorities

All applicants must meet the Maine Community Foundation’s grant eligibility requirements. Please read our eligibility and grant guidelines before submitting an application.

Your organization must:

1. Be located in Maine, defined as your organization has a Maine address
2. Have offered at least two or more programs in the last year focused on improving economic, educational, or health outcomes and/or community well-being for underserved geographic areas or populations in Maine. “Underserved” is defined as communities with lower incomes, less access to financial institutions, lower graduation rates, lower literacy levels, and poor health outcomes.
3. Engage the people served in the design, delivery, evaluation, and/or leadership (board or staff) of the work
4. Advance the River Rock Shared Future Fund’s purpose by focusing on one or more of the following areas:
   • Economic Opportunity: improving economic well-being for low-income populations or geographic areas.
     For example: accessing employment opportunities, career development, workforce training, financial literacy, working towards a collective economy.
   • Education: improving educational outcomes for underserved student populations or geographic areas.
     For example: tutoring, mentoring, increasing social emotional tools, support for lifelong learning.
   • Health: increasing access to healthcare or improving health for populations and geographic areas experiencing health disparities in Maine. (These grants are made possible thanks to support from the Maine Health Access Foundation.)
     For example: direct access to physical and mental healthcare, educational outreach, healthcare navigation, substance use prevention, trauma-informed programming.
   • Community: supporting social connections, belonging, and thriving in underserved Maine communities.
     For example: community gathering spaces, civic and community engagement, cultural expression and healing, networks.

Municipalities, K-12 public/private schools, higher education institutions, and faith-based organizations are not eligible to apply for this grant program.

Types of Funding

Two-year general support grants for flexible funding of any type such as new/expanding/ongoing programs and operational needs including capital expenses. Your organization’s primary work must meet the River Rock Shared Future Fund criteria listed above.

The maximum award amount is $15,000 per year. Multi-year grantees will be selected every two years. This grant program will accept applications in 2026 and again in 2028.

Please reach out to Gloria Aponte C. gaponteclarke@mainecf.org with any questions or if you are unsure if your organization is eligible to apply.

*NOTE: Answers to general support application questions should focus on your organization’s work (not a specific project) and how your organization meets the grant program criteria because general support awarded to an organization is for any purpose, not restricted to a specific project.

Additional Information

Selection Process

• Staff review all grant proposals received to determine if they are eligible for funding.
• Eligible proposals are assigned to a community advisor who will review the proposal and contact the grant proposal contact by email to schedule a brief informal telephone call.
• A committee of community advisors come together to collectively review all proposals and make funding decisions. The committee identifies the strongest proposals that meet the grant program criteria, represent broad geography, and have the greatest positive impact on advancing greater racial equity in Maine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find the answers to many questions here.

Guidance Available

Please read the guidelines closely and check to make sure you have completed the proposal correctly. Download and use the Microsoft Word version of the 2026 Application Questions and Guidance as this includes information to help you draft your proposal. This additional guidance is in red and will not appear on the online application.