Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Fund

2023 Grants

Action for Life, to serve as peer-support specialists and interpreters for New Mainers applying for state and health benefits: $10,000
AK Health and Social Services, to provide support to job seekers in the immigrant, refugee and BIPOC communities in Lewiston: $10,000
Bright Stars USA, to build awareness of problems caused by domestic violence, youth drug, tobacco, and alcohol abuse, and the health consequences of unhealthy, interior living spaces: $10,000
Conservation Initiative, for capacity-building events and to disseminate educational materials about environmental challenges and solutions to Black immigrant families: $10,000
Community Organizing Alliance, to support underrepresented communities in grassroots, civic activities through workshops and action strategies to overcome systemic barriers: $10,000
Congolese Brazzaville Community of Maine, to support and house immigrant teenagers who crossed the Mexican border without their parents: $5,000
Cross Cultural Community Services, to provide anti-racism training for providers serving older black, indigenous and other people of color and to conduct focus groups: $10,000
Four Directions Development Corporation, for professional development opportunities for its director of operations and grants manager: $10,000
Gateway Community Services Maine, to build its operations to maintain current programs and grow: $10,000
Generational Noor, to engage community members in important multigenerational cultural dialogs related to substance use disorder and mental health: $10,000
Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, to help New Mainers acquire skills needed for workplace integration, social interaction economic self-sufficiency and citizenship: $5,000
Indigo Arts Alliance, to grow as an incubator for professional development and amplification of Black and brown thought leadership, artistic vision and practice: $10,000
Intercultural Community Center, to expand education, health and social services for New Mainers: $10,000
Kennedy Park Football Club, to engage new and returning young adults in skill development sessions, help plan for their future and navigate higher education financial-aid opportunities: $10,000
LA Family Support Services, to increase employment opportunities for New Mainers by learning work culture and job skills: $10,000
Ladder to the Moon Network, to reach deeper into BIPOC communities and serve those who are accustomed to receiving information through audio and video platforms: $10,000
Lewiston Auburn Youth Network, to engage underserved girls of color and address systemic barriers for underserved women, and those who are at risk of injustice: $10,000
Living with Peace, to promote young adults into higher-earning jobs and into long-term, satisfying careers: $10,000
Maine Community Integration, to expand the Parent Leadership program to include 10 women from Afghanistan to navigate the school system and advocate for their children: $10,000
Mano en Mano, to support the area’s community of farmworkers and immigrants to overcome barriers and thrive in Maine: $10,000
Maine Environmental Education Association, for the Relearning Place Program, a collaborative of intergenerational individuals sharing ideas and learning related to land, place and people: $10,000
Maine Labor and Resource Center, to bring awareness to Maine employers about the qualifications, transferable skills and prospective contributions of refugees and asylum-seekers and to serve as an employment matchmaker: $10,000
Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, to help youth navigate incarceration and reentry: $10,000
Mayo Street Arts, for a marketing workshop to provide photos, video and copy to support the promotion of traditional artists in Maine: $10,000
New England Arab American Association, to prepare and inspire Arab and Afghan newcomers to participate fully in the economic, social and civic life of their new communities: $10,000
New Mainers Public Health Initiative, to provide training and resources to improve media literacy and communication skills for health promotion and advocacy: $10,000
Poor Care Foundation, to support low-income, widowed or divorced Somali women by providing resource guides to assist each other in accessing local social-assistance benefits and job opportunities: $4,000
Presente Maine, to build equitable and sustainable infrastructure for Afro, Indigenous and majority women-led community organizations: $10,000
Racial Equity and Justice, to create safe, accessible, and inclusive support to BIPOC community members and families through cultural programming, resource distribution, and advocacy: $10,000
Somali Bantu Community of Lewiston, to increase child care certification and transportation services, one-on-one client services, summer youth meals and interpretation services: $10,000
South Sudanese Group of Friends, to build capacity for the organization: $10,000
Southern Maine Workers Center, for a series of nature-based workshops, discussions and meals inspired by Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower”: $10,000
Tree Street Youth, to provide safe recreation and organized athletic opportunities for BIPOC youth ages 14-24 in Lewiston: $10,000
United Youth Empowerment Services, for its vision to end racism and discrimination in society by examining the challenge through broadcast arts: $10,000
Wabanaki Youth in Science, to provide Native youth in grades 3-8 two-eyed learning experiences with cultural knowledge sharers and western science professionals: $10,000

From donor-advised funds:

Black Owned Maine, to sustain and innovate an ecosystem for Black entrepreneurs in Maine: $10,000
Chance to Advance, to record immigrants’ stories for the 2023 Diversity Calendar: $250
Congolese Brazzaville Community of Maine, to support and house immigrant teenagers who crossed the Mexican border without their parents: $5,000
Gateway Community Services Maine, to build its operations to maintain current programs and grow: $2,000
Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, to help New Mainers acquire skills needed for workplace integration, social interaction economic self-sufficiency and citizenship: $5,000
Her Safety Net, to support to victims of domestic and sexual violence and provide preventative education and outreach to BIPOC communities: $10,000
Hope Acts, to grow the Asylum Application Resource Center to meet the urgent need: $10,000
Indian Township Tribal Government, to develop an eel aquaculture facility: $10,000
In Her Presence, to maximize the potential of immigrant women and ensure that Maine’s economic agenda includes the aspirations and needs of these women: $10,000
Intercultural Community Center, to expand education, health and social services for New Mainers: $5,000
Maine Association for New Americans, to grow its transportation program to meet demand from BIPOC communities, especially new asylum seekers/refugees and families with low incomes: $10,500
Poor Care Foundation, to support low-income, widowed or divorced Somali women by providing resource guides to assist each other in accessing local social-assistance benefits and job opportunities: $6,000
Presente Maine, to build equitable and sustainable infrastructure for Afro, Indigenous and majority women-led community organizations: $500
ProsperityME, for financial education classes, one-on-one counseling, housing support, and workforce-development programs for New Mainers: $10,000
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, to engage tribal youth in afterschool activities to improve wellbeing through youth development, art/culture, experiential learning, youth engagement/empowerment, building leadership skills and cultural activities: $10,000
Wabanaki REACH, to pilot a Foodways intern to promote community and youth engagement on medicine making and land, water and fishery restoration: $10,000
Wabanaki Youth in Science, to provide Native youth in grades 3-8 two-eyed learning experiences with cultural knowledge sharers and western science professionals: $500

2022 Grants

Al Badoo Community Association of Maine, to support the employment, education, health care, and basic needs of 255 families in the Al Badoo community: $10,000
Alpha Legal Foundation, to test the feasibility of starting a JusticeCorps program in Maine to give aspiring BIPOC attorneys more exposure to Maine's legal system: $10,000
Black Owned Maine, to promote the economic empowerment of Black people in Maine: $10,000
Bright Stars USA, to build awareness, education, and effective strategies to meet the challenges of degraded physical and mental health due to environmental risks, hazards, and exposures: $10,000
ChooseYourself, for a four-day retreat for 50 participants: $8,500
Congolese Brazzaville Community of Maine, to create awareness in a new society: $10,000
Cross Cultural Community Services, to educate the provider community on racial discrimination, refugee resettlement, and homelessness to advance social justice: $4,770
Eastern Woodlands Rematriation Collective, to rematriate Wabanaki food systems: $10,000
Gateway Community Services Maine, to develop youth leaders, improve access to educational supports, and address racial health inequity within Maine’s immigrant, refugee, asylee and asylum-seeker communities: $10,000
Ikirenga cy’Intora, to produce "Tales of Bells and Drums,” a performance of African traditional dances at Merrill Auditorium: $9,000
Indigo Arts Alliance, to grow as an incubator for the professional development and amplification of BIPOC thought leadership, artistic vision, and practice: $10,000
Intercultural Community Center, to support education, health, and social services for adult refugees and immigrants: $10,000
Khmer Maine, to connect Cambodian youth, adults, families, and older people to community resources, partnerships, and programs: $10,000
Ladder to the Moon, to expand health content distribution into BIPOC communities: $10,000
Maine Community Integration, to expand Ka Bogso, its program that addresses intergenerational trauma among Lewiston’s immigrant population: $10,000
Maine Inside Out, for arts and advocacy-based leadership development programs for vulnerable youth of color: $10,000
Maine Labor and Resource Center, to recruit qualified, skilled direct care workers for home and community settings: $10,000
Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, for its peer health and reentry mentors program: $5,000
Maine State Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, to conduct multicultural focus groups on food and seafood ecosystems in Maine: $10,000
Multicultural Community and Family Support Services, to expand education, vaccinations, boosters, testing, isolation/quarantining space, and food for immigrants living in Androscoggin and Kennebec counties: $10,000
New England Arab American Organization, to provide leadership and service opportunities for BIPOC youth, focusing on decreasing bias and fostering a more inclusive community: $10,000
Portland Empowered, to build civic, community, and professional leadership opportunities for Maine’s young-adult immigrants, or ethnic or racial minorities: $10,000
Presente! Maine, to expand leadership and capacity of BIPOC staff and community leaders to meet the needs of its Latinx community: $10,000
Rise and Shine Youth Retreat, for outdoor learning experiences that foster intergenerational community connectedness for children, adults, and families: $10,000
Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine, for its youth development and community advocacy programs: $10,000
South Sudanese Group of Friends, to develop a network of support, empowerment and liberation: $10,000
Third Place, for two sector organizers to lead network coordination for BIPOC employees in healthcare and related fields: $10,000
Wabanaki Youth in Science, to increase food sovereignty within tribal communities: $10,000
Wellness Mobile, to reach veterans and those experiencing homelessness from BIPOC communities: $10,000
Wounded Healers International, to tell stories that contribute to understanding African immigrants’ lived experience of violence and mental illness and the role of stigma during the help-seeking process: $8,200
Zambian Community of Maine, to meet the health, financial literacy, and critical needs of the Zambian community: $10,000

2022 Grants from Donor-Advised Funds

AK Health and Social Services, to support job seekers from the immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC communities in Lewiston and Auburn: $10,000
East End Community School, to develop BIPOC staff members as leaders in the school: $8,250
Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, for essential services to immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers in Southern Maine: $10,000
Her Safety Net, to support victims of domestic and sexual violence and provide preventative education and outreach to BIPOC communities: $10,000
Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, to support statewide efforts for immigrant resettlement, integration, migration, and emergency management: $10,000
Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, for its peer health and reentry mentors program: $5,000
Youth-LED Justice, to divert BIPOC youth from the juvenile justice system, train youth leaders in restorative justice, and connect youth in trouble with mental health support: $10,000
New Mainers Public Health Initiative, for a health literacy outreach and education program for French- and Portuguese-speaking refugees and asylum seekers: $10,000
Passamaquoddy Indian Township Tribal Government, for an eel aquaculture facility: $10,000
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, to expand Wabanaki youth and cultural programming through canoe immersion experiences: $10,000

2021 Grants

Health and Access to Health Care Awards

Eastern Woodlands Rematriation, to support collective activities in Wabanakiyik, including the Wabanaki Community Apothecary & Rematriation School, supporting reclamation of Wabanaki food and healing practices: $5,000
Gateway Community Services Maine, to continue COVID-19 planning and response efforts to build resilience and strengths and address racial health inequity within Maine’s immigrant, refugee, asylee, and asylum-seeker communities: $6,500
Gedakina Inc., to continue projects, including gardening, the One Shelf book project, and educational programs: $10,000
Kennedy Park Football Club, to fund field time and program development for soccer games, one-on-one training, and mentorship: $10,000
Ladder to the Moon Network, to create a health equity feature with articles and videos that engage BIPOC communities with content focused on disease prevention, wellness, and health care: $10,000
Maine Association for New Americans, for general operating expenses for financial management to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness: $6,500
Maine Community Integration, to expand Project Ka-Bogso (Be Healed) that serves BIPOC families using eco-psycho-somatic methodologies to develop community leadership and address intergenerational trauma and oppression: $10,000
Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, to strengthen COVID-19-serving organizations with a focus on DHSS and community referral process system for culturally-appropriate food and social support services for families during the twin pandemic: $10,000
Survivor Speak, to invest in survivors through peer-led leadership development and educational programming centering Black and Brown survivors' experiences and addressing root causes of sexploitation: $7,000

Economic Opportunity Awards

AK Health and Social Services, to provide employment support to new Mainer immigrant community members who have limited or no English communication skills: $10,000
Coded by Young Women of Color, to implement a pilot program to teach young women of color coding and technology skills: $10,000
Four Directions Development Corp., to invest in the professional development of the indigenous executive leadership team: $10,000
Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, for general operating support to have increased flexibility to bolster work across programs: $10,000
ProsperityME, for technology and programs support that would allow students to attend our courses remotely: $10,000

General Pool

Abbe Museum, to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and begin developing strategies for a post-pandemic reality: $7,000
Cross Cultural Community Services, to provide consultation and training to organizations that seek to be more racially and socially aware: $4,000
Intercultural Community Center, to build capacity through the Family CARES (Connection-Advocacy-Resources-Equity-Support) project as it expands its services for adult refugees and immigrants: $10,000
Islamic Society of Portland, to create a program engaging youth of color in community building and leadership initiatives, in hopes of developing culturally aware citizens: $9,990
King Middle School, for a new initiative that will address racism and engage BIPOC students and community members in school transformation: $8,390
Lewiston Auburn Youth Network, to create a training program for 250 youth in LA to strengthen activism, engagement, and capacity to advocate for inclusive community development: $8,000
MCBBB, for ongoing programming and operational needs associated with the production of exhibitions, film/video, and print publications: $4,000
Multicultural Community and Family Support Services, to create an inter-faith, inter-generational, and inter-ethnic coalition of organizations dedicated to eliminating structural racism and discrimination against immigrants, black people, and the Muslim community: $4,000
New England Arab American Organization, to continue and strengthen services with a special focus on expanding opportunities for BIPOC New Mainers through programs that honor equity: $9,000
Presente Maine, to continue the work being developed, implemented, adapted, and expanded to meet the ever-growing and -changing needs of the Latinx community: $3,000
United Youth Empowerment Services, to build the capacity of United Youth Empowerment Services to carry out its mission by strengthening the skills of board, staff, volunteers, and local partners: $10,000

2021 Grants from Donor-Advised Funds:

The Alpha Legal Foundation, Portland, to implement programming to address institutional discrimination in Maine's legal profession in the priority areas identified by the current strategic planning process and to improve operations: $10,000
Aroostook Band of Micmacs, Presque Isle, to raise the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual health of three out of five members of the community to battle the negative stressors of COVID-19: $10,000
Black Owned Maine, to support the Black and Brown Maine economy by building strategic partnerships, consciously creating content, and creating space for BIPOC entrepreneurs to connect: $10,000
Eastern Woodlands Rematriation, to support collective activities in Wabanakiyik, including the Wabanaki Community Apothecary & Rematriation School, supporting reclamation of Wabanaki food and healing practices: $5,000
Hand in Hand/Mano en Mano, Milbridge, for a welcome and resources center for migrant workers during wreath-making season (Fall 2021): $10,000
In Her Presence, to create a full-time executive director position to aid in development and growth of donor partnerships and other fundraising endeavors: $10,000
Indigo Arts Alliance, to increase health outcomes, including resilience, acclimation, and emotional intelligence by exposing Black children to role models and characters that look like them: $10,000
New Mainers Public Health Initiative, to establish New Mainers Family Support Navigators who will help mothers with newly diagnosed children: $10,000
Nibezun, for a Homeopathic Community Clinic to provide free or low-cost homeopathic health services for members of the Wabanaki tribal network: $10,000
Presente Maine, to continue the work being developed, implemented, adapted, and expanded to meet the ever-growing and -changing needs of the Latinx community: $5,000
Somali Bantu Community Association, to expand its scope during the community’s transition to the new farm property in Wales: $10,000
Sunlight Media Collective, for media coverage and organizing that inspires support of Wabanaki rights, Wabanaki-led environmental stewardship, and healthier relationships with each other and with the environment: $10,000
Town of Brunswick, to furnish and outfit the Welcome Center, a resource center for the city’s immigrant community, with furniture, equipment, and technology: $5,000