2026 Welch Charitable Fund

Quick Overview Median Award: $10,000 Interest Areas: Education; Health Care; Youth Development Geographic Area: Greater Portland Types of Funding: Capacity-building, Project Application Opens: June 13 Deadline: August 1, 11:59 p.m. Notification: By October 15 Staff Contact: Katie Howard, khoward@mainecf.org, 207-412-0832 Apply: Click on the orange “Apply” button at the top right of this page.

2024 Cycle Stats Applications received: 83 Amount requested: $1.25 million Number of grants awarded: 19 Grant dollars awarded: $222,443 Average Award: $11,708 Percentage of applicants that received grants: 23% Additional Grants by donors: N/A Recent Grants: Click here to view the last three years of grants.

Purpose

The Welch Charitable Fund supports organizations that serve people in need in the Greater Portland (Cumberland County) area.

Criteria and Priorities

All applicants must meet the Maine Community Foundation’s grant eligibility requirements and non-discrimination policy. Please read our Eligibility and Grant Guidelines and Non-Discrimination Policy before submitting an application.

To receive a grant, a project must:

1. Serve individuals in the Greater Portland (Cumberland County) area
2. Focus on youth, education, health care, recovery from substance use disorder and/or arts and culture.
3. Be a capital project defined as physical objects (including technology) that are outside an organization’s operating budget. These projects should increase the scope (number of people or services provided), and/or improve efficiency or effectiveness of organizations.

Types of Funding

This program provides project grants for capital needs only.

 Background

Established as a private family foundation in 1983, the foundation was transferred to the Maine Community Foundation in 2010.

After graduating from Bowdoin in 1938, receiving a law degree from Harvard University in 1941, and serving in the United States Navy in World War II, “Vinnie” Welch went on to found one of Washington’s leading law firms. He and his wife, “Bobbe,” who graduated from Sargent College (Boston University) with a BS in physical therapy in 1940, were married 43 years. Bobbe was a trailblazer, one of few women working in the field of physical therapy (she specialized in cases involving polio and infantile paralysis).

The couple returned to Maine, Vinnie’s native state, and devoted their lives to a host of Greater Portland civic activities and nonprofits, including many educational, social service, arts, and health institutions, which benefited from their generosity during their life-time and beyond.

The Welches committed time and fundraising skills to community service. Vinnie’s fund-raising activities became legendary, raising the bar for Maine institutions and donors. Vinnie died in 1984 and Bobbe in 2002.