Maine Community Foundation

10/05/2026

The Maine Community Foundation is thrilled to announce that Eric Russell, a former news editor at the Portland Press Herald and one of Maine's most decorated journalists, will serve as the founding editor-in-chief of the Maine Community News Hub, a new, nonpartisan, student-driven newsroom created to serve nonprofit and independent news organizations across the state.

As editor-in-chief, Russell will work with faculty and staff at colleges and universities across Maine to recruit student journalists and pair them with nearby news outlets. He will coordinate coverage with newsroom editors statewide, accept story pitches, help students develop their own ideas, and edit each story before it is distributed to partner outlets. The initiative advances Press Forward Maine's mission to ensure all Mainers have access to trusted local news and information.

Press Forward Maine, an initiative of the Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF), today announced that Eric Russell, a former news editor at the Portland Press Herald and one of Maine's most decorated journalists, will serve as the founding editor-in-chief of the Maine Community News Hub, a new, nonpa...

09/24/2026

Dwayne Tomah, director and curator for the Passamaquoddy Tribal Museum in Sipayik, is on a mission to craft traditional buckskin regalia to members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe in Indian Township and Sipayik.

Grants from the Maine Community Foundation's Belvedere Traditional Handcrafts Fund support the purchase of materials and to maker Mary Creighton, one of the few tribal members who still know how to correctly craft the regalia. She has made more than 20 traditional garments over the past three years.

“It shows that we’re still here, and that we’re still continuing to carry on knowledge of our people, songs, stories and ways of knowing and being," said Tomah.

One tribal culture bearer is trying to make buckskin regalia for every tribal member who wants it.

09/17/2026

Calling all learners! The Maine Community Foundation's scholarship portal is now open. Visit www.MaineCF.org/Scholarships to learn about the hundreds of scholarship opportunities for Maine residents pursuing post-secondary education or professional certifications and licenses.

The deadline to apply for the Adult Learner Scholarship for a 2- or 4-year program is Nov. 15. (The deadline for short-term adult learner scholarships is rolling.)

The deadline to apply for traditional undergraduate and graduate scholarships is May 3, 2027. (Scholarships featured on MaineCF.org without links to the online portal have their own deadlines and application processes.)

If you are a returning applicant, you MUST update your current eligibility in the scholarship portal to see scholarships available to you.

09/08/2026

MaineCF's fall grant programs support youth development, access to visual and performing arts, connections to land and water and more ways nonprofit organizations are strengthening communities in all corners of the state.

The deadline to apply for MaineCF's fall grant programs is Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 11:59 p.m. Learn more about each of MaineCF's six fall grant program to determine if your organization or project is eligible to submit a proposal at www.mainecf.org/grants or submit a propsal today at www.mainecf.org/apply.

08/28/2026

In rural communities like Deer Isle-Stonington, connection and access to basic resources are essential to helping neighbors stay healthy, supported and rooted in the places they call home. Healthy Island Project connects older people through programs such as its Salt Air Seniors’ Lunch Box, food pantries and Bridging Neighbors. Healthy Island Project is helping make “No Lonely Islander” and “No Hungry Islander” a reality.

MaineCF's Community Building Grant Program awarded the organization a grant for its programs that have reached more than 950 people over the past year, including more than 5,000 hot meals delivered, growing food pantry use, weekly gatherings for island elders and hands-on support for neighbors navigating health care, housing and other essential needs.

08/04/2026

Join us!

07/31/2026

The Hidden Circle Residents Cooperative in Jay purchased its manufactured home community today for $1 million, ensuring the land beneath 31 homes can remain locally owned and affordable for years to come.

The Maine Community Foundation along with Genesis Community Loan Fund and MaineHousing's Mobile Home Park Preservation Fund to help finance the purchase. The Cooperative Development Institute supported the residents' organization of the cooperative.

“Affordable housing is essential to healthy communities across Maine, especially in rural areas," said Deborah Ellwood, MaineCF president and CEO. "We're pleased to partner with Genesis on this innovative investment, which helps residents become owners of their community while preserving affordable housing for the long term. It gives residents control over their housing costs, power over how they are governed, and a new sense of community. We are grateful to the many donors to the MaineCF Housing Affordability Fund that helped make this deal possible.”

Unlike most homeowners, residents of mobile home communities typically own their homes but rent the land beneath them. When these communities are sold to large investor-owners, residents often experience a significant increase in lot rents and other fees. They are left with few options, since moving a manufactured home is often prohibitively expensive or just not possible.

But resident ownership changes that equation.

That’s why this model of preserving affordability is a top priority for MaineCF and donors to its Housing Affordability Fund.

Congratulations to today's new homeowners and thank you to our partners! , and

07/28/2026

On World Conservation Day (July 28), it's inspiring to acknowledge the next generation of land stewards.

Friends of Baxter State Park, a 2026 MaineCF Community Building grantee, is empowering the next generation of leaders through hands-on outdoor experiences. Baxter Youth Conservation Corps participants are building and maintaining trails, developing job skills, completing field research and exploring careers in conservation. The Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership Program is inspiring young people through immersive backcountry experiences that foster leadership, advocacy, stewardship and a lifelong connection to the wilderness of Baxter State Park.

Together, these programs are helping young people gain confidence, build community, and become the future stewards of Baxter State Park. (Friends of Baxter State Park photo)

07/22/2026

Kennebec County is on the move!

The Steve DeAngelis Community Fund was awarded a MaineCF Community Building grant to support its Kids on the Go program, which offers after-school programs and Community Gear Library.

Since 2022, Kids on the Go has had more than 500 fourth and fifth grade participants from Fayette, Manchester, Mount Vernon, Readfield and Wayne elementary schools.

In its first year, the Community Gear Library lent 300 pieces of outdoor equipment, from cross-country skis to ice fishing traps, at no cost.

07/16/2026

In 1853, Penobscot guide Joseph Attean led writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau on a journey in a birch bark canoe (like the one pictured) along traditional Wabanaki water routes of the North Woods.

The annual Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival, with support from MaineCF's Community Building grant program, commemorates Thoreau's three separate journeys and the cultural significance of the region for the Penobscot and the healing power of the North Woods.

This marks the festival's 20th year with guided nature walks, discussions, art exhibits, a birch bark canoe flotilla and more. Learn more about the festival at thoreauwabanaki.org.