Grants of up to $15,000 to Maine nonprofit organizations, government agencies, tribal entities, and public schools for environmental and recreational projects. Funding is intended for projects that engage communities and individuals in conservation activities and increase access to and use of the outdoors. Funding can be used for organizational and operational needs, as well as for project grants to other organizations.
To receive a grant, an organization or project must:
Create or facilitate access to and use of land and/or water, particularly for marginalized and historically excluded populations. This means:
Taking specific actions to increase opportunities for those who are not accessing or using the outdoors by, for example, reducing physical or economic barriers, increasing awareness, or creatively encouraging participation
Engage people who will benefit or be impacted by involving them in the design, implementation, and/or evaluation of the work.
Priorities
This grant program will give additional priority to organizations and projects that:
Have an annual operating budget of $750,000 or less
Engage a range of people within your organizational leadership including marginalized and historically excluded people, as decision-makers at the board or staff level
Address impacts of climate change on communities and people who are most affected
Types of Funding
This program provides:
General support grants to land trusts in Maine whose work meets program criteria
Project grants to organizations implementing projects that meet program criteria.
Who is eligible to apply:
- Nonprofit, charitable organizations tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and also classified as an organization described in sections 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2)
- Municipalities
- Public schools
- Public agencies working for the State of Maine
- Wabanaki governments (or political subdivisions) recognized by the Department of the Interior
- Groups without any tax status may apply with a fiscal sponsor that is an eligible organization as described above.
Wabanaki tribal governments or political subdivisions are encouraged to apply.
Funds may not be used for:
- Purchase of land or conservation easements.
What the funding source will not fund, without exception:
- Expenses already incurred
- Regranting to a secondary grantee through a competitive process
- Political campaigns
- Lobbying in the form of calls to action on a specific vote
- Religious activities, including, but not limited to, religious services, promotion of religious beliefs, or activities that are restricted to church or religious group membership.
Timeline:
- Application Opens: June 21
- Deadline: September 15
- Notification: by November 15
Proposals must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on the program deadline. If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be 11:59 p.m. of the next business day.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact staff to discuss their proposal or project prior to applying.
Notification:
- Starting in 2022, award and decline notifications will be done via email. If you receive an award, we will also send a letter and check through regular mail
- If an applicant has a fiscal sponsor, the check will be sent to the fiscal sponsor and a copy of the award letter will go to the applicant
- Grant programs vary, but notification typically occurs within 10-12 weeks from the deadline date. Consult each grant program for approximate notification windows.
What to Submit:
- Submit only one proposal per organization per grant program. Applicants may submit a proposal to more than one grant program on the same deadline.
- Requests should be for future expenses only. Because proposals take 10-12 weeks to process, plan the project start date accordingly.
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