The Maine Community Foundation’s Equity Fund has awarded seven grants that total $50,687 to nonprofit organizations for projects and capacity-building work that address lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) issues and needs in Maine.
Grant recipients include:
- Frannie Peabody Center, Portland, to evaluate its internal practices through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens and operationalize the agency’s practices to protect and uplift BIPOC and LGBTQIA populations
- Maine Transgender Network, Portland, to ensure transgender people in all communities in Maine have access to spaces where they belong, and healthcare where they are affirmed
- Outright Lewiston Auburn, to continue ongoing support of LGBTQ+ youth, families, and schools in Western Maine.
Established in 1996 with a challenge grant from the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding partnership, a collaborative of national LGBTQ organizations and funders, the Equity Fund strengthens LGBTQ+ organizations and supports initiatives that work toward inclusive, diverse, prejudice-free communities for all Maine people.
The next deadline for grant applications is September 15, 2021. For more information about the Equity Fund, contact Senior Program Officer Gloria Aponte C. at gaponteclarke@mainecf.org or (207) 761-2440.
Headquartered in Ellsworth, with additional personnel in Portland, Dover-Foxcroft, Rockport, and Mars Hill, the Maine Community Foundation works with donors and other partners to provide strong investments, personalized service, local expertise, and strategic giving to improve the quality of life for all Maine people. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.mainecf.org.
2020 Equity Fund Grants
- Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation, Augusta, to educate LGBTQ Mainers about health insurance options in light of economic displacement from COVID-19 and assist them in finding coverage: $7,500
- Downeast Rainbow Alliance, Machias and Eastport, to create reliable community space for Downeast Q+ youth while supporting creation of gender-affirming spaces and LGBT2Q+ cultural competency across schools and organizations: $7,500
- Equality Maine Foundation, Portland, to develop the Safe and Supportive Schools Report Card, a resource for students, parents, and school officials to use in their work to improve school climate: $5,687
- Frannie Peabody Center, Portland, to evaluate Frannie Peabody Center’s internal practices through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens and operationalize the agency’s practices to protect and uplift BIPOC and LGBTQIA populations: $7,500
- Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center, Bangor, to provide direct MaineCare enrollment assistance and patient navigation services to people who are transgender and uninsured: $7,500
- Maine Transgender Network Inc., Portland, to ensure transgender people in all communities in Maine have access to spaces where they belong, and health care where they are affirmed: $7,500
- Outright Lewiston Auburn, to continue ongoing support of LGBTQ+ youth, families, and schools in Western Maine: $7,500
- Penobscot Boys and Girls Club, Indian Island, for Welcome Home with Acceptance and Love in Aroostook County: $7,500