Public Policy

MPC feels strongly that there is great value in funders being engaged in public policy on the state and national levels.

In 2014 MPC convened a Public Policy Task Team charged with developing recommendations for how MPC can best support and enhance the public policy work of our philanthropic network. Read more about the task team and their resulting report. In 2017, the Public Policy Committee for Maine's Philanthropic Network was officially launched. This committee is responsible for enhancing and implementing the recommendations outlined in the 2015 Public Policy - A Path to Greater Impact report. 

Policy Positions

Maine Philanthropy Center supports the Charitable Act

Maine Philanthropy Center urges our members to join United Philanthropy Forum’s Philanthropy Day of Action on October 4, 2023, in support of the Charitable Act (S. 566/H.R. 3435). This unique opportunity presents a chance for us to lend our voice to an issue that directly impacts our work as a sector and the communities we serve.

Charitable giving dropped 10.5 percent in 2022, only the fourth time donations have fallen since 1956. Additionally, charitable giving as a share of personal disposable income dropped to 1.7 percent – a near 30-year low.

Learn more about our position and how to act here. 

 

Maine Philanthropy Center supports tribal sovereignty.

Maine Philanthropy Center (MPC), a statewide organization committed to advancing the effectiveness of philanthropy in Maine and its ability to make a meaningful difference, stands with the tribal nations in Maine and expresses our unwavering support for both recognizing the inherent sovereignty of the Wabanaki nations and restoring the same rights, privileges, and immunities as all other 570 federally-recognized tribes across the country.

Learn more about our position here.

Scroll down for a listing of resources and events related to public policy. 

Knowledgebase

Talent Retention Program Manual

Publication date: 
June 2019
Council of Michigan Foundations created a Talent Retention Program Manual to explore the concept of offering financial incentives for local college graduates to return to their local communities for work.
Resource type: 
Report
Audience: 
Policy Makers
Topic(s): 
Advocacy
Public Policy
Resource

Census 2020 Webinar

Publication date: 
November 2018
This webinar is an introduction to the 2020 census. It provides a high-level overview of the census and its importance, discusses the difficulties that impede the collection of accurate census data, identifies what can be done to overcome some of those difficulties, and provides examples of what funders in states other than Maine have done to help support an accurate census. Featured speakers include Marcia Avner , co-chair of the Funders Census Initiative (a project of the Funders Committee for Civic Participation ), Alexie Torres-Fleming , executive director of the Access Strategies Fund ,...
Resource type: 
Webinar Recording
Audience: 
Funders
Topic(s): 
Public Policy
Advocacy
Federal
State
Funding Area: 
Public Policy
Resource

Bolder Advocacy

Publication date: 
December 2016
An initiative of the Alliance for Justice, Bolder Advocacy promotes active engagement in democratic processes and institutions by giving nonprofits and foundations the confidence to advocate effectively and by protecting their right to do so.
Resource type: 
Professional Education
Audience: 
Funders
Nonprofits
Topic(s): 
Public Policy
Resource

Public Policy: A Path to Greater Impact

Publication date: 
July 2015
The Public Policy Task Team proudly presents its report Public Policy: A Path to Greater Impact, containing conclusions and recommendations for how philanthropy in Maine might best advance our collective action in the public policy arena. The report summarizes the team's work over the past six months and outlines the promise, value proposition, definitions and parameters for philanthropic engagement. It also suggests a potential structure and process for working together and the role that the Maine Philanthropy Center might play. The MPC board reviewed and discussed the report in late June...
Resource type: 
Funder Briefing
Audience: 
Funders
Topic(s): 
Public Policy
Resource

Public Policy Initiative

Publication date: 
April 2015
MPC's Public Policy Task Team is charged with developing recommendations for how MPC can best support and enhance the public policy work of our philanthropic network. MPC's Board created the task team after the 2014 Funder Forum panel, "Philanthropy, Public Policy, and the Maine Philanthropy Center." The Task Team met through April 2015 and will seek input from our membership in order to make the best-informed, most-representative choices for the work ahead. Look to this resource page for regular updates on the work of the Task Team. Resources Report: Public Policy: A Path to Greater...
Resource type: 
Committee
Audience: 
Funders
Topic(s): 
Public Policy

Pages

Subscribe to Public Policy Subscribe to Public Policy