The Maine Community Foundation has announced the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Fund to support organizations that are led by and serving people of Native-American, Latino, African, Arab, and/or Asian descent.

The goal of the grant program is to help Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color in Maine achieve greater equity by:

• investing in existing, new, and emerging leadership and nonprofit organizations
• changing policies and practices that negatively impact Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color, because of their race
• supporting efforts to alleviate the impact of race-based discrimination and disparities.

Priorities

This grant program will give priority to the following areas of interest:

• Health: Thanks to support from the Maine Health Access Foundation to address health disparities in Maine, grants will support organizations and projects that increase access to or understanding of health and wellness.
• Leadership development: Organizations or projects that provide skill building, training, and mentorship for Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color.
• Economic opportunity: Organizations or projects that improve economic well-being, such as increasing access to employment opportunities, access to education and professional development, and supporting business development.

Type of Funding

This program provides:

• Capacity-building grants for increasing the scope (number of people, types of communities or services), efficiency, and/or effectiveness of organizations that serve Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color communities.
• General support grants to use for ongoing programming and operational needs for organizations led by and serving Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
• Project grants for new or expanding projects:
  • New projects are those being implemented for the first time and are not more than two years old
  • Expanding projects are existing projects that will serve a new or different population, geographic area, or include new services or content other than what was previously implemented.

Funding Information

Grant amount up to $10,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• 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
• Indian tribal governments (or political subdivisions) recognized by the Department of the Interior
• Groups without any tax status may apply a fiscal sponsor that is an eligible organization as described above.

Criteria

To receive a grant, an organization or project must:

• Involve Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color who are:
  • in leadership positions on board and staff of the organization
  • involved in the design, delivery, and evaluation of the programs and services
  • most of the participants or intended recipients.
• Increase racial equity through improving:
  • access to resources
  • the knowledge/skills or resilience of Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color
  • ability to overcome race-based barriers and disparities.
• Use local resources, such as:
  • community organizations
  • buildings
  • expertise of community members
  • natural resources (e.g., land, water, etc.).

For more information, visit Maine Community Foundation.