From Maine CF

PORTLAND & ELLSWORTH—The Maine Community Foundation’s Conservation for All grant program has awarded $206,000 in grants to 18 nonprofit organizations across the state.

Launched last year, the Conservation for All grant program provides general support grants to organizations and projects that build strong connections between people in Maine and our land and water.

The 2020 grantees include Hearty Roots, Bristol, to connect low-income kids to nature with esteem-building outdoor adventure programming that supports their resilience and personal growth; Portland Parks Conservancy, to develop a plan to make Riverton Trolley Park’s shoreline, trails, woods, and fields more accessible to an underserved Portland neighborhood lacking in usable park space; and Somerset Woods Trustees, Norridgewock, to partner with Skowhegan Outdoors at Main Street Skowhegan to increase public use of Somerset Woods Trustees conservation lands by a broader spectrum of the community.

The application for the next round of Conservation for All grants opens May 1. The deadline for submission is Aug. 1. Guidelines, application, and a list of recent grants are available at www.mainecf.org. For more information about this grant program, contact MaineCF Senior Program Officer Maggie Drummond-Bahl at (877) 700-6800 or by e-mail at mbahl@mainecf.org.

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 Conservation for All Grants

Blue Hill Heritage Trust, to continue work to create accessible trails for people of all abilities living in and visiting the community: $7,500

Downeast Lakes Land Trust, Grand Lake Stream, to construct two hiking trails: one that is universally-accessible for those with limited mobility and one that promotes literacy and preservation of the Passamaquoddy language: $15,000

Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, Portland, to engage local communities to facilitate access to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and realize the impact of its economic, cultural, and ecological potential: $15,000

Friends of L. C. Bates Museum, Hinckley, to develop and distribute engaging “Kid’s Kits” and offer outdoor experiences that connect students and families to the environment and its stewardship in collaboration with teachers: $3,500

Friends of Messalonskee, Oakland, to create more access to the Messalonskee Lake Watershed through conservation activities, including an Invasive Plant Paddle program encouraging underserved members of the community: $12,500

Hearty Roots, Bristol, to connect low-income kids to nature with esteem-building outdoor adventure programming that supports their resilience and personal growth: $15,000

Hills to Sea Trail Coalition, Belfast, for general operations to maintain programs, volunteers, part-time staff person and improvements to the Hills to Sea Trail: $10,000

Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, Bath, to improve visitor diversity to safely and sustainably access Lilly Pond Community Forest in Bath by constructing a parking area and improving trailhead facilities: $15,000

Loon Echo Land Trust, Bridgton, to connect communities to conservation through land protection and stewardship, outreach, education, and universal access improvements, and to increase organizational equity, diversity, and inclusion through board training: $7,500

Mahoosuc Pathways, Inc., Bethel, to add connecting lands to the Bethel Community Forest as part of the Chadbourne Tree Farms purchase: $15,000

Portland Parks Conservancy, to develop a plan to make Riverton Trolley Park’s shoreline, trails, woods, and fields more accessible to an underserved Portland neighborhood lacking usable park space: $10,000.00

Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, Gorham, to apply an equity lens to the development of conservation and trails in Westbrook to engage more youth and families in the outdoors: $12,500

Sanford Springvale Mousam Way Land Trust, Sanford, to support the creation of safe and easily accessible trails for healthful recreation and outdoor learning adventures: $6,000

Somerset Woods Trustees, Norridgewock, to partner with Skowhegan Outdoors at Main Street Skowhegan to increase public use of Somerset Woods Trustees conservation lands by a broader spectrum of community: $15,000

Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative, Portland, to demonstrate ground-breaking conservation that addresses social equity, climate change, organizational efficiency, and collective impact: $15,000

Teens to Trails, Brunswick, to help connect high-school students with “nearby nature” by building connections between schools and their local land trusts and public lands: $10,000

Tree Street Youth, Lewiston, to provide outdoor exposure and enrichment experiences for at-risk and immigrant/refugee youth: $6,500

Women for Healthy Rural Living, Milbridge, to support OWLette, a summer camp for girls that teaches outdoor and naturalist skills and is designed to foster confidence in the outdoors: $15,000.