Maine Community Foundation’s Conservation for all Grant Program – US

Focus Areas

• Environment, Recreation, Sustainability

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 underrepresented people such as those with low incomes, disabilities, mental health conditions, limited English proficiency; people of color or racial minority groups; immigrants and/or refugees; and those who identify as LGBTQ+.
• Address climate change by:
  • Helping communities prepare for and respond to climate change
  • Reducing the impact of climate change on the communities and people who are most affected

Funding Information

• Max Award: $15,000

Types of Funding

This program provides:

• General support grants to conservation organizations (i.e., organizations with land and/or water conservation and/or protection included in the mission) for organizational programming and operational needs
• Project grants to other organizations implementing conservation projects.

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 with a fiscal sponsor that is an eligible organization.
• Any eligible organization may submit one application per grant program, regardless of previous application history or current award progress.

Criteria

• To receive a grant, an organization or project must:
  • people and communities who will benefit or be impacted by involving them in the design, Create or facilitate access to and use of land and water, particularly for underserved 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 implementation, or evaluation of conservation projects.

Ineligible

• 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.