A volunteer with the League of Women Voters of Maine Education Fund
helps a new citizen learn how to register to vote.
Announcing: $132,550 in Annual Grants
to support 14 organizations throughout Maine
Our 30th Anniversary awards invest in the
power of women and girls
through educational and leadership programs, policy change, and social and economic engagement initiatives.
Our financial support and partnership with these organizations will help build the next generation of women leaders:
·
The YWCA of Central Maine
, Lewiston, $10,000 to be a pilot site for the national STEM program, Curated Pathways to Innovation.
·
Tree Street Youth
, Lewiston, $10,000 to support a program to improve the conflict resolution skills of teenage girls.
·
Spurwink
, South Portland, $10,000 to develop protocols for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children for all of Maine’s Children’s Advocacy Centers.
·
Speak About It
, Portland, $10,000 to present free high school sexual assault prevention and consent education programs throughout the State.
·
Shaw House
, Bangor, $6,250 for the Women In Leadership Program, a mentor program designed to provide inspiration and encouragement.
·
New Ventures Maine
, Augusta, $10,000 to provide the Start Over Start Strong financial education and training to women who are incarcerated.
·
Maine Community Integration
, Lewiston, $10,000 to expand their robust cultural enrichment program designed to meet the needs of African immigrant girls, called Isku Filan (Strong Girls).
·
Mabel Wadsworth Center
, Bangor, $10,000 for a Client Advocate position to reduce the rate of uninsured women and LGBTQ people by providing on-site MaineCare enrollment assistance.
·
League of Women Voters of Maine Education Fund
, Augusta, $10,000 to engage underrepresented communities including students, rural women, and immigrants in civic engagement activities.
·
In Her Presence
, Portland, $10,000 to engage elder women participants in “The Seniors,” a pilot program to build resiliency and improve social connections to reduce isolation.
·
Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project
, Portland, $10,000 to provide legal services to immigrant survivors of domestic violence and trafficking who face significant barriers to safety.
·
Four Directions Development Program
, Orono, $10,0000 to support the Circuit Rider program which provides individual and group financial education in the five tribal communities.
·
Equality Maine
, Portland, $10,000 to simplify the process for changing gender markers on critical identity documents and bring this meaningful change to people statewide.
·
ArtVan
, Bath, $6,300 for the mobile program that partners with neighborhood housing for low-income families in Bath, Brunswick, Lewiston, Auburn and Biddeford.
Our Grants Committee received letters of interest from 59 organizations of various sizes and from all areas of the state. Each committee member reviewed the requests and participated in a group discussion, then the Grants Committee invited 25 of those organizations to submit detailed proposals. After further assessment and due diligence by the committee, 14 organizations were selected for funding based on: strengths of the program and organization; the clearly identify need for the programs; the diversity of geographic area and populations reached through the program; and opportunities to make the greatest impact across the Maine Women’s Fund six funding areas: education, financial skills and literacy, healthcare, leadership, personal safety and policy. We are honored to support these 14 organizations doing such vital work across the State in 2019!
