News/Press Releases

Photo: A Company of Girls, a nonprofit based in Portland and a part of Maine Women’s Fund's grantee community for almost 25 years! Their mission is to strengthen and empower girls and their families, and foster community through the arts.

March 24, 2022

Maine Women’s Fund Announces an Immediate $120,000 in Funding to Support More than 24 Grantee Partners Across Maine

Reaching over $3 million in total donations

Portland, Maine March 24, 2022 –Today, the Maine Women’s Fund announced $120,000 in direct grants, which will provide general operating support for more than 24 grantee partners throughout Maine and help advance a wide-range of organizations that work to end gender violence, improve financial skills and literacy, promote health equity, ensure access to education, improve gender equity through policy change and more. Since its inception 33 years ago, the Maine Women’s Fund has made more than 525 bold investments, which total over $3 million to organizations transforming the lives of women and girls across the state.

“We recognize that our grantee partners are focusing their energy on meeting the needs of women and girls across Maine, while also making pivotal systems and social change needed to create greater gender equity, especially for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color,” said Kimberly Crichton, Executive Director of the Maine Women’s Fund. “During this annual grant cycle, we purposely chose to streamline the grantmaking process in order to send immediate support to organizations working in all of Maine Women’s Fund six funding areas: education, financial skills and literacy, healthcare, leadership, personal safety, and policy.”

“The Maine Women’s Fund is an inspiration, a coach, and a connector to me all the time. Their support goes beyond grant money to empower people,” said Claudette Ndayininahaze, Co-founder and Executive Director of In Her Presence.

At this time in history, we are especially proud to help support collaboration rather than competition among the many incredible organizations that have been at the forefront of our annual grantmaking advancing gender equity for the last five years. We’re delighted to report one of our long-term grantee partners will share half of their grant with Wabanaki Women’s Coalition in recognition of their powerful leadership in support of Wabanaki women and girls.

“Beyond funding, the collaborative community that the Maine Women’s Fund supports is essential in how we move forward into sustainable systemic change,” said Shannon Els, Executive Director of ArtVan.

2022 Grant Awards (listed in alphabetical order):

Grants are just a part of what we can do to advance gender equity.

About the Maine Women’s Fund

Since 1989, the Maine Women's Fund has been incubating and investing in nonprofit organizations run by and for Maine women and girls. Through its $3 million endowment, it makes annual financial investments in new and established organizations working towards its mission – to transform the lives of Maine women and girls through innovative programs and advocacy efforts. The Maine Women’s Fund provides financial and technical assistance to the organizations it partners with to build capacity, achieve sustainability, and create space for new generations of women leaders. The Maine Women’s Fund is the only Maine foundation focused exclusively on advancing gender equity. In the past 33 years the Maine Women’s Fund has granted more than 525 awards totaling more than $3 million to 230+ organizations investing in the power of women and girls across the state and Wabanaki communities.

Learn more at www.mainewomensfund.org

May 25, 2021

Teacher reading a book to students at Rayitos de Sol Bilingual Childcare in Milbridge, Maine.

The Maine Women’s Fund Grants $155,000 to 16 Nonprofits, Helping Shape the Post-Pandemic Future for Maine Women and Girls

Portland, Maine, May 25, 2021 – The Maine Women’s Fund recently announced grants totaling $155,000 for 16 nonprofits that are working to address the most pressing needs of women and girls across the state. From York to Aroostook County, these organizations and leaders are helping shape the post-pandemic future in key areas where the pandemic has further exacerbated existing gender inequalities.

“We’re honored to make bold investments in innovative programs that will help address the disproportionate burden of care work, as well as unprecedented increases in violence, substance use, unemployment and financial insecurity,” said Kimberly Crichton, Executive Director of the Maine Women’s Fund. “We’re also proud to invest over one third of funding in the powerful vision and leadership of Black, brown and Indigenous women-led organizations, which receive just 0.5% of all charitable giving in the United States but experience the greatest disparities.”

One recent grantee, Mano en Mano, supports Latinx and farmworker communities in Maine and received $10,000 to support its Rayitos de Sol Bilingual Childcare in Washington County.

Grant support from the Maine Women’s Fund comes at a critical time, as one in four (more than 2 million) women left the workforce during the pandemic, with Latinas experiencing the greatest job losses of any population. Rayitos de Sol Childcare was started in January 2021, during a surge in the virus and a distressing report of job loss for Latinas and Black women.

“Women are disproportionately impacted by the lack of affordable and quality childcare, which often limits their access to career opportunities, professional growth, and ability to gain financial autonomy,” said Juana Rodriguez, Migrant Education and Rayitos de Sol Childcare Director of Mano en Mano. “Rayitos de Sol supports women that previously could not access childcare services due barriers, including cost and language, in order to pursue personal, professional, and other goals. Thanks to support from the Maine Women's Fund, we can continue to provide bilingual childcare that builds bridges of community, so that language and culture are valued and appreciated by all.”

Each organization supported by Maine Women’s Fund this year has a similar story to tell. Helping shape the post-pandemic future in Maine, the most recent grants include:

  • $7,500 for ArtVan’s Art Therapy in Knox, Sagadahoc Androscoggin, Cumberland and York County
  • $10,000 for Elder Abuse Institute of Maine’s Statewide Developing Support Services for Elder Victims of Abuse within the Criminal Justice System
  • $7,050 for Four Directions Development Corporation’s Strengthening Wabanaki Community Assets in Aroostook, Penobscot, and Washington County 
  • $10,000 for Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project’s Supporting Immigrant Survivors of Violence Statewide
  • $10,000 for In Her Presence’s Capacity Building Initiative 2021 in Cumberland County
  • $10,000 for Mabel Wadsworth Center’s Connecting Women and LGBTQ+ People to Health Care in Penobscot, Aroostook, and Washington County
  • $10,000 for Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse’s Statewide Racial Equity Roadmap
  • $10,000 for Maine Transgender Network’s Statewide Support For Trans Survivors of Violence
  • $10,000 for Maine Women's Lobby Education Fund’s Statewide Education and Engagement for Gender Equity
  • $10,000 for Mano en Mano’s Rayitos de Sol Bilingual Childcare in Washington County
  • $10,000 for New Ventures Maine’s Statewide Expanding Wabanaki Savings through Collaborative Partnership Development, Marketing and Outreach
  • $10,000 for Restorative Justice Institute of Maine’s Statewide Leadership Development and Healing with Women Impacted by Incarceration
  • $10,000 for Somali Bantu Community Association’s Hiring More Women as Staff Members in Androscoggin County
  • $10,000 for Survivor Speak USA’s Making the Last Girl FIRST in Androscoggin, Cumberland and York Counties
  • $10,000 for Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness’ Statewide Supporting Wabanaki Women in Recovery
  • $10,000 for YWCA Central Maine’s Single Gender Women’s Swim in Androscoggin County

The Maine Women’s Fund provides general operating or project support to organizations that meet needs in the areas of: Education, Financial Skills & Literacy, Healthcare, Leadership, Personal Safety, and Policy. Dani Scherer, Chair of the Maine Women’s Fund Grants Committee stated, "At this moment of recovery and reckoning, it matters who leads us forward, and how. The organizations and initiatives supported through our recent round of grant funding show us what an equitable, caring and inclusive future can look like."

November 3, 2020

We are thrilled to have been recognized by the Grant Professionals Association with the 2020 Grantmaker of the Year Award, made in recognition of our contributions to the community and the grants profession within the public sector!

www.grantprofessionals.org/page/gmotyawardrecipients

June 24, 2020


Photo Credit: ArtVan staff.
Image Description: ArtVan, and all the other grantees, will be bringing their tools of change to women and girls across the State. 

CONTACT:
Kimberly Crichton, Executive Director
Maine Women’s Fund
Kimberly@mainewomensfund.org
(207) 774-5513

Maine Women’s Fund Announces Nearly $140,000 in Grants for 16 Organizations

June 24, 2020 – Today, the Maine Women’s Fund announces annual grant funding totaling $138,975 to 16 nonprofit organizations dedicated to transforming the lives of women and girls. In the past 30+ years the Maine Women’s Fund has made over 490 bold investments totaling more than $2.6 million to 230 organizations investing in the power of women and girls across the state.

“Our generous donors and sponsors allow us to fund new and established organizations so that they have the resources to strengthen women’s rights, create new opportunities, and economic well-being.“, said Dr. Candace Walworth, board member and Chair of the Grants Committee.

The Grants Committee received letters of interest from 68 non-profit organizations of various sizes and from all areas of the state. Each member of the Committee reviewed all requests and participated in a group discussion; from there, 27 of those organizations were invited to submit a more detailed proposal. After further assessment and due diligence by the committee, 16 organizations were selected for funding based on: strengths of the program and organization; the clearly identified need for the program; the diversity of geographic area and populations reached through the program; and opportunities to make the greatest impact and further the mission across the Maine Women’s Fund six funding areas: education, financial skills and literacy, healthcare, leadership, personal safety, and policy.

2020 Grant Awards (listed in alphabetical order):

  • A Company of Girls builds self-confidence and resiliency, cultivates leadership skills, and creates a community of tolerance and acceptance where uniqueness is celebrated and creativity thrives through experiences in theater, visual and culinary arts.
  • ArtVan serves children ages 3-18 in 390 family apartment units in Bath, Brunswick, and Auburn through regularly scheduled visits. Their art therapy approach lets poverty-related stressors be pro-actively and externally expressed through art.
  • The Elder Abuse Institute of Maine will pilot a warmline aimed at helping Maine's 16,000 home health workers to identify elder abuse and to report cases more effectively and frequently. Only 1 in 24 cases of elder abuse is currently reported.
  • The Hope and Justice Project, Inc. will implement wellness recovery action plan workshops in 3 areas of Aroostook County to provide survivors of domestic violence with a working plan for achieving their wellness goals.
  • The League of Women Voters of Maine Education Fund will enhance the ability of women from underrepresented communities to impact the decisions that affect their lives, and support the role that women continue to play in securing democratic rights for all.
  • Mabel Wadsworth Center is Maine's only independent, non-profit, community-based feminist health center. Our funding will support a feminist model of care focused on sexual and reproductive health through education, advocacy, and clinical services.
  • Maine Children's Alliance advocates for policies to support the 12,000 female-headed households and 14,000 children living in poverty in Maine, such as expanding access to education, job training, and improved work-family policies and food security.
  • MaineTransNet will address the increasingly hostile social and political attacks that leave trans people hurt (often physically) and isolated; this grant will support their goal of ensuring one support program monthly in all sixteen of Maine's counties.
  • New England Arab American Organization will provide a unique opportunity for New Mainer women to earn Child Development Associate certification. Participants will advance their skills and earn income while reflecting cultural diversity.
  • One Less Worry provides personal care products, including pads and tampons, which cannot be paid for with SNAP or WIC benefits, to those in need in Knox County while destigmatizing and normalizing periods through their Period Friendly project.
  • Restorative Justice Institute of Maine will partner with the residents of the Women's Correction Center to address harm and injustice through practices that build connection, equity, accountability, and healing.
  • Family Futures Downeast addresses multi-generational poverty by combining post-secondary, workforce and career pathways for parents while their children receive high-quality early education. Our grant will help raise parent voices.
  • Tree Street Youth supports youth of Lewiston-Auburn through programs rooted in academics, the arts, and athletics in a safe space. They will build additional, intentional supports to reduce barriers to leadership experienced by young mothers.
  • Wabanaki Public Health's mission is to provide community-driven public health services to all Wabanaki communities while honoring their cultural knowledge, cultivating innovation, and collaboration. They are overseen by Tribal leadership.
  • Wayfinder Schools serves at-risk youth and teen parents, providing students the experience necessary to discover their strengths and skills, connect with their families, practice personal responsibility, contribute to community, and earn a high school diploma.
  • YWCA Central Maine, who advocates for racial and gender equity, will offer a custom Parent and Child Together learning experience to introduce New Mainer mothers and children to the structure of a US early learning classroom.

“Once again, our annual grants provide many supportive programs for all ages, with several different programs around the state specifically serving the ends of the age spectrum, and others specifically serving the middle of the age spectrum,” said Kimberly Crichton, Executive Director. “Funding stretches from Aroostook to York County and reaches all five federally recognized tribal communities.”

 

  *This year, we funded Financial Skills and Literacy grants through our CA$H Maine capacity building initiative.

 About the Maine Women’s Fund

Since 1989, the Maine Women's Fund has been incubating and investing in nonprofit organizations run by and for Maine women and girls. Through its $2.9 million endowment, it makes annual financial investments in new and established organizations working towards its mission – to transform the lives of Maine women and girls through innovative programs and advocacy efforts. The Maine Women’s Fund provides financial and technical assistance to the organizations it partners with to build capacity, achieve sustainability, and create space for new generations of women leaders. In the past 30+ years the Maine Women’s Fund has granted almost 500 awards totaling more than $2.6 million to 230 organizations investing in the power of women and girls across the state and Wabanaki communities.

The Maine Women’s Fund is the only Maine foundation focused exclusively on advancing gender equity. In 2017, the Maine Women’s Fund created a rolling Swift Social Justice Grants Program to complement the Annual Grants Program and stand with women and girls from communities disproportionately impacted by the current policy and social landscape as they address immediate threats or take advantage of opportune moments. The Safety First for Women Fund is the Maine Women’s Fund first pooled emergency fund.

Learn more at www.mainewomensfund.org.

June 4, 2020 

CONTACT: 

Kimberly Crichton
Executive Director  
Maine Women’s Fund 
Kimberly@mainewomensfund.org 
(207) 774-5513   

 Maine Women’s Fund Announces $53,000 in Emergency Grant Funding to Improve Safety for Women and Girls Across the State and Throughout the Wabanaki Territories During this Pandemic 

June 4, 2020–Today, the Maine Women’s Fund announced emergency funding totaling over $53,000 raised through its rapid response Safety First for Women Fund.  The Maine Women’s Fund rapidly created this specialized fund to meet the urgent needs of women and girls across the state. Funders and advocates quickly responded and within six weeks, gifts totaling $40,000 were received from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, Sam L. Cohen Foundation, and the PRBB Foundation and over $13,000 from 59 different individuals. 

“Over our 30-year history, approximately 30% of our giving has focused on improving personal safety and ending violence. The Safety First for Women Fund is a rapid-response emergency fund that reflects the Maine Women’s Fund long-term commitment to ending violence for those living in all the communities we serve,” said Executive Director, Kimberly Crichton. “We are thrilled to provide $10,000 to the Maine Council on Aging to support their powerful advocacy for greater safety for direct care workers, $27,791 to the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence in support of the work of their nine member resource centers across the State of Maine and $15,439 to the Wabanaki Women’s Coalition in support of the work of their five member domestic and sexual violence advocacy centers throughout the Wabanaki territories.” 

Systemic violence against women, violence against Black and Brown people, violence against LGBTQ+ people, violence against poor people, violence against aging and disabled people is all interconnected. We know we cannot end violence against women and children without ending all violence. There is no gender justice without racial justice. The Safety First for Women Fund was created to provide financial support and visibility for these powerful coalitions working at the forefront of our equity challenges in this very moment.  

We are also proud to be amplifying the voices of survivors raising awareness about domestic violence with a $2,000 Swift Social Justice Grant to Finding Our Voices that has filled midcoast towns with survivor stories hung in downtown business windows. The awareness raising is working, with the local resource center reporting that several people have called the domestic violence hotline seeking support after seeing the banners around town. 

Domestic violence accounts for approximately half of all Maine homicides. In some Wabanaki communities, women have combined sexual and domestic violence rates as high as 80%. Direct care workers, some of Maine’s lowest wage workers who provide the personal care for the elderly and disabled, were without adequate access to personal protection equipment and access to testing at the time this fund was started.  

“We are honored to have had the opportunity to mobilize our community around these issues and we are deeply grateful to the 59 individuals and the three foundations who trusted and invested in the Maine Women’s Fund knowledge of the landscape, understanding of the places where other funders were investing, and identification of some of the most pressing unmet needs facing women and girls in Maine and the Wabanaki territories were,” said Board Chair, Janice Rogers. “Every gift we’ve ever made is reflective of someone’s belief in our work, in the power of women seeing and investing in each other.” 

About the Maine Women’s Fund 

Since 1989, the Maine Women's Fund has been incubating and investing in nonprofit organizations run by and for Maine women and girls. Through its $2.9 million endowment, it makes annual financial investments in new and established organizations working towards its mission – to transform the lives of Maine women and girls through innovative programs and advocacy efforts. The Maine Women’s Fund provides financial and technical assistance to the organizations it partners with to build capacity, achieve sustainability and develop the next generation of women leaders. In the past 30+ years the Maine Women’s Fund has granted over 475 awards totaling more than $2.5 million to 225 organizations investing in the power of women and girls across the state. 

The Maine Women’s Fund is the only Maine foundation focused exclusively on advancing gender equity. In 2017, the Maine Women’s Fund created a rolling Swift Social Justice Grants Program to complement the Annual Grants Program and stand with women and girls from communities disproportionately impacted by the current policy and social landscape as they address immediate threats or take advantage of opportune moments. The Safety First for Women Fund is the Maine Women’s Fund first pooled emergency fund.  

Learn more at www.mainewomensfund.org. 

 

June 4, 2019

CONTACT:

Kimberly Crichton
Executive Director
Maine Women’s Fund
(207) 774-5513 
Kimberly@mainewomensfund.org

Maine Women’s Fund Announces $132,550 for 14 Organizations Throughout the State

30th Anniversary awards invest in the power of women and girls through educational and leadership programs, policy change, and social and economic engagement initiatives.

June 4, 2019–Today, the Maine Women’s Fund announces their 2019 annual grants totaling $132,550 to 14 nonprofit organizations dedicated to transforming the lives of women and girls. Since its founding over 30 years ago, the Maine Women’s Fund has made 450 bold investmentstotaling more than $2.4 million to more than 200 nonprofit organizations.

“We are staying true to our founding mothers’ mission 30 years ago to ensure women and girls in our communities have opportunities and pathways to grow and reach their full potential “, said Dr. Candace Walworth, board member and Chair of the Grants Committee. “Our generous donors and sponsors allow us to fund new and established organizations so that they have the resources to strengthen women’s rights, create new opportunities, and economic well-being.”

The 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.

2019 Grant Awards (listed in reverse alphabetical order):

  • 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.

About the Maine Women’s Fund

Since 1989, the Maine Women's Fund has been incubating and investing in nonprofit organizations run by and for Maine women and girls. Through its $2.9 million endowment, it makes annual financial investments in new and established organizations working towards its mission – to transform the lives of Maine women and girls through innovative programs and advocacy efforts. The Maine Women’s Fund provides critical assistance and technical assistance to the organizations it partners with to build capacity, achieve sustainability and develop the next generation of women leaders. In the last 30 years the Maine Women’s Fund has granted over 450 awards totaling more than $2.4 million to 200 organizations investing in the power of women and girls across the state.

The Maine Women’s Fund is the only Maine foundation focused exclusively on advancing gender equity. In 2017, the Maine Women’s Fund created a rolling Swift Social Justice Grants Program to compliment the Annual Grants Program and stand with women and girls from communities disproportionately impacted by the current policy and social landscape as they address immediate threats or take advantage of opportune moments. Learn more at www.mainewomensfund.org.