The Grafton Forest Conservation Project will protect land -- and views -- with support from donor-advised funds. Jerry Monkman photo
Greg Millert didn't think twice about adding a few dollars to the convenience store donation box for the first-ever playground at Milo's middle school. He regularly stops by for a sandwich on fishing trips and knows the town struggles with poverty that impacts nearly 30 percent of its residents.
But Millert, of Brunswick, wished he could do more - and within days he had, with a grant to the project from the donor-advised fund (DAF) he and his wife, Linda, started a few years ago at the community foundation.
"This one is a no-brainer," he wrote Laura Lee at MaineCF, who had forwarded him the playground grant proposal from SAD 41, which had been partially funded by the Piscataquis County Committee. MaineCF's Giving Together program provides donors with DAFs access to proposals so they can support nonprofit organizations and projects that reflect their passions. Last year, donors provided local programs nearly $1.7 million through Giving Together.
The Millerts' gift helped fully fund the school's request to pay for a basketball court that will complement a new soccer field and nature trail. The facilities also will be open to the community during after-school hours. It matched the Millerts' passion for helping children, especially those in rural areas.
Donors with advised funds play a crucial role in grantmaking at MaineCF. The grants typically account for at least half of the community foundation's grants to local nonprofit organizations; in 2021 donors made close to 4,000 grants totaling about $29 million.
Donor-advised funds have long been a part of charitable giving at community foundations, starting with the first DAF established in 1931 by the New York Community Trust. Today support through DAFs is even more important as nonprofit organizations contend with rising costs and recover from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Donors, through their gifts and grants, also increase the impact of other programs including the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Fund and the Invest in Maine Fund, which provides funding statewide for future and current issues, such as emergency pandemic support.
The support of advised funds has played another key role as nonprofit organizations rebuild after months of stalled events and fundraising.
"General support from DAFs has provided unrestricted funding that gives nonprofits the critical flexibility they need to meet whatever need, challenge, or opportunity that comes their way," said Lee, MaineCF's director of grantmaking. "During a time when the unexpected is always happening, this freedom to be flexible is hugely important."
Environment & Land Protection
Total given: $6,962,345
Forest Society of Maine received significant funding from seven donor-advised funds to support its Grafton Forest Conservation Project. The conservation easement on
15,000 acres of sustainably managed forest fills a gap in a Maine-New Hampshire conservation corridor and preserves public access to wilderness and trails. In addition to the conservation grants, four donors provided annual support to the organization.
Arts, Culture, & Humanities
Total given: $2,944,477
Maine Wabanaki REACH received funding for its Peacemaking Begins with Truthtelling project, which draws on Wabanaki traditions and ways of knowing to examine impacts of the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement. Wabanaki REACH also received general support funding from eight donor-advised funds to help the organization with its overall mission.
Human Services
Total given: $2,564,339
Knox County Homeless Coalition received funding from nine donor-advised funds, which included general support as well as funding for the Landing Place Youth Center in downtown Rockland. The center's staff and volunteers have worked since 2017 to break cycles of poverty by supporting local youth who are at high risk of experiencing adversity such as unstable housing, food insecurity, and lack of access to other resources and supplies.
Education
Total given: $2,382,325
University of Maine Foundation received funding from 12 donor-advised funds. Grant purposes ranged from supporting scholarships, to climate work, to emergency funding for students in crisis.
Health Care
Total given: $2,291,509
LifeFlight Foundation received funding from nine donor-advised funds for LifeFlight of Maine. The funding will support the state's only emergency air ambulance with a mission of lifesaving patient transport and go toward a new helicopter. Healthy Acadia also received funding from 13 donor-advised funds to support food programs, substance-use disorder recovery, and public health.
If you would like to learn how you could establish a donor-advised fund at MaineCF, please contact Bree Arsenault, vice president of philanthropy, at barsenault@mainecf.org or (207) 412-0844.
