Eligibility and Grant Guidelines
These are guidelines that apply to all competitive grant programs at the Maine Community Foundation. Please consult the web page of individual grant programs for information specific to each program. Click here to search available grant programs.
Who is eligible to apply:
- 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 as described above. (Click here for information on fiscal sponsorships).
Any eligible organization may submit one application per grant program, regardless of previous application history or current award progress (see specific grant program pages for any exceptions).
When to apply
- Online applications open for new proposals approximately three months prior to the grant program deadline.
- For grant program deadlines, click here.
- Proposals must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on the program deadline. If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be 11:59 p.m. of the next business day.
- Late applications will not be accepted.
Required documents
Required of all applicants: List of all the members of your organization's board or advisory committee, including town/city of residence and occupation.
Program requirements: Some programs require additional documentation. Please consult the program webpage for specifics.
Other documents that may be required: Review the following to determine what additional documents are required with your application.
Condition |
Required Documents |
If you are applying for a project that includes working with a school: |
A letter of agreement from a school representative that explains the school’s level of involvement |
If you are applying for a project that includes working with a tribe: |
A letter of agreement from a tribal representative (Aroostook Band of Micmacs, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik, Penobscot Nation) that explains the tribe's level of involvement |
If you are applying for a project that includes a partnership with another organization (other than a school): |
A letter of agreement from the partner organization that explains their level of involvement. |
If your organization is a public school or school district: |
A letter from the principal or superintendent agreeing to accept MaineCF grant funds for your project |
A municipal library: |
A letter from the Town or City Manager confirming your organization's municipal status (Note that libraries with separate 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity status do not need this letter.) |
A town/city or government/municipal agency: |
A letter from the head of agency agreeing to accept MaineCF grant funds for your project |
What to submit
- Submit only one proposal per organization per grant program. Applicants may submit a proposal to more than one grant program on the same deadline.
- Requests should be for future expenses only. Because proposals take 10-12 weeks to process, plan the project start date accordingly.
- Requests should not exceed the maximum award for each individual grant program.
- Please only send information and materials requested in the grant program guidelines. Additional materials will not be reviewed.
Types of funding
Consult each grant program for:
- Types of funding offered such as general support grants, project grants, capacity building grants, etc.
- Indirect costs as an allowable expense. When allowed, administrative overhead expenses of up to 20% of the total requested budget may be included.
- Requests or specific types of expenses that are not eligible can be found under the “Additional Information” section of each grant program page.
What we will not fund, without exception
- 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.
Grant cycle timeline
- Intake: Grants administrative staff cross-checks the legal name and address of each applicant and checks for required signatures and forms.
- Prescreening: Program staff reviews each proposal to determine if it meets the required grant program criteria.
- Giving Together process: Staff reviews proposals and forwards those that might be of interest to donors who may decide to fully or partially support a proposal.
- Review: Program staff assigns proposals to volunteer community reviewers who read and recommend proposals and sometimes make calls to applicants as part of the review process.
- Grant decision meeting: Reviewers present summaries and recommendations, discuss proposals, and make final award decisions as a committee.
Confidentiality
- Proposals may be shared with interested parties, including donors and other funders, for potential funding.
Notification
- Starting in 2022, award and decline notifications will be done via email. If you receive an award, we will also send a letter and check through regular mail
- If an applicant has a fiscal sponsor, the check will be sent to the fiscal sponsor and a copy of the award letter will go to the applicant
- Grant programs vary, but notification typically occurs within 10-12 weeks from the deadline date. Consult each grant program for approximate notification windows.
Ready to apply?
- To start the online application, click on the gold “Apply” button at the top right of this page. Step-by-step directions can be found here.
