Edward H. Daveis Benevolent Fund

2024 Grants

240 Strings, Portland, to provide an academic year of music enrichment for 22 students, including weekly private lessons, chamber music coaching, performance opportunities, field trips and family gatherings: $5,000
317 Main St Community Music Center Inc, Yarmouth, to offer free music education programs to youth-serving organizations in Greater Portland: $10,000
Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, Portland, to provide youth development programming in Southern Maine: $10,000
Foundation for Portland Public Schools, Portland, for Parent University, a program of the Portland Public Schools to engage families in student learning: $6,500
LearningWorks, Portland, to support corrections-involved youth in completing mandated community service, learning life skills and rehabilitating harmed relationships through restorative practices: $7,000
Maine Audubon Society, Falmouth, to conduct in-person environmental education for all Portland Pre-K students and provide resources that allow classroom teachers to extend the learning: $9,987
Mayo Street Arts, Portland, for a six-week summer youth program that provides local low-income and immigrant families with arts-based literacy enrichment: $10,000
Portland Housing Services Corporation, Portland, to empower marginalized youth to enact positive change in their communities while developing their leadership and life skills: $10,000
The Center for Grieving Children, Portland, to deliver Intercultural Peer Support Programming to serve children, teens and their families who have resettled locally: $7,000
The Telling Room, Portland, to provide creative writing, literary arts education, youth publishing and youth development programs in the Greater Portland community: $10,000
Waynflete School, Portland, for a mentoring program between Waynflete and Reiche students that cultivates greater resilience by building developmental assets: $4,000
Yellow Tulip Project, Portland, to smash the stigma surrounding youth mental health in Portland: $6,000

From donor-advised funds:

A Company of Girls, Portland, to empower youth to find their voices through arts-based enrichment that provides opportunities for mentorship, confidence building, increased resiliency and leadership development: $5,000
Early Math and Language Initiative, Cumberland Foreside, to expand EMLI programing for young learners from under-resourced communities, expose them to high-quality early math experiences and promote school readiness: $3,000
In Her Presence, Portland, to support to the Frances Warde House which provides shelter, health care and education to pregnant and post-partum immigrant mothers and their children: $5,000
Locker Project, Portland, to provide healthy staples for children at elementary schools and Head Start locations in Greater Portland to take home to share with their families: $3,000
My Place Teen Center, Westbrook, for the Youth Leadership Academy, a specialized positive youth development program designed to increase developmental assets and reduce risky behaviors: $3,000
Our Place Portland, Scarborough, to expand public health and leadership-focused programs for at-risk middle school youth including mentoring programs and groups: $6,900

2023 Grants

Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, for critical youth development programs: $10,000
Catholic Charities of Maine, to increase toddler child care capacity at St. Elizabeth’s Child Development Center: $10,000
Intercultural Community Center, to enrich the academic and emotional wellbeing of immigrant, refugee and low-income students through effective social services and support: $5,000
Maine Inside Out, to engage King Middle School (Portland) students in creating and performing original theater and engaging the community in dialogue about social change: $5,000
Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute, The Institute requests support to deliver its “My Values,” “My Voice,” and “My Vision” women’s leadership program in Cumberland County: $7,500
Opera Maine, for Opera for All, a program providing free, interactive opera-based education in Maine K-12 public schools, particularly schools in underserved communities: $4,000
Our Place Portland, to provide a space for youth ages 5-14 to receive basic needs, mentorship and family advocacy services: $7,000
Portland Community Squash, for financial aid and transportation for any Portland student enrolled in after school and summer programs: $10,000
Portland Public Library, to diversity the library’s collection of multilingual books for children and families to better serve our community: $5,000
The Center for Grieving Children, to deliver intercultural peer support programming to serve children, teens and their families who have resettled locally from countries experiencing war, persecution and natural disaster: $7,000
United Way of Southern Maine, to develop a thriving child care entrepreneurship ecosystem and increase the number of sustainable, accessible quality child care programs: $10,000
Woodfords Family Service, to develop a four-season outdoor classroom to support the clinical and educational skill building of young students with developmental disabilities in Greater Portland: $5,000
Youth and Family Outreach, for its nationally accredited early education program: $10,000

From donor-advised funds:

Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, for critical youth development programs: $4,000
Greater Portland Peer Services, to provide targeted educational and employment opportunities to our most vulnerable residents: $2,500
My Place Teen Center, for programs that allow students to gain competency and trust in school as an academic success pathway and to avoid high-risk activities: $3,000
Our Place Portland, to provide a space for youth ages 5-14 to receive basic needs, mentorship and family advocacy services: $3,000

2022 Grants

317 Main St. Community Music Center, to provide free music education programs: $5,000
Intercultural Community Center, to develop a Girl Scout troop and community engagement club: $5,000
League of Women Voters of Maine Education Fund, to promote student civic engagement and build leadership skills: $10,000
Maine Boys to Men, to meet the increased demand for the Reducing Sexism & Violence Program: $7,500
Mayo Street Arts, for visiting artists: $7,500
Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute, for the My Values, My Voice and My Vision women’s leadership programs: $5,000
Our Place Portland, to fund a safe space for vulnerable youth to receive mentorship, resources and opportunities: $3,000
Palaver Strings, to provide 200 children with access to music education: $7,500
Peaks Island Children’s Workshop, to support early learning: $10,000
Portland Community Squash, to provide financial aid to hundreds of students enrolled in after-school and weekend programs: $5,000
Rippleffect, to fund the Rippleffect Outdoor Center: $10,000
The Telling Room, to provide creative writing, literary-arts education and youth-development programs: $7,500
Youth LED Justice, to train youth leaders in restorative justice and to support them as they facilitate restorative processes for their peers: $7,500