Frances Hollis Brain Foundation Fund

2024 Grants

Androscoggin Home Health Services, project support, to purchase supportive devise for low-income, chronically ill and children with disabilities for their safety, growth and development: $3,500
Birth Roots Center for Community Supported Parenting, project support, to support the healthy development of new and expectant families: $5,000
Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine, general support, for critical youth-development programs for children 8-years-old and younger: $5,000
Coastal Enterprises, project support, for the StartSmart program that helps immigrants and refugees start or grow businesses to lead to economic self-sufficiency: $7,500
Community Clinical Services, project support, Language Interpreter Program, using certified interpreters to improve understanding between patients and care teams for medical, behavioral and dental care in the Lewiston-Auburn area: $5,000
Community Dental, general support, to provide quality, accessible oral health care needed by low-income adults and children: $5,000
Deering High School, project support, to provide free feminine hygiene products to any student who needs them: $2,760
Good Shepherd Food Bank, general support, to reduce hunger by expanding food access for people experiencing food insecurity: $5,000
Greater Portland Family Promise, project support, to provide housing, critical needs support, housing navigation and stabilization case management: $5,000
Hope Acts, general support, to help asylum seekers with basic needs, access to benefits, housing, English and technology training and other ongoing support: $7,500
Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, general support, to advance justice and equity for immigrants through legal services, community education and advocacy: $7,500
Junior Achievement of Maine, project support, to provide financial literacy and career readiness training to first and second-grade youth from moderate to low-income households in Lewiston and Greater Portland: $2,500
Locker Project, project support, to provide regular food assistance to Greater Portland families with children preschool-aged and younger: $7,500
Maine Association for the Education of Young Children, project support, to promote early-childhood workforce growth within diverse communities: $10,000
Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, project support, to purchase fish from Maine fishermen and donate prepared fish meals to food pantries, schools and community service centers: $7,500
Maine Episcopal Missionary Society, project support, to offer dental products to adults and children: $7,500
Maine Equal Justice Partners, general support, to provide legal aid to people with low incomes: $5,000
MaineHealth, general support, to provide appropriate clothing necessary to discharge hospital patients in all seasons: $5,000
Mayo Street Arts, project support, to expand the free after-school arts program: $5,000
Mercy Hospital, general support, to continue providing a comprehensive, multi-generational program for women and mothers in recovery from substance use disorder: $7,000
Midcoast Literacy, project support, for monthly early literacy sessions and free books to preschoolers and toddlers in Head Start and Early Head Start programs: $5,000
New Beginnings, general support, to provide shelter, housing, food, basic needs, case management, health care access and educational support for Lewiston-Auburn youth experiencing homelessness and food insecurity: $5,000
Pine Tree Society, project support, to add a third classroom to Pine Tree Society’s Early Learning Center: $5,000
Portland Community Squash, project support, to provide financial aid for early childhood education and child care for after-school summer programs: $5,000
Portland Stage Company, project support, to expand pre-K to grade 12 programs: $5,000
Preble Street, project support, to expand Food Security Hub Services to serve more people and provide nutritious, culturally appropriate meals: $5,000
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Immaculate Conception Conference, project support, to provide local, fresh foods: $3,500
Susan L. Curtis Charitable Foundation, general support, to provide enriching outdoor, summer programming for Maine children facing economic hardship: $7,500
The Center for Grieving Children, project support, for the after-school Intercultural Peer Support Program: $5,000
The Telling Room, general support, to provide after-school literary arts education and youth development programs for Greater Portland youth: $5,000
Tree Street Youth, general support, to foster the social-emotional, academic and leadership development of marginalized Lewiston youth ages 4 to 24 and their families, including recent immigrants and refugees: $7,500
Trinity Jubilee Center, general support, to meet immediate needs of food, diapers, shelter and supplies to help patrons achieve housing, employment and long-term stability: $5,000
United Way of Southern Maine, project support, to build critical literacy skills and a love of reading in early elementary school students through the Volunteer Readers program: $7,500
University of Maine at Augusta, project support, to upgrade dental equipment with current technology for patients and to provide high-quality training and education to students: $5,000

2023 Grants

A Company of Girls, to empower youth in challenging circumstances to find their voices through arts programs that provide opportunities for mentorship, confidence building, resiliency and leadership development: $5,000
Avesta Housing Development Corporation, for a summer reading program for children from low-income, immigrant families living in Westbrook Avesta properties: $5,450
Catholic Charities Maine, to provide parents with access to early care and education services: $10,000
Count ME In, to improve transitions for learners from early care settings into public pre-kindergarten and kindergarten: $5,000
Family and Community Mediation, to provide mediation and conflict resolution services to families with low incomes and young children: $5,000
Foundation for Portland Public Schools, to help Portland Public Schools' families with emergency needs such as housing, utilities, medical costs or other critical supplies: $7,500
Furniture Friends, to collect donated furniture for low-income individuals and families living in southern Maine: $5,000
Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, to send three middle-school students on a summer Outward Bound course: $3,000
Intercultural Community Center, to enrich academic, emotional and physical wellbeing of immigrant, refugee and low-income students through effective social services and support: $7,500
Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, to purchase diapers for families throughout southern Maine: $10,000
Kids First Center, to provide programs for safe and healthy coparenting: $5,000
LearningWorks, to offer no-cost STEAM, literacy and vocational educational programming for elementary, middle and high school students: $5,000
Maine Boys to Men, to provide Boot Camp for New Dads, a program for expectant fathers: $7,500
Midcoast Maine Community Action, to support the needs of Midcoast Maine families with low incomes: $5,000
Northeast Hearing & Speech Center, to provide children who cannot speak with an alternative way to communicate, start a loaner library, and support their caregivers: $7,500
Oasis Health Network, to provide free, high-quality medical and dental care and prescription assistance to low-income, uninsured adults living in our community: $5,000
Palaver Strings, to increase the racial diversity of the music education faculty to better reflect the diversity of young students and families: $7,500
Peaks Island Children’s Workshop, to provide early childhood education to Peaks Island children: $7,500
Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, to provide reproductive and sexual health care on a sliding fee scale: $7,500
Portland Community Health Center, for dental supplies and staffing to provide dental health care access to Portland preschools: $6,013
Portland Ovations, for its early literacy program, Cultivating Curiosity: $7,500
ProsperityME, to support immigrant families experiencing housing instability: $7,500
Side x Side, to provide early elementary school teachers and students with collaborative arts projects: $5,000
St. Luke’s Cathedral, for its food pantry: $7,500
St. Mary’s Regional Health Center, to expand the school garden and food programs in four elementary schools: $10,000
The Ecology School, to provide hands-on environmental education for Saco students in grades K-2 that promotes environmental stewardship, social emotional learning and STEM skills: $10,000
Woodfords Family Services, to ensure students with special needs have reliable transportation for special purpose school services: $5,000
YMCA- Auburn-Lewiston, to address the educational and achievement gap for children in grades K-3 living in communities with social, economic and cultural barriers: $8,750
YMCA- Central Maine, to provide children in Lewiston-Auburn access to affordable child care, nutritious meals, and basic water-safety skills: $10,000

2022 Grants

Cedars Nursing Care Center, Portland, for oral exams, dental X-rays, and kits for long-term care residents and rehabilitation patients: $10,000
Coastal Enterprises, Brunswick, to help asylum-seekers start or grow businesses: $5,000
Episcopal Diocese of Maine, Portland, to provide feminine hygiene products to asylum seekers and others with low incomes: $7,500
Greater Portland Family Promise, to find affordable housing and provide ongoing mentorship to families experiencing homelessness: $7,500
Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, to facilitate access to food assistance programs and provide nutrition information: $5,000
Hope Acts, Portland, to support asylum seekers with housing, support services, and English classes: $10,000
Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, Camden, to send four middle-school students from Lewiston-Auburn's Boys and Girls Club to a summer Outward Bound course: $5,000
Laudholm Trust, Wells, to introduce female, first-generation Mainers attending Portland High School to science and nature in Maine and careers possible in those fields: $4,000
Locker Project, Portland, to provide low-income families with reliable access to healthy, fresh food: $5,000
Maine Equal Justice, to help Mainers access food, health care, and housing through legal assistance: $5,000
Maine Family Planning, Augusta, to provide affordable and accessible sexual and reproductive health care to low-income patients: $5,000
Maine Resilience Building Network, Manchester, for programming that promotes the healthy development of children: $10,000
Mainely Teeth, Portland, to provide dental care to uninsured or under-insured patients: $10,000
Mayo Street Arts, Portland, for a no-cost, after-school arts program for students living in low-income neighborhoods in East Bayside: $5,000
Mercy Hospital, Portland, for a two-year program for women recovering from substance-use disorder: $8,000
Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, Brunswick, to provide food to those facing temporary or chronic food insecurity: $5,000
Midcoast Literacy, Bath, to provide one-on-one tutoring for 35 children in Bath and Brunswick: $5,000
Milestone Recovery, Portland, to support the transition from long-term homelessness to permanent housing: $10,000
Portland Stage Company, to expand its K-12 education programs: $5,000
Preble Street, Portland, to provide meals, increase food access, and nutrition while supporting a sustainable food system: $5,000
Susan L. Curtis Charitable Foundation, Portland, for low-income children to attend Camp Susan Curtis at no cost: $5,000
Sweetser, Saco, to provide access to mental and behavioral health services to uninsured and uninsured children: $5,000
The Opportunity Alliance, South Portland, to provide client assistance through its Homeless Youth Services program: $5,000
Through These Doors, Portland, to provide safety planning, emergency shelter, and basic needs to victims and survivors of domestic abuse: $5,000
Tree Street Youth, Lewiston, to design an early-childhood program for preschool-aged children: $10,000
Trinity Jubilee Center, Lewiston, to provide shelter, food and diapers, and facilitate access to medical care, housing, and employment: $10,000
YWCA Central Maine, Lewiston, to provide preschool-aged children food services that are designed to build healthy relationships with food and prevent childhood obesity: $7,130