Welch Charitable Fund

2024 Grants

Best Buddies International, project, for friendship and leadership opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities: $10,000
Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, capacity building, to expand and renovate the Portland Clubhouse, including constructing a new Teen Center: $50,000
Community Dental, capacity building, to increase capacity for underserved orthodontic patients: $10,000
Crossroads for Women, project, for computer equipment in residential and outpatient treatment centers: $7,500
Elder Abuse Institute of Maine, project, to install energy and cost-effective heat pumps and hot water heater at Martha’s Cottage Program transitional housing: $5,000
Frannie Peabody Center, project, to increase access to HIV-prevention services: $5,000
Good Shepherd Food Bank, project, to increase food access for children through low-barrier youth programs: $10,000
Hospice of Southern Maine, project, to make improvements at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House: $10,000
I’m Your Neighbor Books, capacity building, to expand cross-cultural community connections through books: $10,000
LearningWorks, capacity building, for a new construction trailer to enhance training and expand community support: $9,341
Mainely Smiles, capacity building, to expand the clinic and increase access to oral health care: $10,000
Milestone Recovery, project, for renovations and repairs to its homeless shelter for people experiencing substance use disorders: $10,000
North Yarmouth Academy, project, for an emergency-management communication system for student and teacher safety: $10,000
Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute, capacity building, to increase capacity of the “My Values,” “My Voice,” “My Vision” program: $7,500
Portland Community Squash, project, to expand its facility: $15,000
Preble Street, capacity building, for Preble Street Health Services to offer low-barrier health care for people experiencing homelessness and substance use disorder: $10,000
Royal River Community Players, capacity building, for flexible seating to make productions accessible to all: $8,102
St. Joseph’s College of Maine, capacity building, for an Innovation Training Hub to increase nurse training: $15,000
Woodfords Family Service, capacity building, for the Expeditions Community Support Program to offer health and wellness opportunities for adults with disabilities: $10,000

2023 Grants

American Red Cross, to support renovations to its Southern Maine facility: $25,000
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, for expansion of Play Your Way, a monthly program offered to any child, adult or caregiver who requires a lower stimulation experience at the museum: $10,716
Fifth Maine Regiment Museum, to upgrade the original porch railings to code for safe, year-round use: $7,500
Friends of Congress Square Park, for the 2024 In the Square season of free public arts and cultural programming in in downtown Portland: $5,000
Good Shepherd Food Bank, to reduce hunger and increase food access for children in Cumberland County by making nutritious and culturally relevant foods available through welcoming, low-barrier youth programs: $15,000
Hospice of Southern Maine, for rebranding and new website to reach more people, increase organizational effectiveness, and reflect the changing paradigm of hospice: $15,000
Indigo Arts Alliance, for the fourth annual Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival: $10,000
Junior Achievement of Maine, to purchase computers and equipment for new and existing staff, enhance volunteer recruitment and expand career exploration, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship training for Maine students: $7,520
Maine Historical Society, for development of the Riverside Collections Management Center to support expanded exhibitions, programs and organizational capacity: $20,000
Maine Humanities Council, to enable residents at Windham correctional sites to create and lead community book discussion groups: $7,500
Maine State Ballet, to upgrade the in-house Lopez Theater with new theater seating: $10,000
Portland Community Health Center, for a new dental chair at its Portland High School health center: $10,000
Portland Public Library, for local Comic/Graphic Novel artists to create an immersive exhibit: $10,000
Portland School of Ballet, to upgrade the ballet’s deteriorating and outdated sound systems: $6,807
Portland Wheelers, for an adapted trike: $15,000
Preble Street, for Preble Street Health Services, community-based healthcare for people experiencing homelessness: $20,000
The Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness, to fund disabilities awareness, inclusion and anti-bullying programs in Maine classrooms: $6,300
Victoria Mansion, for a partnership between local cultural sites to create an online repository of virtual and in-person educational resources for middle and high school teachers: $5,000

2022 Grants

Catholic Charities of Maine, to replace kitchen equipment: $6,000
Community Dental, to provide oral health care to underserved populations: $10,000
Frannie Peabody Center, to obtain HIPPA-compliant technology and move its headquarters, $5,000
Good Shepherd Food Bank, to increase childhood food security, improve health, and stabilize the lives of young people: $12,500
Hospice of Southern Maine, to make capital improvements and enhance patient care: $8,000
Intercultural Community Center, to enrich the academic, emotional, and physical well-being of immigrants, refugees, and students with low incomes: $5,000
Maine Academy of Modern Music, for sound equipment, instruments, stands, cases, and tuners: $5,013
Maine Medical Center, to establish the Welch Charitable Fund endowed scholarship for physicians that honors Merton G. and Harriet P. Henry: $100,000
Maine State Ballet, to uplift Maine through inspiring dance education and performance: $7,500
Mayo Street Arts, for free access to after-school arts programming: $5,000
Mercy Hospital, for furniture: $10,000
Milestone Recovery, to serve Mainers with substance use disorders and homelessness: $20,000
My Place Teen Center, for new carpet, furnishings, and gaming systems: $10,000
Peaks Island Children’s Workshop, to replace and repair windows: $4,628
Portland Museum of Art, to reinstall three collection galleries: $12,000
Preble Street, to provide comprehensive services to youth experiencing homelessness: $20,000
Riding to the Top Therapeutic Riding Center, for school-based learning programs: $5,000
Robbie Foundation, for essential items and services for children with developmental disabilities: $5,000
Southern Maine Agency on Aging, for health and wellness education programs for disabled adults: $5,000
Joseph’s College, to develop an integrated studies program: $15,000
Yellow Tulip Project, for a campaign focused on young men’s mental health: $15,000