Maine Initiatives - A Fund for Change

Frequently asked questions

Printable forms

Instructions: You may:

- fill out the forms online and print them.

- print blank forms and fill them out by hand.

- retype them.

- contact us to request a hard copy or a Word file.

If you fill them out online:

- make sure everything you've entered actually prints.

- note that you cannot save what you enter - you can only print it.

Our mission:

Maine Initiatives, a fund for change, cultivates social, economic, and environmental justice through grants and other support to grassroots organizations in Maine communities.

Our approach:

Our three-year major grant program supports grassroots social change. We focus on:

. Community organizing, because there is strength in numbers.

. Advocacy, because everyone deserves a place at the table.

. Core operating support, because the mission of an organization is its most important work.

. Change, not charity, because alleviating suffering is not the same as altering circumstance.

. Root causes, because people can solve their own problems if they have the resources to do so.

We make major grants of up to $40,000 spread over three years. Second- and third-year funding is contingent upon annual grantee reports and outcomes.

What we fund:

To receive a major grant, a program should:

. Have the potential to improve the lives of specific Maine populations.

. Involve grassroots organizing that includes the constituency served as both leaders and members.

. Benefit and include low- and moderate-income people, with leadership reflecting the community's diversity.

. Represent people acting in their own behalf for change.

. Emphasize community support and volunteerism.

. Look beyond the individual to community transformation.

. Focus on root causes.

. Have a commitment to collaboration and democratic values as an approach to social change.

. Have a plan for fundraising and sustainability beyond the grant period.

. Be replicable.

. Have limited access to more mainstream funding.

. Be tax-exempt or have a tax-exempt sponsor. (Call us at 207-622-6294 if you're not sure.)

. Be Maine-based.

What we don't fund:

We generally do not fund:

. Social services and social service networks (such as counseling, food pantries, homeless shelters, and crisis hotlines).

. Publications, special events, art or cultural activities, research, education, sports, recreation, religion, or legal fees - except as part of a broader community organizing proposal.

. Land trusts.

. Government and public agencies and commissions..

. Limited-term proposals that do not reflect a self-sustaining, ongoing organizational model.

. Endowment funds, capital campaigns, or major purchases such as land, buildings, cars, or equipment.

. Organizations with annual budgets of more than $1,000,000.

Deadlines and process:

Applying for a major grant is a two-stage process: a letter of inquiry followed by a full proposal.

Letters of inquiry are due the second Friday in November.

Applicants we select to submit full proposals are usually notified the first week in January, and we will send them instructions for preparing them. These full proposals are due mid-February, we make site visits in March, and we announce grant awards about a month later.

Neither a request for a full proposal nor a site visit guarantees funding.

Technical assistance and outside support:

Your budget may include such items as training, consultant fees, conference and travel costs, networking, and technical assistance. Applicants determine their own needs, and grantees may make use of Maine Initiatives' technical assistance resources.

More about major grants:

We offer both project support for specific activities and core operating support to advance your group's mission as a whole. Groups that receive a major grant must wait a year after their three-year funding ends before submitting a new proposal. We strive for an equitable geographic distribution of our resources.

To submit your letter of inquiry:

Provide the original plus twelve collated, double-sided, stapled copies (13 copies total) of items 1 through 4 below (a total of thirteen copies), and provide one copy each of items 5 and 6. Provide only these materials. No paper clips, please.

1. Cover sheet: Go to Printable forms.

2. Budget: Go to Printable forms. The purpose of the budget is to tell us how you'll use your grant. It should let us know where you expect your money will come from and how you plan to spend it.

. All applicants should fill out the first budget column. If you're applying for project support, fill out the second column, as well.

. We do not want the budgets of tax-exempt sponsors.

. You may attach budget notes.

. If any of your income is restricted for specific purposes, explain in your notes.

. If your income and expenses do not equal each other, explain in your notes.

3. Letter of inquiry: In no more than two pages, using 12-point type and one-inch margins, tell us:

. A brief description of your organization, its mission, and if this is a project proposal, the project.

. Goals, including measurable anticipated outcomes and how you will evaluate them each year.

. Planned activities to achieve those goals.

. In 25 words or less, how this proposal addresses our mission, which is stated at the top of this page.

. How the organization or project plans to sustain itself beyond the three-year grant period.

. The percentage of your board that gives money to the organization.

4. List of board and staff.

5. IRS 501(c)(3) designation letter for your group or its tax-exempt sponsor (one copy only).

6. Statement that your group does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, political affiliation, or religious beliefs.

Submit the above materials to Maine Initiatives, 295 Water Street, Suite 100, P.O. Box 2248, Augusta, Maine 04338. No e-mail, fax, or web submissions, please.

For more information:

To get answers to questions or discuss proposal ideas, call 207-622-6294 or email info@maineinitiatives.org.