Nearly $122,000 in Maine Community Foundation grants will help strengthen nonprofit organizations and projects in Aroostook County. The 14 grants through MaineCF’s Community Building Grant Program include $104,311 recommended by the Aroostook County Committee and four additional grants totaling $17,600 from people with donor-advised funds.
2023 grants from the Aroostook County Committee:
- Albiston Foundation, to increase access to recreational programs for people with disabilities: $8,745
- Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation, for outdoor painting workshops for middle and high school students and teachers: $4,184
- Aroostook Area Agency on Aging, to create a Memory Care Center to support older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their caretakers: $10,000
- Aroostook Arts and Education Center, to empower local youth, adults and families to express themselves through affordable arts programming: $10,000
- Big Rock, for a community ice-skating rink: $10,000
- Caribou Public Library, to create a mobile library available to all residents regardless of physical ability: $9,000
- Central Aroostook Historical Society, to replace the museum’s roof: $8,700
- Homeless Services of Aroostook, for a new, accessible ramp: $10,000
- Northern Lighthouse, to expand its pediatric occupational therapy program to help children reach developmental milestones: $2,500
- Presque Isle Farmers Market, to support the Maine Harvest Bucks matching incentive and accept SNAP benefits: $7,000
- Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum, to acquire and display historical farm equipment from the former Fort Fairfield Farming Museum: $3,212
- University of Maine at Fort Kent, for educational wilderness adventures at the Violette Allagash Wilderness Camp: $8,500
- Upper St. John River Association, for a telescope: $10,000
- VNA Home & Hospice, to assist Northern Light Home Care & Hospice with volunteer recruitment, training and retention efforts: $2,470
From donor-advised funds (as of April):
- Aroostook Hospice Foundation, to support the Aroostook House of Comfort: $12,500
- Caribou Public Library, to create a mobile library available to all residents regardless of physical ability: $1,000
- Northern Lighthouse, to expand its pediatric occupational therapy program to help children reach developmental milestones: $1,812
- Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum, to acquire and display historical farm equipment from the former Fort Fairfield Farming Museum: $2,288
The Aroostook County Fund is a permanent endowment that supports projects and nonprofit organizations that strengthen communities. Proposals are submitted through MaineCF’s Community Building Grant Program, the foundation’s largest, and are reviewed by a committee of community members. The next proposal deadline is Feb. 15, 2024. For more information, visit www.mainecf.org/communitybuilding.
The Aroostook County Fund, established in 1986, is built through donations from the community. For more information about the fund or grant program, contact Foundation Officer Erica McCrum at 207-227-7678 or emccrum@mainecf.org.
The Maine Community Foundation brings people and resources together to build a better Maine through strategic giving, community leadership, personalized service, local expertise and strong investments. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.mainecf.org.
