New grant funding will allow AmeriCorps service projects in Maine to recruit a total of 53 new service members for the 2020-21 program year. These awarded funds will bolster projects in youth mentorship, K-12 education support, and poverty outreach throughout the state, according to a news release from Volunteer Maine, based in Augusta.
Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, has approved funding of seven Maine AmeriCorps programs with a total of $480,572 using monies provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency supporting National Service programs. These initiatives will be bolstered by an additional $436,471 in local funds and in-kind contributions. The seven organizations applied for an AmeriCorps Formula Grant, which are awarded to states each year based on a population formula.
Volunteer Maine Commissioners have approved a new AmeriCorps grant to University of Southern Maine’s Campus Compact Maine. The service project will have 26 AmeriCorps members serve to increase energy efficiency and cost savings for economically disadvantaged populations and community organizations. The commission awarded a three-year grant to the project, with $158,000 of funding for the first year.
The other six service projects have been allocated funds from previously awarded grants to continue operating. Service projects receive three-year grants, and after an initial year of funding, must compete to finance the second and third years of their project.
Five-of-the-seven community organizations applied for funds through the Maine Rural State AmeriCorps Grant Initiative. This grant design allows organizations in rural states, such as Maine, to scale their programs down to a size appropriate for the community and host two to five members instead.
2020-21 AmeriCorps Formula Grant Awards:
(Awards listed by program name followed by grantee in brackets. Asterisk indicates Maine Rural State AmeriCorps grantees.)
• Colby College Maine Rural AmeriCorps* (President and Trustees of Colby College), Waterville: $31,086/two members;
• First4 AmeriCorps (Kennebec Valley Community Action Program/Educare Central Maine), Waterville: $154,603/15 members;
• Game Loft AmeriCorps Program* (Maine Youth Alliance), Belfast: $30,683/two members;
• Seeds of Hope AmeriCorps* (Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center), Biddeford: $28,736/three members;
• Skowhegan AmeriCorps Outdoor Recreation Program* (Maine Street Skowhegan), Skowhegan: $46,436/three members;
• Trekkers AmeriCorps Aspirations Project* (Trekkers, Inc.), Rockland: $30,678/two members; and
• University of Southern Maine: Maine Campus Compact AmeriCorps (Maine Campus Compact), Lewiston: $158,350/26 members.
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