The MainStreet Foundation funds efforts that directly support the welfare of young people through the development of the skills and attitudes essential to achieving success in spite of societal pressures such as poverty, substance abuse, violence, and other challenges.
We support the projects, programs and initiatives that foster the development of and ensure the welfare of at-risk youth. We also support efforts that will deliver measurable outcomes with sustainable long-term benefits.
The MainStreet Foundation provides two types of grants: Impact Grants and Seed Grants. In 2010, the Foundation anticipates making several awards to help at-risk youngsters. Up to five Impact Grants of approximately $5,000 are anticipated. Seed Grants are awarded for amounts up to $500, and up to ten are expected to be awarded this year.
Click here to apply or read about the guidelines and criteria for receiving a MainStreet Foundation grant.
Past Recipients
Looking for inspiration? Read the stories of Camp Sunshine and other non-profits who have received our grants and what they've done to help our community. Read more.
Application
Mail in an application:
Step 1 Download the grant application file (.doc)
Step 2 Print out the application and fill out by hand
Step 3 Include a copy of your organization's 501(c)3 status
Step 4 Mail the completed grant application and 501(c)3 status to:
Melissa Rock
MainStreet Foundation
P.O. Box 1407
Lewiston, ME 04243
Applicants can also obtain a grant application the following ways:
• Request a copy by mail by sending an email request*.
• Request a copy by mail by writing to: MainStreet Foundation,
P.O. Box 1407, Lewiston, ME 04243-1407
Application Review Cycle
The Foundation reviews requests three times a year in February, May and November. The deadline for grant applications is the 15th day of the month preceding the review month (e.g., the 15th of January for review in February). Applications received later than this deadline will not be considered for support until the following quarterly review meeting. Applicants will be sent a confirmation of receipt of their grant application a few days after it is received. Notification of grant decisions will be sent by mail no later than the end of the month in which the Foundation's decision-making groups meet and review grant applications.
Please follow the guidelines in the grant application carefully. Applications that do not comply with the guidelines or that do not specifically address our area of focus will not be considered for funding.
Before or after grant approval, BankonCommunity may request additional information from an organization on its financial status, organization, or operations.
* Androscoggin Bank is committed to ensure the safety of your financial information. We would like to remind you that e-mails are not secure. Confidential information such as social security numbers, account numbers, access ID’s or passwords should not be used when communicating via e-mail.
Guidelines & Criteria
Below you'll find the criteria needed in order to receive a MainStreet Foundation grant.
The more clearly a proposed project can demonstrate that it has a positive impact on and meets specific needs of at-risk youth, the more favorably it will be viewed by the Foundation's Board. The Foundation generally gives priority to local organizations with sustainable, if modest, organizational budgets. In the case of requests from large organizations (e.g. with annual operating budgets in excess of $2 million), the proposal and related budget must clearly differentiate the proposed project from total operating budget, as well as meeting other criteria.
The Foundation seeks proposals that provide direct service to at-risk youth including, but not limited to:
- After-school and mentoring programs
- Leadership development experiences of all types
- Promoting literacy and a love of learning
- Coping with homelessness and difficult family dynamics
- Promoting mental health and developing effective change and coping mechanisms
- Learning life-management skills — learning about earning, saving, budgeting money, and spending money
- General welfare of youth's lives
The Foundation grants will not be given to support:
- General operating expenses or annual operating budget
- Endowments
- Conferences or seminars
- Training of trainers or teachers
- Facilities renovation or improvements
We do not support multi-year requests or capital campaigns. We also ask that Impact and Seed Grant recipients not apply for additional funding for at least twelve months or one calendar year, whichever is longer, from the conclusion of any previously funded projects before submitting another request. The Bank will take into consideration total donations of Androscoggin Bank in deciding upon a grant request to the Foundation. Grants awarded are generally limited to the market areas served by Androscoggin Bank.
Please take a moment to review some of our past grant recipients.
After Grants Are Made
If a grant is made, the grantee must agree to the following:
- To provide the Foundation with a brief report at the end of the grant period describing, for example:
- The extent to which the project objective was met and describing outcomes
- The impact of the project
- Highlighting a specific success story involving an individual or group that benefited from the grant's use
- To allow the Foundation or Androscoggin Bank to use the name of the grantee and a description of the grant in publications and media releases describing the activities of the Foundation.
- To repay, upon demand, to the MainStreet Foundation the total amount of a grant if any of the following events occur:
- Change in the activities of the grantee that eliminates its exempt status
- Failure to spend the grant as indicated in the application
- Information submitted in the application or supporting information is found to be inaccurate in any material respect
Please follow the guidelines in the grant application carefully. Applications that do not comply with the guidelines or that do not specifically address our area of focus will not be considered for funding.
Before or after grant approval, MainStreet Foundation may request additional information from an organization on its financial status, organization, or operations.
Past Recipients
These are the stories of the people and institutions that made a difference in the lives of at-risk youth. They've made a difference in people's lives, people's communities and people's hearts. Below you'll find a list of all grant recipients.
Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice
With help from Androscoggin Bank’s MainStreet Foundation, Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice is supporting the expansion of the Multicultural Support Program for refugee/immigrant children in the fifth and sixth grades at Montello Elementary School. This multi-faceted program helps students improve academic performance and foster positive attitudes and behaviors by teaching coping and anger management skills. Students involved in the Multicultural Support Program at Montello benefit from a sense of belonging, personal identity and cultural pride.
Camp Ketcha
Camp Ketcha is a non-profit organization that works with youth and their families to promote outdoor recreational activities, self-discovery and creativity. With a contribution from the MainStreet Foundation, Camp Ketcha’s partner, Leadership Adventure Corp., will continue to effectively serve youth at-risk in nearby communities. The Leadership Adventure Corp. helps youth develop their skills as leaders .. Activities include group work, individual counseling sessions, community service projects and outdoor adventure activities.
Camp to Belong
Camp To Belong Maine helps foster children who have been physically separated from their biological siblings. Active year-round, the camp provides a venue for brothers and sisters to reunite, spend quality time together and strengthen their family bonds. MainStreet Foundation provides Camp To Belong Maine with many of the resources necessary to make these reunions successful. With MaineStreet’s support, the camp is staffed with nurses, and materials are provided to for creative activities, sibling enhancement events, life empowerment seminars and a special birthday party celebration.
City of Lewiston - Recreation Department
For the last 25 years, the Summer PlayDays Program, hosted by Lewiston’s Recreation Department, has provided quality supervision for approximately 25 to 30 youth between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. Many of the children involved with the program are from low income or single-parent homes. Not only does this program provide much-needed supervision during the workdays, it keeps children’s bodies and minds fit and healthy during the summer months. City budget cuts threatened to end the program, but support through MainStreet Foundation ensured children would continue to enjoy Summer PlayDays’ popular offerings: field trips, organized sports, art classes and academic tutoring.
Franklin County Children's Task Force
The Children's Task Force is Franklin County's child abuse prevention network. By mobilizing the necessary community resources, sponsoring educational programs and increasing public awareness, the Task Force strives to achieve its mission of preventing child abuse and neglect.
Androscoggin Bank’s MainStreet Foundation proudly supports the efforts of the Task Force through grants. Together, the Children’s Task Force and MainStreet Foundation are dedicated to promoting healthy kids and strong Maine families.
Kids First
Kids First Center is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide support to children affected by divorce or separation. Kids First gives children a place to express their feelings freely as they try to understand and accept the changes taking place within their families. Moreover, resources for parents encourage mothers and fathers to act collaboratively with a goal of raising healthy, well-adjusted children.
Kids First was founded in 1989 and has helped an average of 200 children a year through divorce support groups held at the Kids First Center in downtown Portland. With the help from an Androscoggin Bank’s MainStreet grant, more than 50 children will benefit from attending group sessions during this time of difficult family transition.
Learning Opportunities for Kids
The Learning Opportunities for Our Kids Program offers summer enrichment activities to children helping to bridge the gap between academic years. The program offers a variety of creative and academic classes to children from ages 4 to 12 including foreign language classes, theater arts, science, knitting, song writing and robotics.
Since 1992, the program has offered low-cost weeklong courses. As popularity has surged, so has the number of applicants requesting financial aid. This past year – when applications for support doubled - a grant from the MainStreet Foundation made it possible for 17 children to attend the program at no cost to their families.
Lewiston Housing Authority - HAPPY
Hillview Aspirations Pathways Programs for Youth (HAPPY) - part of the Lewiston Housing Authority - is an after-school program for the Hillview Housing Development. With the ultimate goal of bettering lives, the program provides youths living in the development with opportunities to learn valuable life skills.
The HAPPY program was started two years ago with a grant from the MainStreet Foundation. Continued support by MainStreet allows for the sustainability of the program by financing successful incentive efforts and field trips.
Operation Tribute
Operation Tribute is a non-profit organization that supports military families by providing gifts for children – from newborns to age 16 - who have a parent who has been deployed. For many children, the holiday season is a time of joy and happiness, but for those who have a parent serving in the military, the holiday season can feel lonely and sad. Since its inception in 2007, Operation Tribute has provided a gift for every child who has applied to the program.
Supported by a grant from the MainStreet Foundation, Operation Tribute recognizes the bravery and sacrifice of children dealing with the effects of a deployed parent. In 2009, Operation Tribute gave away 25,000 gifts in 850 cities across New England and New York. More than 8,000 of those gifts were given to children in Maine in more than 140 cities and towns across the state. This year, Operation Tribute has expanded to also include children of military families in New Jersey.
Opportunity Farm for Boys and Girls
Opportunity Farm for Boys and Girls is a family-style housing program in New Gloucester for at-risk youth. Although the majority of the residents come from homes in the Lewiston-Auburn and Greater Portland areas, Opportunity Farm houses youth from across the entire state. Aside from giving these youth stability and routine, the Farm offers after-school mentoring, tutoring and leadership programs aimed at giving its residents a new lease on life.
The MainStreet Foundation grant allows Opportunity Farm the ability to never deny a child based on financial constraints alone. The Farm focuses on working with youth before they are out on the street or enter the juvenile system. The program aims to turn their lives around by improving grades and providing them with opportunities that would be out of reach in their current living situation. Opportunity Farm supports youths after high school graduation by providing financial assistance and continued counseling and guidance for those choosing to continue on to higher education.
St. Mary's Health System
St. Mary’s Health System supports youths at-risk by offering a residential program that provides them with “the right service at the right time.” By offering individualized care in adolescent homes, St Mary’s provides educational and preventative opportunities to give these youth a skill set that includes emotional regulation and conflict resolution. With these skills at hand, there is a decreased need of emergency services and the youth are better able to assimilate back into their family homes and the community at large.
Since 1889, St. Mary’s Health System - serving Androscoggin County and sections of Franklin, Kennebec and Oxford Counties - has been providing enrichment and education to at-risk youth. With the help Androscoggin Bank’s MainStreet Foundation, St. Mary’s youth mission will continue to flourish with opportunities such as attendance at the Performing Arts Theater at Bates College, group art lessons with local artists and tutoring for adolescents unable to attend school.
2009 Grant Recipients
