AUGUSTA -- Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) are pleased to announce that five Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) grants have been awarded to community-based organizations across Maine. The purpose of a Maine VGF grant is to provide support to volunteer programs in the state that are providing service in three focus areas: Aging in place, transportation services, and food security and assistance.
Two-of-the-five agencies, Alfond Youth and Community Center (AYCC) and Catholic Charities Maine, have received funding to start new volunteer programs through the Maine VGF initiative. Both AYCC and Catholic Charities Maine will utilize their respective awards to operate a volunteer program addressing all three of the state's focus areas mentioned above.
Three-of-the-five agencies have also been awarded an additional $10,000 in funds to support the need for surge services related to the COVID-19 health emergency. The three agencies – Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, Southern Maine Agency on Aging, and Catholic Charities Maine – are using the funds to support volunteers and increase organizational capacity of their respective efforts to combat food insecurity.
The five organizations that submitted successful grant applications are being collectively awarded $201,267. These organizations are:
- Southern Maine Agency on Aging, Scarborough [$36,845 + $10,000 in COVID-19 support = $46,845]
- Catholic Charities Maine, Portland [$35,754 + $10,000 in COVID-19 support = $45,754]
- Alfond Youth and Community Center, Waterville [$36,954]
- Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, Brunswick [$26,315 + $10,000 in COVID-19 support = $36,315]
- The WindowDressers, Inc., Rockland [$35,399]
In addition to the five organizations mentioned above, United Way of Eastern Maine, based in Bangor, has been awarded a one-year extension to continue utilizing Maine VGF funds. The funds had been allocated for the third and final year of the grant award, originally scheduled to conclude this year.
For more information on the Maine VGF initiative and the agencies listed above, please visit the VGF section of the Volunteer Maine website.
About Volunteer Maine
Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, builds capacity and sustainability in Maine's volunteer sector by funding service programs, developing volunteer managers and service-learning practitioners, raising awareness of the scope and the impact of the volunteer sector, and encouraging an ethic of service. On Oct. 16, 2019, the Maine Commission for Community Service adopted the public identity Volunteer Maine.
Media contact
Bryan Roche, communications officer
Office: (207) 624-7836
Cell: (207) 446-3471
Email address: bryan.roche@maine.gov
About the Volunteer Generation Fund
Under the 2009 Serve America Act, the Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) was established to provide funding through State Service Commissions to strengthen local volunteer programs and expands volunteerism in areas where it has not yet fully developed. With funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the purpose of a Maine VGF grant is to provide support to volunteer programs in the State that are providing service in three focus areas: Aging in place, transportation services, and food security and assistance.
View additional media coverage
"Volunteer Maine awards 5 agencies Volunteer Generation Fund grants" -- Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel -- view here
"Volunteer Maine awards Window Dressers Inc with grant" -- The Courier-Gazette -- view here