Governor Janet Mills has announced the release of the Maine Economic Recovery Grant Program to support small nonprofits and businesses that are facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeted at organizations with 50 employees or fewer, the program is backed by $200 million in Federal CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds and will provide grants to help ensure long-term viability of eligible organizations. The application is currently open and available online until September 9, 2020.

“We’ve known since March that the pandemic would have a devastating effect on Maine’s nonprofits – both in terms of lost revenue and increased demand for services,” said Jennifer Hutchins, executive director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP) and a member of the Governor’s Economic Recovery Committee (ERC), in a MANP news release. “We are very grateful to the Governor and DECD for the rapid implementation of this program based on the ERC’s work.”

Drawing on ERC recommendations delivered to the Governor last month, the program is designed to assist in the stabilization of Maine’s economy of which nonprofit organizations are a critical part. MANP’s Adding Up Impact report released in 2019 shows that charitable nonprofits employ 1 in 6 Maine workers, or 18% of the state’s payroll, and contribute $12 billion annually to the economy.

“Nonprofits are not only a significant driver of economic activity in Maine, they cultivate the bonds among Mainers around shared ideals, visions and values for our communities that lead to resilience in difficult times,” said Hutchins. “Nonprofits will be central to our state’s ability to fully recover from this crisis.”

Information specific to nonprofits is also available on MANP’s COVID-19 informational pages. 

For more information about the Economic Recovery Grant Program and Maine's nonprofit sector, please contact Jennifer Hutchins at jhutchins@nonprofitmaine.org.

About MANP

Since 1994, Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP) has grown to become Maine’s comprehensive resource for the tools, knowledge, and connections nonprofits need to be effective and well-run. With a growing statewide membership of more than 960 nonprofit and 160 for-profit organizations, MANP is a vocal advocate for the work and worth of Maine nonprofits, championing their vital contribution to the economy and quality of life in our state. MANP builds the capacity of individual organizations through leadership and management training, online resources, and cost-saving member benefits. By weaving connections among new and seasoned nonprofit professionals and volunteers, MANP lifts up effective, innovative practices and fosters collaboration. MANP cultivates productive relationships across the nonprofit, business, government, and philanthropic sectors so together they can advance solutions to pressing issues and opportunities facing Maine.