The Maine Community Foundation's Land for Communities (L4C) grant program is open for applications. The grant supports community land projects that increase relationships to land for underserved geographies and populations in Maine.

Criteria

All applicants must meet the Maine Community Foundation’s grant eligibility requirements and non-discrimination policy. Please read the eligibility and grant guidelines and non-discrimination policy before submitting an application.

Your project must:

• Be located in Maine
• Expand access for an underserved geography or population
• Focus on land for community use, specifically one or both of the following:
  • Land return (Land back to Wabanaki Nations or Wabanaki-led organizations, restoring Wabanaki stewardship of lands and waters)
  • Land for food (Hunting, fishing, wild harvesting, working farms, community agriculture, working waterfront, community fisheries)
• Engage the people served in the design, delivery, evaluation, and/or leadership (board or staff) of the work

Types of Funding

Project support for land acquisition: Up to a maximum of $50,000 towards the purchase of land that meets the criteria above. Project costs may include purchase price, closing costs, legal support, survey, appraisal or value assessments, lease agreements, right-of-way agreements, and/or stewardship funds.

Project support for land-based projects: Up to a maximum of $25,000 for land-based projects that meet the criteria above that are not acquisition related. Land-based project costs may include, but are not limited to, infrastructure, convenings, technical support programs, stewardship needs, and/or staff time dedicated to the project.

Project support may include administrative overhead, up to 20% of the requested funding.

Applicants who meet the Land for Communities grant program criteria may submit one application per deadline (this grant program accepts applications twice per calendar year). LLCs and for-profit businesses are not eligible to apply. 

The deadline for this round of funding is March 16.

For more information, contact Caitlyn Barker at cbarker@mainecf.org or call (207) 412-2029.