Maine Farmland Trust, in Belfast, is one of eight nonprofit organizations across the state to share a $250,000 grant from Maine Community Foundation’s Maine Land Protection grant program.

Launched last year, the program provides grants for land acquisition or land conservation easement projects.

The Trust will use its $20,000 share to purchase an easement on the new home of Liberation Farms, a cooperative farm led by the Somali Bantu Community Association and their members, according to Maine CF, in a news release.

The other 2020 grantees include:

Blue Hill Heritage Trust, to conserve the Edgehill property and secure public access to the Mill Pond and 520-foot shoreline along Eggemoggin Reach in Sedgwick, for this and future generations: $50,000

Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust Inc., Cumberland, to purchase, protect, and steward Littlefield Woods, a 24-acre forested property in the heart of Chebeague Island: $15,000

Downeast Lakes Land Trust, Grand Lake Stream, to acquire 2,025 acres in Lakeville to expand the Downeast Lakes Community Forest and create opportunities for outdoor recreation, sustainable forestry, wildlife habitat, and shoreline conservation: $50,000

Kittery Land Trust Inc., to support preserving 30 acres for use as an outdoor center for students, volunteers, teachers, farmers, and diverse residents of the town: $32,000

Somerset Woods Trustees, Norridgewock, to support acquiring land connecting existing conservation lands and trails within walking distance for in-town Skowhegan residents: $27,000

Waterville Community Land Trust Inc., to acquire Kennebec River shoreline, provide access for a loop trail, and protect historic Franco River farms: $20,500

Western Foothills Land Trust and Mahoosuc Pathways, Norway and Bethel, to support acquiring 1,026 acres, formerly Chadbourne forests, in Bethel and Oxford within the Androscoggin River watershed: $35,500

The application for the next round of Maine Land Protection grants opens June 1, 2021; deadline for submission is September 15. Guidelines, application, and a list of recent grants are available at www.mainecf.org.

For more information about this grant program, contact MaineCF Senior Program Officer Maggie Drummond-Bahl at (877) 700-6800 or by e-mail at mbahl@mainecf.org.

Headquartered in Ellsworth, with additional personnel in Portland, Dover-Foxcroft, Rockport, and Mars Hill, the Maine Community Foundation works with donors and other partners to provide strong investments, personalized service, local expertise, and strategic giving to improve the quality of life for all Maine people. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.mainecf.org.