2021 Grantees Announced: 34 nonprofits awarded total of $464,750

July 14, 2021By

CAMDEN – July 27, 2021 – United Midcoast Charities has awarded $464,750 to 34 nonprofits that address the most basic needs for food, housing, health and safety, and economic security in Knox and Waldo counties.

UMC’s grants committee selected the recipients after a thorough competitive review that used an accelerated, online grant application process developed last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Although the Midcoast has returned to some semblance of normalcy in recent months, many of our friends and neighbors still face enormous challenges,” said UMC President Lori Alexander. “We met urgent needs in 2020 by speeding up our grantmaking process and giving our grantees more freedom in their use of their funding. We also created a Rapid Response fund to address emergencies that arose due to the COVID pandemic. Our successes last year confirmed the importance of flexibility in addressing today’s needs.”

At a breakfast generously sponsored by Allen Insurance & Financial, Bangor Savings Bank, and The Samoset Resort on July 13, the following agencies received grants:

Food — Belfast Soup Kitchen, MCH Inc. Meals on Wheels, No Greater Love Food Pantry, and St. Bernard’s Soup Kitchen.

Housing — Knox County Homeless Coalition, Midcoast Habitat for Humanity, and Mid Coast Recovery Coalition.

Health & Safety — Belfast Public Health Nursing Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine, Maine Family Planning, Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County, Maine Youth Alliance, Knox County Health Clinic, New Hope for Women, One Less Worry, OUT Maine, Parent Program of Mid-Coast Maine, Rockland District Nursing Association, Sexual Support Assault Services, Soap Closet, MaineHealth Care at Home, Waldo County Dental Care, and Waldo County Woodshed.

Economic Security — Belfast Area Child Care Services Inc., Penobscot Bay YMCA, Penquis CAP, Restorative Justice Project, Station Maine, Trekkers, UMA Rockland Center, Waldo Community Action Partners, Waldo County YMCA, Waterman’s Community Center, and Wayfinder Schools: Passages Program.

For further details about the grantees, visit UnitedMidcoastCharities.org/Grantees.

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Agency Events

UMC Offers Board Boot Camp for Beginners

September 6, 2019By

A Learn With UMC event
Board Boot Camp for Beginners will be held at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast from 9 a.m. -3 p.m. on October 17. This event is offered in partnership with Maine Association of Nonprofits.

Do you ever worry about whether the board you’re on is covering all of its bases – or whether there’s some outstanding risk or liability that you’ve overlooked? This workshop will provide participants with a working understanding of the legal, fiduciary and governance obligations of nonprofit boards of directors. Attendees will gain clarity regarding the “must do” and “should do” tasks that every board faces and acquire strategies for engaging current and potential new board members in sharing the workload. Everyone will leave with an action plan for increasing the effectiveness of their board and heightened confidence regarding nonprofit board governance in an increasingly complex environment.

This session is for you if you are new to nonprofit governance, if you wonder whether your board is covering all its bases, or if your organization has grown beyond its grassroots origins but the board has not.
This program is intended for current board members, including new board members with little to no experience serving on boards as well as more experienced board members who want a refresher. Executive directors are welcome to attend with other board members, and it is strongly suggested that teams of 2-3 from the same organization attend together for most benefit. A maximum of three participants will be allowed to register from each organization.

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2018 Unsung Hero Awardee, Kathy BeckAgency Events

United Midcoast Charities Awards $500K in Grants at Community Celebration

September 20, 2018By

We are pleased to announce our 2018 grant awards of $500,000 to more than 40 nonprofit organizations in Knox and Waldo counties. A community celebration, “Grants and Dance,” marked the occasion on Sep. 20 at the Rockport Opera House, where an awards ceremony was followed by dancing to music provided by The Right Track.

Highlights of the event included the announcement of the first “Unsung Hero Award,” given to Kathy Beck of Rockland, a long-time volunteer at the Knox Clinic in Rockland. UMC board members, grant recipients and others in attendance offered Beck their warm congratulations and a hearty round of applause. The award was a cooperative effort between Courier Publications and United Midcoast Charities.

United Midcoast Charities’ grants in 2018 were given in four focus areas, based on UMC’s new strategic plan: Food, Housing, Health & Safety and Economic Security. A complete list of 2018 grant recipients in each focus area is available here.

This community celebration was made possible with support from the following sponsors: Bangor Savings Bank, Grasshopper Shop of Rockland, McLean Borden Cottage, O’Hara Corporation, Café Miranda and media sponsor Village Soup/Courier Publications.

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March Nonprofit News

March 20, 2018By

Here are some resources Megan has been referencing – click the here to read all of our March Nonprofit News!

MEGAN’S BOOKMARKS
  1. Budgeting for Nonprofits
    National Council of Nonprofits
  2. Resources for Nonprofit Financial Management (Program budget template)
    The Wallace Foundation
  3. Principles for Good Practice and Ethical Practice Resource Center
    Independent Sector
  4. 5 Things to Never Say Publicly
    Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners – Nonprofit Consultants
  5. Pro Bono Technology Assessments
    Maine Association of Nonprofits
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February Nonprofit News

February 14, 2018By

Nonprofits are the heart of United Midcoast Charities. Without the mission-driven work you do each and every day, UMC would not exist. Our updated mission is to energize Midcoast Maine nonprofit agencies through finance and guidance, supporting a network of resources stronger than any single organization.

Click the here to read all of our February Nonprofit News – including articles and resources Megan is monitoring this month!

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Agency Events

United Midcoast Charities Accepting Grant Applications Through March 16

February 12, 2018By

Grant applications are now available at unitedmidcoastcharities.org for the organization’s 2018 grant cycle.  The deadline for all grant applications is Friday, March 16. Application information, eligibility requirements, sample qualified programs and the grant cycle schedule can also be found on the United Midcoast Charities website.

All submissions must be made through the online application. UMC encourages new applicants or those with new proposals or questions to call and speak with Executive Director Megan Williams.

Applicants who lack access to a computer or internet can reserve a time to use the in-office computer station for grant submission. Call UMC at 207-236-2299.

United Midcoast Charities’ annual competitive grant program assists a wide range of nonprofit agencies which provide programming aimed at promoting the welfare of residents of Knox and Waldo counties within UMC’s focus areas of food, housing, health and safety, and economic security. UMC’s preference and history has been in funding projects or organizations whose main goal is to aid low income residents.

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January Nonprofit News

January 4, 2018By
I am pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has officially approved UMC’s 2018-2020 strategic plan. We are very excited about our updated, more focused direction. We are holding open information sessions to share updates to our grant application and answer any questions about our new focus areas or our 2018 Grant process. Please mark your calendar to join me for one of the following sessions:
  • Thursday, January 11 at 10 am at the Waldo County YMCA
  • Tuesday, January 16 at 3 pm at 87 Elm Street, conf rm #208
  • Thursday, January 18 at 10 am at Rockland Public Library’s Community Room

Click to read more January news!

 

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Agency Events

United Midcoast Charities Awards $500,000 in Grants to Nonprofits

September 25, 2017By 0 comment

Recipients gather in Belfast for networking breakfast

United Midcoast Charities (UMC) marked the awarding of $500,000 of grants this year to more than 50 nonprofit organizations in Knox and Waldo counties with a networking breakfast at the Belfast Boathouse on September 29. The Breakfast for Champions was generously sponsored by Allen Insurance and Financial and Bangor Savings Bank.

Representatives of organizations receiving grant funding enjoyed meeting each other and hearing Pecha Kucha presentations about the work of Habitat for Humanity of Waldo County, MCH Meals on Wheels and Midcoast Habitat for Humanity. The celebratory event included a tribute to UMC’s outgoing grants committee chairman, Peter Horch. 

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