UMC is currently soliciting applications for our competitive grant process. Eligible organizations include 501(c)(3) nonprofits and groups with fiscal sponsorship. Recipients should be focused on making maximum impact in Knox and Waldo counties in one or more of UMC’s focus areas of Food, Housing, Health and Safety, and Economic Security. Of special interest are proposals that take a coherent approach to making a lasting difference in a social problem, and those where the service population is part of program design and implementation.

UMC provides grants to nonprofits for general operational budgets and programming. Program grants are reviewed on an annual basis, but new for 2020 is a two-year grant cycle for general support grants. We do not fund capital projects, endowments, or private schools.

The 2020 application period opened March 3 with a deadline of 5 p.m. on March 31. All applications must be completed online at unitedmidcoastcharities.org. Please call program coordinator Kelly Carey at 207-236-2299 with any questions about your proposal.

To expand the diversity in UMC’s grantmaking and to incorporate community perspectives into the process, United Midcoast Charities is pleased to announce the new role of Community Grant Reader as part of the 2020 grant review process. All residents of Knox and Waldo county are welcome to participate as community grant readers, especially those with living/lived experience in our focus areas. The grant reader process will take place entirely online, so internet access is required to participate. Readers will each be assigned three applications, and should plan on taking about four to six hours to complete their reviews during the month of April. Email kelly@unitedmidcoastcharities.org or sign up here by March 20 to express your interest in becoming a community grant reader.