Hosted by Khmer Maine

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) communities receive less than 0.2% of philanthropic funding nationwide, despite being one of the fastest-growing racial groups in the U.S. This panel will ground the audience in the history of anti-Asian hate and xenophobia and address the systemic inequities in philanthropic funding for AAPI communities. Panelists will discuss challenges such as funding concentration, lack of recognition of diversity within AAPI communities, and barriers faced by grassroots organizations. They will also highlight actionable solutions, such as collaborative campaigns, donor matching programs, and equity-centered grantmaking strategies.

• Marpheen Chann, Khmer Maine
• Ophelia Hu Kinney, The BTS Center
• Grace Valenzuela, Portland Public School Multicultural and Multilingual Center

Attend if you’re working to build more culturally specific support systems or fund AAPI-led organizations.

Hosted by MDC, Inc.

Rural communities are rich in knowledge, resilience, and innovation, yet philanthropy has often struggled to engage them in ways that are truly equitable, trust-based, and impactful. The Ten Principles for Rural Philanthropic Engagement, developed through the United Philanthropy Forum’s Rural Equity Initiative, offer a powerful framework for shifting this dynamic. Grounded in the lived experiences of rural leaders and funders, these principles emphasize action, accountability, and impact measurement as essential components for meaningful engagement. This session will explore the principles in depth, using real-world case studies to illustrate how they are being applied to drive community-led solutions, sustainable investments, and systems-level change. Participants will reflect on their own work and explore how these principles can enhance, align, and transform their philanthropic strategies in rural communities.

• Kathryn Gaasch, MDC, Inc.
• Charles Dwyer, Maine Health Access Foundation
• T.J. Breeden, ABFE

Attend if you want practical tools and principles for building stronger, more equitable relationships with rural communities.

Hosted by New England Environmental Finance Center

Climate change is reshaping Maine’s communities, with disproportionate impacts on low-income populations, rural communities, tribal nations, and communities of color. A crisis of this scale can leave people feeling helpless, unable to act due to the enormity of the issue. How can local leaders effectively communicate present and emerging environmental challenges in a way that leads to real-world action and funded tangible projects? This session will explore the power of storytelling in shaping climate resilience efforts and securing resources for implementation of environmental justice projects. Attendees will hear real-world examples of successful communication campaigns from Maine communities that led to meaningful outcomes—such as infrastructure improvements, funding for climate adaptation, and community-led initiatives. This will be a hands-on workshop, where we’ll begin to craft compelling narratives that highlight our own community’s climate justice challenges and solutions.

• Andrea Berry, New England Environmental Finance Center
• Ian Fernandez, New England Rural Health Association
• Karin Orenstein, Town of Yarmouth, ME
• Kelsey Halliday Johnson, SPACE

Attend if you want to learn how storytelling and strategic communications can engage communities and shift narratives.

Hosted by Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations

Attendees will learn about the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations, an independent commission in state government tasked with promoting, implementing, and coordinating programs that create and improve opportunities for historically disadvantaged racial, Indigenous, and tribal populations in Maine. We will share about our approach to low(er) barrier grants and contracts with organizations whose work aligns with our mission and facilitate a discussion on ways that we can continue to be responsive to community needs, including through participatory budgeting and grantmaking. We will also share about the challenges and barriers that we have heard from community based organizations and small businesses about navigating contracts and grants with the State of Maine, and facilitate a discussion about what we at the Permanent Commission can do to try to (1) support community based organizations to engage with the current state systems, and (2) work towards changing the current state systems to make them more equitable and accessible.

• Ariel Ricci, Permanent Commission
• Billale Fulli, Permanent Commission
• Aaron Hooks Wayman, Permanent Commission

Attend if you’re navigating state systems and want to advance equitable access to public funding and contracts.

Hosted by Maine Alliance for Health and Prosperity

Chaotic and harmful policies and funding freezes are flowing out of the federal government on a weekly basis and will likely continue for months to come. Community nonprofits, especially those serving disadvantaged or marginalized communities that receive even a modest amount of federal funding, are threatened with significant budget cuts, staff layoffs, and intense scrutiny and oversight. This skill-building workshop is aimed at helping nonprofit organizations adjust and adapt through a menu of strategies: financial (ex: philanthropic partnerships and emergency loan funds), organizational (ex: mergers or contractual relationships and shared administrative functions), and communications (ex: harnessing the power of storytelling and messaging that promotes inclusivity). The session will explore how nonprofits are assessing and mitigating risks, what organizations can do to help and support each other, how storytelling and data can be used to promote inclusivity and civil discourse, and what we have learned from navigating previous challenges that contributes to the ability to adapt and be resilient.

• Lori Dwyer, Penobscot Community Health Center
• Claudette Ndayininhaze, In Her Presence 
• Rebecca Petrie, Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness
• Jess Fay, Maine Council on Aging
• Lisa Miller, Maine Alliance for Health and Prosperity
• Deborah Deatrick, Maine Alliance for Health and Prosperity

Attend if you’re navigating uncertainty or policy threats and want strategies to stay aligned with your mission and values.

Hosted by Downeast Community Partners & Kane-Lewis Productions

One of the worst societal traumas of this century, our documentary film “BUILDING HOPE: Ending Homelessness in Maine”, puts a face on homelessness and tells us it could happen to anyone. It is among the most critical and timely issues of today. The film gives us hope that there is an end to the suffering if there is the will to make it happen. People experiencing homelessness (Black, white, indigenous, asylum seekers) all deserve dignity and respect — the social service providers who serve those suffering are heroes in these challenging times. We will watch the film together before a panel discussion. The film and discussion highlight success stories that happened with the help of local organizations and professionals in the field and provide actions anyone can take to end the suffering of homelessness.

• Cullen Ryan, Community Housing of Maine
• Greg Payne, Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future
• Emily Flinkstrom, Fair Tide
• Kevin Bunker, Developers Collaborative

Attend if you want to be part of cross-sector solutions and are looking for hopeful, actionable models rooted in collaboration and care.

Hosted by Maine Council on Aging

This workshop will showcase a project aimed at raising the voices and visibility of elders from Maine’s Black community and explore how to – and how not to – engage often unheard voices in Maine’s shared work toward equitable solutions. The BIPoC Elders group, supported by the Maine Council on Aging, was the inspiration for engaging Black older adults to produce the photo-storytelling display, “Making the Invisible Visible: A Maine Black Elders Photovoice Project.” Leslie Hill, Bates College Professor Emerita, convener of the group, and Kathy Vezina, who leads the MCOA Equity & Healthy Aging Initiative, shepherded the process that culminated in a photo and video exhibition of the visions and experiences of six Black Elders in Maine. Participants share their own and others’ histories, visions of hope passed through generations, and meaningful connections as they describe their experiences of aging while Black in Maine.

• Leslie Hill, Maine Council on Aging
• Genius Black, Maine Council on Aging
• Carla Hunt, Maine Council on Aging 
• Robin Talbot, Maine Council on Aging
• Kathy Vezina, Maine Council on Aging

Attend if you want to better understand the lived experiences of Black Elders in Maine—and how listening can guide more responsive, equity-driven work.

Hosted by Maine Community Foundation

Come learn about findings from Maine’s first report on civic health, Strengthening Maine’s Civic Life: Trust, Belonging, and the Future, conducted by Colby’s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Public Engagement Partners. Civic health can include volunteering, attending public meetings, staying informed and talking about issues, and believing you matter and can make a difference. Maine has great civic strengths but also challenges and inequities. Speakers will share current civic work happening in Maine involving youth, immigrants, and rural community engagement, as well as actions you can take to strengthen civic health in Maine.

• Dr. Nicholas Jacobs, Colby College
• Anna Kellar, Democracy Maine
• Mufalo Chitam, Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition
• Patricia Hart, City of Gardiner
• Laura Lee, Maine Community Foundation

Attend if you want a data-informed look at Maine’s civic health—and practical ideas for strengthening civic engagement, trust, and community connection.

Hosted by Maine Initiatives

Maine Initiatives’ Grants for Change Program (G4C) recently completed a 3-year, $1.65 million commitment to select, fund, and support 36 BIPOC-led and -serving organizations advancing racial justice in Maine. The program is community-informed and participatory by design: convening leaders in the sector to build relationships, share knowledge, and make collective decisions about the racial justice focused grants; hundreds of volunteers reading applications; convening the cohort of organizations; and amplifying the work of grantee organizations to the broader community. Our presentation spotlights the Grants for Change Program’s process and impacts in support of racial justice in the state as a community organizer, a convener, a network builder, and a multi-year funder. Modeled after the collective learning experience at G4C Grantmaking Retreats, the workshop will center the efforts of the G4C cohort organizations and encourage shared learning grounded in knowledge in the room from those proximate to the work.

• Julian Rowand, Maine Initiatives
• Samaa Abdurraqib, Maine Humanities Council
• Adilah Muhammad, The Third Place 
• Clara Porter, Prevention. Action. Change.
• Hilary North-Ellasante, Water’s Edge Consulting

Attend if you’re interested in participatory grantmaking models and centering community leadership in decision-making.

Hosted by Wabanaki Benefit Foundation

A gathering force is emerging in Maine toward collective justice with Wabanaki people. Among breakthroughs is the birth of Wabanaki Benefit Foundation, nurturing the seeds of intergenerational philanthropic wealth that has been denied to the People of the Dawnland. We honor our ancestors’ dream of the health and prosperity of our people through fostering our collective traditions of respectful relationships and giving. Join us to learn about resources, models and a deeply rooted pathway that philanthropists, foundations and nonprofits can join toward a healing future.

• Brian Hinrichs, Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters
• Nick Francis, Wabanaki Benefit Foundation
• Natalie Kasq Dana Lolar, Passamaquoddy/Penobscot Basketmaker and Artist
• Molly Ross, Donor
• Gary Stern, Elliotsville Foundation

Attend if you’re ready to explore how land and financial return can advance Wabanaki sovereignty—and want to understand your role in that process.

Hosted by Queerly ME

Since the 1950s, the United States has seen a steady decrease in gathering spaces that effectively foster meaningful, long-lasting support networks and community belonging. As the country becomes more divided and individualistic, we see an uptick in isolation and a decline in public health and well-being. In this workshop, explore the three components of community building Queerly ME employs to foster strong support networks and strengthen community belonging for LGBTQIA+ adults in Maine. Drive into what is needed for a gathering place to thrive and lead towards meaningful, long-lasting community connections. This workshop will have a strong focus on the LGBTQIA+ community in Maine, the many sociopolitical obstacles challenging the creation and growth of gathering spaces, and how we may overcome those challenges through collective action, collaboration, and investment in community organizing efforts.

• Kyle Warnock, Queerly ME
• Lydia Coburn, Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust
• Danielle Arroyo, Maine Coast Heritage Trust
• Lili Joseph, Southern Maine Workers Center, Maine Coalition For Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace Maine

Attend if you’re invested in building or supporting affirming gathering spaces and want to understand how those spaces are vital to mental & physical well-being as well as community organizing initiatives.

Hosted by Maine Women's Lobby

The Feminist Alliance of Maine is a formal partnership between Hardy Girls and the Maine Women’s Lobby Education Fund, with a unique Memorandum of Understanding to share operations and governance. In addition, we share an office with several like-minded organizations to foster a collaborative and sustainable nonprofit ecosystem. In this interactive workshop, we will share our journey in building this collaborative model, discuss the challenges and benefits of shared operational resources, and explore how an operations resource hub can provide long-term solutions for small organizations focused on gender equity. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how shared staffing, financial procedures, and policy development can create more resilient and effective organizations.

• Destie Hohman Sprague, Maine Women’s Lobby
• Dania Bowie, Maine Women’s Lobby

Attend if you’re curious about sustainable shared resource models in nonprofit operations.

In 2018, the Maine Health Access Foundation launched its Health Equity Capacity-Building (HECB) grants program, which seeks to build the capacity of grassroots nonprofits led by and serving BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and unhoused communities. The program includes long-term unrestricted operating support, regular convening, and financial support beyond the grant to build organizational capacity. HECB has sought to implement true power sharing between the funder and grantees, including a grantee-led processes to award additional grant dollars for collaborative projects among the funded organizations, and to select new rounds of organizations for funding through the program, as well as grantee leadership teams that plan and oversee grantee convenings and program evaluation. In this workshop, the funder and grantees will share their lessons learned and emerging best practices for a new kind of relationship between a grantmaker and grantees working together to advance equity and justice.

• Jake Grindle, Maine Health Access Foundation
• Dena Winslow, Mi’kmaq Nation
• Claudette Ndayininahaze, In Her Presence
• Aspen Ruhlin, Mabel Wadsworth Center
• Zoe Sahloul, New England Arab American Organization
• Sarah Lewis, Maine Access Immigrant Network

Attend if you’re interested in building organizational or field-level capacity to advance equity through cross-sector collaboration.

Hosted by AmiKha Consulting

This presentation and discussion will explore strategies, insights, and tools for collaborative fundraising approaches to help nonprofits position themselves for fundraising success in a shifting political climate. It will share best practices of collaborative fundraising rooted in Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) principles from the perspective of a fundraiser and grant strategist with over a decade of experience mobilizing resources for nonprofits and grassroots organizations in the U.S. and internationally. Participants will gain insights into collaborative approaches to fundraising from a case study grounded in CCF principles and equitable community resource mobilization, and equip nonprofits with strategies to navigate philanthropy in an evolving political landscape. Drawing from her extensive experience as a resource mobilizer, grant consultant, and community activist, Isatou will share best practices for moving resources to grassroots nonprofits and organizations to build equitable, vibrant communities.

• Isatou Bittaye-Jobe, AmiKha Consulting

Attend if you want to learn about collaborative fundraising approaches and how to adapt fundraising strategies to respond to political changes and align with equity values.

Hosted by Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN)

Money is power. In social change work, access to and decisions about funding are often controlled by a select few. Even when programming is designed to promote youth-adult partnerships and power-sharing, the funding decisions associated with those initiatives rarely center youth participation. What could it look like if youth drove the funding decisions meant to serve them? How might youth imagine a social change through a grantmaking process that centers their voice and choice? Whether you’re a funder, nonprofit leader, or youth advocate, this workshop will equip you with practical tools to elevate youth voices in decision-making.

• Brittany Potvin, Maine Youth Action Network
• Beth Broderick, Maine Youth Action Network
• Rodas Kahasay, MYAN Youth Grantmaking Council
• John Li, MYAN Youth Grantmaking Council
• Jael Mowa, MYAN Youth Grantmaking Council
• Emma Sites, MYAN Youth Grantmaking Council
• Ramona Toppan, MYAN Youth Grantmaking Council

Attend if you’re interested in sharing power with young people and want to learn practical steps to make grantmaking more inclusive and youth-led.

Hosted by Wabanaki Alliance

The work of the Wabanaki Alliance is to restore the recognition of the inherent tribal sovereignty of the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, and Penobscot tribal nations. Formed in 2020, the Wabanaki Alliance has been the leading force in advancing policy and understanding about tribal self determination for the Wabanaki people. We are fully led by tribal citizens and other BIPOC people and we seek to inform all Mainers about the history and current issues facing our people as well as how we would like to go forward in a way that benefits all of us. Through a presentation, video clips, and Q&A, participants will learn about the Wabanaki Tribal Nations and the unique political and social conditions for Indigenous people in the lands now called Maine.

• Maulian Bryant, Wabanaki Alliance

Attend if you’re committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty, leadership, and funding approaches in Maine.

Hosted by Genesis Community Loan Fund

In February 2025, residents of Cedar Falls Mobile Home Park in Bangor formed a cooperative and purchased their community, saving it from being sold to an outside investor and preserving nearly 130 affordable homes while solidifying plans to install dozens of new affordable homes on the 79-acre park. While neighbors within the park organized to form their cooperative, a variety of funding partners also organized to make the purchase possible. Get a look behind the scenes to see how capital resources are organized to make projects like this happen! The Genesis Fund collaborated with multiple funding partners, including the John T. Gorman Foundation, Bangor Savings Bank and others to help bring together the financing to make the $8 million purchase possible. This is a model for how lenders, public partners, and community organizations can collaborate to mobilize resources and make resident ownership a reality for those who live in mobile home communities.

• Liza Fleming-Ives, Genesis Community Loan Fund
• Nicole Witherbee, John T. Gorman Foundation
• Jay Muth, Bangor Savings Bank
• Nora Gosselin, Cooperative Development Institute

Attend if you’re interested in how community-led coalitions and creative financing tools can be used to build more vibrant and inclusive communities and infrastructure.

Hosted by ProsperityME

ProsperityME began as a small nonprofit dedicated to expanding financial literacy within the immigrant communities of Southern Maine. Since 2009, the organization has grown to be a community leader for BIPOC immigrants through financial education and coaching, IDAs, workforce solutions, small business grants, housing navigation, rental assistance, and most recently is exploring the creation of affordable housing. This workshop will aim to explore the challenges and opportunities related to housing equity within the BIPOC and immigrant communities in Maine. Drawing insights from the work of ProsperityME, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the systemic barriers faced by the BIPOC immigrant communities in accessing safe and affordable housing. Through interactive discussions, attendees will collaborate and identify actionable steps toward advancing housing equity and promoting inclusive communities.

• Claude Rwaganje, ProsperityME
• Ellen McFarland, ProsperityME

Attend if you’re working to advance housing justice and want to learn from immigrant-led models that build community wealth and equity.

Hosted by Stories for Change & the Nature Based Education Consortium

Case study stories and a participatory interviewing exercise will help participants recognize power dynamics in storytelling, gain strategies for more equitable approaches, and generate ideas for how the trust-based storytelling process can support their own advocacy and organizational goals. Participants will leave our workshop with a strengthened ability to ethically share stories, questions and openness to drive organizational change, as well as a connection to presenters and other participants. A featured collaborator/storyteller will share their perspective on our storytelling process, from initial idea to published story! The workshop is led by Stories for Change, a working group that amplifies underrepresented voices and their relationship to the outdoors through a trust-based, collaborative process. Stories for Change is a project of the Nature Based Education Consortium (NBEC), a collaborative network working together on systems-level efforts that support inclusive access to outdoor learning experiences.

• Tessa Shanteler, Stories for Change
• Eli Kao, Stories for Change/Compass Light Productions/Waterfall Arts
• Meg Knights, Stories for Change/Freedom Forever Solar
• Samaa Abdurraqib, Maine Humanities Council
• Sass Borodkin, Resources for Organizing and Social Change

Attend if you’re rethinking how stories are used in advocacy and want to practice consent-based, trust-centered storytelling that shifts power.

Hosted by Rural Youth Institute

This session will explore how addressing the aspirations challenge in rural communities can create equitable pathways to vibrant futures for rural youth in Maine. We will highlight relational collaboration as a model for sharing power with youth by fostering deep connections between young people and their adult and peer mentors within the community. Through an intersectional approach that centers equity and belonging, while acknowledging the unique challenges and overlapping identities in rural communities—including race, class, and geography—we will share actionable strategies to inspire meaningful change. Participants will leave with a framework for sharing power, amplifying youth voices, and building equitable systems of support that encourage all young people to thrive.

• Meg Taft, Rural Youth Institute
• Don Carpenter, Rural Futures Fund

Attend if you’re partnering with rural youth or rethinking how leadership, power, and belonging are nurtured in community.