Augusta, ME – The Maine Justice Foundation is pleased to announce a round of grants from the LGBTQ+ Fund. The Foundation will accept applications for grants from organizations working to advance awareness and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues from May 9-31, 2023. The grants awarded through the LGBTQ+ Fund will typically range up to $10,000. The grant guidelines and application form can be found online at https://www.grantinterface.com/sl/qKcAKt.
The LGBTQ+ Fund supports education and advocacy aimed at achieving access to justice and equity for individuals identifying as LGBTQ+. The Fund will support members of the LGBTQ+ community by forging social, systemic, and economic solutions to combat discrimination and bias against LGBTQ+ individuals and groups in Maine. Grants from the Fund will be made to qualified organizations for programs to advance LGBTQ+ justice throughout Maine, at every level of society, including, but not limited to the legal system, healthcare, education, the workplace, food insecurity, natural resources, and housing. Applicants must be Maine-based and must demonstrate the involvement and participation of Maine residents who are LGBTQ+ identifying in all aspects of the proposed project.
The LGBTQ+ Fund of the Maine Justice Foundation was formed by seven founding donors in 2016. The first grants were awarded in 2019. “The Foundation is committed to access to justice for ALL, including those marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community who face discriminatory treatment in all aspects of society”, says Michelle Draeger, Executive Director of the Maine Justice Foundation. “We hope to fund projects that serve to eliminate unjust bias and discrimination operating against this vulnerable community.”
The Fund’s Advisory Committee has formulated specific goals for grantmaking, issued the current request for proposals and will recommend grants. The current members are Judith A. Fletcher Woodbury, retired Partner, Pierce Atwood; Dana Eidsness, Senior Anti-Hunger Policy Advisory, Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation, and the Future; Jessica Feinberg, Professor of Law, University of Maine School of Law; Joanne Lewis, Assistant District Attorney, Bangor; and Jessica Mizzi, Coffin Family Law Fellow, Pine Tree Legal Assistance.
For a full description of the LGBTQ+ Fund and the Advisory Committee, please visit https://justicemaine.org/grants-and-programs/lgbt-justice-fund/ .
The Maine Justice Foundation, founded in 1983 as the Maine Bar Foundation, is the state’s leading funder of civil legal aid for poor and vulnerable Mainers. Find us online at www.justicemaine.org.
FMI: Contact Michelle G. Draeger, Executive Director: 207-620-1351, mdraeger@justicemaine.org or Linsey MacDougall, Development and Programs Manager: 207-620-1354, lmacdougall@justicemaine.org
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