Lewiston-Auburn Program Grant

The Lewiston-Auburn Program Grant, supported by the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation and other funders, aims to enhance community collaboration in Lewiston and Auburn. It focuses on four priority areas: equitable municipal systems, workforce access, community health, and affordable housing. With an available funding of $1,710,000, grants will primarily support multi-year projects, encouraging partnerships that uplift youth and marginalized communities. Organizations eligible for funding must be tax-exempt and engaged in collaborative efforts.

NOTE: Organizations considering applying for an L-A grant should contact the staff lead to ensure alignment with L-A's collaborative process and to get connected to that work.
Sewall Foundation, in partnership with other funders, supports organizations in Lewiston and Auburn (L-A) that are engaged in a broadly participatory, community-based, collaboration-building process. Sewall grants support organizations that are working together through L-A’s Systems Approach to strengthen collaboration, build sustainable capacity, and deepen equity, by centering leadership by youth and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
Grants in the Lewiston-Auburn Program are allocated through L-A’s collaborative decision-making process.
Priorities
Our grants, convenings, and values-aligned investments, support collective work in L-A that addresses one or more of these four priority areas:

• Equitable Municipal SystemsWorkforce Access and Economic DevelopmentCommunity Health, Wellness and Food SystemsHealthy, Affordable Housing
• Funding
• Available Funding: $1,710,000Most of the available funding will support multi-year grants over 2 or 3 years.
• A modest portion of funding will be available to support emergent work, mostly through 1-year grants.

Grant sizes will vary and will be determined by the participatory process prior to the grant deadline. Normal operating grants are $10,000 per year per organization. Larger grants may be made for collaborative efforts which include several non-profit partners.

Eligibility

Applicants must be eligible to receive tax-deductible donations as outlined in Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.
This includes:
501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organizations; public schools; public agencies working for the State of Maine; Indian tribal governments (and their political subdivisions) recognized by the Department of the Interior.
We accept applications from organizations and groups who work through a fiscal sponsor.
A fiscally sponsored organization does not need to be a legal entity, but it must have a signed fiscal sponsorship agreement with a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
The Sewall Foundation has funded 501(C)(4) organizations in the past for specific nonpartisan and charitable work, however it requires additional considerations and expenditure responsibility.
We ask that any 501(c)(4) organization contact program staff to explore potential grant support.
Organizations with 501(C)(4) status should not start or submit a grant application before speaking with program staff.
Eligible organizations may apply regardless of their funding history with Sewall Foundation.

Ineligibility

The Sewall Foundation does not provide grant funding to private for-profit enterprises, cooperatives, or individuals.