Author: Andy Colvin (Staff Admin)

From February 1-March 1, Foundation will accept applications for a total of $1.5 million in grants to meet immediate needs of low-income Mainers  Portland – Today the John T. Gorman Foundation announced that it will accept applications for its 2022 Direct Services Grant Program from February 1 to March 1. This year, the program will… Read more »

The following is a press release from Preble Street Preble Street announces matching grant challenge from the John T. Gorman Foundation for new Food Security Hub dedicated to ending hunger in Maine Preble Street Food Security Hub will be the first food hub in Maine focused on food insecurity PORTLAND, ME (December 15, 2021) —… Read more »

Traditionally, a well visit to the pediatrician’s office has involved weighing, measuring, booster shots, and questions about developmental milestones. But in recent years a cross-sector team at MaineHealth has worked to broaden the scope of these visits to include screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), repeated exposure to which can cause a child long-term harm. Now, with a grant from the John T. Gorman Foundation, the MaineHealth team is testing a new strategy for preventing and mitigating ACEs by helping parents and children build resiliency amid great adversity.

After a survey of high school students in Somerset County revealed concerning challenges and unmet needs, a Foundation-funded task force of young leaders convened this summer to strategize systemic ways to make youth feel more supported and understood in school and the community. From their work, important lessons emerged about raising the voices of youth – and getting adults to listen.

Income is important to a family’s financial stability, but so too are wealth and assets, the reservoir of resources that can be tapped to weather emergencies and invest in the future. As the Foundation prepares to release a brief in the coming weeks with recommendations to make wealth-building opportunities more accessible and equitable, we spoke with John T. Gorman Fellow Janet Smith – just named Director of New Ventures Maine – for her perspective on why helping low-income families build savings is important to their long-term success and what barriers currently stand in their way.

Last spring, the John T. Gorman Foundation awarded $1 million to 71 organizations through its annual Direct Services Grant Program. Since then, grantees have done exceptional work to help low-income Mainers meet their essential needs amid the challenges of a prolonged pandemic. Here in their own words, a sample of grantees offer updates and snapshots of their work this year.