JTGF Updates

Press Herald Op-Ed: Families get long-term boost from support that focuses on both generations

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The Portland Press Herald has published an op-ed written by Senior Program Associate Jennifer Beck about using a two-generation approach to support family success amid the pandemic. “In this new year there is an opportunity for our state to regroup, recover and rebuild – not just from the pandemic, but also from the systemic barriers … Read more

Fall 2020 Foundation News of Note

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Maine Working Communities Challenge: The John T. Gorman Foundation is proud to join the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, State of Maine, and other philanthropic partners in helping launch the Maine Working Communities Challenge. This challenge will make $2.7 million in grants available to drive economic growth while reducing inequity in Maine’s rural towns and … Read more

Supporting Remote Learning in Portland and Lewiston

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In its latest efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation is supporting efforts to help families through a school year unlike any other – with $235,000 in grants to supplement partners’ efforts to provide childcare and remote learning support in Lewiston, and for a two-generation initiative to strengthen literacy among English Language Learner families in Portland’s East Bayside Neighborhood.

Stephanie LeBlanc: Building A Culture of Resiliency

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When John T. Gorman Fellow Stephanie LeBlanc learned that more than half of middle-school students in Oxford County did not feel valued in their community, she saw a red flag that needed to be addressed. What followed was the Oxford County Resiliency Project. With a two-year grant from the Foundation, the program has helped schools across the county implement practices that make students feel safe, supported, and resilient. In this interview, LeBlanc speaks about the project’s successes, next steps, and how the Fellowship has influenced her as a leader.  

ANALYSIS: Countering Adverse Childhood Experiences

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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can have significant effects on a child’s development and chances for future success – a rising concern during a pandemic that is putting them and their families under much greater stress. In this timely analysis, Senior Program Associate Jennifer Beck, PhD., uncovers the science behind ACEs and outlines the strategies the Foundation is using to prevent and mitigate them in Maine.

Photo Journal: 2020 Direct Services Grantees

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Since receiving funding this spring, our 2020 Direct Services Grantees have done exceptional work across Maine to meet new and increased needs for low-income Mainers while coping with numerous challenges. These pictures from the field offer a glimpse of how they’ve done it. 

With Foundation support, Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership holds first meeting

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The John T. Gorman Foundation has made a grant to support the work of Maine’s new Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership. The following is a press release from the Maine Securities Administration announcing the partnership’s first meeting today. The initiative is being led by John T. Gorman Fellow Jaye Martin, executive director of Legal Services for the Elderly, a longtime partner in the Foundation’s work to help Maine seniors age in place.