Category: JTGF News & Updates

The John T. Gorman Foundation will open its 2023 Direct Services Grant Program on Wednesday, March 1. As in prior years, the DSGP will award grants of up to $25,000 to nonprofit organizations that are providing supports to address basic needs for low-income Mainers – including food, housing, transportation, and access to physical and mental… Read more »

A message from John T. Gorman Foundation President & CEO Nicole Witherbee We are excited to share an update on the direction and focus of the John T. Gorman Foundation’s work over the coming years. We remain committed to improving the lives of Maine people most acutely experiencing the adverse effects of poverty. But, to… Read more »

In April, the John T. Gorman Foundation awarded the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine a grant to provide afterschool and summer programming for 240 children living temporarily in two hotels in South Portland. In this video, one mother and her children share what the Club programming has meant for them.

From family well-being to housing stability, these leaders are working to address some of the biggest challenges Maine people face. With this fourth cohort, 42 Fellows have now gone through the program.

In tribute to Wes Bonney’s long service to the John T. Gorman Foundation and people of Maine – and in recognition of his personal passion to increase and improve educational opportunities for Maine students – the Foundation is making a $500,000 grant to the Mitchell Institute’s Promise Scholars program, an initiative that supports students who come from extraordinarily challenging circumstances.

“A while ago, the landscape was not collaboration,” said Community Caring Collaborative (CCC) Director Charley Martin-Berry of organizations working with children and families in Washington County and Passamaquoddy communities. “It is now.” Here’s how CCC, its 50-plus partners, and community members have changed that landscape over the last 15 years.

Last spring, the John T. Gorman Foundation awarded $1.5 million to 90 organizations through its annual Direct Services Grant Program. Since then, grantees have done exceptional work to help low-income Mainers meet their essential needs. Here in their own words and photos, a sample of grantees offer updates on their work this year.

An innovative partnership between organizations Mano en Mano and the Sunrise County Economic Council seeks to address a shortage in housing and need for year-round workers in Washington County. The John T. Gorman Foundation recently made a $250,000 impact investment – a below-market-rate loan made from the Foundation’s investment portfolio – to support the initiative’s pilot phase of building or renovating six to seven homes to help migrant workers become full-time community members and, eventually, homeowners.

After two years of pandemic pivots, the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor hopes a return to normal programming this summer will give students a much-needed boost heading into the school year. In particular, two Foundation-funded initiatives target the Club’s youngest and oldest members – a Kindergarten Boot Camp and Work-Based Learning Program for teens.