The Maine Community Foundation’s new Roger N. Heald Fund has awarded $85,000 in grants to support conservation projects across Maine.

Somerset Woods Trustees was awarded $25,000 for the campaign to acquire the Weston Farm in Madison.
The Trust for Public Land was awarded $25,000 for the Bethel Community Forest campaign.
The Conservation Fund was awarded $10,000 for an acquisition project in the 100-Mile Wilderness.

The Maine Community Foundation awarded an additional $25,000 grant from the same fund to the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative to conduct outreach and research over the next few months to help inform future potential uses for the Heald Fund, according to a foundation news release.

“The Heald Fund is a significant addition to MaineCF’s work to help protect some of Maine’s special places,” said Maggie Drummond-Bahl, MaineCF senior program officer, according to the release. “We’re looking forward to helping more communities and organizations undertake conservation efforts that engage and benefit all community members, encourage more outdoor recreation and public access, and support local economies and the environment.”

The fund was established in 2018 through a generous bequest by an anonymous donor to support conservation through land acquisition and/or securing of easements. The grant program guidelines and process will be announced later in 2019 after research and outreach are complete.

Headquartered in Ellsworth, with additional personnel in Portland, Dover-Foxcroft and Mars Hill, the foundation works with donors and other partners to improve the quality of life for all Maine people.

For more information about the foundation, visit mainecf.org.