PORTLAND — The Frances Hollis Brain Foundation Fund at the Maine Community Foundation has awarded 31 grants totaling $157,500 to nonprofit organizations that serve disadvantaged, underserved, and/or vulnerable communities in Maine, according to a news release from Carl Little, communications manager.

Grants include:
• Androscoggin Home Health Services Inc., to purchase emergency food bags and grocery store gift cards, as part of implementing the Hunger Vital Signs (food insecurity) program;
• Hope Acts, to ensure asylum seekers who are new to the community have access to basic needs, including housing, food and medical care;
• Pine Tree Legal Assistance, to protect Maine’s most vulnerable residents by advocating for their basic needs and rights; and
• Preble Street, to increase access and connection to behavioral and physical healthcare for homeless populations by targeting social determinants of health through holistic care, outreach, and client-centered engagement.

MaineCF recognizes that many nonprofits are facing new challenges and making important changes to their work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, all Brain Foundation Fund grant recipients are able to use these grants at their discretion, to fund the work that they proposed in their application or to address other important and emerging organizational expenses.

The Brain Foundation Fund awards grants to nonprofits that focus on individuals who live in Greater Portland, Lewiston/Auburn, Bath/Brunswick, Biddeford/Saco/Sanford, or to organizations with a statewide mission. Grants support early childhood care and education, extended day learning, community health clinics, oral health initiatives, hunger prevention and food security, homelessness alleviation and legal services connected to these areas.

The next deadline for applications is April 9, 2021. For more information, visit the foundation’s website at mainecf.org or contact Program Officer John Ochira at jochira@mainecf.org or 207-412-0837.

David and Frances Brain established the Frances Hollis Brain Foundation in 1993 to address social issues and encourage the family’s future generations to contribute to the well-being of their communities in Maine, Georgia and Kentucky.

Headquartered in Ellsworth, with additional personnel in Portland, Dover-Foxcroft, and Mars Hill, the Maine Community Foundation works with donors and other partners to provide strong investments, personalized service, local expertise, and strategic giving to improve the quality of life for all Maine people. To learn more about the foundation, visit mainecf.org.