FARMINGTON — The Maine Community Foundation will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its Western Mountains Fund on Thursday, Sept. 7, at the University of Maine at Farmington.

MaineCF established the fund as a permanent charitable resource to support projects and nonprofits working to improve the quality of life in Franklin and Somerset counties. A gift from H. King Cummings, an early supporter of the foundation, helped launch the fund in 1992.

The anniversary event, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at North Dining Hall, will be hosted by local advisers to the Western Mountains Fund and the foundation’s board of directors. The advisers will announce two special anniversary grant awards to mark the occasion. Registration is required and can be accessed from the foundation’s home page, www.mainecf.org.

MaineCF has awarded $6.6 million in grants and scholarships in the two counties since it was founded in 1983. In the past 25 years, the foundation’s Western Mountains Fund has awarded nearly 400 grants totaling more than $1.7 million to support nonprofits in Franklin and Somerset counties.

This year, the Western Mountains Fund awarded nearly $81,000 in community-building grants to 13 nonprofits, including 4-H clubs and affiliated 4-H organizations, to help youth pursue career aspirations in Maine forestry and agriculture.

Other grant recipients included Maine Early Learning Investment Group, to elevate early childhood education and parent engagement to break the cycle of poverty; and Western Maine Play Museum, to purchase a rocket launcher station for its new invention room exhibit.

The next proposal deadline for community-building grants is Feb. 15, 2018. The application and guidelines can be found online.

FMI: 207-564-3236, 1-877-700-6800, lreed@mainecf.org, www.mainecf.org.

Comments are not available on this story.

filed under: