MaineShare

Overview

MaineShare is a US nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting social and economic equity, environmental protection, and justice within the state of Maine. It operates as an online giving platform and workplace giving campaign, supporting the grantee partners of Maine Initiatives.

History

MaineShare was established to empower community-based organizations through unrestricted funding. Its origins date back to 1989 when it began supporting member organizations via workplace giving campaigns. In 2022, MaineShare was acquired by Maine Initiatives, integrating into their broader initiatives focused on progressive movement building. By 2024, MaineShare expanded to include an online giving site, allowing individuals to directly support its legacy organizations and current grantees of Maine Initiatives' various community-led grant programs.

Programs and Focus Areas

MaineShare supports a diverse range of programs and focus areas, including:

• Community Organizing
• Economic Justice
• Education, Arts, & Culture
• Environmental Justice & Animal Welfare
• Gender Justice
• Health Equity & Safety
• Immigrant Flourishing
• Racial Justice
• Social Justice
• Wabanaki Sovereignty and Self-Determination

Workplace Giving Campaign

Every fall, MaineShare conducts a workplace giving campaign, enabling employees to contribute to Maine-based nonprofits through pre-tax payroll deductions. This approach allows individuals to choose organizations that align with their personal values.

Legacy Organizations

MaineShare supports a coalition of over 40 community-based organizations. Some of the notable legacy organizations include:

• Bicycle Coalition of Maine
• Consumers for Affordable Healthcare
• Defend Our Health
• Disability Rights Maine
• Equality Maine
• Friends of Casco Bay
• Genesis Community Loan Fund
• Hardy Girls
• Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine
• Maine Access Immigrant Network
• Maine Alliance for Arts Education
• Maine Animal Coalition
• Maine Audubon
• Maine Center for Economic Policy
• Maine Citizens for Clean Elections (Democracy Maine)
• Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

Funding Impact

Since its inception, MaineShare has raised nearly $7,000,000 for its coalition of community-based organizations, providing flexible and unrestricted funding to support their initiatives.

[1] https://maineinitiatives.org/grantmaking/maineshare [2] https://maineinitiatives.org/maineshare [3] https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit/71d49b050c9843adaecc73844afe6037-maineshare-augusta [4] https://www.fundraisersoftware.com/products/fundraiser-spark/26-library/case-study/288-case-study-maineshare [5] https://www.instagram.com/mainesharegiving/