Downeast Maine

In 2000, the Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust identified the Downeast region of Maine as one of its two priorities and began supporting community-based nonprofits to improve the quality of life from the Schoodic Peninsula to Eastport.

The donor loved to sail the waters there. The Trustees recognized the region at that time as one with abundant natural resources and a resilient population but one also burdened by significant needs and limited private sector capital.

Over time, the Trust has worked in collaboration with other funders to sustain creative problem solving led by the region’s dynamic nonprofit leaders.

With a focus on increasing opportunities for communities and families to succeed, the Trust makes grants to strengthen the infrastructure and linkages within the local nonprofit sector.

Currently, the Trust seeks to:

• Promote collaborative and resourceful approaches to improve individual and community health
• Support systems that address persistent poverty and help families thrive
• Encourage strategic and business planning to clarify organizational missions and capacity