Keystone Grants

The Keystone Grants program, administered by the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, is a funding initiative focused on grassroots and community-led efforts that aim to advance environmental and racial justice across Maine. This program reflects Sewall’s commitment to empowering communities most affected by climate change and systemic inequities by providing the tools and resources needed to lead advocacy and social change. Rooted in the foundation's belief in the transformative power of local leadership, Keystone seeks to correct chronic underfunding in community organizing and advocacy work, which historically receives just a small fraction of philanthropic support. Keystone is designed to build a strong civic engagement infrastructure by investing in grassroots advocacy, strategic communications, and capacity-building supports. It defines grassroots efforts as those driven by people from the communities most impacted by the issues at hand, emphasizing inclusive, collective action and movement-building. The program promotes environmental and racial justice through initiatives that dismantle oppressive systems and support long-term community health and sustainability. Grants in this program may be used for general operating support, program support, special projects, or capital expenses. Individual organizations are eligible for grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, while collaborative projects involving multiple partners may receive up to $200,000. Funding is structured as one-year awards in 2025, with plans to transition to multi-year commitments starting in 2026. The total pool available for this round is $1,500,000. Eligible applicants must demonstrate alignment with at least three of several key criteria, including a focus on environmental and racial justice, grassroots leadership, provision of capacity-building supports, and work that is statewide in Maine or has a regional impact in the state. Priority is given to organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), rural Mainers, and women, as well as those working across sectors or explicitly committed to justice work. Applications for the 2025 cycle were due by February 13, 2025, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Final grant decisions will be announced by the end of April 2025. There is no pre-application phase or letter of intent requirement noted in the materials. While applications are not currently open, the program is anticipated to recur annually, and potential applicants are encouraged to check for updates in early 2026. The program lead and primary contact for Keystone is Nyalat Biliew, who serves as the Grassroots Advocacy and Community Engagement Partner at the Sewall Foundation. Interested organizations can reach out via email at nbiliew@sewallfoundation.org to inquire about future alignment. More detailed information can be found in the 2025 Fact Sheet available at the provided PDF link.

Emphasize community leadership, cross-sector collaboration, and clear commitment to racial and environmental justice.