Keystone Grants

Keystone Grants is sponsored by Elmina B. Sewall Foundation. Supports grassroots and community-led efforts addressing environmental and racial justice in Maine.

Keystone — Elmina B. Sewall Foundation The Keystone program prioritizes grassroots and community-led efforts to address environmental and racial justice, as a key strategy for equitable social change and community well-being. Keystone now frames its impact through the lens of advocacy to better reflect the strategies grantees are using to create systemic change.

The Keystone program will support organizations and efforts that represent an interconnected ecosystem of movement-building, where community-based organizations are supported by groups that provide resilience-building resources and reinforced by organizations advancing systems-level resilience through advocacy.

Together, these categories uphold the essential work of grassroots organizing through the lenses of public policy advocacy, resourcing community organizing, and community power-building. 2026 available funding: $1,390,000 Program Contact: keystone@sewallfoundation. org Photo courtesy of JustMe for JustUs.

Building Community Resilience Grassroots, on-the-ground organizations actively dismantling harmful systems, shifting behaviors, and creating new models that foster sustainable and resilient communities. Resourcing Community Resilience Organizations that support and educate community-led movements by providing tools, training, and resources to build and sustain community ownership and empowerment.

Organizations that strengthen community voices and leadership by centering the lived experiences of those on the frontlines of marginalization. We prioritize applicants that: Are led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color, rural Mainers, and women; Are working collaboratively across sectors; and/or Have an explicit commitment to the intersection of environmental justice and racial justice.

2026 Available Funding: $1,390,000 In 2026, the Keystone program will award multi-year grants (up to 4 years) through an open application process.

Generally, grant funding levels in this program area are: Building Community Resilience : $20,000 to $60,000 per year Resourcing Community Resilience : $10,000 to $50,000 per year Systems level Advocacy : $10,000 to $40,000 per year Operating, project, and capital requests will be considered 2026 Application Information Applications were due by February 25, at 5pm. Grant decisions will be announced by early May, 2026.

We’re pleased to present this series of articles on our inspiring grant partners .

COCOMAINE received its first Sewall grant last year for $20,000 to support the essential services it provides to Maine’s Congolese community, which include filling out job applications and scheduling medical appointments, distributing culturally appropriate foods, and making connections to partner organizations for legal services as well as housing and financial assistance.

Sewall has been supporting League of Women Voters Maine Education Fund since 2022. In 2023, Sewall awarded the Education Fund a 24-month Equitable Civic Engagement grant to eliminate inequities in voter turnout at the local, state and national levels. Read to learn about the Education Fund’s efforts to ensure all Mainers can meaningfully participate in the democratic process.