Emerging Leaders United is pleased to announce the opening of our next investment process. Successful applicants will receive funding from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. We are excited to invite community organizations to participate in this opportunity.
ELU is seeking to fund innovative programming that supports educational opportunities and youth engagement as well as aligns with United Way of Southern Maine’s Thrive2027 framework and shared outcome measures. With this investment opportunity, awards between $10,000 – $25,000 will be made in both Cumberland County and York County.
Applications will be open for submission from Wednesday, February 25, 2026 to Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Our community volunteer-led investment review process will take place throughout the spring, and applicants will be notified of decisions at the end of May.
As usual, all proposals will be reviewed competitively, by our volunteer Investment Committee, based on alignment with Emerging Leaders United’s priorities, Thrive2027 priorities, and available resources.
Applications will again be submitted through our online portal, Blackbaud. We will provide a Word document with application questions. We strongly suggest completing the application in the Word document then copying and pasting the answers into Blackbaud when ready.
We have also scheduled an optional Applicant Information Session on Friday, March 6 from 10:00-11:00 am.
Note: We have not changed our application, so will provide a quick walk through with plenty of time for questions.