United Way of Southern Maine is working to ensure the success of Thrive2027 through our annual community investment process. This is a competitive process in which we invest in work best positioned to advance Thrive2027 Goals across Southern Maine. It is critical work for our community, made possible thanks to the generous support of our donors and investment volunteers.
We are excited to announce that this year’s process will open on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, and are sharing our request for proposals, as well as a call for investment volunteers.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Through the community investment process, organizations apply using strategies from the Thrive2027 Goals Framework to ultimately achieve our community’s shared vision for the future, with equitable outcomes for all populations. This year we are offering two new investment opportunities, including multi-year funding and capacity building grants. For further details on all funding opportunities, including eligibility criteria, evaluation criteria, and other important information, please review the Community Investment Process page of UWSM’s website.
Applications will open on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, and close on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. UWSM staff will host an applicant information session on Friday, December 9 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m., as well as be available throughout the application window to answer questions from interested applicants.
Click here to register for the Information Session.
CALL FOR INVESTMENT VOLUNTEERS
Community investments are made under the direction of volunteers who review and discuss applications, and then make recommendations for investment amounts. We are currently seeking to identify community members who are interested in volunteering to serve as an investment or financial reviewer in this process to inform how we invest community dollars. The time commitment is substantial (approximately 10-30 hours February through April, depending on the role), but this is also a significant opportunity to impact our community.
If you are interested in volunteering, please begin by completing a short interest survey. This survey provides us with general information about your experience and background, and asks for personal demographic information. This is used to help us finalize placement and to ensure we have well-rounded groups with a diverse mix of experiences, expertise, and geographic connection to best support our investment review and recommendation process. Individual demographic information will be kept confidential.
Click here to take the volunteer interest survey.
If you have any questions about our investment process or our investment volunteer roles, please contact Karen Stephenson, Director, Community Investments, at kstephenson@uwsme.org.
Thank you for your support of a thriving Southern Maine!
Helpful Links:
Applicant Information Session: Dec. 9, 2022, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
You must register in advance to attend this meeting. We strongly encourage applicants to attend the information session, especially applicants interested in learning more about new funding opportunities this year, York County partners who will be new to applying under the Thrive2027 Goals Framework, and new applicants to United Way of Southern Maine. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting, including the meeting link. If you have questions, please contact Hannah Brier at hbrier@uwsme.org.
Volunteer Job Descriptions & Approximate Time Commitments
