Community Resilience Partnership Community Action Grants
Grants for Maine communities to reduce energy use, switch to clean energy and prepare for flooding, extreme heat and other climate impacts.
Αυτή η ευκαιρία είναι προς το παρόν διαθέσιμη στα Αγγλικά.
The 2026 round offered individual communities $5,000–$75,000 and groups applying jointly up to $175,000. Projects could last up to two years. The Maine Office of Community Affairs (MOCA) could provide up to $5,000 extra at its discretion to federally funded awardees for federal grant administration.
Projects implementing activities on the List of Community Actions required no local contribution. Other community-defined climate and energy priorities had to align with Maine Won’t Wait and required a local contribution, which could include eligible in-kind goods or services. The program statement sets 10% for communities below 4,000 residents; 10% for communities with 4,000–10,000 residents or tax assessment below $25 million; and 20% for communities above 10,000 residents and tax assessment above $25 million, using State Revenue Sharing data. The joint-application budget asks which tier applies to the lead applicant.
Funding could cover project staff, contractors, supplies, travel, indirect costs and meeting venues. Applicable rebates and incentives, including Efficiency Maine support for equipment, had to be included in the application budget. These grants could serve as match for other grants where those programs allowed it, or close funding gaps.
Recipients must sign a State of Maine grant agreement. Work before a fully executed agreement’s effective date is not payable, and eligible costs and in-kind contributions must fall within the grant period. Quarterly progress reports are due 15 days after each quarter ends; the final report is due 30 days after the grant period ends. Federal awards can carry additional requirements, including environmental review and reporting, which recipients are notified about.
Eligibility
- Eligible applicants are Maine municipal governments, federally recognized Tribal governments, plantations, townships and unorganized territories enrolled in the Community Resilience Partnership. Enrollment materials could be submitted at the same time as the grant application. County governments cannot enroll or receive funds directly; school districts, water and sewer districts, neighborhood associations and similar bodies cannot be primary applicants.
- Joint projects must address shared goals with connected work. Every participating community must enroll or submit enrollment materials. A service provider may apply on their behalf with letters of support from every community; joint applications require those letters and a lead applicant to receive funds and manage contracting and reporting.
- A community may participate in only one application per round. Previous recipients may apply for different work, but failure to meet existing grant timelines, outcomes, compliance or reporting obligations can make them ineligible.
- Partnership enrollment requires a resilience self-evaluation and community-action assessment, at least one documented public workshop to review results and prioritize projects, and a municipal resolution or letter from the Tribal Chief appointing a citizen committee or municipal or Tribal employee to coordinate the work. Plantations, townships and unorganized territories may instead provide that letter from a Board of Assessors, county unorganized-territory coordinator, County Commissioner or county council. Every two years, communities must update the assessments and submit reenrollment materials. Inactive communities are ineligible until they submit the required updates before the grant deadline.
- Proposed work must have a climate or energy purpose. Applications must explain community engagement and benefits, including for people most vulnerable to climate impacts, and use the Maine Social Vulnerability Index to identify their community’s socioeconomic vulnerability category.
- Computer equipment, permit fees and unrelated staff expenses are excluded. For municipal or Tribal government-owned electric fleets, grant support is capped at $7,500 per vehicle or equipment item, and proposals must demonstrate reduced fossil-fuel vehicle miles.
- Building efficiency work must be in municipal, Tribal or publicly owned buildings. Existing heat pumps cannot be replaced with grant-funded new heat pumps. New fossil-fuel heating or cooling and structural repairs such as roofs, siding and foundations are excluded; eligible weatherization includes sealing, insulation and efficient windows and doors. New-building construction and efficiency measures for new buildings are generally excluded, although solar arrays, battery storage and EV chargers at new buildings can qualify. A durable shed essential to battery installation and used only for battery storage may qualify; the Q&A says a 10% match may be required.
- Construction or infrastructure improvements must be publicly owned. The program favors proactive climate resilience over deferred maintenance. Routine comprehensive-plan updates, fossil-fuel generators and digital signage are excluded. Battery storage can replace generators. Funds may help establish a new renewable-energy power purchase agreement; buying out an existing agreement is unlikely to receive an award.
How to apply
- Κατάσταση
- κλειστό
- Κλείνει
- Όροι του κύκλου αιτήσεων
- Historical CAG2026-7 round; closed.
The CAG2026-7 round is closed. Its deadline was June 5, 2026 at 5 p.m. The program statement anticipated a May 2027 deadline for the next round, subject to funding availability and change.
Enrollment remains available through the online form linked on MOCA’s enrollment page. Complete the assessments, public workshop and resolution or governmental letter before submitting the enrollment materials.
For the closed round, applications went through the MOCA Submittable grant portal. They had to identify listed actions or explain alignment of other priorities with Maine Won’t Wait; provide tasks, deliverables, a timeline, expected outcomes, management responsibilities, community engagement and a budget with applicable match and rebates. Applicants were required to consult the published binding Q&A alongside the program statement. Questions about project fit can be sent to Ashley Krulik at ashley.krulik@maine.gov.