JTGF Updates

Mitchell Institute program helps a remarkable group of students succeed in college and beyond

Maine Working Communities Challenge: The John T. Gorman Foundation is proud to join the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, State of Maine, and other philanthropic partners in helping launch the Maine Working Communities Challenge. This challenge will make $2.7 million in grants available to drive economic growth while reducing inequity in Maine’s rural towns and … Read more

In its latest efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation is supporting efforts to help families through a school year unlike any other – with $235,000 in grants to supplement partners’ efforts to provide childcare and remote learning support in Lewiston, and for a two-generation initiative to strengthen literacy among English Language Learner families in Portland’s East Bayside Neighborhood.

When John T. Gorman Fellow Stephanie LeBlanc learned that more than half of middle-school students in Oxford County did not feel valued in their community, she saw a red flag that needed to be addressed. What followed was the Oxford County Resiliency Project. With a two-year grant from the Foundation, the program has helped schools across the county implement practices that make students feel safe, supported, and resilient. In this interview, LeBlanc speaks about the project’s successes, next steps, and how the Fellowship has influenced her as a leader.  

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can have significant effects on a child’s development and chances for future success – a rising concern during a pandemic that is putting them and their families under much greater stress. In this timely analysis, Senior Program Associate Jennifer Beck, PhD., uncovers the science behind ACEs and outlines the strategies the Foundation is using to prevent and mitigate them in Maine.

Since receiving funding this spring, our 2020 Direct Services Grantees have done exceptional work across Maine to meet new and increased needs for low-income Mainers while coping with numerous challenges. These pictures from the field offer a glimpse of how they’ve done it. 

Fellowship Delayed: Due to the COVID pandemic, the Foundation has made the tough decision to delay recruitment for the next cohort of John T. Gorman Fellowship until 2021. An exact date will be shared in the future. During this time, we continue to reach out to and support our past Fellows, who are doing exceptional … Read more