Helping Maine thrive with community giving
Learn more about last year's recipients below!
Supporting Nonprofits
We began awarding grants in 2020 through our Community Benefit Expenditure program with a focus on overall wellness. The program now emphasizes fostering good nutrition, physical activity and healthy habits that reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Maine Access Immigrant Network
Based in Portland, they help implement the National Diabetes Prevention Program to strengthen the knowledge of how to decrease the risk of developing diabetes, with a focus on serving immigrant and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities.
Maine Community Integration
Working in Lewiston to support NutritionRX, a 12-month program to promote healthy eating among new Mainer families by promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles. Through the program, participants learn how to cook healthy meals with a focus on using food as medicine to prevent diabetes and heart disease.
MedHelp Maine
Located in Kennebunk, this program helps Mainers afford medications for a range of conditions—and take them as prescribed—by raising awareness among prescribers and patients public and private programs that provide free or low-cost medications.
Heart of Maine Resource Center
This Dexter-based program provides support to people in the Maine Highlands region, where 20% of residents—including a third of the children—experience food insecurity. This includes building and managing a community garden to support local food access initiatives.
https://www.theheartofmaine.org/
Girls on the Run Maine
Headquartered in Westbrook, GOTR provide support for a program to provide lessons about physical activity to girls in third through fifth grades, along with helping them build confidence and character, while training for a 5K.
More information
The annual Community Health Options Wellness Grants, offered through our Community Benefit Expenditure Program, provide five $10,000 grants to Maine nonprofit organizations or projects that foster good nutrition, physical activity and healthy habits that reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and associated complications like heart disease, stroke, vision problems and kidney disease.
- Eligible organizations include Maine 501c(3) nonprofit organizations with an annual budget under $1 million.
- Applicants should be focused on community-based wellness programs that foster good nutrition, physical activity and healthy habits that reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and associated complications like heart disease, stroke, vision problems and kidney disease.
- Initiatives that primarily serve individuals under 64 years old.
- Volunteer-led organizations with fiscal sponsorship from outside of Maine may also apply.
- Did not receive a Community Health Options Wellness grant the previous year (Organizations can apply every other year.)
About 9% of Maine’s population has been diagnosed with diabetes, with about 8,000 Mainers being diagnosed every year, according to the American Diabetes Association. Community Health Options is committed to preventing diabetes and its complications by working to close gaps in healthcare for its Members and supporting organizations and projects focused on healthy lifestyles across Maine.
Community Health Options Wellness Grants has partnered with National Fitness Campaign and has opened three Fitness Courts® across Maine. These world-class centers are in the City of Lewiston, the Town of Hampden and at the University of Maine in Farmington.