GrowSmart Maine receives major grant from the Environmental Funders Network August 19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2009
Contact: Christian McNeil, Communications Director: 699-4330 ext. 305
Maggie Drummond, Interim President: 699-4330 ext. 304
PORTLAND: GrowSmart Maine, the statewide smart growth advocacy group, has been awarded a $50,000 matching grant from Maine’s Environmental Funders Network to advance its advocacy efforts on behalf of Maine’s quality places – the wild landscapes and vibrant communities that contribute to the state’s valuable brand.
“With this grant, we aim to connect environmental interests with advocates for community revitalization, affordable housing, historic preservation, and economic growth, and build a stronger coalition focused on enhancing Maine’s special character – both in the built environment and the natural environment,” explains GrowSmart Maine president Maggie Drummond.
The grant is a part of the Environmental Funders Network’s Quality of Place initiative, inspired by GrowSmart Maine’s own 2006 “Charting Maine’s Future” report. In that publication, researchers from the Brookings Institution concluded that preserving and enhancing Maine’s special character is critical to the state’s prospects for economic growth.
GrowSmart Maine has made “quality of place” a focus of its advocacy efforts in recent years, with a particular focus on revitalizing Maine’s historic downtowns and Main Streets. Recent accomplishments include the passage of a statewide historic preservation tax credit and a joint project with the Town of Standish to revitalize and plan for new growth in the village of Standish Corner.
Bonita Pothier, a former mayor of the City of Biddeford who also chairs GrowSmart Maine’s Board of Directors, has a first-hand understanding of how Main Street and downtown revitalization efforts can benefit Maine’s economy and its environment. “By focusing growth in our existing towns and cities, we can make better use of our infrastructure, attract new residents and businesses to Maine, and reduce development pressure on our working farms, forests, and waterfronts,” says Pothier.
GrowSmart Maine’s mission is to promote sustainable prosperity for all Mainers by integrating working and natural landscape conservation, economic growth, and community revitalization.
The Environmental Funders Network, a project of the Maine Community Foundation and the Maine Philanthropy Center, helps to identify and create ways to improve and sustain Maine’s natural environment. For more information, visit the foundation’s website at www.environmentalfundersnetwork.org, or call the Maine Community Foundation toll-free at 1-877-700-6800.