This page includes information about the Community Action Grants, Service Provider Grants, Energy Efficiency for Rural Communities Technical Assistance Program, and Energy Efficiency Priorities Grants.

Community Action Grants - Round 6 Applications - CLOSED

Community Action Grants can support two categories of climate action by communities: 1) actions from the Community Resilience Partnership List of Community Actions, an approved list of climate mitigation and adaptation activities that align with the strategies of Maine Won’t Wait, and 2) other projects proposed by a community that support capacity building, planning, and implementation projects.  
 
The List of Community Actions offers guidance for communities starting on climate plans and incentivize a baseline level of climate action across the state. The two grant options provide flexibility by allowing communities to choose actions from the list that are most relevant and feasible, while also providing support for community climate and energy priorities that may not appear on the List of Community Actions. 

Application Deadline: CLOSED

An informational webinar was held on June 12th. View the webinar slides and recording.

Questions?  The question and answer period for this grant opportunity ended August 8, 2025. View a summary of CAG2025-6 questions and answers.

To apply, download the CAG2025-6 Community Action Grant Program Statement and Application.

About Community Action Grants

Once a community is enrolled in the Community Resilience Partnership, they are encouraged to work from their list of locally prioritized actions and the List of Community Actions to pursue Community Action Grants. Many, but not all, of the activities on the list could require funding support. 
 
There are two specific types of Community Action Grants:  

  • Grants to support implementation of one or more activities in the List of Community Actions that align with the state climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait. There is no local matching funds requirement for these grants. 
  • Grants to support other community-defined climate and energy implementation priorities. A local match is required.

Round 6 Community Action Grant Available Funding: Using a mix of state and federal funding, the Partnership will make up to $4.7 million available in its next grant round.

Round 6 Maximum Funding Amount: The maximum community action grant award will be $75,000 for individual community grants and $175,000 for joint community grants.

To apply, download the CAG2025-6 Community Action Grant Program Statement and Application.

Eligibility 

Once enrolled in the Partnership, communities are eligible to apply for Community Action Grants. Enrollment and grant applications will be accepted simultaneously. 

CAG2025-6 Community Action Grants are open for all enrolled communities, including communities that have received grant awards in the past and/or have active grant projects in progress. For all eligibility requirements, see the CAG2025-6 Program Statement.

Key Dates
 

Application Deadline: CLOSED

The question and answer period for this grant opportunity ended August 8, 2025. View a summary of CAG2025-6 questions and answers.

Grant Reporting

All funded projects will be required to provide quarterly updates, project deliverables, and a brief final case study that communicates lessons learned during the project.  

The applicant(s) should develop and track metrics, both for success of the project and progress toward long-term community goals. The Maine Won’t Wait 2024 Climate Action Plan has a list of metrics the state will track, should the community need examples.

Community Access and Engagement

The state's climate response should benefit all Maine people. Applicants should include robust community engagement in their action grant proposals, for example inclusive planning processes so that many community voices are able to participate.

Climate change impacts will create the greatest hardships for already underserved populations. Communities in Maine must identify and promote solutions to help the people most vulnerable to climate impacts. Applicants should consider the potential benefits of their proposed climate action projects and, if applicable describe how the project promotes access to those benefits.

Community Tiers

To ensure access and outcomes by lower capacity communities, the Partnership has adopted a three-tier system classification system that tailors program requirements and incentives to community size.

Cost Sharing

There is no local cost share for Climate Action Grants that implement activities from the List of Community Actions.

A local cost share does apply for Climate Action Grants that implement other community priorities outside the list: 

  • Tier 1 and Tier 2 communities 
    • 10% local match.
  • Tier 3 communities  
    • 20% local match. 

Service Provider Grants - CLOSED

Service Provider Grants support service provider organizations to assist communities with climate action, energy and resilience planning.

There are two Service Provider Grant Tracks:

  • Track 1 Community Enrollment Service Provider Grants enable organizations to assist up to five Communities to prepare for and enroll in the Community Resilience Partnership and then apply for grant funds to undertake priority climate and energy projects.  
  • Track 2 Community Vulnerability Assessment Service Provider Grants enable organizations to assist up to five enrolled/enrolling Communities to complete community vulnerability assessments that identify vulnerable community members, infrastructure, and assets, and then utilize that data to further prioritize climate action projects and apply for grant funds. 

Service Provider organizations can apply for both grant tracks, but can only submit one application per track. For more details see the SPG2025-6 Program Statement.

Application Deadline: CLOSED

An informational webinar was held on June 12th. View the webinar slides and recording.

Questions? The question period for this grant opportunity is now closed. View the compiled SPG2025-6 questions and answers. 

To apply, download the SPG2025-6 Service Provider Grant Program Statement and Application.

About Service Provider Grants

This program’s focus on regional collaboration, local capacity-building, and community engagement that are critical for supporting municipal climate action. 
 
For the Track 1 Community Enrollment Service Provider Track, the desired outcomes are new enrollments in the Partnership by multiple communities, with each community developing a list of priority climate and energy projects, as well as any cooperative group priorities, and applications to the Community Action Grant program. Service Providers are expected to assist communities with the enrollment activities and apply for Community Action Grants.

For the Track 2 Community Vulnerability Assessment Service Provider Track, the desired outcomes include a completed community vulnerability assessment that identifies climate impacts and hazards, as well as vulnerable community members, infrastructure, and assets, and then utilize that data to further prioritize climate action projects and apply for grant funds.  

See the SPG2025-6 Program Statement for full details. 

Key Dates

Application Deadline: CLOSED

The question period for this grant opportunity is now closed. View the compiled SPG2025-6 questions and answers. 

Grant Eligibility

Entities eligible to be regional service providers include:

  • regional planning organizations
  • councils of governments
  • regional economic development organizations
  • county governments
  • academic institutions and cooperative extension programs
  • non-profit organizations
  • for-profit enterprises

Municipalities are generally not eligible for Service Provider Grants. However, in special cases, a community that can demonstrate robust in-house capacity may apply for a Service Provider Grant to provide relevant services to smaller communities in the same region. 

Grant Applications

Service Provider organizations can apply for both grant tracks in this round, but can only submit one application per track. 

As part of the application to the program, prospective service providers will recruit a group of up to five communities. Prospective service providers may request up to $10,000 per community. Up to an additional $2,500 may be requested for communities in the group that are either in the highest social vulnerability category or have a population fewer than 4,000.

Applicants will include a letter of support from each community in the proposed group. Letters must be submitted with the application package. Letters received separately will not be read.

For more details see the SPG2025-6 Program Statement.

Cost Sharing

For all Service Provider Grants, a 15% cost share is required of the service provider. In-kind match is permitted.

Grant Reporting

All funded Service Providers will be required to provide quarterly updates, project deliverables, and a brief final case study that communicates lessons learned during the project. 

Helpful Resources for Grant Proposals

Community Access and Engagement Webinar
The Community Resilience Partnership held a Community Access and Engagement Webinar that gave an overview of the framework developed by the Maine Climate Council Equity Subcommittee and how it translates into actionable steps that communities can take to increase resilience, community engagement, consideration of benefits, and support grant proposal development.  View webinar recording. Download webinar presentation slides.

Efficiency Maine
The Community Action and Energy Efficiency Priorities grant opportunities require utilizing Efficiency Maine energy efficiency rebates and incentives for applicable projects. Visit their website to learn more about electric vehicles, HVAC, lighting, and other municipal incentives. Efficiency Maine also maintains an extensive list of qualified partners throughout Maine to help communities prioritize energy efficiency projects and navigate incentives. 

Direct Pay Clean Energy Projects Tax Credit Opportunity
Tax-exempt local governments are now eligible for federal tax credits up to 30% of the project cost to build qualifying clean energy projects including solar, wind, and battery storage projects; installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure; and purchasing electric vehicles for town or city vehicle fleets. Program information, including eligible projects and requirements can be found on the IRS Elective Pay and Transferability webpage.  Additional guidance can be found on the Department of Energy Resources (formerly Governor’s Energy Office) Direct Pay webpage.