An innovative collaboration between six Mainegrant makers, the Maine Center for Public Health and the Maine Philanthropy Center has prepared 14 of Maine’s rural communities to apply for their portion of an estimated $8.4 million dollars in tobacco settlement funds.

Realizing that small communities would find it difficult if not impossible to respond to a state grant request, the Bingham Program, the William Bingham II Betterment Fund, the Branta Foundation, the Maine Community Foundation, the American Lung Association Maine chapter and Pentagoet joined together to raise a pool of rapid-response funds to help communities in the grant preparation process.

In less than six weeks, $39,000 was raised and 14 individual grants of primarily $2,500 were given. The application and selection process was overseen by the Bingham Program with assistance from the Maine Center for Public Health. The funds were administered by the Maine Philanthropy Center.

In the case of Millinocket Regional Hospital, the funds were used to pay for a technical consultant who helped the hospital put the grant proposal together. Tobacco Free L-A hired a grant-writing consultant and expanded its coalition to five new communities.

Calais Regional Hospital was able to bring a community outreach worker on board to facilitate the organization of their community partnership. Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft concentrated its efforts on hiring a proposal writer and the continued formation of the Piscataquis Public Health Council.

The coordinator of Redington-Fairview Hospital in Skowhegan wrote to say, “Though your award letter stated `Congratulations on receiving this small award,’ let me assure you that the funding provided was greatly appreciated and not looked upon as a `small award’!”

Other recipients include the People’s Regional Opportunity Program in Portland, the Lincoln County Juvenile Task Force in Newcastle, Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln, Mayo Regional Hospital in Milo, Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent, Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast, Goodall Hospital in Sanford, the Bridgton Hospital and the ACCESS Bath HealthCare Center.

The Maine Philanthropy Center and the Maine Bureau of Health offered three grant-writig workshops concentrating on the tobacco settlement funds in July, August and September. Proposals are now in to the state and funds should be awarded in December.

Maine leads the nation in tobacco addiction among young adults and youth while tobacco-related diseases – cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung disease and diabetes – kill 75 percent of Maine people. The innovative partnership among Maine grant makers, the Maine Center for Public Health and the Maine Philanthropy Center pointedly sought to help new communities succeed in smoking prevention and cessation in Maine.