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Maine Health Access Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$7.4M
Grant Range
$2K - $0.5M

Maine Health Access Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Total Assets: $154.4 million (2024)
  • Annual Giving: $7.4 million (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by program
  • Grant Range: $2,000 - $500,000
  • Geographic Focus: Maine only

Contact Details

Address: 146 Capitol Street, Augusta, ME 04330

Phone: 207-620-8266

Fax: 207-620-8269

Website: https://mehaf.org/

Grants Manager: Holly Irish, hirish@mehaf.org

Overview

Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) is Maine's largest private nonprofit health care foundation, established in April 2000 from the sale of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine to Anthem Insurance Companies. With total assets of $154.4 million and annual charitable disbursements of $7.4 million (2024), MeHAF is dedicated to promoting access to quality health care, especially for those who are uninsured and underserved, and improving the health of everyone in Maine. Since 2016, health equity has been a central emphasis area in the foundation's strategic plan. The foundation's priorities focus on advancing health system reform, promoting patient-centered care, improving access to quality care, and achieving better health in communities. In 2025, Jake Grindle became the foundation's third President and CEO, having previously served as Program Officer and Program Associate since joining MeHAF in 2015.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Community Responsive Grants

  • Planning Grants: Up to $30,000 for one year
  • Implementation Grants: Up to $50,000 per year for one or two years
  • Annual competitive process through Letter of Inquiry (LOI)
  • Focuses on community-identified and community-led projects addressing barriers to health equity
  • Contact: Senior Program Officer Frank Martinez Nocito

Systems Improvement and Innovation Responsive Grants (SIIRG)

  • Grant Range: Typically $2,000 - $500,000
  • Annual competitive Request for Proposals beginning in January
  • Focuses on system and organizational level change responsive to community-identified health needs
  • Priority areas: rural health, aging/older adults, behavioral health, and maternal and child health
  • Contact: Senior Program Officer Charles Dwyer

Health Equity Capacity Building Grants

  • Multi-year unrestricted operating support grants
  • Paired with cohort learning community and technical assistance
  • Annual capacity-building budget provided in addition to unrestricted grant funds
  • Program began in 2018 and has funded fourteen Maine organizations over seven years
  • Annual LOI process

Discretionary Grants

  • Grant Amount: Up to $10,000
  • Supports small, time-limited projects (up to one year)
  • Three-stage process: LOI, structured conversation, final application
  • Rolling acceptance (annual cycle typically opens in late December)
  • Organizations limited to one Discretionary Grant per calendar year
  • Does NOT fund general operations
  • Contact: Program Officer Emily Creamer, 207-620-8266 x118

Health Advocacy Program

  • Current round awarded January 2023, concludes December 31, 2026
  • Focuses on policy change and advocacy work

Meeting Support Grants

  • Up to $2,000 for community, regional, or statewide health-focused conferences and meetings

Priority Areas

MeHAF actively funds projects that:

  • Address health equity and barriers to achieving health equity
  • Promote access to quality health care for uninsured and underserved populations
  • Focus on rural health needs
  • Support aging/older adults
  • Advance behavioral health care
  • Improve maternal and child health (including pediatrics)
  • Advance health system reform
  • Promote patient-centered care
  • Are community-informed and community-led

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals (grants or scholarships)
  • Private foundations
  • Organizations based outside Maine
  • General operations (for Discretionary Grants specifically)

Governance and Leadership

President and CEO: Jake Grindle (assumed role January 1, 2025; joined MeHAF September 2015)

Vice President for Programs: Ruta Kadonoff (joined December 2016 as Senior Program Officer)

Board of Trustees: 15-member statewide board serving as responsible stewards for the foundation's resources, including:

  • Beth Bordowitz, Executive Director of the Maine Retirement Savings Board
  • Barbara Crider, Executive Director of York County Community Action/Nasson Health Care
  • Toho Soma, Senior Research Associate at the University of New England

Staff: Margo Beland (Finance Manager), Charles Dwyer (Senior Program Officer), Dani Kalian (Executive Assistant), Dania Bowie (Program Officer), Emily Berrill (Program Officer), Frank Martinez Nocito (Senior Program Officer), Holly Irish (Grants Manager), Jeb Murphy (Communications Manager), and Lelia DeAndrade (Chief Strategy Advisor)

Community Advisory Committee: 20-member statewide committee providing guidance to the Board on the foundation's work

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Community Responsive Grants:

  • Begin with Letter of Inquiry (LOI) submitted electronically
  • Annual competitive process
  • Contact program leads (Charles Dwyer and Frank Martinez Nocito) via email before submitting

Systems Improvement and Innovation Responsive Grants:

  • Annual Request for Proposals (RFP) process beginning in January
  • Applications accepted through online grants management system

Health Equity Capacity Building Grants:

  • Annual LOI process
  • Successful LOI applicants notified and invited to submit full application
  • Program pairs unrestricted operating support with cohort learning and technical assistance

Discretionary Grants:

  1. Submit Letter of Interest (LOI) electronically through grants management system ("Manage Your Grant")
  2. If LOI aligns with mission, invited for structured conversation with program lead
  3. If moved through discussion phase, complete final application
  4. Annual cycle typically opens in late December

General Application Access: Applications accepted through MeHAF's online grant portal at mehaf.org

Pre-Application Support: Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to program officers with questions before applying. MeHAF is developing plans to provide clear and precise information to help applicants understand their likelihood of success for specific funding opportunities.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines vary by program and are not publicly disclosed in detail. For specific timeline information:

  • Contact the relevant program officer
  • Sign up for MeHAF's newsletter for updates about funding opportunities and timelines
  • Check mehaf.org for program-specific announcements

Success Rates

MeHAF does not publicly disclose specific success rates or application-to-award ratios. The foundation is working on providing clearer information to help applicants understand their likelihood of success for given funding opportunities.

Reapplication Policy

MeHAF does not publicly specify formal reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants. Organizations interested in reapplying should:

  • Contact the relevant program officer to discuss feedback from previous applications
  • For Discretionary Grants: Organizations can receive only one Discretionary Grant per calendar year, regardless of prior applications
  • Email Grants Manager Holly Irish (hirish@mehaf.org) with eligibility or reapplication questions

Application Success Factors

Community-Centered Approach: MeHAF emphasizes that "those closest to a given problem often have the best ideas about potential solutions." Applications should demonstrate meaningful community voice and leadership in identifying health needs and designing solutions.

Health Equity Focus: Since 2016, health equity has been central to MeHAF's strategic plan. Successful applications focus on changing policies, practices, and perceptions that create barriers to health care and good health, particularly for uninsured and underserved populations.

Strategic Alignment: Projects should align with MeHAF's four strategic priorities: advancing health system reform, promoting patient-centered care, improving access to quality care, and achieving better health in communities.

Specificity and Outcomes: Particularly for Discretionary Grants, projects must be specific, time-bound (completable within one year), and produce tangible outcomes. Applications should demonstrate either expansion of current work or deeper exploration of a specific aspect of organizational mission.

System-Level Impact: For SIIRG grants, demonstrate how your project creates change at the system or organizational level, not just individual program delivery. Show how the community of focus has meaningful ongoing voice in shaping improvements.

Recent Grant Recipients (2025 Community Responsive Grants): The Center for the Advancement of Rural Living, Hospice Volunteers of Somerset County, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mabel Wadsworth Center, Maine Access Points, Maine Community Integration, Maine Family Planning, Maine Women's Lobby Education Fund, Needlepoint Sanctuary of Maine, and United Youth Empowerment Services.

Proactive Engagement: MeHAF encourages grantseekers to contact program officers with questions before applying. This demonstrates the foundation's openness to relationship-building and providing guidance to potential applicants.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Maine-only focus: All applicants must be organizations based in Maine; this is a strict eligibility requirement
  • Community voice is critical: Emphasize how the community experiencing the health need has meaningful involvement in identifying problems and designing solutions
  • Choose the right program: Match your project scope and budget to the appropriate grant program (small projects under $10,000 fit Discretionary; larger system-level changes fit SIIRG; equity-focused community projects fit Community Responsive)
  • Contact program officers early: MeHAF actively encourages pre-application conversations; use this to assess fit and strengthen your approach
  • Focus on health equity: Frame your project in terms of addressing barriers to health equity, particularly for uninsured and underserved populations
  • Demonstrate tangible outcomes: Be specific about what will change as a result of your project and how you'll measure success
  • Fiscal sponsorship is possible: If your organization doesn't have 501(c)(3) status, contact MeHAF before applying to discuss fiscal sponsorship arrangements

References

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