The Maine Health Access Foundation is the state’s largest private nonprofit health care foundation dedicated to promoting access to quality health care and improving health.
Many of our current programs focus on building the capacity of community-led organizations to create health outcomes that are more equitable for every person in Maine. Past and current grantees have helped to improve systems to address critical health needs, coverage, and access to quality care.
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Philanthropic Statement in Response to the Mass Shooting in Lewiston
The Maine philanthropic community stands in solidarity and support for the Lewiston-Auburn communities, the victims of this senseless act of gun violence and their families, and all of those who have had their sense of physical and psychological safety robbed from them by this tragedy. We also recognize and acknowledge the mental, emotional, financial, physical, and community toll that being in an ongoing shelter-in-place order creates.
As partners to community leaders and nonprofits working across all issues, we know the strength and resilience of the Lewiston-Auburn area. We know it is a place with a long history of being home to those seeking safety, opportunity, and a sense of belonging. We have seen first hand the deep connections nurtured in the community — bonds that are forged across sector, race, immigration status, and age, in spaces of faith, culture, and learning. And while this moment of crisis impacts everyone in the Lewiston-Auburn area and beyond, we know this is not the defining moment for the twin cities.
In support of maintaining these deep connections and the community at large, Maine funders and the Maine Philanthropy Center are committed to showing up, and to coming together to move resources in a coordinated and collective manner. This way, communities will have what they need as soon as possible with few barriers, both for immediate response and long-term support as the community works towards healing.
This statement is the first of many messages from the Maine philanthropic community, as we work to continually understand and support the evolving needs of the Lewiston-Auburn area moving forward in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
For those who can assist immediately, we encourage you to direct funds to:
- Maine Community Foundation’s Lewiston-Auburn Area Response Fund, which will collect and allocate donations to support victims of Maine’s worst gun tragedy on record and the organizational efforts that will help heal the city.
- United Way of Androscoggin Community Fund, which will support community partners including 211 Maine and others providing mental health services, crisis support, and additional critical needs.
Further information around supporting the Lewiston-Auburn area can be found at Maine Philanthropy Center’s resource page.
We encourage our community members everywhere to take care of yourselves and your loved ones and reach out to your support system in this moment of tragedy for our state. Call 1-888-568-1112 for the Maine Crisis Line or call 2-1-1 to connect with services and resources that can help. Now and as we move forward, our hearts are with the strong, vibrant, and resilient community of the Lewiston-Auburn area. We are here with you every step of the way.
In solidarity,
Maine Philanthropy Center and the Maine philanthropic community