NonprofitMaine Blog

Resilient. Innovative. Essential. These are words that aptly describe Maine’s nonprofits before the pandemic and that will remain true long after. The past year and a half pushed charitable organizations to the limit, challenging our communities in ways we couldn’t imagine and, ultimately, inspiring problem solving in new and exciting ways. Every organization has stories […]

When Congress approved sending $350 billion in fiscal recovery funds to state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), it expressly authorized those governments to invest resources in charitable nonprofits serving their communities. Specifically, governments may use the federal funds directly or through others, meaning that individual charitable […]

Our Member Help Desk has received more and more questions from nonprofits seeking guidance on how to return to the office and in-person services and programs safely, with many of the questions concerning how to handle communications, policies, and practices about vaccines. We reached out to our Friends at Verrill with the most common vaccine […]

In 2021, Congress approved $4.5 billion to Maine as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, and of that, $3.2 billion is dedicated for recovery efforts like bolstering public health, including COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, enhanced unemployment benefits, stimulus payments to families, business supports, and more. Maine’s Governor and Legislature have the discretion to spend […]

This year’s member survey was especially important to help us understand how the pandemic is impacting your organizations and how we can help. We are so grateful for the strong participation despite the added challenges of the pandemic – we know how much you’re juggling and appreciate your willingness to carve out time to provide feedback. […]

Reprinted with permission from The Maine Nonprofit Law E-Bulletin May 2021, by Robert H. Levin, Attorney-at-Law, Law Office of Robert H. Levin. Over the years, I’ve fielded countless questions about fiscal sponsorship, a type of arrangement has become a growing part of the nonprofit world. Recently, I collaborated with the Maine Association of Nonprofits to […]

May 6, 2021 Update: There are several bills before the legislature pertaining to possible relief for arts-related nonprofit organizations. We’re anticipating they will all be tabled and considered together, especially in light of the federal SVOG program and the governor’s proposed Economic Recovery Plan. We will be providing more information as we obtain it, but […]

On April 27, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage to workers who are working on federal contracts. The White House Fact Sheet states: “Starting January 30, 2022, all agencies will need to incorporate a $15 minimum wage in new contract […]

This guest post is part of MANP’s ongoing Mission Driven Leadershift initiative, which offers resources, services and programs to help Maine nonprofits successfully prepare for and manage leadership transition. Consider this scenario to see if it sounds familiar: You and some other volunteers identified a need and formed a nonprofit organization to meet it. What started […]

On March 12, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), a $1.9 trillion package intended to help recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  ARPA adds $7.25 billion into the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and expands eligibility for forgivable loans under the PPP for nonprofit organizations. Expanded Nonprofit Eligibility Congress initially limited […]