Grants
General Grants
Maine Bee Wellness (MEBW) makes grants of $500-$3,000 to Maine-based non-profit groups, clubs, and associations based on the proposal’s alignment with the MEBW purpose, MEBW’s grant-making budget, and MEBW’s evaluation of the application letter. Your application should give us confidence that you can do what you propose.
To apply, in a letter of no more than three pages, please include as much of the following as you think necessary:
Name of Group
Type of Group
Contact
Contact e-mail
Contact address
Contact phone
Amount requested
Needed fund disbursement schedule
Project Description
How the project will be evaluated
Project start date
Project completion date
Application letters should be mailed by USPS to Maine Bee Wellness, PO Box 58, Jonesboro, Maine 04648. MEBW strives to respond to applications within one week. Funds are dispersed on a case-by-case basis.
In cashing a grant check from MEBW, the recipient organization is agreeing that the funds granted will be used for the purpose identified in their application, and if the funds are not so used, money in the amount granted will be promptly returned to MEBW.
Grant Q & A
Why does Maine Bee Wellness (MEBW) want to give away money?
MEBW recognizes that MEBW does not hold the monopoly on good ideas for addressing the challenges of achieving our purpose. Put another way, MEBW likes the idea of local bee projects, and wants to help make them happen!
What sorts of things does MEBW fund?
Anything in keeping with our purpose!
In common language, please.
MEBW is open to funding most anything bee-related. In 2022, the MEBW focus on beekeeping education.
Why groups and not individuals?
The IRS is very particular about the recipients charitable organizations give money to. Giving money to individuals is one issue MEBW is not ready to deal with. Maybe in time.
Your application process seems on the vague side. What’s up with that?
MEBW very much wants to make the application process as free of burdens as we can. While MEBW is very aware that the money for grants comes from our donors, and MEBW acknowledges a responsibility to them, at least to start, we expect common sense will guide donation requests regarding what information MEBW needs in order to make an award..
What’s the fine print?
Maine Bee Wellness needs to be sure grant recipients spend our donors’ money on what was applied for. If it isn’t, the amount of the grant needs to be returned. If the amount of the grant should be returned but isn’t, MEBW can take steps to recover it.
If you send us pictures, MEBW is free to use them.
If you will be promoting an activity MEBW has funded, MEBW would like some credit. Whatever you think appropriate.
What’s the MEBW purpose?
From our bylaws, and please keep in mind this was intended as a legal document:
The Purpose of Maine Bee Wellness is to:
Provide and Promote Beekeeper Education, primarily for backyard and sideline beekeepers but also the Public including:
the use of so called “Tech Transfer” teams (providing hands on lessons of proven techniques for helping beekeepers make data driven decisions) and the gathering of samples for lab analysis.
Sponsored & co-sponsored classes on various beekeeping related topics.
Having a web site and social media presence, providing bee related information and data.
The development and distribution of beekeeper training documents, to include the sponsorship or co-sponsorship of train-the-trainer type sessions.
Sponsor and co-sponsor speakers at beekeeping clubs and schools.
Provide support to coalitions of Northern Queen Breeders, with the one requirement being that those coalitions have an active or desired presence in Maine.
Other activities that support the keeping of Honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the state of Maine, to include activities in support of Maine’s native bee and pollinator populations, including providing education to the general public in the areas of bee behavior, habitat and pesticide use.
If you have other questions, please write or send an e-mail to us with them. The addresses are below: