An End-of-Year Letter to Our Grantees

Friends –

On behalf of all of my colleagues at the Onion Foundation, I want to express our heartfelt appreciation for all you have done this year to create opportunity, to inspire, and to increase well-being in communities across Maine. You have prepared young people for the future, sparked creativity and understanding through public events and classes, given people the joy of connecting to the outdoors, and brought people across generations together. Through all these efforts, you have built community and a sense of belonging. It truly has been a great pleasure to see you in action and to learn with you!

You have served as role models for others, leading with values and caring deeply for others. And many of you have honed your advocacy skills — and provided advocacy training to others — to develop the kind of personal agency that makes solidarity with each other possible and meaningful. We in the nonprofit sector perhaps have a head start when it comes to advocacy, as we are each essentially running a mini-campaign as we carry out our organization’s mission.

At the Onion Foundation, we know that supporting you in advancing your mission requires us to strengthen and sustain our relationship with you. As such, we have aimed to streamline our processes and respond quickly to your inquiries so that we don’t needlessly interfere with your day. As always, we are eager to hear from you about ways we can continue to improve. We have also provided more opportunities for grantees to strengthen their organizational development and planning. Given participants’ enthusiastic response, this is a line of work we will continue in 2026. Our new blog has also provided a vehicle for sharing the experiences and perspectives of our grantees and of our staff. These pieces are inspiring and informative, and they often show how much we have in common, regardless of the sector in which we work.

In the current environment, you have important roles to play — speaking up as well as engaging, caring for, and encouraging people who could benefit from your work, including those who have been underserved or pushed aside. We stand with you in these efforts, and we want to make one stance clear: We deplore the offensive and divisive language being used to threaten and diminish our Somali neighbors. These words undermine the democratic principles and immigration practices that have allowed the United States to flourish, to treat its residents with dignity, and to offer safe haven to those who need it. These words deliberately seek to mislead the public, putting our neighbors at risk, creating fear and mistrust, and impairing the well-being and security of our communities. Immigrants belong, together we are strong!

Despite the cruelty and misinformation in which the federal administration engages and the damage caused by the dismantling of critical institutions and programs, you have forged ahead. And now, we look forward to your important work continuing — and flourishing — in 2026. I know, though, that we each have moments when our energy is somewhat depleted. I recommend Policy is for Lovers, written by Caitie Whelan, as a helpful antidote!

I hope this holiday season will provide opportunities for you to be with families and friends — our constant sources of support — and moments when you can reflect on the many people whose lives you have enriched.

Warmly,

Diana (and my colleagues on the Onion Foundation board and staff)