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The Onion Foundation Awards More Than $1.3 Million in Grant Funds to Maine Arts Organizations
Photo credit: Waterfall Arts
AUBURN, ME, July 14, 2026 — The Onion Foundation recently completed the first of two 2026 grantmaking cycles for its Arts Program, which supports nonprofit organizations that expand access to arts education, provide opportunities for public engagement in the arts, and build the sector’s collective capacity. Grant awards from this cycle total $1,322,900 and support 40 organizations spanning more than 25 cities across the state.
While the Arts Program primarily focuses on organizations’ programmatic work, the Onion Foundation team recognizes the unprecedented challenges arts nonprofits are facing today.
“We’ve reached out to organizations directly and learned that many are experiencing significant change, undergoing difficult strategic planning processes, or building capacity to support their programs for people across Maine,” says Nat May, Arts Program Officer. “We hear you, and we’re responding.”
Using the TCC Group’s Core Capacity Assessment Tool, for example, Topsham’s FLOR identified a need for greater administrative capacity to run its community flamenco classes. To help the nonprofit rightsize sooner than it forecasted, the Onion Foundation increased FLOR’s grant size.
Other organizations that were awarded additional grant funds to accelerate solutions to pressing capacity needs include:
- Smooth Feather, which empowers young people through filmmaking
- Denmark Arts Center, which offers programs for Maine artists and musicians
- Celebration Barn Theater, which provides educational opportunities for theater artists
This grants cycle also included a higher number of multiyear arts grants than in prior years, awarding 11 two-year grants and 14 three-year grants. Multiyear grants help organizations stabilize and plan for the future more effectively, while cutting down on administrative work.
Arts programs serve a critical purpose in Maine, helping bridge cultural divides, offering means for self-expression, deepening understanding of others, and increasing the capacity for joy. The Onion Foundation is proud to help make exciting arts programs available to Mainers across the state.