Links

The following links are organized in three categories:
Building Leadership Capacity
Supporting Local Economies
Promoting Conservation and Planning

BUILDING LEADERSHIP CAPACITY
Coastal Enterprises, Inc: Wiscassett, ME
Organization dedicated to the development of environmentally sustainable resource development and job creation in the rural regions of Maine.  The CEI offers financing technical support for small businesses.

Common Good Ventures: Brunswick, ME
Organization that provides assistance to non-profit organizations throughout Maine, with a focus on improving social results and financial self-sufficiency.

Corporation for Enterprise Development: Washington, DC
National organization conducting policy research at the national, state, and local level to help tap the vast resources of low income communities. The CFED works to identify and develop promising ideas with a view towards creating products and partnerships for lasting change.

Institute for Civic Leadership: Portland, ME
Nonprofit Board Consultation - If your organization is considering a board assessment, planning a board retreat, or searching for customized board trainings, contact ICL to learn how they have worked with other nonprofits, and how they might help yours.

Interagency Working Group on Sustainable Development: Winnipeg, Canada
Reference site with information pertaining to sustainable development in general, such as definitions and relevant policy areas.

Maine Center for Economic Policy: Augusta, ME
The Maine Center for Economic Policy advances public policies that help Maine people prosper in a strong, fair and sustainable economy. MECEP advances this mission through high-quality research, analysis, citizen education, and coalition building. MECEP is an independent, nonpartisan organization.

Maine Community Foundation: Ellsworth, ME
The foundation is a family of funds–more than 800–and each one has its own focus and philanthropic direction. Their website has county and regional based programs.

Maine Development Foundation: Augusta, ME
Large non-profit with many well-funded programs devoted to economic development.  These include the Capital Riverfront Improvement District, The Maine Employers Program, and the Maine Compact for Higher Education.

Maine Mountain Heritage Network.: Farmington, ME
Network of businesses, non profits, and government agencies working to promote dialogue on the future of Maine’s mountainous regions.  Site includes extensive market studies and information about their programs.

Maine Rural Partners: Orono, ME
Maine Rural Partners is working to improve the quality of life for rural Maine residents through providing policy advice, coordinating resources, and encouraging dialogue.  Visit the site and read the many success stories.

Maine Women's Lobby: Augusta, ME
Maine Women's Lobby provides education and promotes public policy development and advocacy around the core issues of economic security, health care and reproductive rights, civil rights, and freedom from violence.

National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture: Pine Bush, NY
The Campaign's goal is to create federal policy that will shift the food system towards sound environmental stewardship, foster decent livelihoods for farmers and workers, and be socially just and humane.

National Rural Funders Collaborative: Dallas, Texas
The NRFC is a philanthropic organization focusing on areas of persistent poverty. See the “resources” section of the site for an extensive library of articles about philanthropy, economics, and public policy.

Sustainable Communities Network
Site contains a wealth of educational material about issues relevant to sustainable development, including case studies in every state in the United States.

Worldwatch Institute: Washington, DC
A group studying the interaction of environmental, social, and economic trends, with a view towards crafting sustainable policies.  Site includes a wealth of research, including a large section on sustainable economics.

SUPPORTING LOCAL ECONOMIES
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies: San Francisco, CA
BALLE's mission is to catalyze, strengthen, and connect local business networks dedicated to building strong Local Living Economies. A Living Economy ensures that economic power resides locally, sustaining healthy community life and natural life as well as long-term economic viability.

Eat Local Foods Network
Eat Maine Foods is the networking site of the Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine (ELFC), a coalition of groups and people working to put more Maine foods on more Maine tables more often.

Franklin County Chamber of Commerce: Farmington, ME
A non-profit membership organization of business and civic leaders. Through partnership with other groups and individuals, it seeks to promote economic growth, tourism, civic pride and cultural awareness.

Greater Franklin Development Corporation: Farmington, ME
Non profit organization working with businesses to foster economic development in the region.  Site includes many resources for business owners.

Maine Department of Economic and Community Development: Augusta, ME
Government site with specific information for business owners as well as regional research reports in PDF format.

Maine Foods Network
The Maine Foods Network contains information for those who want to support Maine agriculture, including policy proposals and a well annotated list of local farms.

Maine's Lakes & Mountains
Government site with tourism information, event calendar, maps, and destination suggestions.

Maine Women Business Owners Online Directory
(CEI Women's Business Center) The Women's Business Center at CEI provides workshops, counseling, networking opportunities, Internet/websites workshops, and assistance in obtaining financing to new and existing women-owned businesses in Maine.

Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA): Unity, ME
The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), formed in 1971, is the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country to help farmers and gardeners grow organic food, protect the environment, recycle natural resources, increase local food production, support rural communities, and illuminate for consumers the connection between healthful food and environmentally sound growing practices.

Northeast States Association for Agricultural Stewardship (NSAAS)
NSAAS, through publications, conferences and staff serves as a clearinghouse and resource for legislators and advocates as they develop innovative agricultural policies dedicated to promoting and assisting ag and rural development in the northeast.

The Carrot Project
The Carrot Project a not-for-profit organization dedicated to making loans and guarantees available and exploring equity options for small- and midsized farmers, limited-resource farmers, and those using ecologically friendly practices.

Western Maine Cultural Alliance
Western Maine Cultural Alliance the only umbrella support organization for arts and culture in western Maine. Promotes artists and cultural groups through exhibits on its web site and other means of circulating information, developed cultural mapping, initiated successful application for Scenic Byways designation for Route 113, promotes public history, also searchable databases of artists, historical sites, events and more.

PROMOTING CONSERVATION AND PLANNING
Androscoggin Land Trust: Auburn, ME
A membership organization dedicated to protecting, through land conservation and stewardship, the traditional landscapes, important natural areas and outdoor experience throughout Androscoggin County. They also work outside of Androscoggin County in the towns of Buckfield, Canton, Jay, Hebron and Bowdoin.

BrightBuilt Barn - The BrightBuilt Barn project is a collaboration between Kaplan Thompson Architects, Bensonwood Woodworking Company and many of the finest minds in sustainable design and construction in the northeast, all of them brought together at the invitation of a visionary client.

High Peaks Alliance - The High Peaks Alliance is a group of local people working to preserve and enhance recreational access to the open space forestlands of the High Peaks area of northern Franklin County, Maine.

Maine Farmland Trust: Belfast, ME
Established in 1999, Maine Farmland Trust is Maine’s only statewide land trust focused exclusively on farmland. It is our mission to: protect and preserve Maine’s farmland, keep agricultural lands working and support the future of farming in Maine.

Maine Farmlink: Belfast, ME
A farm transfer program that connects farmers seeking farmland with retiring Maine farmers and farm owners who wish to see their agricultural lands remain active.

National Conservation Easement Database: National
The National Conservation Easement Database (NCED) is thefirst national database of conservation easement information, compiling records from land trusts and public agencies throughout the United States. Voluntary and secure, the NCED respects landowner privacy and will not collect landowner names or sensitive information.

Natural Resources Council of Maine: Augusta, ME
A nonprofit advocacy organization protecting, restoring, and conserving Maine's environment. Includes in depth explanations of specific projects, downloadable publications, and an up to date blog.

Natural Resource Education Center: Greenville, ME
Educational corporation sponsoring resource based programming.  Site includes a calendar of events and a list of youth programs.

The Northern Forest Center: Concord, NH
The NFC's mission is to build a sustainable economy, revitalize the region's communities and conserve the landscape. The Northern Forest spans 30 million acres in northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

Small Woodland Owner's Association of Maine: Augusta, ME
SWOAM promotes effective stewardship, management, and regulation of Maine’s forests.  It runs educational programs through its thousands of volunteers.  Site contains detailed advocacy information.

Quebec Labrador Foundation: Ipswich, MA
QLF/Atlantic Center for the Environment exists to support the rural communities and environment of eastern Canada and New England, and to create models for stewardship of natural resources and cultural heritage that can be applied worldwide.

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