Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

Morning Session
Kennebec/Penobscot Room, 1st Floor

Session Co-Chairs:

• Andrea Berry, Climate Funding Manager, New England Environmental Finance Center
• Allen Kratz, Principal, Resilience Works, LLC
• Chloe Shields, Deputy Director, New England Environmental Finance Center
• Nikki Yanok, Climate Finance Specialist, Gulf of Maine Research Institute

Across Maine, communities, researchers, and practitioners are developing innovative sustainability and water projects—but many face the same question: how do we pay for it? This interactive session brings together funding and financing experts from across sectors to demystify the complex landscape of grants, investments, and partnerships that make sustainability and water projects possible.

Co-led by the New England Environmental Finance Center (NEEFC), the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), and Resilience Works, LLC, the session will combine brief topical presentations, a panel discussion with experts in the field, and small group conversations. Participants will gain practical insights into aligning project goals with diverse funding sources such as federal and state grants, private foundations, philanthropic gifts, and mission-driven investments.

Through “ask me anything” dialogue during small-group discussion, attendees will explore real-world funding challenges, share experiences, and leave with concrete strategies, tools, and connections to advance their own sustainability and water initiatives. This session is designed for project developers, community leaders, students, researchers, and funders who want to turn great ideas into funded, actionable solutions.

Session Overview

8:30AM – 9:15AM

Welcome and Overview of the Funding Landscape
Andrea Berry (NEEFC), Chloe Shields (NEEFC), Allen Kratz (Resilience Works), Nikki Yanok (GMRI)

Session co-chairs will introduce themselves and their organizations and review the morning’s agenda, followed by a joint presentation on the current state of the funding landscape for water and sustainability projects in Maine communities. This will include funding and financing at the federal level (what is gone, what remains, new considerations and conditions), state level (Community Resilience Partnership, Maine Climate Council, legislative agenda), and local level (reserve budgeting, capital investment planning, tax increment financing), as well as philanthropic and other sources.

9:15AM – 10:00AM

Funding Panel & Discussion

Panelists will provide lightning talks on their topic of expertise, followed by a short discussion moderated by the co-chairs. 

Topics:

• A changed federal funding landscape
• Community Resilience Partnership funding & resources
• Making the most of municipal funds & reserve budgeting
• Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)
• Philanthropic support
• Producer pay models

Panelists:

• Ashley Krulik, Community Resilience Partnership Program Manager, Maine Office of Community Affairs
• Emily Wood, Program Director, Business Sustainability & Resilience, CEI
• Tyler Kidder, Manager of Funder Networks, Maine Philanthropy Center
• Mary Allen, Chair, Select Board, Surry, ME
• Erin Victor, UMaine Mitchell Center
• Amelia Mooney, UMaine Ecology & Environmental Science

10:00AM – 10:30AM

Small Group Conversations (two ~10-minute rounds) and Report Out

Join panelists and session co-chairs at a small group table of your choice to learn more about their funding opportunities and resources and ask your questions! Time permitting, we will reconvene as a large group to share key insights.