Pursuant to  Title 20-A, §15689-A, the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education (DOE) may provide funding to school administrative units (SAUs) to support the establishment of community schools. As such, the Maine DOE is currently accepting applications for funding from SAUs whose school boards have designated an existing school or established a new school as a community school.

The Maine DOE recently held a virtual informational session on January 20, 2026, to share information about the community schools strategy, as well as details about this community schools grant opportunity.  Please use this link to access the recording of the session.

Eligible SAUs interested in this grant opportunity may access the Request for Applications (RFA) via the State of Maine’s Vendor Self-Service System (VSS), where they should submit their applications. Applications must be submitted via VSS by 4 p.m. on February 12, 2026.

Additional information about community schools can be found on the Maine DOE Community Schools webpage.