Results

Results of Maine’s collaborative efforts both among its public agencies and between them and the communities—are multiple, and include such staggering statistics as 80 percent increases in attendance at some museums, and free press for programs in such esteemed publications as The New York Times. But the most obvious positive outcome of the collaboration was the $3.6 million awarded to a consortium of seven state cultural entities by the state legislature in 1999. Proposed as the New Century Community Program, the request for funds was put forth by a partnership of organizations that heretofore could not get any significant funding individually. The program “…has brought new resources and, in many cases, new capacities to grass-roots cultural organizations in towns of every size across Maine,” states Erik Jorgensen, program officer for the Maine Humanities Council and program coordinator for New Century. “The program assumes a holistic approach to community culture, supporting projects ranging from historic preservation and museum exhibits, to school and library based programs.” The program returned 100 percent of the appropriated funds to community organizations across Maine in the form of matching grants and direct services, leveraging nearly $10 million in outside funding. The partners plan to lobby the state regularly in pursuit of their common goals.

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