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Success Stories

Impact Beyond Measure: Maine Nonprofit Builds Climate Resilience and the Leaders of Tomorrow with RCDI Grant from USDA

Leigh Hallett
Clean Energy
Grants
RCDI
Renewable Energy
The Climate Fellow described in the story is pictured at an outdoor table interacting with a community member who is reading a pamphlet she shows him. There is a blue building, a Mount Desert Island School bus, and trees in the background. The event pictured is in a parking lot, with balloons in the near background.
A map of Maine features a blue arrow pointing to the location of the town of Tremont in Mount Desert Island about two thirds up the Maine coast.

Where can residents of small coastal and island communities in Maine turn for help with critical, labor-intensive projects? Residents of the Mount Desert Island town of Tremont recently worked with Island Institute Fellow Brianna Cunliffe, via her host organization A Climate to Thrive. She spent two years helping them create a Community Resilience Plan to prepare the town for challenges related to climate change. Bringing her technical and communications skills to the project, Brie coordinated local efforts to draft the plan and begin its implementation.

Brie conducted her work under the direction and mentorship of A Climate to Thrive (ACTT), a nonprofit based on Mount Desert Island supporting community-driven, equitable climate solutions and climate resiliency initiatives. Supported by ACTT, she spent much of her fellowship time working with Tremont residents as they grappled with issues such as rising sea levels and energy insecurity. Her work included direct communication with community members—hosting listening sessions, gathering input from her neighbors, and elevating their voices.

Sarah White, Chair of the Tremont Sustainability Committee, worked closely with Brie during her time on the island. "Brie’s impact on me and the town of Tremont is beyond measure!” says Sarah. “She collaborated with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, A Climate to Thrive, and most importantly with the people of Tremont, to write our town’s COMMUNITY resilience plan.” The committee finalized the Community Resilience Plan in March 2024. Soon thereafter town residents voted to adopt the plan.

Island Institute Fellows also impact the organizations they support. Johannah Blackman (ACTT’s Fellowship Advisor and Executive Director) described Brie’s work in Tremont. “She wove together the discoveries, the people, the place, the relationships, the hopes, the possibilities - into a cohesive story in which we are all somehow better able to see ourselves and each other,” said Johanna. “Brie has changed the way we approach and understand community engagement by living engagement during her time with us.”

The Island Institute Fellow described in the story is pictured at a podium with a sign on the front reading "2030 Vision."
Brie Cunliffe addresses attendees at the 2030 Climate Vision Convergence in Norway, Maine in May 2024. (Top photo courtesy of Jack Sullivan, Island Institute, bottom photo courtesy of Brie Cunliffe.)

A keystone program of the Island Institute (based in Rockland), Fellows provide critical capacity for community-based projects. Over the past 25 years, the Institute has placed 148 fellows in 29 coastal and island communities. Island Institute Fellows have provided over 492,500 hours of capacity to municipalities, school systems, and community organizations through the flagship program.

The Island Institute Fellows program isn’t just important for the communities served. It is also a special experience for the Fellows. They receive the full benefits of Island Institute employees and housing within the communities they serve. The Institute and the sponsoring organizations provide mentorship and training, helping each Fellow succeed at creative and complex work while developing a professional network.

Providing this robust programming in rural and often remote coastal communities comes at a cost. Helping to fund the work is where USDA Rural Development comes in. The program is currently funded in part by a $201K  USDA Rural Community Development Initiative Grant awarded to Island Institute in November, 2023 (one of just two RCDI grants in Maine at the time).

When announcing that award, USDA Rural Development State Director Rhiannon Hampson remarked on the impressive resiliency planning several Island Institute Fellows were already coordinating. This work shows how powerful the combination of diverse local volunteers, town leaders, nonprofits, businesses, and students can be with the added capacity of a Fellow,” she said. “Small towns are just as committed to climate response and community resiliency as more urban areas, but often don’t have the staff necessary to realize their goals. USDA Rural Development is here to recognize and meet that need.”

Obligation Amount:
$201,000
Year(s) of Obligation:
Congressional District:
  • Maine: District 1