Maine Community Foundation Seeking Volunteers for Expansion Arts

This is an interim step for Maine Community Foundation to test having multiple people review and score a single application.  Sort of a beta test!  Our hope is that what we learn from this process will help us:

1.            Test the process of how to engage a larger number of people in reading and scoring grants.

2.            Create a sort of two-way introduction (reviewers to MCF and MCF to folks we don’t know well) to help us identify prospects for seating a well-balanced formal committee with staggered terms to begin with the 2023 cycle

3.            Give us some feedback on the time commitment and other factors to continue refining the relationship between the roles of staff, external readers/scorers, and external readers/scores/decision makers.

Here’s a position overview: 

The primary role of this position is to review proposals to MaineCF’s Maine Expansion Arts grant program, provide comments to applicants, and recommend funding based on the program criteria and priorities. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Read and evaluate submitted Maine Expansion Arts proposals and make recommendations

based on the program criteria and priorities

• Participate in training and information sessions as needed

• Read and complete form agreeing to abide by MaineCF’s Conflict of Interest, Code of Conduct, and Whistleblower policies.

Training & Support Provided:

• Volunteers will have access to the MaineCF staff for questions and support

• Volunteers will receive a general overview of MaineCF and the Maine Expansion Arts grant program

• Volunteers will receive training about MaineCF’s proposal review process, including using our online system.

Time Commitment/Schedule:

• Volunteers must participate in a one-hour orientation and online review training on October 3 from noon-1pm.

• Volunteers must commit to reviewing 8-10 proposals, approximately 6-8 hours to review proposals online in October NOTE: Time commitment may vary depending on the number of volunteers recruited and the number of proposals received.

• Volunteers must submit their evaluations by end of the day on Friday, October 28.

Qualifications & Skills Needed:

• Volunteers should have knowledge of and interest in arts issues and/or BIPOC-led organizations in Maine, preferably with an emphasis on arts in rural and BIPOC communities

• Volunteers should have access to the internet and a computer and be comfortable using an online system

• Volunteers should have the ability to evaluate proposals based on specific criteria

Conflict of Interest:

It is in the best interest of Maine Community Foundation to be aware of and properly manage all conflicts of interest and appearances of conflict of interest. Volunteers are expected to disclose all conflicts of interest to ensure that the review process is conducted in compliance with our conflict-of-interest policy.

Here’s the link for people to sign up:

https://forms.office.com/r/MUDwDPW6T2