PORTLAND/ELLSWORTH — Small to medium-sized organizations involved in indigenous, ethnic or rural arts programs or projects, particularly those that serve areas with limited access to arts activities, are encouraged to apply for funding from the Maine Community Foundation’s Expansion Arts Fund.

The deadline for applications is Sept. 15. Apply online at www.mainecf.org.

Last year, the Expansion Arts Fund advisory committee awarded a total of $68,400. The nine grants ranged in size from $1,400 to the maximum award amount of $5,000. Among the organizations funded were Belfast Community Outreach in Education of Belfast, for the Photo-Justice Project, empowering at-risk teens through photography and environmental health education; and the Friends of L.C. Bates Museum in Hinckley, to support the exhibit “The Gift of the Glacier: The Maine Landscape,” presenting 23 Maine artists’ visual interpretation of the landscape.

For complete application guidelines and listing of recent grants, visit www.mainecf.org or contact Cathy Melio at [email protected] or by calling 877-700-6800, ext. 1122.