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 school(s). 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.
Eligible SAUs interested in this grant opportunity may access the Request for Applications (RFA) via the State of Maine’s Vendor Self Service (VSS) system where they should submit their applications and any questions. (Please see the priority notice issued on January 9, 2026, for more information and training materials related to VSS.) The Maine DOE strongly suggests that SAUs ensure that they are able to log into VSS ahead of the RFA due date.
The timeline for this RFA process is as follows:
- January 20, 2026 – virtual informational session at 3 p.m. (details below)
- January 27, 2026 – RFA questions must be submitted via VSS by 4 p.m.
- February 12, 2026 – RFA applications must be submitted via VSS by 4 p.m.
To learn more about community schools and this grant opportunity, potential applicants are encouraged to attend the virtual informational session on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 3 p.m. Please use this link to join. Registration is not required in advance.
Additional information about community schools can be found on the Maine DOE Community Schools webpage. Again, all questions about this RFA should please be submitted through VSS.
Maine DOE Newsroom 