JMG Receives $10.4 Million Grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation
JMG recently received its largest private investment in the organization’s history, a $10.4 million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation. The grant will allow JMG to establish its College Success Program on all of the public college campuses in Maine, in partnership with the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System, bringing the program to full scale statewide. The investment will also strengthen JMG’s high school bridging to include credentials of value through Extended Learning Opportunities and advance a new research initiative in collaboration with the University of Maine to back proven best practices for student recruitment and persistence with evidence and third-party evaluation.
“The social, emotional, and financial barriers facing today’s young people are numerous and increasingly complex, threatening to derail even the most resilient students,” said Gregory W. Powell, Chair of the Harold Alfond Foundation. “The JMG College Success Program ensures that young students have the support they need to prepare for, enroll in, and ultimately succeed at college and in the workplace. Not only does every young person in Maine deserve the opportunity to reach his or her full potential—our state’s future depends on it.”
“This support from the Harold Alfond Foundation will significantly amplify the reach and impact of JMG’s College Success Program. We are creating more on-ramps to pathways for students to reach their fullest potential and strengthening our model to ensure equity of opportunity for all students,” said Craig Larrabee, President and CEO of JMG. “Our goal is to advance the economic mobility of Maine’s most vulnerable and economically disadvantaged students to make positive, life-changing, and enduring contributions to Maine’s people and workforce.”
JMG's College Success Program begins in high school through bridging services. It continues seamlessly through college by providing proactive support to ensure students persist toward the attainment of a degree and/or credentials of value. JMG's College Success Specialists provide students with individualized services, including academic, social, and financial support. Eligible students include those who were part of a JMG program in middle school or high school, youth in foster care or who have been in foster care, and students who received their GED within the last five years.
Founded in 1950, the Harold Alfond Foundation furthers the philanthropic legacy of Harold Alfond, the founder of Dexter Shoe Company and a longtime supporter of the Maine communities in which he and his family worked and resided. He ensured that his philanthropy would live on by committing nearly all of his wealth to the Foundation, which continues to support charitable initiatives in Maine today. Consistent with Harold Alfond’s own giving pattern and philanthropic principles, the Foundation favors education, healthcare, and youth and community development causes that hold the promise of making enduring, transformative contributions to the State of Maine. For more information, visit HaroldAlfondFoundation.org.
Founded in 1993, JMG partners with public education and private businesses to offer results-driven solutions to ensure all Maine students graduate, attain post-secondary credentials, and pursue meaningful careers. JMG is the largest statewide education nonprofit in Maine, serving more than 12,000 students annually, and is the only educational organization that provides a continuum of support to students from middle school throughout high school and onto post-secondary education and career pathways.