Giving 1% More: Wayfinder School

We are thrilled to provide you with an update on our 1% Back to Maine efforts. For Q2, our initiative was Education; we committed to devoting our money to organizations focused on providing extra support and opportunities, both in and out of the classroom to Maine’s children to ensure that they have the tools and skills they need to succeed.  The strength of the spring real estate market helped to increase our donation amount and we ended up having $52,000 to divide among many wonderful grants. After much consideration, we chose to support seven different nonprofits in three Maine counties. 

The Third grant we chose to support was one submitted by the Wayfinder School here are the quick details: 


Organization Mission:  Our mission is to provide students with the experience necessary to discover their strengths and skills, connect with their families, practice personal responsibility, contribute to their communities and earn a high school diploma.

Grant Mission: In 1994, we established Passages, a home-based high school diploma program for teen parents. Passages students receive individualized instruction in their own homes, focused on 24 core requirements related to academics, parenting, and practical life skills. In addition to individualized instruction, students participate in group workshops, volunteer service work, and a final graduation project or "Passage" that addresses a personal challenge or goal. Recent projects include researching careers in healthcare and writing small business plans. Passages graduates consistently report increased confidence, community, connection, life skills, job skills, and work readiness. This program is now available to both parenting and non-parenting teens.

Grant Money Allocated: $10,000

Learn more about the organization here

Throughout the next few months, we will be sharing information on the grants we funded for seven local organizations and the impact these funds will have on Maine’s youth. We hope you follow along!

In the meantime, we would love to have you check out our Mid Year Report or visit our 1% Back to Maine website.

Thank you for supporting Maine’s youth and helping to make 1% Back to Maine an incredible success!