Teams Around Maine Just Got $25k Each To Figure Out How To Tackle A Pressing Local Challenge

A team in Bangor wants to try to break down barriers to employment for low income residents. A team in Piscataquis County hopes to more easily connect at-risk residents with social services, transportation and technology. And a team in the Katahdin region wants to build a thriving outdoor economy that puts its younger residents to work. They haven’t yet figured out exactly how to do it, but they and five other teams have $25,000 with which to come up with a plan, thanks to a new Maine initiative by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The federal bank, known commonly as the Boston Fed, received 22 applications last year from all 16 Maine counties for the Working Communities Challenge, a program that aims to mobilize Mainers to address challenges and seize opportunities in their communities, through collaborations between municipalities, organizations and businesses.