Sen. Bailey celebrates Community Action Grant funding for the City of Saco and the Town of Old Orchard Beach

Posted: May 01, 2025 | Senator Bailey

AUGUSTA — Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, is pleased to announce that the City of Saco and the Town of Old Orchard Beach have been awarded a Community Action Grant from the Community Resilience Partnership in the amount of $180,000.

The grant will promote coastal climate resilience for the two municipalities, both of which are located in Senate District 31. In December 2024, Sen. Bailey submitted a letter of support for the joint application for a Community Action Grant. The overall goal is to upgrade beaches to Category G so that in the event of extreme weather or a natural disaster, FEMA can help rebuild the damaged beaches to the highest, most resilient condition.

“Throughout my legislative career, I have worked hard to protect the coast and the shoreline, particularly Camp Ellis Beach, from erosion,” said Sen. Bailey. “At the same time, I have always worked closely with local, state and federal officials to ensure that we restore and improve coastal resilience, especially in the aftermath of historic flooding and storms. This grant will help Saco and Old Orchard Beach make critical investments to benefit businesses, residents and visitors alike.”

This fifth round of Community Action Grants received 102 proposals, totaling nearly $7.8 million in requests. The program made grant awards to 96 proposals, supporting 108 communities and totaling $7.3 million.

Funding for awards came from several sources, including measures passed by the Maine Legislature with Sen. Bailey’s support:

  • The Supplemental Budget that was passed by the Legislature in 2024 to increase community resilience and preparedness in the wake of the December 2023 and January 2024 storms;
  • A NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge grant awarded to the Governor’s Office of Policy, Innovation and the Future last year to protect Maine’s communities, environment and working waterfronts from extreme storms, flooding and rising sea levels; and
  • Funds from the biennial budget authorized by the Legislature in 2023. 

Statewide, 263 communities are now participating in the Community Resilience Partnership.

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