Sen. Rafferty celebrates Community Action Grants awarded to Berwick, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and North Berwick

Posted: September 16, 2026 | Senator Rafferty

The funds awarded will support storm recovery and resilience projects to protect Maine people, businesses and infrastructure.

AUGUSTA — Sen. Joe Rafferty, D-Kennebunk, is pleased to announce that Berwick, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and North Berwick in Senate District 34 are recipients of Community Action Grant awards from the Community Resilience Partnership. The Partnership, administered by the Maine Office of Community Affairs, helps Maine communities transition to clean energy and become more resilient to climate effects, including severe storms and flooding.

  • Berwick: $58,492 to launch Berwick’s Conservation Commission to identify land parcels that are a high priority for conservation.
  • Kennebunk: $75,000 to install a solar array on the Kennebunk Community Outreach Services building to offset electrical load for the Food Pantry. 
  • Kennebunkport: $175,000 to expand the Southern Maine Energy Navigator Pilot program to increase reach and services to help residents increase household energy efficiency. 
  • North Berwick: $59,750 for the “Powering North Berwick’s Future: Sustainable Solutions, and Stronger Communities” initiative.

“I am very grateful my district has received this funding to make our community more resilient against severe weather,” said Sen. Rafferty. “For a four-season state like Maine, it is important for us to invest in our communities like this, so when another big storm hits — whether its snow, rain or high winds, we have made the investments to best prepare us.”

The most recent round of grant funding, awarded earlier this month, is the second set this year and seventh overall. It will support projects in 72 communities with $4.7 million in total awards. A complete list of awardees is available through the Maine Office of Community Affairs. The previous round, which was announced in May of this year, supported projects in 76 Maine communities with over $5 million awarded. A complete list of those awardees is available here.

Funding for the grants comes from several sources, including measures passed by the Maine Legislature with Sen. Rafferty’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;
  • Funds from the biennial budget authorized by the Legislature in 2023; and
  • A federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

     

Sen. Rafferty is serving his third and final term in the Maine Senate and represents Senate District 34, which includes the towns of Berwick, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, North Berwick and Wells. He serves as the Senate chair of the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee and is a member of the Labor Committee.

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