Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/729219
V O L . X X I I N O. X X I I O nce a year, at summer's end, the staff at Coff ee by Design gathers to review applications from artists and small arts organizations seeking seed grants for projects that twine arts and social justice. "It's probably one of the most powerful staff meetings we have the whole year," says Mary Allen Lindemann, who founded the Portland-based coff ee roastery and retail operation in 1994 with her busi- ness partner and husband Alan Spear. " ey spend a lot of time on each application. e staff is told what the criteria are, but I try not to stay in meeting, because I don't want to infl uence the decisions." e money for the seed grants comes from the sale of Rebel Blend, one of the roastery's two most popular coff ees. For every pound sold, or brewed at Coff ee By Design coff eehouses, $1 is donated to the fund. e committee looks for thought-provoking projects that fall below the radar screen of large funders. Since the start of the fund, in 1998, about $80,000 has been disbursed to a phenomenal variety of Maine- based projects. Early examples include an arts-based resiliency program for girls, diversity mapping on Munjoy Hill, and a photo documentary of Maine's Quaker community. Other arts projects have tackled social issues such as substance abuse, employment training for people with disabilities and at risk, the African diaspora, at-risk youth, low-income housing, refugee and immigration services, literacy, homeless- ness and incarceration. Grants in 2015 ranged from $575 to $2,493 and supported projects aimed at boosting bee populations, documenting interracial families, devel- oping a handmade craft paper industry as a source of income for individuals with developmental disabili- ties, and supporting outreach by the Portland-based Burundi drumming community. e company is also an ongoing donor to other social justice, environmental and mental health organi- zations. And they work with organizations in countries where they buy their coff ee beans on major projects such as investment in a wellness facility for children and families, in Colombia; and education for girls in India. Altogether, Lindemann reckons the business commit- ted grants and donations in 2015 of about $100,000. Why is giving important to the couple? "We're given so much by the community, it's impor- tant as business owners to give back," says Lindemann. "We are all stewards of our community." Small companies embrace corporate giving Corporate giving is alive and well in Maine, whether it's small, newer businesses such as Coff ee by Design or big veterans, such as L.L. Bean. Business owners share Lindemann's thought. And corporate giving is an essential part of nonprofi ts being able to func- tion, says Maine Association of Nonprofi ts Executive Director Jennifer Hutchins. "Any funding is critical," Hutchins says. " e vast majority of nonprofi ts are operating on very slim margins. Corporate giving is not the largest percentage of types of giving. Individual giving is. But corporate giving is certainly a big proportion. You take 25% out of their revenue and they just can't do what they do. Every dollar counts. Nothing is going to waste, that's for sure." Beyond cash contributions and cause market- ing, which are critical, there are indirect benefi ts in the relationship between the business and nonprofi t worlds, Hutchins says. "It's not simply, 'You give us money so we can clean the park.' It's actually an ongoing relationship that benefi ts both parties," she says. For example, a nonprofi t might maintain that park, and the park is part of what makes the com- munity nice to live in. "We know that businesses choose to live in com- munities based on those types of assets," she says. " ose are things their employees appreciate; it's what impacts their brand. Nonprofi ts are critical partners with businesses in making sure the busi- ness is going to be successful in any community." A look at what corporate donors are funding It seems many Maine companies are well aware of this symbiosis — and proud of it. Here's a sampling of corporate donors: 1. Lee Auto Group, headquartered in Auburn and Maine's No. 1 volume auto dealer, has a long record of philanthropy, based on a philosophy of giving back to communities in which the company does business. It's identifi ed fi ve focus areas for direct contribu- tions — education, health and human services, the environment and conservation, arts and culture, and community and civic development. e company also engages in activities such as funding participation of 100 children at summer camp every year. With a giving budget in the low $200,000 range, the company receives several hundred requests throughout the year, says President Adam Lee. e partners review requests monthly. Most gifts are in the $100 to $500 range, a handful are $1,000 to $5,000, and occasionally there's a $10,000 to $25,000 gift. e company also made a one-time $250,000 donation to the University of Maine's capital campaign. Lee also makes a point of wrapping causes into company marketing. "We have a really large marketing budget, so one of the things I try to do is use the marketing to help a good cause," he says. For example, the company is soon doing a series of TV spots with local fi re departments, telling the P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY How to get to the top of the corporate giving list Companies sort through hundreds of requests B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 1 2 » Mary Allen Lindemann, co-founder of Coffee By Design, says the company funds small arts projects out of proceeds from sales of its Rebel Blend. G I V I N G G U I D E 2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7 10