Island Institute

Programs: Community development: the island institute builds capacity in local communities through leadership, post-secondary education and workforce development, and facilitation support. Our signature island fellows program, for example, places recent college graduates with local institutions for one-to-two years of targeted, full-time service on a priority initiative (e. G. Aging in place and place-based education).

strengthening community economies: the island institute works to strengthening maine's coastal economy and plan for uncertain economic and environmental shifts through strategic investments in infrastructure, diversification of the marine economy, and support for small businesses. Current priorities include broadband access, energy efficiency, and kelp and shellfish aquaculture. Archipelago, our retail program, drives approximately $300,000 in income to maine artisans each year. Our goal is that the economies of maine's island and coastal communities will be more stable and diverse by 2025 and that communities have the infrastructure upgrades they need to weather an uncertain future.

delivering & sharing solutions: our goal is that leaders in maine's island and coastal communities can move more quickly toward effective solutions to local challenges. The island institutes media program harnesses the power of storytelling to celebrate island life and culture, and accelerate the pace of solution-sharing between communities here and elsewhere. Our community data initiative works with partners at the county, state, and federal level, as well as the academic and private sectors, to gather and analyze community-scale data to empower local decision-making. Key publications include the working waterfront newspaper (circulation: 50,000), the annual island journal, the what works solutions library, an online resource with proven solutions to common community challenges, and waypoints: community indicators for maine's coast and islands.