The ADEPT Maine Problem Gambling Services Team announced the seven community projects that were selected to receive funds as part of the PG4ME Mini-Grant initiative. There were 18 applications submitted for projects to improve community level strategies advancing problem gambling awareness, prevention and recovery. A total of $30,000 was made available and each applicant could apply for up to $5,000 for projects to be completed March 1 – August 31, 2026. The organizations are:
- Youth-Led Justice, Lewiston: Funds will support the creation and delivery of workshops and community conversations focused on increasing awareness of problem gambling, with specific attention to sports betting and online gambling, which disproportionately impact young people.
- Rangely Health and Wellness, Rangely: RHW will deliver in-person workshops for parents and caregivers that provide age-appropriate education on youth gambling risks, common entry points into gambling, emerging online threats, and the connection between gaming and gambling behaviors. Participants will receive practical tools, conversation guides, and resource lists to support ongoing communication and monitoring at home. To strengthen impact, RHW will complement workshops with take-home materials and brief digital resources (fact sheets, tip cards, and links to trusted prevention content) that parents can reference after sessions. RHW will also coordinate with local schools and youth-serving partners to promote consistent prevention messaging and increase reach across the community.
- River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition, Rumford: RVHCC will use funds to increase community awareness by sharing information about the harms of problem gambling and sharing free resources with community stakeholders, coalition members, and at community events. Projects will include local digital and print ads, posters in public spaces, social media drives, partnering with Rumford schools to integrate problem gambling education into health curricula, outreach to recovery centers, promotion of national observances of the Gift Responsibly Campaign, National Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and Gambling Disorder Screening Day, and tabling at community events and schools to provide resources.
- Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, Hallowell: Funds will support staff time, training on problem gambling prevention strategies to address it, advocacy opportunities, and communication and education strategies to raise awareness about the problem and where to find help. Intended outcomes include increased capacity and awareness about problem gambling as a public health issue. The overarching SMART goal for HCCA is to increase knowledge and awareness for problem gambling prevention in Kennebec County by August 31, 2026 as measured by pre- post-assessment of learnings and education reach.
- Maine Recovery Access Project, Augusta: Funds will support a large, community-wide event and include integrating problem gambling awareness and prevention messaging throughout the event, including signage, printed materials, and interactive educational displays, and in messaging and narrative leading up to the event. The event will highlight gambling recovery as part of a broader recovery continuum through recovery storytelling, facilitated conversations, and peer-led discussions that include lived experience with gambling harm and recovery.
- Lakes Region Recovery Center, Bridgeton: Funds will be used to expand and strengthen the community’s response to problem gambling through a combination of awareness, prevention, early intervention, and recovery support strategies. Projects include developing and distributing educational materials, hosting community presentations at schools, civic groups, healthcare settings, and partner organizations, and launching targeted public awareness campaigns.
- Save a Life Recovery Center, Lincoln: $5,000: Project will be a targeted Problem Gambling Prevention and Education Initiative focused on both youth and adults in the community. Presentations in schools, social media, outreach to local press, attendance at community events, and a problem gambling support group are planned.
To be sure you’re informed the next time Problem Gambling Services announces a PG4ME Mini-Grant application, sign up for the Maine Problem Gambling Services Monthly Newsletter at mailchi.mp/adeptme/pgs.