Last year more than 70 of us came together to grow our Access Fund, from matching donors to individuals who care about access, to raise an additional $22,000. The fund allows everyone in our community to participate in programming at Cobscook Institute regardless of their ability to pay.

This is what makes us strong. Our community knows we all win when there are more viewpoints, backgrounds and ways of engaging in the creative energy here. The Access Fund allows us to pay our world-class instructors fairly for our programming, and allows all students to pay what they can.

“I wish Cobscook existed when I was growing up in Calais. I imagine my younger self attending Cobscook Experiential Program, taking pottery and art classes, canoeing with other adventurous summer campers – each opportunity available to me regardless of my parents’ ability to pay. Now I get to support these programs for youth by giving to Cobscook’s Access Fund.”

Lyn Mikel Brown is an American academic, author, feminist, and community activist. She is Professor of Education at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Her research interests include girls development, youth activism, and objectification of girls by the media and marketers. She was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in 2013.