Funding Opportunities

▸$58,000 per vehicle; $106,000 for two
▸Rebate per vehicle (until October ‘27 ): $12,000

In alignment with COA’s sustainability commitments, the college has adopted a policy to transition our fleet of student passenger vans to electric vehicles by 2030. Our goal is to replace the aging fleet with safer, more efficient, lower-emissions alternatives. COA currently operates 12-passenger vehicles ranging in model years from 2008 to 2022. As a start, we are looking to purchase two e-vans. These vehicles are heavily used for transporting students to field classes, internships, community partnerships, and field stations. Because of the age of the fleet, maintenance needs are constant—in 2025-26 we spent $46,800 on van repairs and upkeep, and it is typical for one or two vehicles to be out of service at any given time, creating significant scheduling constraints for academic programs.  Efficiency Maine is offering a $12,000 per-vehicle rebate. These funds would be used to create the charging infrastructure needed for each vehicle.

▸Spend down: Any amount
▸Endowed funds start at $100,000

Our long-term goal is to offer any student whose family household income is $100,000 or less a full scholarship. Until then, endowed and spend-down scholarships help students come here and thrive. These funds help students cover the ever-increasing cost of higher education, thereby lessening their dependence on student loans. By alleviating financial worries, these funds allow students to concentrate more fully on their studies and extracurriculars instead of being forced to work long hours.

▸Goal: $10m

Every COA student must complete a 10-week internship to graduate. These skill-building and workforce-readiness experiences also help students find mentors, add experience to resumes, and develop a professional network. However, many internships are unpaid. Maine companies need the help but small organizations can’t afford extra costs. Maine is one of the oldest states in the country and labor shortages hold businesses back. An internship-to-career track would help both Maine non- and for-profit companies as well as COA students. The Make it Happen in Maine Campaign combines internships and scholarships (see above) which create opportunities for Maine students—and our workforce.

▸Existing faculty position: $1.25m
▸New academic discipline: $2.5m

Creating a chair or professorship is one of the most significant investments a contributor can make to College of the Atlantic. Endowed faculty positions provide the resources needed to conduct outstanding teaching, research, and advising. These appointments also confer stature to the holder—and the college. As a result, faculty chairs provide COA with an important tool in recruiting and retaining excellent faculty. Endowed funds provide another benefit to COA: we become less reliant on tuition dollars.  This philanthropic support makes COA more affordable for families.

▸Total: $3.25m

The COA Yucatán immersion experience is our 30-year-old flagship program for learning Spanish language, Mexican culture, and methods of cross-cultural collaboration in human ecology projects. One of the experiences alumni deem most important to their growth and skills development at COA, the program has operated on a shoestring for too long. We want to build on, sustain, and share with the larger world the model which Karla Peña and her colleagues at COA and in Merida, Yucatán, have been developing for three decades.

▸$10m endowment

COA’s flagship ideas festival celebrated its 10th anniversary in July 2026. The Summer Institute has been a runaway success since it began, bringing in thousands of new friends to the college and offering excellent programming and intellectual engagement. We have offered this remarkable week-long event free and open to the public since its inception, even as speakers’ fees, travel, and other expenses grow each year. The cost of organizing and producing the Summer Institute also increases annually. An endowment would ensure the future excellence of The Summer Institute and allow COA to enhance offerings such as add-on programs for adults, a high school summer lead-in program, break-out sessions, and a COA Summer Institute on-the-road concept.