The Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund (BBMAF) is a non-profit organization led by students, faculty and staff at the University of Maine that raises community donations and disperses funds to UMaine community members in need. The application process for recipients opens once a goal total is reached. This spring, the desired amount is $5,000. Core organizing members met with the Maine Campus to explain how to apply and donate as well as other ways to get involved.
There are multiple ways to donate to the BBMAF, such as with cash or a check and through Give Butter. The Give Butter platform is most preferred, as it helps volunteers keep track of the total consistently. The fundraising goal and remaining amount needed is also included on the home page. Because the donations never close, BBMAF accepts funds throughout the entire year, typically dispersing them once per semester.
In terms of the $5,000 goal this year, exceeding that amount would mean that BBMAF officially redistributed $20,000 to UMaine community members experiencing financial difficulties throughout the past two years.
Mikayla Reynolds is an MBA student at UMaine with concentrations in sustainability and public and nonprofit management. She has been involved in building the foundation of BBMAF since 2022. According to Reynolds, the needs of the community naturally exceed the total donations received. BBMAF is constantly looking for ways to close this gap.
“We know that the need is way greater than the funds that we can release in our current organizing situation and in the, essentially, youth of the organization,” said Reynolds. “We get to a threshold, then we advertise and promote that we will be opening our request form for people in need to request through.”
It is important to note that a donation of any size is sincerely appreciated. Concern for offering too little money is not necessary, as every dollar gets the fund closer to reaching its goal. While engagement from students is increasing through events and fundraising, BBMAF is hoping to reach more UMaine faculty and staff.
Nicole Cloud is an advisor in TRIO student support services at UMaine. She explained that there were two redistribution cycles during the last academic year. Both goal totals were $7,000. Meaning, $14,850 was given back to the UMaine community by the end of the academic year.
UMaine community members requesting funds may do so through a simple process that was created to ensure fairness and dignity. It is entirely optional to include what the specific funds would go toward. Considering those who did feel comfortable providing details in the past, BBMAF has a general understanding of what the majority of individuals are requesting aid for. The primary need for undergraduate students was academic costs, such as tuition and books. Housing and utilities costs were secondary for this population. For graduate students, housing and utilities costs were the main motive behind requests. Food and academic costs followed after.
Cloud mentioned that some recipients were comfortable having their story shared via social media, to publicize how these donations alleviated personal difficulties. Offering such information, while not expected by any means, allows potential donors to understand the impact of contributing. It may also influence others who are struggling with similar financial burdens to seek aid.
The organizers at BBMAF are typically able to identify the maximum amount that can be distributed to each person. With each redistribution cycle, the organizers carefully review the funding request process and make adjustments in alignment with their ethos of community care by centering the experience of community members engaging in the request process. Upon receiving feedback, they decided that $300 was a helpful maximum amount for the average individual, though the previous limit was $350. The amount granted is in response to each person’s specific needs. For example, if someone has to pay a $200 bill, they are encouraged to request that amount, and will be funded accordingly. For people whose needs exceed the maximum, they would be granted the greatest possible total, which is subject to change with each cycle. Even if that money cannot fully relieve every applicant of their payments, it certainly helps decrease the amount they would need to seek out elsewhere.
According to Reynolds, decreasing the maximum amount helped reach additional people.
“One thing we’re always reckoning with, is how do we balance helping the most amount of people but also having an impact for an individual that can be realized, versus them always being in a cycle of emergency need” said Reynolds.
The requests are analyzed and approved by a subcommittee of BBMAF, the funding requests review committee. One person anonymizes the requests that come in, so that they only showcase levels of need. The current mutual aid fund account balance is taken into consideration, as is the number of requests submitted for that period.
“We are very committed to not making people prove their poverty. Even in the request process, them elaborating on the nature of their need is optional. We will take them at their integrity…,” said Cloud. “We are in community with you, so if we have the funds, we will offer support in response to that need.”
The specific area of need for each person is not taken into account when allocating funds. The committee only uses numerical data to decide how to reach the most people, and make a meaningful impact for all of them. BBMAF avoids comparing specific needs against others to remove any bias. It would be difficult to prioritize some requests over others when the full scope of every need is not available.
“Someone may be requesting for one particular reason because they already receive support in another area. So, to prioritize something like food over something else is not a decision we want to make because that person might also be food insecure, but they have a different benefit they are receiving for that,” said Reynolds.
Reynolds also shared that the BBMAF holds meetings every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in … The current recurring team is mostly made up of fourth-year undergraduate students who will be leaving UMaine in the spring. The team is looking for more recurring members to carry on the legacy. Those with minimal availability who are still interested in contributing always have the option to participate in specific and smaller projects when possible.
Catherine Segada is a graduate student pursuing her Master’s degree in anthropology and environmental policy. She began volunteering with BBMAF last fall.
“We have levels of engagement: reposting, following our Instagram, [and] just telling someone ‘Hey, have you heard of Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund?’ If you know someone who is in financial distress or needs community, letting them know that we exist is more than enough to be part of our organization,” said Segada.
The overarching mission of BBMAF is to create a community of caring, and to establish within the UMaine community that support and solidarity is available, including monetary resources via the mutual aid fund. People who are interested in participating in such efforts could reach out via email (blackbearmutualaid@gmail.com) or Instagram to be added to a Slack messaging page with other volunteers. The organizers are also able through these forums to answer questions about any part of the process.
Informational flyers are available throughout campus in residence halls, academic buildings, the Memorial Union and Fogler Library. An Interest Form is also available through the website. BBMAF is interested in partnering with other organizations, including local businesses.
