Our Impact

Since 2008, ProsperityME has helped over 10,000 immigrant families build a successful financial future through its 300+ courses and programs.

Housing Initiatives

• Awarded $850,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Affordable Housing Program towards the development of Prosperity Place.

Home Energy Assistance Program

• Helped 44 families apply for HEAP benefits and electricity discounts.
• 21 families qualified for benefits; 16 of them received benefits and 5 families’ requests are in process.
• Referred 12 households facing eviction or at imminent risk of losing their apartments to emergency partners to prevent homelessness.

PROSPER Scholarship

• Promotion of 2026 Academic Scholarship; Applications Open December 2025 – March 31, 2026.
• Offered 11 Virtual Information Sessions.
• Awarded 1 Professional Scholarship in December.

Housing Services

Of 116 Families who received Housing Navigation Services:

• 56 Families were Housed,
• 6 Families Received Supplemental Rental Assistance,
• 40 Families were Assisted with a Security Deposit.

Individual Development Accounts

• Two new Business Savers were approved.
• Offered 4 Information Sessions.
• Marketing & Outreach to Community Organizations, SMCC, and CMCC

Women’s Economic Empowerment

• Completed our sixth cohort of Charting Your Course program with 16 immigrant women. Shared opportunities and resources to help them plan their next steps for education, employment or starting a new business.
• Awarded 3 Small Business Development Grants to Immigrant Women-Owned Start-Ups in Greater Portland and Lewiston/Auburn.

Quarterly Report

October – December 2025

Quarterly Update Fall 2025

Testimonial

“I am writing with a heart full of gratitude to express my sincerest thanks for the generous scholarship program that supported my education at Southern Maine Community College. This fall, I proudly graduated with my degree in Information Technology, an achievement that would not have been possible without your incredible support…beyond the tangible support, it is the belief in my potential that means the most.”

Jean, scholarship recipient

News

ProsperityME to Launch Prosperity Place

October 2025. ProsperityME celebrated major progress this fall, including planning board approval for Prosperity Place, a 50-unit affordable housing community in Portland. Our housing navigators successfully supported 115 households through direct housing assistance—helping 49 families secure stable homes. Through HEAP and LIAP programs, 73 families received energy assistance, while 10 new savers joined the Individual Development Account program to build savings for education and business goals.

The Women’s Economic Empowerment program continues to grow, with 16 participants in the sixth Charting Your Course cohort. We have hired a new Scholarship Coordinator strengthening student support for Prosper scholars. Four new mentors were trained and matched with Prosper Scholars, helping students pursue their higher education and career goals.

In total, 1,338 Mainers benefited from financial and employment support this year, including 229 who completed ProsperityME’s financial education courses. Through these initiatives, ProsperityME continues to build pathways to financial stability, housing security, and economic opportunity for immigrant and low-income Mainers.

PRESS RELEASE: September 2025. ProsperityME is proud to announce Prosperity Place, a 100-unit mixed-income affordable housing project in partnership with Developers Collaborative (DC).

The project will be located on the Barron Center campus at 1125 Brighton Avenue.

Selected by the Portland City Council through a competitive RFP process, this BIPOC-led initiative is a milestone in addressing the region’s severe housing shortage.

“It’s no secret that Maine is facing a housing crisis. Building 84,000 units by 2030 will require a united effort from local municipalities, the state, corporations, and individual donors to come together and solve the problem,” Rwaganje said. “I’m very pleased to partner with DC and grateful to the City of Portland for their trust and belief in this project.” – Claude Rwaganje, Executive Director, ProsperityME

KeyBank Donates $15,000 for Financial Literacy

Thank you to KeyBank for supporting financial literacy for New Mainers

PORTLAND, ME – August 13, 2024 – ProsperityME, located in Portland and Lewiston Maine, has received a $15,000 grant from KeyBank Foundation to support its mission of empowering members of Maine’s refugee and immigrant communities through financial education and counseling

“We are proud to support ProsperityME in their efforts to empower our newest neighbors with essential financial skills and education in a supportive environment to help them thrive personally and professionally in Maine,”—KeyBank Market President Tony Disotto.

ProsperityME Receives $40,000 from M&T Bank’s Amplify Fund

Funding Will Provide Financial Education to New Mainers

Portland, ME – May 6, 2025 – The M&T Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB), today announced that it has awarded $40,000 to ProsperityME. The grant is part of the third round of giving through the Amplify Fund, providing more than $4.9 million to 51 lead nonprofit organizations throughout New England, Long Island, and Rockland County, NY.

“We are thrilled to receive these funds from M&T Bank,” said Claude Rwaganje, Executive Director of ProsperityME. “This grant will enable us to offer financial education to up to 160 new Mainers, enhance our course materials for financial literacy classes, and equip our financial stability specialists.”