Bowdoin Students Raise $51,800 for Local Nonprofits, Marking 25 Years of Giving

Bath's Winter Street Center moved a step closer to opening as a public gathering space Sunday, when Bowdoin College students awarded a grant to Sagadahoc Preservation, Inc. as part of the McKeen Center's 25th annual Common Good Grant ceremony at Mills Hall.

Sagadahoc Preservation, which works to protect buildings of architectural and historic significance across Sagadahoc County, will use the funds to bring the Winter Street Center in Bath up to code so the building can safely serve as a community space. The grant was one of three directed at organizations serving the county. Bath Brunswick Respite Care, which supports families managing Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and other cognitive conditions, received funding to cover scholarships for its adult day program. Sexual Assault Support Services of Midcoast Maine received a grant to establish an emergency fund meeting the immediate financial needs of clients.

The three local awards were part of a record $51,800 raised by the student cohort this cycle and distributed to 15 of the 59 organizations that applied. In a first for the program's quarter-century history, students fully funded the complete requested amount for every nonprofit that received a site visit.

"We raised $51,800, and funded the full requested amount for every organization that received a site visit from our students, which we have never done before," said Samantha Cogswell '11, associate director of the McKeen Center for the Common Good.

The fundraising result came after months of alumni outreach led by student co-leaders Charlotte Tagupa '26 and Pranav Vadlamudi '26. "Each interaction is an opportunity to connect with a community member, strike a balance of competence and warmth, and genuinely geek out about the nonprofits we support," Tagupa said. "That enthusiasm paid off, as we raised just over $30,000 through donor outreach."

The Common Good Grant program launched in 2001 with a $10,000 founding gift from Mike Poor '64, drawing on accrued interest from an endowed fund and annual student-driven fundraising. This year's cycle pushed the program's cumulative total to more than $543,000 across 229 grants over 25 years. Former program directors Lydia Bell '00 and Susie Dorn returned to campus for Sunday's anniversary ceremony and reflected on a founding principle: that every Bowdoin student, regardless of financial background, should have the opportunity to engage directly in local philanthropy, contributing funds, time, and expertise.

More than 400 students have participated in the program since it began, many going on to careers in nonprofit leadership and philanthropy.