Matt Nakoa closes Brunswick Concerts for a Cause season on Saturday

A Brunswick concert will put money behind two safety-net nonprofits, and it will do so with one of the season’s strongest draws. Matt Nakoa will close Concerts for a Cause on Saturday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, with proceeds going to Oasis Free Clinics and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, better known as ILAP.

For Sagadahoc County residents, the timing matters. This is the final show of the season, and the church says all season proceeds are distributed to the selected charities at the end of the fiscal year. Tickets cost $20 in advance, $25 at the door and $10 for students and children, with sales available through the church office, Gulf of Maine Books and online.

The concert series has built its identity around that mix of music and direct local benefit. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick says Concerts for a Cause began after the church was devastated by fire in 2011, then grew into a regular venue because of its acoustics and welcoming atmosphere. The stated mission is simple: raise money for local charities while sharing quality music with the Brunswick community.

This season’s beneficiaries make that mission concrete. Oasis Free Clinics is a no-cost primary care medical practice and dental clinic for uninsured adults in Midcoast Maine. Oasis marked its 30th anniversary in 2026, and a recent tally for its 2024-25 fiscal year showed 1,738 medical appointments and 843 dental appointments, with services valued at about $1 million. ILAP describes itself as Maine’s only statewide immigration legal services organization.

Nakoa brings more than a fundraiser’s utility. Berklee College of Music says he came to the school on scholarship, studied with Pat Pattison and Livingston Taylor, graduated in 2006 and collaborated with Grammy winner Kathy Mattea during her residence at Berklee. His 2014 album A Dozen Other Loves helped establish him on the folk circuit, and his bios note that he frequently appears with Tom Rush.

That resume fits the series’ larger strategy of pairing accessible downtown concerts with measurable charity returns. Concerts for a Cause raised $12,944 in the 2023-24 season and $10,324 in 2024-25, showing that small-ticket shows in Brunswick can still generate real support for local health care and immigrant legal aid while bringing a notable touring musician to 1 Middle Street.