Sarah Skillin Woodard of the Maine Association of Nonprofits said many in Maine's large nonprofit sectors are wrestling with those same financial problems.

“They’re out there, getting creative, reaching out to philanthropic groups. Frankly, some are having to lay off staff but do the same amount of work, if not more, and that’s not a sustainable model.”

Woodward said some nonprofits were able to qualify for federal or state grants last year, but a majority of them could not.