Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine

Name

Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine

Legal name

Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine

Website

https://somalibantumaine.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigrant & Refugee Social Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), DTC Specialty & Ethnic Food Delivery (AFAIANAH), Cultural, Multilingual & Immigrant Family Engagement Programs (EDACALAL), Family & School System Navigation (Parent Engagement, Youth Services) (EDAAADAH)

Keywords

• Refugee resettlement services
• Immigrant community services
• Community farming programs
• Youth cultural programs
• Food access programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lewiston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on charitable donations from individuals. Monthly and annual automatic donation options available ($25, $50, $75, $100 tiers). Tax ID# 27-0641210.
2. Grants and Foundation Funding: Funded by grants from foundations including Sewall Foundation, Sam L. Cohen Foundation, Quimby Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, and through programs like Mainers Feeding Mainers with Good Shepherd Food Bank. Also impacted by federal funding cuts including termination of Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA).
3. Farm Produce Sales: Liberation Farms grows and distributes fresh, local produce through wholesale accounts, farmers markets (Yarmouth and Freeport), food pantries, Elder Farmshares, sliding scale CSA, and school meal programs. Iskashito farmers distributed $160,000 of produce in 2024.
4. Immigrant Farmer Fund: Collaborative fund with Cultivating Community and New Roots Cooperative Farm to support immigrant and BIPOC farmers after federal funding cuts. Supports farmers excluded from federal resources.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SBCA provides free, culturally informed direct services to Somali Bantu immigrants and refugees in Maine, including systems navigation across housing, healthcare, employment, childcare, and legal migration (Client Navigation Services), youth cultural and agricultural programming for ages 4-18 (Kashekee Youth Programs), and community farming via Liberation Farms — a 104-acre property in Wales, Maine that provides land access for over 200 immigrant farmers to grow culturally relevant produce and raise livestock. The organization supplements direct services with farm produce sales through farmers markets, wholesale accounts, food pantries, and a sliding scale CSA, all coordinated through its Office & Community Center in Lewiston, Maine.

Product overview

The Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine operates as a nonprofit service organization with four interconnected program areas: Liberation Farms (community farming program providing land access for over 200 immigrant farmers to grow culturally relevant produce), Client Navigation Services (systems navigation and cultural brokering for 2,500+ clients annually), Kashekee Youth Programs (cultural exchange and youth development for ages 4-18), and Land Access initiatives. Together these programs provide transitional services, youth engagement, land access, and resources for food production that empower refugee and immigrant community members to uphold cultural identity and economic well-being in Maine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Liberation Farms: SBCA's community farming program that empowers new American families to grow healthy, culturally meaningful food. Provides access to land, agricultural resources, and technical assistance for over 200 immigrant farmers. Includes Family Farmers program (20 acres of cropland), Iskashito Farmers commercial program, wholesale produce distribution, and livestock operation raising goats and chickens.
• Client Navigation Services
• Kashekee Youth Programs

Products and services

• Liberation Farms SBCA's Community Farming Program, providing access to land and resources where over 200 immigrant farmers grow fresh, chemical-free, culturally relevant produce on 20 acres of cropland in Wales, Maine. Includes the Family Farmers program, Iskashito Farmers commercial cooperative, wholesale produce distribution, and a livestock operation raising goats and chickens. Produce is sold via wholesale accounts, farmers markets (Yarmouth and Freeport), food pantries, Elder Farmshares, sliding scale CSA, and school meal programs.
• Client Navigation Services Culturally informed systems navigation and cultural brokering services that link immigrant and refugee clients to essential social services including housing and utilities assistance, healthcare navigation, insurance and MaineCare benefits, social security, unemployment, TANF, transportation, visa applications, employment support, childcare and school communications, SNAP/WIC food benefits, behavioral health, childcare licensing, and tax preparation. Services are provided in Maay Maay, Somali, and English to over 2,500 clients annually.
• Kashekee Youth Programs Intercultural, reciprocal, and intergenerational exchange programs for Somali Bantu youth ages 4-18 that foster Bantu culture, traditional growing practices, and identity. Programs include Oh Yeah! Grows True Leaders (4-H partnership for ages 14-18), Kashekee Summer Program (ages 5-13), After School Homework Program, Dugsi Pilot Program, and ECHO (Explore Careers! Honor the Outdoors!) program. Delivered in partnership with University of Maine 4-H Cooperative Extension.
• Land Access Program Program to create a regional farming community that celebrates traditional farming practices and uplifts historically marginalized farmers. Includes full ownership of the 104-acre Liberation Farms property in Wales, Maine (transferred from Agrarian Trust in May 2025 without encumbrances), partnerships with land justice organizations, and the Immigrant Farmer Fund collaborative with Cultivating Community and New Roots Cooperative Farm to support immigrant and BIPOC farmers excluded from federal resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 clients served annually through Client Navigation Services
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, meaningful and minor.

• Agrarian TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Transferred ownership of 104-acre Liberation Farms property to SBCA in May 2025, ensuring land tenure without encumbrances for the SBCA community indefinitely. Previously SBCA had signed temporary lease with Agrarian Trust in October 2020.
• Mi'kmaq NationmeaningfulStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Inaugural food exchange in September 2023 where Liberation Farms shared 2,000 pounds of African flint corn with Mi'kmaq Nation in exchange for 400 pounds of frozen brook trout. Connection established through Maine Health Access Foundation grant program.
• Maine Immigrant Greens CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Launched in 2022 to address immigrant families' limited access to culturally appropriate, nutritious greens in Maine's emergency food system. Collaborative purchases greens from Liberation Farms and other farms, then lightly processes them for distribution through food pantries and school meal programs.
• Boulos Co. (Noah Stebbins)minorOthers · 1 January 2022Commercial real estate broker representing SBCA in the purchase of headquarters building for $254,000.
• Better Homes & Gardens | The Masiello Group (Renee Roy)minorOthers · 1 January 2022Commercial real estate broker representing SBCA in the purchase of headquarters building.
• University of Maine 4-H Cooperative ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for Oh Yeah, Grows True Leaders after-school program for youth 14-18 years old. Weekly meetings from fall to spring in a safe and inclusive space for teens to build skills through hands-on activities in cooking, gardening, and self-care.
• Good Shepherd Food Bank (Mainers Feeding Mainers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGood Shepherd Food Bank's Mainers Feeding Mainers program supports Liberation Farms producers with fair compensation while distributing produce to low-income communities. Also provides cold storage at Auburn facility.
• Cumberland County Food Security CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for livestock program at Liberation Farms, providing technical support, educational opportunities, community outreach, and farm visits.
• Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for livestock program at Liberation Farms, providing technical support, educational opportunities, community outreach, and farm visits.
• USDAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for livestock program at Liberation Farms, providing technical support, educational opportunities, community outreach, and farm visits.
• Cultivating CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Immigrant Farmer Fund collaborative with New Roots Cooperative Farm to support immigrant and BIPOC farmers after federal LFPA funding termination. Both organizations were impacted by the cuts and are standing together to support farmers excluded from federal resources.
• New Roots Cooperative FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Immigrant Farmer Fund collaborative with Cultivating Community to support immigrant and BIPOC farmers after federal LFPA funding termination.
• Wabanaki Nations / Wabanaki AlliancemeaningfulStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBCA is building trustful relationships and working in solidarity with Wabanaki people. Committed to leveraging resources to uplift Wabanaki land search and return. SBCA has refused to partner with land trusts for conservation easement until limitations on Wabanaki entities are changed. Exploring collaborative uses of woodlot, medicinal plants, and recreational trails.
• First Light Learning JourneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBCA staff have participated in two cohorts of the First Light Learning Journey (dawnlandreturn.org) to enhance understanding of perspectives and lived experiences of Wabanaki people.
• Farm to NeighborminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative initiative expanding local food access to vulnerable people and supporting underserved and BIPOC farmers. Distribution partners represent diverse farming stakeholders committed to equitable and culturally important local food access in Maine.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Good Shepherd Food Bank: Maine's largest food bank operating hunger-relief programs including Mainers Feeding Mainers. Direct partner that purchases SBCA produce and provides cold storage; comparable as a regional food security nonprofit.
• Catholic Charities Maine: Maine's largest social services nonprofit providing refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, and case management. Comparable to SBCA's Client Navigation Services with overlapping refugee and immigrant target populations.
• Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA): Maine-based organic agriculture association providing technical support, education, and certification. Partner with SBCA on livestock program and directly comparable as a regional agricultural support organization.
• Cultivating Community: Portland, Maine-based nonprofit supporting immigrant and refugee farmers through land access, training, and market opportunities. Direct peer with co-located Immigrant Farmer Fund partnership and similar land justice and farmer-incubation mission.
• Agrarian Trust: National nonprofit supporting land access for next-generation farmers, including marginalized communities. Direct partner that previously owned and transferred the 104-acre Liberation Farms to SBCA; mission and methodology closely aligned.
• Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP): Maine-based nonprofit providing free immigration legal services to immigrants and refugees. Comparable as an immigrant-serving social services organization in the same regional market with overlapping client base.
• New Roots Cooperative Farm: Maine-based cooperative farm led by and for immigrant farmers. Direct peer in immigrant farmer land access and cooperative agricultural model, and partner with SBCA in the Immigrant Farmer Fund.

Broad incumbents

• Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES): Large Texas-based nonprofit providing immigrant legal and social services. Comparable as an immigrant-serving community organization with broader geographic scope and similar refugee support mission.
• Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI): Maine-based Community Development Financial Institution supporting rural and underserved communities including immigrant farmers through lending, business assistance, and farm programs. Comparable scope but much broader mandate and larger scale.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major international humanitarian organization providing refugee resettlement, immigration, and integration services across the U.S. including case management comparable to SBCA's Client Navigation. Operates at vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/somalibantumaine
• Instagraminstagram.com/somalibantumaine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/somalibantumaine

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine