Our History
The Third Place originated as an organizing space for a local leadership group for Black youth- the Martin Luther King Junior Fellows. Its intention was to serve as a permanent meeting space where high school youth from Portland area schools could organize and build capacity for their community-based initiatives.
As the cost of office space continued to rise due to rapid gentrification, more and more single-staffed, Black-led nonprofits and businesses expressed a need for affordable and permanent office and meeting space. After the King Fellows disbanded, community members sought to acquire the space as a co-working suite to pool their limited resources. Community members felt the need to engage in more intentional community coordination and action following the rash of police-involved shootings and the tensions created during the 2016 presidential election season.
These events led the community in search of a different framework for working together that would harness the collective expertise of small for-profits and nonprofits under one roof. While Portland-area co-working spaces were in abundance, they did not offer community in the way Black freelancers and nonprofit leaders needed. A space where Black individuals could feel safe and affirmed was the top priority.
Organizational Meeting of Founding Members - Creative Approach and Theatre Ensemble of Color
In 2017, The Third Place opened its doors to a community of Black entrepreneurs, emerging leaders, and creatives with a mutual desire to build community capacity through collective work and cooperative economics. Membership at the co-working suite requires all members to participate in Third Place programs, share resources and expertise with other members and a commitment to acting as a cross-sector coalition.
Since 2017, we have supported ten emerging businesses and nonprofits by providing office space, training & education, social and professional development and a community of peers. We have organized and identified statewide sector organizing groups in law, health and wellness, conservation, and education. These groups are organizing within their fields to attain greater racial equity and justice as professionals while also creating access to their knowledge, skills, and resources for the community at-large.
We are a curated community of organizations and individuals with shared values and vision of building a strong BIPOC ecosystem in Maine.
