The Boyne Forever Foundation
Santa Sunday has been one of our favorite days of the season for years. Hundreds of Santas, a lot of laughs, and money raised for organizations doing real good in this community. This past December, for the first time, Santa Sunday raised $5,000 for the Boyne Forever Foundation. This spring, BFF Day at the Iglu carried that same energy, people coming together on the mountain to raise money for the Foundation. Ten percent of Iglu proceeds that weekend went to the Boyne Forever Foundation to help support their first year of giving.
Across Sunday River and Boyne Resorts properties nationwide, it's our guests who show up and make the Foundation's mission possible, and we are grateful for that.
But if you've been wondering what the Boyne Forever Foundation actually is and what it does, here's the full picture.
What it Supports
The Boyne Forever Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, launched in January 2026, that pulls together the community giving efforts of all 13 Boyne Resorts properties — Sunday River included — under one initiative. The idea is simple: these resorts are part of the communities they operate in, and that comes with real responsibility.
The Foundation focuses its work in three areas:
The Environment
Protecting the forests, watersheds, and wildlife that define this corner of Maine, and supporting local sustainability efforts that keep those places healthy for the long haul.
The Community
The towns around Sunday River, Bethel, Newry, and the broader western Maine region, have real needs that don't go away when ski season ends. The Foundation directs funding toward housing, food access, mental health resources, and youth programs, and works to make outdoor recreation is accessible to everyone.
Our Team
The Foundation is built on the belief that strong communities start with the people in them, and that investing in our team, through support, education, opportunity, and access, is what makes everything else possible.
Meet the Executive Director
Michelle Wein grew up skiing at Boyne Mountain. She has spent her career working in community development, nonprofit leadership, and workforce research, and she still serves as an Assistant Patrol Director on Boyne Mountain's Ski Patrol. She understands mountain communities from the inside, and that perspective shapes how the Foundation listens and where it invests.
"The Boyne Forever Foundation is about honoring the legacy of both the places and the people that have shaped the Boyne Resorts family for decades. Each resort is unique, but we all share the same values and respect for the heritage sports, natural places, and mountain communities that have endured for generations." - Michelle Wein
How the Grant Cycle Works
On May 1, the Foundation opens its grant portal for Boyne team members. The external grant portal opens June 1, with funding available for environmental initiatives, community projects, and scholarships. If your organization does work in any of those areas and has ties to a Boyne resort community like Bethel or Newry, this is worth a close look. Grant recipients will be announced July 30, 2026.
More details and applications at boyneforever.org