Removing Barriers, One Family at a Time: TD Securities and CMTM

At the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM), we believe every child deserves access to the power of play and discovery, regardless of financial circumstances. Thanks in part to the generous and continued support of TD Securities through their Underwriting Hope initiative, our Scholarship Membership Program has helped hundreds of families do just that.

We are incredibly grateful for TD Securities' commitment to CMTM's Scholarship Membership Program. Their support has played an essential role in opening our doors to children and families who may otherwise face barriers to visiting our facility. This program is a cornerstone of our belonging work, ensuring that every child, no matter their background, has the opportunity to explore, play, and grow in a space that welcomes and celebrates them.

Many of the families in our program access public assistance programs, including SNAP, WIC, MaineCare, and EBT. While our Museums for All discount offers a reduced admission rate, CMTM takes it a step further by inviting qualifying families to become Scholarship Members, granting them free and unlimited access to our exhibits, programs, and live theatre performances. More than just a pass, a scholarship membership helps foster a sense of ownership and belonging. Families receive the same membership cards as everyone else, offering them a seamless and dignified entry into our community.

This fiscal year, 918 families have been active scholarship members – already surpassing the 912 scholarship membership families we served across all of FY25. Together, these families are 2,176 adults and 5,394 children, making a record-breaking 6,668 visits to CMTM to date this year. Every number on this list represents a family for whom a barrier was removed, and whose lives have been enriched by the power of play and belonging. 

In Their Own Words

Behind every number is a family with a story. With their permission, a few of our scholarship members shared what their membership means to them:

A single mother whose husband passed away a few years ago wrote about how much her son loves the Museum, even though tickets alone would be out of reach for her family: "We have a membership scholarship that is about to run out, and we use it frequently and are so grateful for it. I could never afford to come and pay on my own."

Another mother, recently widowed and now raising her daughter on her own while receiving benefits, shared that their visits offer joy on tough days. Her daughter has frequent medical appointments at MaineHealth's pediatric specialty care in Portland, and stopping at CMTM afterward helps her cope with the experience of seeing the pulmonologist.

A father currently in long-term treatment for substance use and mental health recovery wrote about what his scholarship membership means for the limited time he gets each week with his five-year-old son: "It's a special place for us, especially when our time together is limited every week... He loves the theater as well." While in treatment, program rules limit him to 16-20 hours of work a week, leaving just enough to cover child support and car expenses – making the membership, in his words, "immensely helpful."

These stories echo one we received in an application from a mother whose son first visited CMTM on a school field trip. She wrote: "We are a hardworking family of three who are struggling financially. Our son absolutely loves going to the Museum…all he talks about is wanting to go to the Museum and all the fun he has on his school field trips. With money being extremely tight at home…it's hard to attend the Museum whenever he wants to. With the scholarship we will take him as much as he wants!" That family is now part of our scholarship community, too.

A Partnership Rooted in Care

TD Securities' Underwriting Hope initiative has supported children and youth across North America over the past 29 years. This colleague-driven effort is a powerful example of what happens when a company puts care into action. At CMTM, we are honored to be one of the organizations that benefits from that care.

Thank you, TD Securities, for helping us remove barriers and build a stronger, more inclusive community – one family at a time.