In honor of Giving Tuesday and in preparation for the upcoming full release of the next Foundation Giving in Maine report, Maine Philanthropy Center (MPC) is excited to offer previews over the coming weeks. This upcoming report will include data from both 2020 and 2021, giving crucial insights into how foundations responded to the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, historically high inflation, and the racial reckoning after the murder of George Floyd.
MPC annually compiles this list and brief analysis of the Top 25 Maine funders*, measured by annual giving to Maine, to provide increased transparency through a closer look at the giving of the most active organizations in Maine’s philanthropic community. This information can be used to learn how Maine communities are being resourced and which grantmakers are the primary sources of funding.
What stands out in the Top 25 Funders lists?
- As of 2021, this marks the first year that all top 25 funders gave over $1 million to Maine recipients;
- 2 of the 2020 Top 25 Funders ceased operations that year: Burke Family Foundation liquidated its remaining assets via grants; Coulombe Family Foundation transferred its assets to DAFs (donor advised funds);
- And 16 funders retain ranking in the top 25 for FYs 2019, 2020, and 2021, marked with a +.
2020 Top 25 Maine Funders
| Rank | Name | Maine Giving | ME Giving % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Alfond Foundation + | $44.54M | 86% |
| 2 | Maine Community Foundation + | $36.36M | 85% |
| 3 | Elmina B. Sewall Foundation + | $11.23M | 94% |
| 4 | Lunder Foundation + | $11.01M | 80% |
| 5 | John T. Gorman Foundation + | $6.98M | 100% |
| 6 | Libra Foundation + | $6.42M | 100% |
| 7 | Maine Health Access Foundation + | $5.02M | 99% |
| 8 | Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation + | $3.49M | 100% |
| 9 | Onion Foundation + | $3.41M | 100% |
| 10 | TD Charitable Foundation | $2.84M | 12% |
| 11 | The Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation + | $2.60M | 68% |
| 12 | Sam L. Cohen Foundation + | $2.51M | 100% |
| 13 | Doree Taylor Charitable Foundation + | $2.24M | 98% |
| 14 | The Betterment Fund + | $2.09M | 100% |
| 15 | Foundation for a Strong Maine Economy | $1.98M | 100% |
| 16 | Davis Family Foundation + | $1.80M | 97% |
| 17 | MELMAC Education Foundation + | $1.76M | 100% |
| 18 | Coulombe Family Foundation | $1.50M | 9% |
| 19 | Maine Justice Foundation + | $1.49M | 90% |
| 20 | Maine Initiatives | $1.34M | 95% |
| 21 | Wescustogo Foundation | $1.20M | 64% |
| 22 | The Bob Crewe Foundation | $1.19M | 97% |
| 23 | Burke Family Foundation | $1.10M | 59% |
| 24 | Summer Residents Association - Town of Mount Desert, Inc. | $1.01M | 100% |
| 25 | Hannaford Charitable Foundation | $0.97M | 77% |
Click on funders to learn more about their work and grant deadlines on their Directory of Maine Grantmakers profile. Detailed profiles are available for MPC members. Log in or become a member.
2021 Top 25 Maine Funders
| Rank | Name | Maine Giving | ME Giving % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Alfond Foundation + | $60.64M | 83% |
| 2 | Maine Community Foundation + | $35.87M | 85% |
| 3 | Lunder Foundation + | $11.42M | 82% |
| 4 | Elmina B. Sewall Foundation + | $9.67M | 94% |
| 5 | John T. Gorman Foundation + | $7.30M | 100% |
| 6 | Libra Foundation + | $6.37M | 100% |
| 7 | Up East Foundation | $5.46M | 100% |
| 8 | Maine Health Access Foundation + | $4.28M | 99% |
| 9 | Sam L. Cohen Foundation + | $3.76M | 100% |
| 10 | Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation + | $3.44M | 96% |
| 11 | Onion Foundation + | $3.33M | 100% |
| 12 | The Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation + | $2.68M | 62% |
| 13 | The Bob Crewe Foundation | $2.50M | 100% |
| 14 | Davis Family Foundation + | $2.41M | 97% |
| 15 | Doree Taylor Charitable Foundation + | $2.26M | 96% |
| 16 | The Betterment Fund + | $1.99M | 98% |
| 17 | MELMAC Education Foundation + | $1.73M | 100% |
| 18 | Maine Cancer Foundation | $1.62M | 99% |
| 19 | Foundation for a Strong Maine Economy | $1.56M | 99% |
| 20 | Worthington Scholarship Foundation | $1.53M | 100% |
| 21 | Wescustogo Foundation | $1.45M | 64% |
| 22 | Maine Justice Foundation + | $1.42M | 89% |
| 23 | Judy Glickman Lauder Foundation | $1.33M | 100% |
| 24 | Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust | $1.15M | 96% |
| 25 | Bangor Savings Bank Foundation | $1.08M | 89% |
Click on funders to learn more about their work and grant deadlines on their Directory of Maine Grantmakers profile. Detailed profiles are available for MPC members. Log in or become a member.
As we continue to release information from the newest edition of the Foundation Giving in Maine report, we are excited to give the Maine nonprofit and philanthropic community access to data around how our communities are being funded. If you have questions about how we create these data products or have ideas of other datasets you’d like to see, please reach out at mpc@mainephilanthropy.org.
Maine Philanthropy Center would like to thank the Onion Foundation for supporting the creation of this year's Foundation Giving in Maine report.
* In this report, a Maine funder is a grantmaker incorporated or registered with the state of Maine or subject to the jurisdiction of a Maine municipality. Included are private and community foundations, as well as grantmaking public charities. Notable exclusions include certain operating foundations and other entities whose charitable giving is exclusive to one or more supported organizations or affiliates; public charities largely supported by government funds; and public charities whose grantmaking is a minority of their charitable expenses. United Ways of Maine are addressed separately in the Foundation Giving in Maine report.