The Cara Charitable Foundation concentrates its entire documented giving on a single organization, OUR KATAHDIN, providing unrestricted operating support. The pattern and grantee name indicate a place-based focus—likely backing community development, cultural or economic revitalization tied to the Katahdin/Maine region—rather than broad national philanthropy. Their unrestricted funding suggests trust in grantee leadership and a preference for flexible, capacity-building support.
Cara Charitable Foundation Inc has directed most of its documented giving to Our Katahdin in Millinocket, with three large unrestricted grants in consecutive years: $253,500 in 2023, $275,500 in 2024, and $334,000 in 2025. That repeated pattern makes the foundation’s style unusually clear: it backs a single place-based partner with flexible operating support over multiple years. The record also shows that this core relationship sits alongside a smaller set of community grants in Maine and a few emergency-response gifts outside the state, including support for the Ukrainian refugee crisis through the International Rescue Committee. Within Maine, the foundation has funded local institutions tied to community life, such as libraries, a regional hospital, a food bank, and a town hardship fund. The mix points to a funder that uses unrestricted support for an anchor organization while also making targeted grants for civic, cultural, and basic-needs work. Across the available 990 record, the foundation’s documented giving is local in scope and concentrated in Maine, with occasional assistance to national relief efforts.
A central theme in the foundation’s giving is place-based community support in Millinocket and North Central Maine. Alongside unrestricted support for Our Katahdin, it gave $16,000 to the Town of Millinocket for a financial hardship fund and $10,000 to Good Shepherd Food Bank for needs in North Central Maine. Basic-needs and crisis relief also appear in the record: the foundation gave $20,000 to the International Rescue Committee for the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis and another $8,000 and $5,000 to that organization in later years. Cultural and library support is another visible thread. It gave $15,000 to Camden Public Library for capital work, then later $5,000 for the Millay Society Fund and Bonnie’s Learning Legacy Fund, plus $2,000 for maintenance and improvement of the Bonnie White reading Corner and general library needs. The record also includes smaller grants for health and community institutions, including Millinocket Regional Hospital and Penobscot Bay YMCA.
Typical grant size sits at $2,625 at the 25th percentile, $5,000 at the median, and $10,000 at the 75th percentile, showing a cluster of modest grants with a few much larger awards. The pattern is recurring rather than one-off: Our Katahdin received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Good Shepherd Food Bank, Camden Public Library, Lifeflight Foundation, Millinocket Memorial Library, and the International Rescue Committee also appear more than once. The foundation is a private grantmaker; it does not make program-related investments, and it funds individuals as well as organizations. The grants shown are documented as local in scope, with giving aimed at specific partners and projects rather than open-ended public applications.
$352K
$153K
$34K
$366K
Most grants fall between $3K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in ME.
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Highly concentrated: all giving directed to one repeat grantee via multiple grants, sizable total dollars granted as flexible (general & unrestricted) support rather than many small or diversified awards.
Notable grantees: OUR KATAHDIN
Grant recipients are overwhelmingly in the United States, with all 26 grants going to U.S. organizations. Maine dominates the grant map and is the state where the foundation gives most often. Millinocket appears repeatedly, including Our Katahdin, the Town of Millinocket, Millinocket Regional Hospital, and Millinocket Memorial Library. Other Maine recipient cities include Camden, Auburn, Rockport, Caribou, Augusta, and Lewiston. Outside Maine, the record includes Albert Lea, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C.
The record shows support for place-based community development in North Central Maine, library and cultural work, basic-needs relief, and crisis response. Named grants include support for a Millinocket financial hardship fund, food bank work focused on North Central Maine, library capital and reading-corner improvements, and assistance for the Ukrainian refugee crisis.
Recurring support is a clear pattern. Our Katahdin received unrestricted grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Other repeat recipients include Good Shepherd Food Bank, Camden Public Library, Lifeflight Foundation, Millinocket Memorial Library, the International Rescue Committee, and Penobscot Bay YMCA.
The distribution centers on modest grants: the 25th percentile is $2,625, the median is $5,000, and the 75th percentile is $10,000. The record also includes a few much larger grants, including awards above $250,000 to a single core partner.
Maine is the top state by grant count. Millinocket is the most visible city in the record, with grants also landing in Camden, Auburn, Rockport, Caribou, Augusta, and Lewiston. All documented grants in the provided dataset went to U.S. recipients.
Our Katahdin in Millinocket is the primary recipient in the record. It received $253,500 in 2023, $275,500 in 2024, and $334,000 in 2025, all marked as general and unrestricted support.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OUR KATAHDIN | MILLINOCKET, ME | $334,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE INC | ALBERT LEA, MN | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| MILLINOCKET MEMORIAL LIBRARY | MILLINOCKET, ME | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| LIFEFLIGHT FOUNDATION | AUGUSTA, ME | $2,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY | CAMDEN, ME | $2,000 | 2025 | funds for maintenance/improvement of the Bonnie White reading Corner and general needs of the library |
| MAINE PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION | LEWISTON, ME | $1,500 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA | ROCKPORT, ME | $1,500 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| FINDING OUR VOICES | CAMDEN, ME | $1,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| OUR KATAHDIN | MILLINOCKET, ME | $275,500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| TOWN OF MILLINOCKET | MILLINOCKET, ME | $16,000 | 2024 | Town of Millinocket financial hardship fund |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE INC | ALBERT LEA, MN | $8,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK | AUBURN, ME | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| OUTDOOR SPORTS INSTITUTE INC | CARIBOU, ME | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| CAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY | CAMDEN, ME | $5,000 | 2024 | Millay Society Fund & Bonnie's Learning Legacy Fund |
| MILLINOCKET MEMORIAL LIBRARY | MILLINOCKET, ME | $3,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA | ROCKPORT, ME | $1,800 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| OUR KATAHDIN | MILLINOCKET, ME | $253,500 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE INC | ALBERT LEA, MN | $20,000 | 2023 | Ukrainian Refugee Crisis |
| CAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY | CAMDEN, ME | $15,000 | 2023 | Capital |
| KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION | ROCKPORT, ME | $10,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK | AUBURN, ME | $10,000 | 2023 | Focus on needs in North Central Maine |
| LIFEFLIGHT FOUNDATION | CAMDEN, ME | $10,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INCORPORATED | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK | AUBURN, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| MILLINOCKET REGIONAL HOSPITAL | MILLINOCKET, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| MILLINOCKET MEMORIAL LIBRARY | MILLINOCKET, ME | $2,500 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
OUR KATAHDIN
$334,000General & Unrestricted
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE INC
$5,000General & Unrestricted
MILLINOCKET MEMORIAL LIBRARY
$5,000General & Unrestricted
LIFEFLIGHT FOUNDATION
$2,000General & Unrestricted
CAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY
$2,000funds for maintenance/improvement of the Bonnie White reading Corner and general needs of the library
MAINE PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION
$1,500General & Unrestricted
PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA
$1,500General & Unrestricted
FINDING OUR VOICES
$1,000Charitable Event
OUR KATAHDIN
$275,500General & Unrestricted
TOWN OF MILLINOCKET
$16,000Town of Millinocket financial hardship fund
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE INC
$8,000General & Unrestricted
GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK
$5,000General & Unrestricted
OUTDOOR SPORTS INSTITUTE INC
$5,000General & Unrestricted
CAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY
$5,000Millay Society Fund & Bonnie's Learning Legacy Fund
MILLINOCKET MEMORIAL LIBRARY
$3,000General & Unrestricted
PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA
$1,800General & Unrestricted
OUR KATAHDIN
$253,500General & Unrestricted
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE INC
$20,000Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
CAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY
$15,000Capital
KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION
$10,000General & Unrestricted
GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK
$10,000Focus on needs in North Central Maine
LIFEFLIGHT FOUNDATION
$10,000General & Unrestricted
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INCORPORATED
$10,000General & Unrestricted
GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK
$5,000General & Unrestricted
MILLINOCKET REGIONAL HOSPITAL
$5,000General & Unrestricted
MILLINOCKET MEMORIAL LIBRARY
$2,500General & Unrestricted