The foundation concentrates its support on local Jewish religious institutions and community infrastructure in the Bangor, ME area, primarily funding congregations and a community center. Most grants are operational/program support to maintain synagogue life and community programming, with repeated gifts to the same core organizations over time.
Concentrated, repeat funding: a small number of moderately sized grants focused on a few core local grantees (multiple grants to the same congregations rather than one-off broad distribution).
Jewish Community Endowment Assn’s recent giving is anchored by repeated general support for Congregation Beth El in Bangor, including grants of $19,702 in 2023, $23,138 in 2024, and $21,277 in 2025. That pattern points to a funder focused on sustaining everyday Jewish communal life rather than isolated projects. Across the file, the foundation supports synagogues, a mikvah, a community center, a Holocaust and human rights center, and Jewish campus programming, with gifts that help keep local institutions operating and programming in place. The grant list shows a small but steady grantmaker with most awards in the low-thousands to low-tens-of-thousands range. Bangor organizations appear repeatedly, especially Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation of Beth Abraham, and Chabod of Bangor. The foundation also backs broader Jewish educational infrastructure through the Harold Grinspoon Foundation for PJ Library support and the University of Maine for Hillel/Judaic studies. Grants are almost entirely concentrated in Maine, with a strong emphasis on Bangor-area institutions and related Jewish community services.
In synagogue support, Jewish Community Endowment Assn made multiple general-support grants to Bangor congregations, including $15,922 to Congregation Beth Israel in 2023 and $9,029 to Congregation of Beth Abraham in 2025. Those awards align with the foundation’s pattern of sustaining religious institutions through operating support. For Jewish family engagement, it gave $4,612 in 2025 to the Harold Grinspoon Foundation for PJ Library support, after similar PJ Library gifts in 2023 and 2024. In campus Jewish life, the foundation supported the University of Maine with $4,520 in 2024 and $1,160 in 2023 for Hillel/Judaic studies. Its broader community support also includes $4,904 in 2025 to Beth Abraham Mikvah for Bangor mikvah needs and $4,651 in 2023 to the Holocaust and Human Rights Center for general support.
Typical grant size is modest: the 25th percentile is $4,612, the median is $6,141, and the 75th percentile is $12,550. The recent record shows repeated gifts to the same institutions across multiple years, especially Bangor congregations and Jewish educational partners, which suggests ongoing support rather than one-time awards. The foundation appears to operate as a grantmaking endowment and does not fund individuals. The grant list does not show an application process, and the awards are chiefly general support or program-specific operating support.
$56K
$1M
$74K
$66K
Most grants fall between $5K and $13K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$13K
About 85% of grants go to recipients in MA.
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Notable grantees: Congregation Beth El, Congregation of Beth Abraham, Congregation Beth Israel, The Wilson Center
Grantmaking is highly localized in Maine. Bangor is the main recipient city, with additional awards to Orono, Augusta, and Agawam, Massachusetts. By grant count, Massachusetts appears as the top state for recipients because of repeated support to the Harold Grinspoon Foundation in Agawam, but 85% of grants go to recipients in Maine. All recorded grants in the recent list are to U.S. recipients.
The recent grants favor Jewish congregations and related communal infrastructure: Bangor synagogues, a mikvah, a Jewish community center, a Holocaust and human rights center, PJ Library support, and Hillel/Judaic studies at the University of Maine. Most awards are framed as general support or program support.
Typical grants are small to mid-sized. The 25th percentile is $4,612, the median is $6,141, and the 75th percentile is $12,550. Recent awards range from $1,160 to $23,138 in the list provided.
Yes. Congregation Beth El appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025 with general-support grants; Congregation Beth Israel and Congregation of Beth Abraham also appear in multiple years. The Harold Grinspoon Foundation received PJ Library support in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Most grants go to recipients in Maine, especially Bangor. The recent file also includes Orono and Augusta in Maine, plus Agawam, Massachusetts. Maine receives 85% of the grants in the dataset.
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation received PJ Library support of $4,612 in 2025, matching earlier PJ Library grants in 2023 and 2024. The University of Maine also received Hillel/Judaic studies grants in 2023 and 2024, showing support for both early childhood Jewish literacy and campus Jewish programming.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONGREGATION BETH EL-509(A)(1) | BANGOR, ME | $21,277 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION OF BETH ABRAHAM-509A1 | BANGOR, ME | $9,029 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL-509(A)(1) | BANGOR, ME | $8,672 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHABOD OF BANGOR | BANGOR, ME | $6,219 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BETH ABRAHAM MIKVAH | BANGOR, ME | $4,904 | 2025 | BANGOR MIKVAH |
| HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION | AGAWAM, MA | $4,612 | 2025 | PJ LIBRARY SUPPORT |
| THE WILSON CENTER | ORONO, ME | $1,230 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION BETH EL-509(A)(1) | BANGOR, ME | $23,138 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION OF BETH ABRAHAM-509A1 | BANGOR, ME | $12,042 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE WILSON CENTER | ORONO, ME | $11,070 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL-509(A)(1) | BANGOR, ME | $5,893 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF MAINE | ORONO, ME | $4,520 | 2024 | HILLEL/JUDAIC STUDIES |
| HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION | AGAWAM, MA | $4,502 | 2024 | PJ LIBRARY SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION BETH EL-509(A)(1) | BANGOR, ME | $19,702 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL-509(A)(1) | BANGOR, ME | $15,922 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION OF BETH ABRAHAM-509A1 | BANGOR, ME | $14,072 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE WILSON CENTER | ORONO, ME | $6,063 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HOLOCAUST AND HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER | AUGUSTA, ME | $4,651 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION | AGAWAM, MA | $4,612 | 2023 | PJ LIBRARY SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF MAINE | ORONO, ME | $1,160 | 2023 | HILLEL/JUDAIC STUDIES |
CONGREGATION BETH EL-509(A)(1)
$21,277GENERAL SUPPORT
CONGREGATION OF BETH ABRAHAM-509A1
$9,029GENERAL SUPPORT
CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL-509(A)(1)
$8,672GENERAL SUPPORT
CHABOD OF BANGOR
$6,219GENERAL SUPPORT
BETH ABRAHAM MIKVAH
$4,904BANGOR MIKVAH
HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION
$4,612PJ LIBRARY SUPPORT
THE WILSON CENTER
GENERAL SUPPORT
CONGREGATION BETH EL-509(A)(1)
$23,138GENERAL SUPPORT
CONGREGATION OF BETH ABRAHAM-509A1
$12,042GENERAL SUPPORT
THE WILSON CENTER
$11,070GENERAL SUPPORT
CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL-509(A)(1)
$5,893GENERAL SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE
$4,520HILLEL/JUDAIC STUDIES
HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION
$4,502PJ LIBRARY SUPPORT
CONGREGATION BETH EL-509(A)(1)
$19,702GENERAL SUPPORT
CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL-509(A)(1)
$15,922GENERAL SUPPORT
CONGREGATION OF BETH ABRAHAM-509A1
$14,072GENERAL SUPPORT
THE WILSON CENTER
$6,063GENERAL SUPPORT
HOLOCAUST AND HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER
$4,651GENERAL SUPPORT
HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION
$4,612PJ LIBRARY SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE
$1,160HILLEL/JUDAIC STUDIES