About Onion Foundation
The Onion Foundation concentrates its giving on land conservation capacity, providing significant, targeted support to organizations that strengthen land trusts. Its grants are directed toward technical and financial assistance rather than direct program delivery, suggesting a preference for building the infrastructure and effectiveness of conservation nonprofits—likely with a regional focus around Maine/New England.
Focus Areas
Capacity-building and technical assistance for land trustsFinancial support for land conservation transactions and stewardshipSupport for regional (Maine/New England) conservation organizationsOrganizational infrastructure and sustainability for environmental nonprofits
Who They Fund
Maine K-12 students (including underserved and pre-K)educators and teachers (professional development recipients)Wabanaki peopleyouth generally (including New Mainer youth and families)
About Onion Foundation
Onion Foundation’s largest recent grant was $625,000 to Momentum Conservation in Portland for technical and financial support to land trusts, and that same intermediary support appears again at $470,000 the year before. That pattern points to a funder focused less on direct project delivery than on strengthening the organizations that hold conservation work together. The foundation also backs work at the intersection of environment, arts, and public access, including funding for Maine organizations that expand nature learning, support outdoor equity, and sustain arts engagement. Recent grants show a mix of large infrastructure-oriented awards and smaller operating or program grants, with recipients ranging from conservation collaboratives and land trusts to arts groups, education organizations, and Wabanaki-serving programs. The foundation’s giving is heavily tied to Maine, and its recent portfolio suggests a consistent interest in building capacity: helping land trusts, arts nonprofits, and environmental education groups add staff skills, fundraising strength, and program reach. That combination of conservation infrastructure and community access is the clearest throughline in the grant record.
What Onion Foundation Funds
A major theme is land conservation capacity. Onion Foundation gave $40,000 to Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative for a land trust intermediary role, and $30,000 to Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust Inc. to support nature-based education programs. It also funded Maine Lakes with $41,000 for general support, showing attention to the organizations that steward conservation work over time. In environmental education, the foundation awarded $52,500 to Maine Audubon to expand science-based environmental education to Lewiston and Bangor schools, and $46,000 to the Maine Environmental Education Association for outdoor learning mini-grants to Maine public schools. Arts funding is another distinct strand: $88,000 went to Maine Association of Nonprofits for the Cultural Alliance of Maine’s arts and culture advocacy, while $42,500 supported SPACE Gallery’s weekend-long gathering for the Maine dance community. A fourth area is outdoor access, including $50,000 to Maine Initiatives for the Maine Outdoor Equity Fund.
How Onion Foundation Gives
Onion Foundation’s recent grants cluster around a median size of $11,750, with a lower quartile of $7,000 and an upper quartile of $15,000. The pattern is mixed: a few large awards support land-trust infrastructure, while many other grants sit in the low five-figure range. Recipients appear across multiple years, including Momentum Conservation, Maine Association of Nonprofits, Maine Environmental Education Association, Maine GearShare, and Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, which indicates repeat support rather than one-off funding alone. The foundation is a regular funder and also makes program-related investments. It accepts unsolicited applications for several programs, especially in environment and arts areas, while one arts capacity-building track is by invitation only.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.4M
Total Assets
$63.6M
Total Revenue
$3.1M
Total Expenses
$5.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $7K and $15K, with a median of $12K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$12K
75th Percentile
$15K
Geographic Reach
Local10 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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