The Mimi Foundation concentrates large, place-based gifts in Maine, prioritizing community infrastructure and cultural life. Their giving is focused and strategic: a major endowment-style contribution to a statewide community foundation and a large capital or program investment in a university-affiliated theater. This suggests interest in strengthening regional civic capacity and arts venues rather than broad national philanthropy.
Highly concentrated, very large single-purpose grants to a small number of Maine recipients — split between a statewide community foundation and a university cultural project; appears to favor one-off capital or endowment-style gifts rather than many small grants.
A single 2024 gift of $4,872,500 to Maine Community Foundation shows how The Mimi Foundation works: it makes very large, place-based grants that strengthen Maine institutions rather than spreading dollars broadly. That same year, it also gave $1,000,000 to Husson University Gracie Theatre, reinforcing a pattern of support for civic and cultural anchors that serve regional audiences. Across the recent record, the foundation’s funding is organized around general operating support. It backs organizations with statewide or community reach, including the University of Maine at Orono and Bangor Symphony Orchestra, and it also supports theater, university, and nonprofit capacity in Maine communities. The grants point to an interest in durable infrastructure, flexible organizational funding, and institutions that shape local civic life. The recipient list is dominated by Maine organizations, with only a small number of grants outside the state. That geographic concentration fits a funder whose giving appears tightly tied to Maine’s community endowment, arts, health, and service ecosystem. The result is a portfolio that looks less like program-by-program philanthropy and more like sustained backing for the operating strength of established organizations.
In community endowment and grantmaking, The Mimi Foundation gave $4,872,500 to Maine Community Foundation for general operating support. That is the clearest signal in the record that the foundation values local philanthropic infrastructure and pooled grantmaking capacity. For arts and cultural institutions, it supported Husson University Gracie Theatre with $1,000,000 and later $45,000, both for general operating support. It also gave $287,500 to Bangor Symphony Orchestra and $109,000 to Penobscot Theatre Company, indicating sustained interest in performance spaces and cultural organizations. Its civic and service-oriented grants include $81,500 to MaineHealth fbo Maine Behavioral Healthcare, $40,000 to Boothbay Region YMCA, and $15,000 to Hospice of Southern Maine. Smaller grants also reached Maine Huts & Trails, The Locker Project, and NAMI Maine Inc, showing breadth across community support, outdoor recreation, food access, and mental health.
The Mimi Foundation’s recent grant sizes cluster around smaller operating gifts, with p25 at $2,875, a median of $5,000, and p75 at $17,500. The distribution is sharply skewed by a few unusually large awards, including one major 2024 grant and other six- and seven-figure gifts. The pattern across 2023 and 2024 suggests repeat support to some recipients rather than one-time giving only: Penobscot Theatre Company, Husson University Gracie Theatre, Bangor Symphony Orchestra, University of Maine at Orono, and Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute each appear more than once. The foundation does not fund individuals and makes no program-related investments.
$6.6M
$0
$400K
$6.6M
Most grants fall between $3K and $18K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$18K
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Notable grantees: Maine Community Foundation, Husson University / Gracie Theatre, Maine-based civic and cultural institutions (representative focus)
The grant record is overwhelmingly Maine-based, with 96% of grants going to recipients in ME and a local geographic scope of giving. Bangor appears repeatedly through Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Penobscot Theatre Company, and Bangor Humane Society. Portland also shows up often through The Locker Project, Through These Doors, University of Southern Maine, and the Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute. Other Maine recipients include Ellsworth, Orono, South Portland, Boothbay Harbor, Kingfield, Scarborough, Falmouth, Bath, Sidney, and Hallowell. Outside Maine, only a small number of grants appear, including one to Colochester, VT, and one to Bay Minette, AL.
The foundation mainly supports organizations through general operating support. Recent recipients include a statewide community foundation, a university theater, a symphony orchestra, a theatre company, health and behavioral health organizations, YMCAs, food access groups, and mental health nonprofits.
Typical grants are small relative to the largest awards, with a p25 of $2,875, a median of $5,000, and a p75 of $17,500. The recent record also includes a few much larger grants that raise the overall scale of giving.
Yes. Maine is the top state by grant count, and 96% of grants in the record go to recipients in ME. The geographic scope of giving is local, with only a small number of grants outside the state.
Yes. Several recipients appear in more than one year, including Husson University Gracie Theatre, Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Symphony Orchestra, University of Maine at Orono, and Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute. That points to recurring support rather than purely one-off grants.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals, and it does not make program-related investments.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Community Foundation | Ellsworth, ME | $4,872,500 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Husson University Gracie Theatre | Bangor, ME | $1,000,000 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Bangor Symphony Orchestra | Bangor, ME | $287,500 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| University of Maine at Orono | Orono, ME | $287,500 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Penobscot Theatre Company | Bangor, ME | $109,000 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Family Ice dba Save the Pond | Falmouth, ME | $5,000 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Camp Beech Cliff | Mount Desert, ME | $2,500 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Penobscot Theatre Company | Bangor, ME | $105,500 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| MaineHealth (fbo Maine Behavioral Healthcare) | South Portland, ME | $81,500 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Husson University Gracie Theatre | Bangor, ME | $45,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Boothbay Region YMCA | Boothbay Harbor, ME | $40,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Maine Huts & Trails | Kingfield, ME | $25,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Planned Parenthood of Northern New England | Colochester, VT | $25,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Hospice of Southern Maine | Scarborough, ME | $15,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Telling Room | Portland, ME | $11,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Maine Appalachian Trail Club | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Maine Recovery Fund | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Bangor Symphony Orchestra | Bangor, ME | $10,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| North Baldwin Animal Shelter | Bay Minette, AL | $10,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| A Company of Girls | Portland, ME | $6,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Maine Audubon Society | Falmouth, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Pine Tree Society (Pine Tree Camp) | Bath, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| The Locker Project | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| University of Southern Maine | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland | Westbrook, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| NAMI Maine Inc | Hallowell, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Bangor Humane Society | Bangor, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Through These Doors | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Portland Community Squash | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| University of Maine at Orono | Orono, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Snow Pond Center for the Arts | Sidney, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Bangor Region YMCA | Bangor, ME | $3,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Hospice Regatta of Maine | Ellsworth, ME | $2,500 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| St Brigid School | Portland, ME | $2,500 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Camp Beech Cliff | Mount Desert, ME | $2,500 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Maine Needs | Portland, ME | $2,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Camp Sunshine at Sebago Lake Inc | Casco, ME | $2,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Hancock County | Trenton, ME | $1,500 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Full Plates Full Potential | Brunswick, ME | $1,500 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Maine Justice Foundation | Augusta, ME | $1,500 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Portland School of Ballet (Portland Ballet) | Portland, ME | $1,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Portland Children's Dyslexia Center | Portland, ME | $1,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
Husson University Gracie Theatre
$1,000,000General Operating Support
Bangor Symphony Orchestra
$287,500General Operating Support
University of Maine at Orono
$287,500General Operating Support
Penobscot Theatre Company
$109,000General Operating Support
Family Ice dba Save the Pond
$5,000General Operating Support
Camp Beech Cliff
$2,500General Operating Support
Penobscot Theatre Company
$105,500General Operating Support
MaineHealth (fbo Maine Behavioral Healthcare)
$81,500General Operating Support
Husson University Gracie Theatre
$45,000General Operating Support
Boothbay Region YMCA
$40,000General Operating Support
Maine Huts & Trails
$25,000General Operating Support
Hospice of Southern Maine
$15,000General Operating Support
Maine Appalachian Trail Club
$10,000General Operating Support
Maine Recovery Fund
$10,000General Operating Support
Bangor Symphony Orchestra
$10,000General Operating Support
North Baldwin Animal Shelter
$10,000General Operating Support
A Company of Girls
$6,000General Operating Support
Pine Tree Society (Pine Tree Camp)
$5,000General Operating Support
Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland
$5,000General Operating Support
NAMI Maine Inc
$5,000General Operating Support
Bangor Humane Society
$5,000General Operating Support
Through These Doors
$5,000General Operating Support
University of Maine at Orono
$5,000General Operating Support
Snow Pond Center for the Arts
$5,000General Operating Support
Bangor Region YMCA
$3,000General Operating Support
Hospice Regatta of Maine
$2,500General Operating Support
St Brigid School
$2,500General Operating Support
Camp Beech Cliff
$2,500General Operating Support
Maine Needs
$2,000General Operating Support
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Hancock County
$1,500General Operating Support
Maine Justice Foundation
$1,500General Operating Support
Portland School of Ballet (Portland Ballet)
$1,000General Operating Support
Portland Children's Dyslexia Center
$1,000General Operating Support