The PD Merrill Charitable Trust makes very large, targeted grants rather than many small awards. It appears to support capacity-building for local Maine philanthropy through major gifts to the Maine Community Foundation and funds international humanitarian and public‑health/diplomacy work via The Carter Center, signaling both a local community focus and interest in global impact.
Highly concentrated giving: very few but very large grants, split between a local community foundation (likely for statewide impact or endowed support) and a prominent international NGO. Favors one-off or sizable commitments to institutional partners rather than many small or diverse grantees.
The PD Merrill Charitable Trust gave its two largest 2023 grants to very different institutions: $1,276,173 to Maine Community Foundation for general support and $1,003,500 to The Carter Center for general support. That combination points to a funder that backs both Maine-centered philanthropy and international public health and human rights work through large, unrestricted awards. Across the recent grants list, the trust favored general support over project-specific funding. It also supported Maine historical preservation, higher education, a South Portland service provider, a local library friends group, and a peace education organization. The pattern shows a small number of sizable awards alongside several $10,000 grants. The trust’s giving is heavily tied to Maine recipients, including Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth, Maine Historical Society in Portland, University of New England in Biddeford, Friends of the Pittsfield Library in Pittsfield, and Peregrine Corp in South Portland. The recipients also include Atlanta-based The Carter Center and New York-based Seeds of Peace, showing that the trust’s portfolio extends beyond Maine when the purpose fits its priorities.
In community philanthropy, the trust gave $1,276,173 to Maine Community Foundation for general support. That grant is the clearest sign of its interest in strengthening Maine-based philanthropic infrastructure rather than funding a single short-term project. In public health and human rights, it awarded $1,003,500 to The Carter Center for general support. The size and unrestricted nature of that gift place international work alongside its Maine commitments. The trust also funded cultural and educational organizations in Maine. It gave $110,000 to Maine Historical Society for general support and $80,000 to the University of New England for general support. Smaller awards went to Friends of the Pittsfield Library for general support and to Peregrine Corp for f/b/o PSL Services / STRIVE, South Portland, ME location.
The PD Merrill Charitable Trust’s recent grant sizes are uneven, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $80,000, and a p75 of $556,750. That spread reflects a mix of a few very large awards and several smaller grants. The recent list shows repeated use of general support, which suggests a preference for flexible funding. All seven recent grants were made in 2023, and the portfolio includes both Maine recipients and organizations outside the state. The trust is a foundation rather than an individual donor, and it does not make program-related investments or grants to individuals.
$2.5M
$0
$22K
$2.6M
Most grants fall between $10K and $557K, with a median of $80K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$80K
75th Percentile
$557K
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Notable grantees: Maine Community Foundation, The Carter Center
Maine accounts for most of the recent grants, including recipients in Ellsworth, Portland, Biddeford, Pittsfield, and South Portland. The trust also gave to Atlanta and New York, so its giving is regional rather than exclusively local. In the recipient-country data, all recent grants were in the United States. The top state by grant count is Georgia, but most recipients are still in Maine, where 71% of grants landed.
Recent grants went to a community foundation, a human rights and public health center, a historical society, a university, a library friends group, and a service provider. The pattern shows support for general nonprofit work, community philanthropy, education, culture, and human services.
Yes. Seventy-one percent of its grants were to recipients in Maine. Recent Maine recipients include organizations in Ellsworth, Portland, Biddeford, Pittsfield, and South Portland.
Typical awards are highly variable: the p25 is $10,000, the median is $80,000, and the p75 is $556,750. That range shows a structure with several small grants and a few very large ones.
The recent grants list is dominated by general support. The named awards in 2023 include general support grants to Maine Community Foundation, The Carter Center, Maine Historical Society, University of New England, Friends of the Pittsfield Library, and Seeds of Peace.
Outside Maine, the recent list includes The Carter Center in Atlanta and Seeds of Peace in New York. Both were funded with general support, indicating that the trust does sometimes support organizations beyond its main Maine base.
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Community Foundation | Ellsworth, ME | $1,276,173 | 2023 | General support |
| The Carter Center | Atlanta, GA | $1,003,500 | 2023 | General support |
| Maine Historical Society | Portland, ME | $110,000 | 2023 | General support |
| University of New England | Biddeford, ME | $80,000 | 2023 | General support |
| Seeds of Peace | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | General support |
| Peregrine Corp | South Portland, ME | $10,000 | 2023 | f/b/o PSL Services / STRIVE, South Portland, ME location |
| Friends of the Pittsfield Library | Pittsfield, ME | $10,000 | 2023 | General support |
Maine Historical Society
$110,000General support
University of New England
$80,000General support
Seeds of Peace
$10,000General support
Peregrine Corp
$10,000f/b/o PSL Services / STRIVE, South Portland, ME location
Friends of the Pittsfield Library
$10,000General support