The Rodney and Mary Barton Smith Family Foundation makes a small number of very large, targeted gifts focused on strengthening higher education, local economic development, and community services in Aroostook County/Presque Isle, Maine. Grants are often multi-million-dollar contributions to regional institutions—both colleges and community organizations—indicating an interest in workforce development, place-based investment, and broad public benefit in a specific rural community.
Highly concentrated, large-dollar grants to a very small set of repeat grantees in a single geographic area; gifts appear transformational rather than exploratory, with multiple multi-million-dollar contributions and some repeat support.
The Rodney and Mary Barton Smith Family Foundation concentrates its largest gifts in Presque Isle and the surrounding Aroostook County community, with repeated support for institutions that shape education, workforce pathways, and local services. Its recent record shows multi-million-dollar contributions to Ignite Presque Isle and Northern Maine Community College, alongside substantial grants to the University of Maine at Presque Isle and Aroostook County Action Program Inc. The pattern is place-based and highly targeted: a small number of very large grants aimed at building capacity for regional institutions rather than broad, dispersed giving. The foundation’s support also reaches community organizations connected to economic opportunity and basic needs, including The Northern Lighthouse Inc and Big Rock Mountain. Across the grants listed, the named recipients are all in Maine, and the emphasis stays on Presque Isle-centered organizations serving a rural region.
Higher education is one of the clearest threads in the foundation’s giving. It granted $2,500,500 to Northern Maine Community College for its exempt purpose and $795,000 to the University of Maine at Presque Isle for the same purpose, following a $600,000 grant to the university in 2023. The foundation also backs community and economic development through Ignite Presque Isle, which received $1,509,593 in 2024 for its exempt purpose after a $2,885,375 grant in 2023. Rural human services appear as well: Aroostook County Action Program Inc received $500,000 in 2024 and $800,000 in 2023, both described as contributions supporting the organization’s exempt purpose. Smaller gifts to The Northern Lighthouse Inc and Big Rock Mountain round out the mix.
The foundation gives at a very large scale: the typical grant size is $137,500 at the 25th percentile, $550,000 at the median, and $977,398 at the 75th percentile. Its recent record shows repeated support for the same recipients across multiple years, including several organizations that appear in both 2023 and 2024. The grants are described as contributions supporting each organization’s exempt purpose, and the foundation is identified as a family foundation. It does not make grants to individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$5.4M
$0
$1.1M
$5.5M
Most grants fall between $138K and $977K, with a median of $550K.
25th Percentile
$138K
Median
$550K
75th Percentile
$977K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in ME.
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Notable grantees: Ignite Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College, University of Maine at Presque Isle, Aroostook County Action Program Inc
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly concentrated in Maine. The top recipient city is Presque Isle, which appears across multiple grants to colleges, a community action program, and local nonprofit organizations. Mars Hill also appears in the recent grants list through Big Rock Mountain. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 12 grants in the United States and no non-U.S. grant locations in the data.
Its recent grants go to colleges, community organizations, and local development groups in Presque Isle and nearby Aroostook County. Examples include Northern Maine Community College, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Ignite Presque Isle, Aroostook County Action Program Inc, and The Northern Lighthouse Inc.
Yes. Several recipients appear in both 2023 and 2024. Ignite Presque Isle received $2,885,375 in 2023 and $1,509,593 in 2024, while Aroostook County Action Program Inc received $800,000 in 2023 and $500,000 in 2024.
The grant-size distribution is very large. The 25th percentile is $137,500, the median is $550,000, and the 75th percentile is $977,398.
Most grants go to Maine, especially Presque Isle. The top state by grant count is ME, and every grant in the recent list goes to a U.S. recipient.
It makes a small number of large, targeted contributions. The grants are described as supporting each recipient’s exempt purpose, and the foundation is a family foundation. It does not fund individuals and 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Maine Community College | Presque Isle, ME | $2,500,500 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| Ignite Presque Isle | Presque Isle, ME | $1,509,593 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| University of Maine at Presque Isle | Presque Isle, ME | $795,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| Aroostook County Action Program Inc | Presque Isle, ME | $500,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| Big Rock Mountain | Mars Hill, ME | $100,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| Ignite Presque Isle | Presque Isle, ME | $2,885,375 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| Aroostook County Action Program Inc | Presque Isle, ME | $800,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| University of Maine at Presque Isle | Presque Isle, ME | $600,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| Northern Maine Community College | Presque Isle, ME | $474,500 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| The Alzheimer's Association | Chicago, IL | $150,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| The Northern Lighthouse Inc | Presque Isle, ME | $91,546 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
| Mark Emily Turner Memorial Trust | Presque Isle, ME | $36,400 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose. |
Northern Maine Community College
$2,500,500Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
Ignite Presque Isle
$1,509,593Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
University of Maine at Presque Isle
$795,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
Big Rock Mountain
$100,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
Ignite Presque Isle
Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
University of Maine at Presque Isle
$600,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
Northern Maine Community College
$474,500Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
The Northern Lighthouse Inc
$91,546Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.
Mark Emily Turner Memorial Trust
$36,400Contribution supporting charitable organization's exempt purpose.