About Sandy River Charitable Foundation
The Sandy River Charitable Foundation endeavors to engender the physical and social well being and encourage the human spirit of our neighbors throughout the world.
Focus Areas
physical well beingsocial well beingcommunity support
Who They Fund
small-scale farmers and farm businessesrural New England communities (Maine, Vermont, Northeast)Indigenous / Native students and leaderscommunity-based food system organizations and food security programslocal libraries and general public/community members
Funding Style
general operating / unrestricted supportcapacity building / organizational strengthening
About Sandy River Charitable Foundation
The Sandy River Charitable Foundation’s recent giving shows a strong pull toward farmer education, food-system resilience, and cultural programs for Native communities, with multiple six-figure awards across those themes. In 2024, it gave $150,000 to Heifer International for the USA Farm Education Program and Guatemala green business work, and another $150,000 to Abenaki Helping Abenaki for a cultural and economic program. That pairing captures two recurring threads in the foundation’s portfolio: support for agricultural viability and support for Indigenous-led community initiatives. The foundation also backs food access and regional systems work, including grants to Good Shepherd Food Bank for general operations and to Intervale Center for general operating and capacity building. Its grantmaking also reaches climate and broadband-related community needs, as well as library, arts, and nutrition efforts. Across the recent grants list, the Sandy River Charitable Foundation appears to favor practical support for organizations already doing the work, often through general operating, project, or capacity-building grants rather than narrowly defined, one-off awards.
What Sandy River Charitable Foundation Funds
Agriculture and rural livelihoods are central to the foundation’s portfolio. It gave $100,000 to Heifers Project USA for farmer education and $75,000 to Hawthorne Valley Farm for the Farmscape Ecology Program, linking technical knowledge with land-based work. Food system resilience is another clear thread: grants included $67,500 to New England Grassroots Environmental Fund for the New England Food Resilience Fund and Maine grassroots climate work, plus $50,000 to Salvation Farms for the Northwest Vermont Food Vision. The foundation also supports Native community leadership and cultural continuity. It awarded $150,000 to Abenaki Helping Abenaki for a cultural and economic program and $75,000 for the Western Alliance Cultural and Economic Program. Community infrastructure appears as well, including $40,000 to Maine Community Foundation for a broadband initiative and $50,000 to Oak Grove School for a Central Maine migrant program.
How Sandy River Charitable Foundation Gives
Recent grants cluster around a middle-of-the-market size, with a typical grant size of $19,000 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $60,128 at the 75th percentile. The foundation’s recent list includes repeated support to several organizations across 2023 and 2024, including Heifer-related grantees, Abenaki Helping Abenaki, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Intervale Center, Salvation Farms, Holt International, and Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. That pattern points to recurring relationships rather than one-time awards. The grant program is board-led and invitation-only: the foundation identifies organizations and projects of interest and asks them to apply. Its stated practice includes general operating support, project support, and matching funds/cost-share, and it also makes program-related investments and funds individuals.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.1M
Total Assets
$38M
Total Revenue
$2.3M
Total Expenses
$1.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $19K and $60K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$19K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$60K
Geographic Reach
Regional12 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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