The Twig Foundation is dominated by a single large commitment to regional community philanthropy in Maine, alongside a portfolio of international humanitarian and human-rights organizations. Outside the major Maine Community Foundation gift, the foundation regularly provides unrestricted/general support to emergency medical relief, refugee assistance, child relief, and anti-trafficking/human-rights groups. Grants are typically unrestricted and aimed at established organizations that deliver direct services or manage donor-advised/community resources.
Twig Foundation’s grantmaking is anchored by a single 2025 commitment of $2,600,754 to Maine Community Foundation for general support, a gift that sets the tone for the rest of its portfolio. Around that major community-philanthropy grant, the foundation also backs established organizations working in humanitarian relief, refugee support, child welfare, civil liberties, anti-trafficking, and human-rights advocacy. Recent grants show a mix of one larger institutional grant and a series of smaller general-support awards to national nonprofits. The foundation has repeatedly supported International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, International Justice Mission, the ACLU, and Fistula Foundation, usually with unrestricted grants. That pattern points to a funder that favors direct-service organizations and advocacy groups already operating at scale rather than emerging projects. Its giving also includes Maine-based charities such as Knox County Homeless Coalition and Good Shepherd Food Bank Maine, alongside national and international organizations. The result is a portfolio that combines place-based philanthropy in Maine with broader support for emergency aid and human-rights work.
A defining thread in Twig Foundation’s giving is regional community philanthropy in Maine. The largest recent grant went to Maine Community Foundation for general support, and the foundation also backed Knox County Homeless Coalition, Good Shepherd Food Bank Maine, and Natural Resources Council of Maine with general grants. Outside Maine, refugee and humanitarian relief is a recurring theme. The foundation gave $45,000 and $35,000 to International Rescue Committee in earlier years, then another $40,000 in 2025. It also supported UNICEF with $30,000 in 2025 and $25,000 in 2024, showing continued interest in child-focused humanitarian work. Its health and rights portfolio includes $30,500 to Fistula Foundation in 2025, $25,000 and $25,000 to Msf Usadoctors Without Borders in 2023 and 2024, and $40,000 to International Justice Mission in 2025. Those grants point to medical relief and anti-trafficking or human-rights enforcement as additional priorities.
Twig Foundation’s typical grant size is modest relative to its largest gift: the 25th percentile is $8,000, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $16,500. The recent record shows both concentrated support and repeat giving, with several organizations appearing across multiple years, including International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, Msf Usadoctors Without Borders, Action Against Hunger, Carbon180, Good Shepherd Food Bank Maine, Knox County Homeless Coalition, Fistula Foundation, and Aclu. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments. Grants in the provided record are general support, suggesting flexible operating support is a common approach.
$2.8M
$621K
$144K
$2.8M
Most grants fall between $8K and $17K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$17K
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Highly concentrated giving: one very large grant (majority of assets) to a community foundation in Maine, plus several smaller but repeated/general-support grants to established international relief and human-rights NGOs. Mix of a few repeat grantees and one dominant, region-specific beneficiary.
Notable grantees: Maine Community Foundation, International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders (MSF US), International Justice Mission
Twig Foundation gives nationally, but its grants cluster in a few places. California appears often through San Jose, Santa Barbara, and other recipient locations, while New York City is another major node with grants to organizations based there. Maine is especially important in the record, with awards to Ellsworth, Rockland, Auburn, and Augusta. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the provided data, with 43 grants going to U.S. organizations.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution centers on smaller awards: the 25th percentile is $8,000, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $16,500. The recent record also includes one much larger outlier, a $2,600,754 grant to Maine Community Foundation.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, Msf Usadoctors Without Borders, Action Against Hunger, Carbon180, Good Shepherd Food Bank Maine, Knox County Homeless Coalition, Fistula Foundation, and Aclu.
Its recent grants go to regional community philanthropy, refugee and humanitarian relief, child-focused aid, medical relief, civil liberties, anti-trafficking, and environmental or public-interest organizations. Named recipients include Maine Community Foundation, International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, International Justice Mission, and Aclu.
The foundation gives nationally, and the top state by grant count is California. The grant record also shows many recipients in New York and Maine, including organizations in San Jose, Santa Barbara, New York City, Ellsworth, Rockland, Auburn, and Augusta.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | ELLSWORTH, ME | $2,600,754 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CAMBRIDGE PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ACLU | NEW YORK, NY | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FISTULA FOUNDATION | SAN JOSE, CA | $30,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| UNICEF | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PROPUBLICA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | ALBERT LEA, MN | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| MSF USADOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| UNICEF | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ACTION AGAINST HUNGER | NEW YORK, NY | $18,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION | ROCKLAND, ME | $14,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK MAINE | AUBURN, ME | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| FISTULA FOUNDATION | SAN JOSE, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CARBON180 | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| DIRECT RELIEFORG | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $8,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE | AUGUSTA, ME | $8,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | NEW YORK, NY | $8,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| WALDO COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION | BELFAST, ME | $8,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ACLU | NEW YORK, NY | $8,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| TIDES FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $7,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| YOU CAN VOTE NORTH CAROLINA | DURHAM, NC | $7,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | ALBERT LEA, MN | $45,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| UNICEF | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| MSF USADOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ACTION AGAINST HUNGER | NEW YORK, NY | $18,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| FISTULA FOUNDATION | SAN JOSE, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION | ROCKLAND, ME | $14,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK MAINE | AUBURN, ME | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| CARBON180 | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION | ARLINGTON, VA | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| DIRECT RELIEFORG | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $8,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| WALDO COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION | BELFAST, ME | $8,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ACLU | NEW YORK, NY | $8,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | NEW YORK, NY | $8,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE | AUGUSTA, ME | $8,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| CENTER FOR COMMON GROUND | LADYSMITH, VA | $7,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| YOU CAN VOTE NORTH CAROLINA | DURHAM, NC | $7,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| TIDES FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $7,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
CAMBRIDGE PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION
$50,000GENERAL
INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION
$40,000GENERAL
GENERAL
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
$35,000GENERAL
MSF USADOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$25,000GENERAL
INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION
$20,000GENERAL
KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION
$14,000GENERAL
DIRECT RELIEFORG
$8,000GENERAL
NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE
$8,000GENERAL
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
$8,000GENERAL
WALDO COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION
$8,000GENERAL
TIDES FOUNDATION
$7,000GENERAL
YOU CAN VOTE NORTH CAROLINA
$7,000GENERAL
WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION
$2,000GENERAL
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
$45,000GENERAL
MSF USADOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$25,000GENERAL
KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION
$14,000GENERAL
CARBON180
$10,000GENERAL
DIRECT RELIEFORG
$8,000GENERAL
WALDO COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION
$8,000GENERAL
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
$8,000GENERAL
NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE
$8,000GENERAL
CENTER FOR COMMON GROUND
$7,000GENERAL
YOU CAN VOTE NORTH CAROLINA
$7,000GENERAL
TIDES FOUNDATION
$7,000GENERAL
WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION
$2,000GENERAL