The University of Maine Foundation, acting as a separate organization, will work collaboratively with all entities to encourage philanthropic support for the University of Maine and other charitable organizations while carrying out the donor’s wishes in perpetuity.
A defining feature of the University of Maine Foundation is its large, recurring transfers to the University of Maine itself. The biggest recent grant on file was $30,980,924 in 2023 to the university for general support, followed by $17,733,212 in 2024 and $12,805,408 in 2025 for distributions in support of the University of Maine. That pattern points to an institution built around donor-directed support for the university rather than a broad open grantmaking portfolio. The foundation operates as a separate organization that works collaboratively with entities to encourage philanthropic support for the University of Maine and other charitable organizations while carrying out donor wishes in perpetuity. Its program areas center on higher education, scholarships, research support, planned giving, and university program support. Recent grants also show direct support routed through the development service agreement, including a $5,964,805 transfer in 2023 and two further gifts transferred to the university in 2024 and 2025. Beyond the university, the recent grants list includes smaller awards to community organizations in Maine and one national association, showing that the foundation’s work extends beyond a single fund type while still remaining tightly centered on Maine and the University of Maine.
Scholarship support is a core part of the foundation’s work. It manages endowed scholarship funds that distribute earnings annually to University of Maine students, including named funds and quasi-endowed scholarship portfolios designed around donor-established criteria. The structure is built for direct student financial aid rather than discretionary, open-call grants. University programs and research support are another visible theme. The foundation’s endowment distributions include support for University of Maine programs, research, faculty, and, when directed by donors, other charitable organizations. Recent university payments also include a $17,733,212 distribution in 2024 and a $12,805,408 distribution in 2025. It also runs fundraising and endowment-building activity. Maine Day of Giving is a campaign to encourage donations to the University of Maine across designated funds, and the foundation accepts gifts to establish endowed or quasi-endowed funds, including scholarship endowments, for scholarships, academic programs, faculty support, and research.
$22.2M
$458.3M
$60.4M
$31.1M
Most grants fall between $19K and $6.7M, with a median of $38K.
25th Percentile
$19K
Median
$38K
75th Percentile
$6.7M
About 100% of grants go to recipients in ME.
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Typical grant size is $19,132 at the 25th percentile, $37,508 at the median, and $6,717,045 at the 75th percentile, which reflects a pattern dominated by very large university transfers alongside much smaller community and organizational awards. The recent grants list shows repeat recipients across multiple years, especially the University of Maine, Ahavas Achim Society of Brotherly Love, United Methodist Church, and Town of Searsmont. The foundation is a public charity and a regular funder, not a DAF or PRI vehicle. Some giving is explicitly tied to donor terms and the development service agreement, while scholarship and endowed-fund support is administered through named funds rather than an open solicitation model.
Grantmaking is entirely in Maine in the recent grants list, and 100% of grants went to recipients in the HQ state. Orono appears repeatedly through the University of Maine, while Bangor and Searsmont show smaller awards to local organizations. The list also includes one grant outside Maine to the Potato Association of America in Livonia, Michigan, though the overall recipient-country distribution remains entirely U.S.-based. This is a highly localized giving pattern with the University of Maine as the main recipient.
Its core work centers on higher education, scholarships, research support, planned giving, and university program support. The active programs show a strong emphasis on endowed scholarships, endowed funds for academic programs and faculty support, and annual distributions for University of Maine programs and research.
It manages hundreds of individually named endowed scholarship funds and annually distributes earnings to award scholarships to University of Maine students. It also administers endowed and quasi-endowed scholarship portfolios that provide direct financial awards based on donor-established criteria.
The grant-size distribution is $19,132 at the 25th percentile, $37,508 at the median, and $6,717,045 at the 75th percentile. That spread shows a mix of small awards and very large transfers, with the University of Maine accounting for the largest recent grants.
No. While the University of Maine is the central recipient, recent grants also went to Ahavas Achim Society of Brotherly Love in Bangor, United Methodist Church in Searsmont, Town of Searsmont, and the Potato Association of America in Livonia, Michigan.
The foundation accepts gifts to establish endowed or quasi-endowed funds, including scholarship endowments. The site says a named fund can be established for as little as $10,000, and donors can create named funds with guidance from Foundation staff.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Maine | Orono, ME | $12,805,408 | 2025 | Distributions in support of the University of Maine |
| University of Maine | Orono, ME | $9,272,349 | 2025 | Gifts transferred to the University of Maine |
| Ahavas Achim Society of Brotherly Love | Bangor, ME | $37,000 | 2025 | General |
| United Methodist Church | Searsmont, ME | $21,567 | 2025 | General |
| Potato Association of America | Livonia, MI | $16,467 | 2025 | General |
| Town of Searsmont | Searsmont, ME | $10,783 | 2025 | Government |
| University of Maine | Orono, ME | $17,733,212 | 2024 | Distributions in support of the University of Maine |
| University of Maine | Orono, ME | $6,967,792 | 2024 | Gifts transferred to the University of Maine |
| Ahavas Achim Society of Brotherly Love | Bangor, ME | $54,000 | 2024 | General |
| United Methodist Church | Searsmont, ME | $21,017 | 2024 | General |
| Town of Searsmont | Searsmont, ME | $10,508 | 2024 | Government |
| University of Maine | Orono, ME | $30,980,924 | 2023 | General |
| University of Maine | Orono, ME | $5,964,805 | 2023 | Gifts transferred to University pursuant to the development service agreement. |
| United Methodist Church | Searsmont, ME | $19,529 | 2023 | General |
| Ahavas Achim Society of Brotherly Love | Bangor, ME | $19,000 | 2023 | General |
| Town of Searsmont | Searsmont, ME | $9,764 | 2023 | Government |
University of Maine
$12,805,408Distributions in support of the University of Maine
University of Maine
$9,272,349Gifts transferred to the University of Maine
Ahavas Achim Society of Brotherly Love
$37,000General
United Methodist Church
$21,567General
Potato Association of America
$16,467General
Town of Searsmont
$10,783Government
University of Maine
$17,733,212Distributions in support of the University of Maine
University of Maine
$6,967,792Gifts transferred to the University of Maine
Ahavas Achim Society of Brotherly Love
$54,000General
United Methodist Church
$21,017General
Town of Searsmont
$10,508Government
University of Maine
$30,980,924General
University of Maine
$5,964,805Gifts transferred to University pursuant to the development service agreement.
United Methodist Church
$19,529General
Ahavas Achim Society of Brotherly Love
$19,000General
Town of Searsmont
$9,764Government