Sam L Cohen Foundation
Portland, ME · EIN 20-2262822. Reported 393 grants totalling $11.8M to 238 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$15,000median grant
$11.8Mgranted, 2021-2024
238organizations funded
16%of grantees funded again the next year
$33.3Massets, latest filing
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Sam L Cohen Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $15,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $10,000 and $25,000; the smallest was $500 and the largest $1,765,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Children's Cancer Program | Portland, ME | $2,815,000 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Preble Street | Portland, ME | $350,000 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine | Portland, ME | $339,000 | 7 | 3 | 2024 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine | Portland, ME | $330,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Maine Medical Center | Portland, ME | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| My Place Teen Center | Westbrook, ME | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Youth and Family Outreach | Portland, ME | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland Stage Company | Portland, ME | $235,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Maine Children's Alliance | Augusta, ME | $212,500 | 5 | 3 | 2024 |
| Good Shepherd Food Bank | Auburn, ME | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| United Way of Southern Maine | Portland, ME | $151,000 | 6 | 3 | 2024 |
| Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project | Portland, ME | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Maine Public | Bangor, ME | $145,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Opportunity Alliance | Portland, ME | $115,000 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Gulf of Maine Research Institute | Portland, ME | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Maine Behavioral Healthcare | South Portland, ME | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Planned Parenthood of Northern New England | Colchester, VT | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition | Portland, ME | $95,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Maine Jewish Museum | Portland, ME | $85,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Prosperityme | Portland, ME | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Southern Maine Agency on Aging Inc | Biddeford, ME | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine Equal Justice | Hallowell, ME | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Portland Connected | Portland, ME | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| York County Community Action Corporation | Sanford, ME | $75,000 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Maine Initiatives | Portland, ME | $73,000 | 5 | 3 | 2024 |
| Holocaust Human Rights Center of Maine | Augusta, ME | $70,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine Center for Economic Policy | Portland, ME | $70,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Milestone Recovery | Portland, ME | $70,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Community Dental | Portland, ME | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Maine Jewish Film Festival | Portland, ME | $65,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center | Portland, ME | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine Association for the Education of Young Children | Augusta, ME | $62,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine Family Planning | Augusta, ME | $61,600 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Spurwink Services | Portland, ME | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Starting Strong | Portland, ME | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Congregation Etz Chaim | Kennebunk, ME | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Equalitymaine Foundation | Portland, ME | $55,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Committee to Restore the Abyssinian | Portland, ME | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland Public Library | Portland, ME | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Portland Symphony Orchestra | Portland, ME | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center | Biddeford, ME | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Tedford Housing | Brunswick, ME | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges | South Portland, ME | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Jewish Federations of North America | New York, NY | $50,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Wayside Food Programs | Portland, ME | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| York County Shelter Programs Inc | Alfred, ME | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Youth Full Maine | Biddeford, ME | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Biddeford Food Pantry | Biddeford, ME | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Caring Unlimited Corp | Sanford, ME | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Foundation for Portland Public Schools | Portland, ME | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Intercultural Community Center | Westbrook, ME | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine Coast Fishermen's Association | Brunswick, ME | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Frannie Peabody Center | Portland, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Greater Portland Family Promise | Portland, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Habitat for Humanity York County | Kennebunk, ME | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Hope Acts | Portland, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Locker Project | South Portland, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Maine Women's Lobby Education Fund | Augusta, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mainehealth | Portland, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program | Brunswick, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| ACLU of Maine | Portland, ME | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Apex Youth Connection | Biddeford, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Furniture Friends | Westbrook, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Hospice of Southern Maine | Scarborough, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| In Her Presence | Portland, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Levey Day School | Portland, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Portland Ovations | Portland, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Sarssm | Portland, ME | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Center for Grieving Children | Portland, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| United Way of Greater Portland | Portland, ME | $32,500 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Maine Audubon | Portland, ME | $30,400 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| 317 Main Community Music Center | Yarmouth, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| American Civil Liberties Union of Maine Foundation (aclu) | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Red Cross of Southern Maine | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine | Westbrook, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Catholic Charities Maine | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Common Threads of Maine | Scarborough, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Commonspace | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Council for a Strong America | Washington, DC | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cross Cultural Community Services | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Elder Abuse Institute of Maine | Brunswick, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Goodwill Industries of Northern New England | Gorham, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Greater Portland Workforce Initiative | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ladder to the Moon Network | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Learningworks | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Maine Access Immigrant Network | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Maine Boys to Men | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Mainspring | Kittery, ME | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mayo Street Arts | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Restorative Justice Institute of Maine | Brunswick, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Safe Families for Children | Topsham, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Seeds of Peace | Otisfield, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Mitchell Institute | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Telling Room | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Windowdressers Inc | Rockland, ME | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| University of Hawai'i Foundation | Honolulu, HI | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| University of Southern Maine Foundation | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Robbie Foundation | Scarborough, ME | $27,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Amistad | Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Coastal Enterprises Inc | Brunswick, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Focusmaine | Augusta, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Friends of Portland Adult Education | Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Full Plates Full Potential | Brunswick, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Jobs for Maine's Graduates | Augusta, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Maine Access Immigrant Network (main) | Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Morrison Center | Scarborough, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Northeast Hearing and Speech Center | Amherst, MA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Northern Light Home Care & Hospice | South Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland Housing Authority | Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland Museum of Art | Portland, ME | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Portland Recovery Community Center | Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Psl Services Dba Strive | South Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Southern Maine Jewish Cemetery Association | Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sweetser | Saco, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Temple Beth El | Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Heart of Biddeford | Biddeford, ME | $23,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine Humanities Council | Portland, ME | $22,840 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland | Portland, ME | $22,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Woodfords Family Services | Westbrook, ME | $22,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine | Portland, ME | $21,800 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Consumers for Affordable Health Care | Augusta, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Dempsey Center for Quality Cancer Care | Auburn, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Dempsey Centers for Quality Cancer Care | Lewiston, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Disability Rights Maine | Augusta, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ecology Education Inc | Saco, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Finding Our Voices | Camden, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Foundation for a Strong Maine Economy | Augusta, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of the Portland Community Free Clinic (fpcfc) | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Grahamtastic Connection | Springvale, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Greater Portland Health | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hardy Girls Healthy Women | Waterville, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Junior Achievement of Maine Inc | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Kids First Center | Scarborough, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine Academy of Modern Music | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Maine Federation of Farmers Markets | Freeport, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Maine Historical Society | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Maine Inside Out | Lewiston, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mainely Teeth | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Midcoast Literacy | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Northern Light Health Foundation | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Northern Light Mercy | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Oasis Free Clinics | Brunswick, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Oasis Health Network Inc | Brunswick, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland Chamber Music Festival | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Portland Trails | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Shalom House Inc | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Ecology School | Saco, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Through These Doors | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Port Resources | South Portland, ME | $18,805 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Chabad Lubavitch of Maine Inc | Portland, ME | $18,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Maine Early Childhood Funders Group | Portland, ME | $18,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Space Gallery | Portland, ME | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Gathering Place | Brunswick, ME | $17,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine Community Foundation | Ellsworth, ME | $15,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Avesta Housing Development Corporation | South Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacty | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Camp Sunshine at Sebago Lake Inc | Casco, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| City of Portland | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Count Me in | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cultivating Community | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cumberland County Food Security Council | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Engine Inc | Biddeford, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Freeport Community Services | Freeport, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Greater Portland Peer Services | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ketcha Outdoors | Scarborough, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Maine Resilience Building Network | Manchester, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Mainely Smiles | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| New Ventures Maine | South Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Palaver Strings | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Partners for World Health | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Portland Community Squash | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Rippleffect | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Side X Side Inc | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Susan Curtis Charitable Foundation | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Iris Network | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| United Way of Androscoggin County | Lewiston, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| A Company of Girls | Portland, ME | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Artvan | Brunswick, ME | $12,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| United Recovery Fund | Portland, ME | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lake Region Senior Service Inc | Bridgeton, ME | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lake Region Senior Services | Gorham, ME | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Acorn Productions | Portland, ME | $10,250 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Beth Israel Congregation | Bath, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Biddeford Mills Museum | Biddeford, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Black Owned Maine | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Catherine Morrill Day Nursery | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Family and Community Mediation | Falmouth, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Farms for Food Equity | Cape Elizabeth, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Girl Scouts of Maine | South Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Great Bay Services Inc | Dover, NH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers Maine | Topsham, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hope Squad Maine | Ocean Park, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Indigo Arts Alliance | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Maine Access Points | Brunswick, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Maine Council on Aging | Brunswick, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program | Augusta, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition (mpac) | Lisbon, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Maine State Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation | Augusta, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| New Ventures Maine Umaums | Augusta, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| People Plus | Brunswick, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pinetree Institute | Eliot, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland School of Ballet | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Reentry Sisters | Standish, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sailmaine | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Saint Andre Home | Bangor, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Senior Needs Committee of Wells & Ogunquit | Wells, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Somali Bantu Community Assoication | Lewiston, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| South Portland Food Cupboard | South Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Family Restored | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Town of Brunswick Welcome Center | Brunswick, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Upstander Project | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Valo | Freeport, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Volunteers of America Northern New England | Brunswick, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Youth-Led Justice | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Maine Oral Health Funders | Augusta, ME | $9,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Portland Housing Services Corporation | Portland, ME | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Vigorous Tenderness | Portland, ME | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Community Change Inc | Boston, MA | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Community Organizing Alliance | Augusta, ME | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kids Free to Grow | Kennebunk, ME | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Congregation Beth Israel | Old Orchard Beach, ME | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Brick Store Museum | Kennebunk, ME | $5,200 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Adcare Educational Institute of Maine | Augusta, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center | Biddeford, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Classical Uprising | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Friends of the Saint Lawrence Church | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Maine Philanthropy Center | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine State Music Theatre | Brunswick, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Omar Bin Al Khattab Masjid | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Our Place | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pihcintu Chorus | Denmark, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| St Luke's Food Pantry | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friendship House | South Portland, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Maine | Portland, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Education Funders Network | Portland, ME | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
110 of 238 (46%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 16%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Maine Children's Cancer Program
PEDIATRIC INFUSION CENTER, MEDICAL DIRECTOR CHAIR, & PATIENT CARE & FAMILY FUND - Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine
A PLACE OF GROWTH CAPITAL CAMPAIGN - Youth and Family Outreach
BUILDING A BRIGHTER FUTURE EXPANSION CAMPAIGN - Portland Stage Company
"MAKING AN ENTRANCE" CAPITAL CAMPAIGN - My Place Teen Center
THE MY PLACE TEEN CENTER SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN - Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 289 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 93 | $3,762,072 | $15,000 |
| 2022 | 94 | $3,269,500 | $17,500 |
| 2023 | 112 | $2,316,223 | $15,000 |
| 2024 | 94 | $2,482,100 | $15,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 98% of this one's giving went to organizations in Maine. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
Maine Community Foundation Inc156 shared recipientsFidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund122 shared recipientsDonor Advised Charitable Giving Inc83 shared recipientsElmina B Sewall Foundation73 shared recipientsJohn T Gorman Foundation69 shared recipientsAmerican Online Giving Foundation Inc64 shared recipients
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $15,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Maine.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Sam L Cohen Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 22 Free Street Ste 401, Portland, ME, 04101. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 20-2262822 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded, which is the best available predictor of who it will fund next -- and a much better basis for deciding whether to write to them than a mission statement.
Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.