Elsie & William Viles Foundation
Augusta, ME · EIN 22-3089641. Reported 132 grants totalling $3,213,397 to 76 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
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. Elsie & William Viles 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.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $6,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $3,500 and $20,200; the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $173,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennebec Valley Humane Society | Augusta, ME | $623,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mainegeneral Health | Augusta, ME | $613,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Viles Arboretum | Augusta, ME | $309,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Maine State Museum | Augusta, ME | $299,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| South Parish Congregational Church | Augusta, ME | $299,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Cony High School | Augusta, ME | $230,692 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges | South Portland, ME | $96,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Augusta Food Bank | Augusta, ME | $85,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| City of Augusta | Augusta, ME | $75,900 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Kennebec Valley | Gardiner, ME | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Children's Center Early Intervention and Family Support | Augusta, ME | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Augusta Boys and Girls Club | Augusta, ME | $32,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Kennebec Historical Society | Augusta, ME | $26,825 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Mainegeneral Health - Cancer Care | Augusta, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of Baxter State Park | Belfast, ME | $22,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kennebec Valley Family Dentistry | Augusta, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Vaughan Woods and Historic Homestead | Hallowell, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sportsman's Alliance of Maine | Augusta, ME | $15,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kennebec Land Trust | Winthrop, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Literacy Volunteers of Greater Augusta Inc | Augusta, ME | $14,700 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Theatre at Monmouth | Monmouth, ME | $14,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Central Maine Area Agency on Aging Fbo Spectrum Generations | Augusta, ME | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| YMCA State of Maine | Winthrop, ME | $12,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Arnold Expedition Historical Society | Woolwich, ME | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Augusta Downtown Alliance | Augusta, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Humane Society of Waterville | Waterville, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pine Tree Society | Bath, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Spectrum Generations | Augusta, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pineland Suzuki School | Manchester, ME | $9,758 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Maine State Music Theatre | Brunswick, ME | $9,400 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Peace Ridge Sanctuary | Brooks, ME | $9,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Neighbors Driving Neighbors | Mount Vernon, ME | $8,999 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Gardiner Library Association | Gardiner, ME | $8,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Hubbard Free Library | Hallowell, ME | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hallowell Food Bank | Hallowell, ME | $8,200 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Winthrop Historical Society | Winthrop, ME | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Coda Chorus | Winthrop, ME | $7,800 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Friends of the Kennebec River Rail Trail | Augusta, ME | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries | Stonington, ME | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Susan L Curtis Foundation | Portland, ME | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Winthrop Food Pantry | Winthrop, ME | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Winthrop Public Library Foundation | Winthrop, ME | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| 7 Lakes Alliance Inc | Belgrade Lakes, ME | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Camp Susan Curtis | Portland, ME | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation | Fort Kent, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chebeague Island Historical Society | Chebeague Island, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Coastal Kids Preschool | Damariscotta, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Johnson Hall Inc | Gardiner, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals | South Windham, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Merrymeeting Bay Trout Unlimited | Brunswick, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Penquis Cap Inc | Bangor, ME | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Rooted in Trees | Chardon, OH | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Anchor Me Harbor | Windsor, ME | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hardy Girls Healthy Women | Waterville, ME | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Literacy Volunteers of Kennebec | Augusta, ME | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Maine Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation | Winterport, ME | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Volunteers of America | Brunswick, ME | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kennebec Youth Symphony | Augusta, ME | $3,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Augusta Symphony Orchestra | Augusta, ME | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lincoln County Historical Association | Wiscasset, ME | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Quoddy Tides Foundation (dba Tides Institute) | Eastport, ME | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Volunteers of America (fbo Northern New England) | Brunswick, ME | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Camp Kita | North Berwick, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of Cobbossee Watershed District | East Winthrop, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Greater Augusta Back to School Program | Augusta, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Maine Boys to Men | Portland, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ronald Mcdonald House | Portland, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| North Manchester Meeting House | Manchester, ME | $2,350 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Eastern Area Agency on Aging | Bangor, ME | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Gateway Milbridge Theatre and Community Arts Center | Milbridge, ME | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills Inc | Norway, ME | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wild Seed Project | Portland, ME | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Women for Health Rural Living | Milbridge, ME | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Vision Hallowell | Hallowell, ME | $1,423 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Turner Public Library | Turner, ME | $1,350 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Midcoast Literacy | Bath, ME | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
28 of 76 (37%) 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 53%, 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.
- Augusta Boys and Girls Club
Matching funds for Capital Campaign - Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges
Scholarship at Kennebec Valley CC - Vaughan Woods and Historic Homestead
Trailhead parking improvements - Kennebec Valley Family Dentistry
Dental Equipment for expanded clinic - Kennebec Land Trust
Accessible trail/parking area - Boys and Girls Clubs of Kennebec Valley
Make up for non-reimbursed meals
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 64 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 26 | $743,308 | $12,500 |
| 2022 | 30 | $796,715 | $4,950 |
| 2023 | 30 | $813,274 | $10,000 |
| 2024 | 46 | $860,100 | $5,000 |
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. 100% 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.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $6,000. 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 Elsie & William Viles 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: Po Box 319, Augusta, ME, 04332. 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 22-3089641 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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