Virginia Hodgkins Somers Foundation Inc
Kennebunkport, ME · EIN 01-0537127. Reported 222 grants totalling $3,835,543 to 119 organizations across tax years 2020-2023. 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. Virginia Hodgkins Somers Foundation Inc 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 $10,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $10,000 and $20,000; the smallest was $2,000 and the largest $300,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Place Teen Center | Westbrook, ME | $335,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Kennebunk Heritage Housing Trust | Kennebunkport, ME | $220,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Sanford-Springvale YMCA | Sanford, ME | $160,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Good Shepard Food Bank | Auburn, ME | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Big Brothers and Sisters of Southern Maine | Westbrook, ME | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The New School | Kennebunk, ME | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Habitat for Humanity York County | Kennebunk, ME | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Saint Joseph's College | Standish, ME | $70,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Ecology School | Saco, ME | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Apex Youth Connection | Biddeford, ME | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Saco River Theatre | Bar Mills, ME | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Engine | Biddeford, ME | $55,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Gulf of Maine Research | Portland, ME | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Spirit Series Maine | Yarmouth, ME | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Maine Association of Nonprofits | Portland, ME | $53,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Caring Unlimited | Sanford, ME | $50,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Grahamtastic Connection | Springvale, ME | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Kennebunk Free Library | Kennebunk, ME | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Learningworks | Portland, ME | $50,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Quoddy Tides Foundation | Eastport, ME | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Seeds of Hope | Biddeford, ME | $50,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges | South Portland, ME | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| White Pine Program | York, ME | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| York County Shelter Programs | Alfred, ME | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Maine Boys to Men | Falmouth, ME | $47,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Community Dental | Portland, ME | $46,965 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Continuum Arts Collective | North Berwick, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| CS3 | Kennebunk, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Goodwill Industries of Northern New England | Gorham, ME | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| School Around US | Arundel, ME | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Spurwink | Portland, ME | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Telling Room | Portland, ME | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Girl Scouts of Maine | South Portland, ME | $37,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Brick Store Museum | Kennebunk, ME | $35,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Center for Grieving Children | Portland, ME | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Ferry Beach Retreat and Conference Center | Saco, ME | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Heart of Biddeford | Biddeford, ME | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Preble Street | Portland, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| River Tree Arts | Kennebunk, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| St Georges Child Care Center | York Harbor, ME | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Ice Dance International | Kittery, ME | $32,500 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Biddeford Food Pantry | Biddeford, ME | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Documentary Educational Resources | Watertown, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Illustration Institute | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Kennebunk Historical Society | Kennebunkport, ME | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Nasson Center Redevelopment Inc | Springvale, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| United Way of Southern Maine | Portland, ME | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Volunteers of America New England | Brunswick, ME | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Junior Achievement of Maine | Portland, ME | $28,400 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Youth Full Maine | Biddeford, ME | $27,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Elder Abuse Institute of Maine | Brunswick, ME | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Hardy Girls Healthy Women | Waterville, ME | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| International Community Center | Westbrook, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kennebunk Rotary Club | Kennebunk, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Prosperity Me | Portland, ME | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Tear Cap Workshops | Hiram, ME | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| A Company of Girls | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| American Red Cross of Southern Maine | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Indigo Arts Alliance | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kids First Center | Scarborough, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Kittery Land Trust | Kittery, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Maine Inside Out | Lewiston, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Maine Philanthropy Center | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Mainely Smiles Dba Mainely Teeth | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mayo Street Arts | Portland, ME | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sierra Club of Maine | Oakland, CA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Southern Maine Agency on Aging | Scarborough, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Wells Reserve at Laudholm | Wells, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Woodfords Family Services | Westbrook, ME | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center | Biddeford, ME | $16,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Hewnoaks Artist Colony | Portland, ME | $16,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Avesta Housing | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Camp Susan Curtis | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Hopeful Links | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Jobs for Maine Graduates | Augusta, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Maine Charitable Mechanic Association | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nasson Redevelopment Center | Springvale, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Opera Maine | Portland, ME | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Landing School | Arundel, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Time of Wonder Early Learning Center | York Harbor, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| United Way of York County | Kennebunk, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| YMCA of Southern Maine | Biddeford, ME | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Kids Free to Grow | Kennebunk, ME | $13,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Biddeford Mills Museum | Biddeford, ME | $12,600 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Animal Welfare Society | West Kennebunk, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Classical Uprising | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Maine Community Music Center | Yarmouth, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Make a Wish Maine | Scarborough, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| New Ventures Maine | Augusta, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ogunquit Museum of American Art | Ogunquit, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ogunquit Playhouse | Ogunquit, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Peregrine Corp Dba Strive | South Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Pinetree Institute | Eliot, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland Stage Company Inc | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Portland Symphony Orchestra | Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sweetser | Saco, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Opportunity Alliance | South Portland, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| York Public Library | York, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| La Kermesse Franco Americaine De Biddeford Maine | Biddeford, ME | $8,442 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Laudholm Trust | Wells, ME | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Portland Museum of Art | Portland, ME | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Dance Hall | Kittery, ME | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Community Harvest | Kennebunk, ME | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sanford Springvale Mousam Way Land Trust | Sanford, ME | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation | Bethel, ME | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Art Van | Brunswick, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Passion for Life | South Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland Chamber Music Festival | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland School of Ballet | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Restorative Justice Institute of Maine | South Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Seed Money | Scarborough, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Shalom House Inc | Portland, ME | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Acorn Productions | Portland, ME | $4,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Maine STEM Partnership | Orono, ME | $3,636 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Carlisle Charitable Foundation | Kennebunk, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Count Me in | Portland, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Education Action Forum of Maine | Portland, ME | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
62 of 119 (52%) 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 45%, 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 Philanthropy Center
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIPPROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIP - Portland Chamber Music Festival
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 143 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 53 | $788,043 | $10,000 |
| 2021 | 62 | $900,500 | $10,000 |
| 2022 | 64 | $1,304,500 | $20,000 |
| 2023 | 43 | $842,500 | $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. 99% 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 $10,000. 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 Virginia Hodgkins Somers Foundation Inc's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: Po Box 3037, Kennebunkport, ME, 04046. 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 01-0537127 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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