Maine Justice Foundation
The Maine Justice Foundation is a public charity based in Augusta, Maine. It supports civil legal aid and initiatives advancing fairness and justice in Maine through grants, managed funds and programs. The Foundation says it is funded by individual private donations and Maine-based community partners and does not receive federal or state government grant funding.
Maine Justice Foundation at a glance
In short: Maine Justice Foundation gave $3.8M across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $212K), mostly in Maine. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,810,495
- +29.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- +100.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $211,694
- -35.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $9,745,528
- -0.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (3 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Maine (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Maine Justice Foundation
- How to Apply
-
For future funding opportunities, the Foundation invites interested parties to request placement on its notification list. The Maine Civil Legal Services Fund uses written applications, and the LGBTQ+ Justice Fund issues requests for proposals.
- Contact
Mailing address: 124 State Street Suite 2, Augusta, ME 04330
Phone: (207) 622-3477
Website: https://justicemaine.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from Maine Justice Foundation
Fairness and Justice Alliance
Maine Justice Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Frank M. Coffin Family Law Public Interest Fellowship
Maine Justice Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Justice Action Group (JAG)
Maine Justice Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Maine Justice Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Volunteer Lawyers Project ($1.2M). Together the top 10 received $3.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
52 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 20 grants of 52 (38%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s stated grantmaking and programs focus on Maine. In 2025, all reported grant dollars went to Maine recipients. The Frank M. Coffin Family Law Public Interest Fellowship is specifically described as serving the Portland area.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Maine Justice Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 15 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $316K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $105K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.3M (2022) to $3.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $3.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer Lawyers Project Portland, ME | See Part IV | $1,205,252 |
| Pine Tree Legal Assistance Portland, ME | See Part IV | $605,482 |
| Maine Equal Justice Project Augusta, ME | See Part IV | $598,602 |
| Legal Services for the Elderly Augusta, ME | See Part IV | $503,219 |
| Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project Portland, ME | See Part IV | $469,812 |
| Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic Portland, ME | See Part IV | $192,653 |
| Pine Tree Legal Assistance Portland, ME | Frank Coffin Fellow | $145,800 |
| Maine Inside Out Lewiston, ME | RJF Grants | $10,000 |
| Ladder to the Moon Network Portland, ME | Racial Justice | $10,000 |
| Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project Portland, ME | Racial Justice | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Maine Justice Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $9,745,528 | $4,131,964 | $4,451,513 | $3,810,495 | 18 | $667,147 |
| 2024 | $9,826,767 | $4,428,750 | $3,629,084 | $2,950,180 | 9 | $390,208 |
| 2023 | $8,196,870 | $3,778,764 | $2,548,982 | $1,809,872 | 13 | $184,361 |
| 2022 | $6,199,980 | $2,674,498 | $2,023,751 | $1,251,428 | 6 | $543,643 |
| 2021 | $6,664,792 | $2,689,416 | $2,233,799 | $1,387,647 | 6 | $549,811 |
| 2020 | $5,958,751 | $2,322,293 | $2,259,318 | $1,448,523 | 7 | $275,981 |
| 2019 | $5,543,961 | $1,995,551 | $2,366,519 | $1,729,761 | 7 | $206,486 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s mission is “to sustain, promote, and partner with legal aid providers and social justice organizations to inspire and support fairness and justice in Maine.” Its stated program work includes grants to legal-service and social-justice organizations serving low-income people.
The Foundation identifies civil legal aid as a central area of support. It says its IOLTA program provides annual operating funds to six core providers: The Clinics at Maine Law, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Legal Services for Maine Elders, Maine Equal Justice, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, and Volunteer Lawyers Project. Its Fairness & Justice Fund supports Maine nonprofits working on issues including the legal system, healthcare, education, the workplace, food insecurity, natural resources, and housing. Other named funds address racial justice and LGBTQ+ civil legal aid.
The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the work supported. Pine Tree Legal Assistance says it provides free civil legal assistance and addresses systemic barriers to justice faced by low-income Mainers. The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project says it helps low-income immigrants improve their legal status and works for more just and humane laws and policies affecting immigrants. Maine Inside Out describes its work as engaging youth and adults impacted by systemic oppression to create and share original theater.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 18 grants totaling $3,810,495. Grant amounts ranged from $6,823 to $1,205,252, with a median of $10,000.
The largest reported grants included $1,205,252 to Volunteer Lawyers Project, $605,482 to Pine Tree Legal Assistance, $598,602 to Maine Equal Justice Project, $503,219 to Legal Services for the Elderly, and $469,812 to Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project. The Foundation also reported a $145,800 grant to Pine Tree Legal Assistance for a Frank Coffin Fellow. Its smaller listed grants included $10,000 each to Maine Inside Out, Ladder to the Moon Network, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, and Maine Commission on Public Defense Services, and $7,142 to Out Maine. All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Maine.
The Foundation describes its core-provider grants as being based on a distribution formula and other processes that are periodically reviewed and updated. It monitors those grants through semi-annual reports, annual site visits, approximately monthly meetings with providers, and board meetings. The Maine Civil Legal Services Fund Commission makes funding determinations for eligible civil legal-service providers based on written applications. The LGBTQ+ Justice Fund’s volunteer advisory committee sets program scope, issues requests for proposals, and reviews and recommends grants. The Foundation invites interested parties to join its notification list for future funding opportunities.
The Frank M. Coffin Family Law Public Interest Fellowship provides legal representation in family-law matters to clients qualified for pro bono assistance through the Volunteer Lawyers Project. It is hosted by Pine Tree Legal Assistance in its Portland offices and is for attorneys interested in public-interest law; it is not described as a grant program for outside applicants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing include Tim Pease, President; Emily Arvizu, Vice President; Jerrol A. Crouter, Treasurer; Michelle G. Draeger, Secretary; Jonathan Dunitz, Immediate Past President; Susan A. Faunce, President, M; and directors Emily Cain, Emily Cooke, Anne McGuire, and Shelly Anardo Okere.
Maine Justice Foundation is led by Susan A. Faunce, President & M since 2025 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 16 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Susan A. Faunce
President & M
Director → President-El, 2024
President-El → President & M, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tim Pease
President
Cfj Co- → President-El, 2024
President-El → President, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rachel D. Okun
President-El
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Warren M. Silver
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shelly Anardo Okere
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stacy O. Stitham
Director
President Elect → President Ms, 2023
President Ms → Director, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Adam Swanson
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anne McGuire
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily Cain
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily Cooke
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle G. Draeger
Secretary
Secretary & Executive Director → Secretary & Exectutive Director, 2022
Secretary & Exectutive Director → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$110K (2021) → $146K (2025)
Jerrol A. Crouter
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Judith A. Fletcher Woodbury
Immediate Past P
President-Elect → President, 2023
President → Immediate Past P, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily Arvizu
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Dunitz
Immediate Past P
President Elect M → President & M, 2024
President & M → Immediate Past P, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (27)
- Former: Janis Cohen (2019–2024) — Vice President
- Former: Robin Russel (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Frank Bishop Jr. (2021–2024) — Immediate Pat Pr
- Former: Alyne K. Cistone (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Joanne Lewis (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Reginald Parson (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Julia Sheridan (2024) — Director
- Former: H. Lowell Brown (2019–2022) — President
- Former: Katherine Tierney (2019–2022) — Executive Committee
- Former: Stephen Hyde (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Albert G. Ayre (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Barbara A. Cardone (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Gerald Petruccelli (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Grady R. Burns (2019–2021) — Executive Committee
- Former: Kelly W. McDonald (2019–2021) — Ex-Officio
- Former: Kenneth Lehman (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Mary Kathryn Brennan (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Ronald L. Phillips (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Thaddeus V. Day (2019–2021) — Ex-Officio
- Former: Virginia E. Davis (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: William S. Harwood (2019–2021) — Immediate Past President
- Former: Camrin M. Rivera (2021) — Director
- Former: Diana C. Scully (2019–2020) — Executive Director - Retired
- Former: Eric N. Columber (2019–2020) — Ex-Officio
- Former: John W. Geismar (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Michael J. Levey (2019–2020) — Executive Committee
- Former: William D. Robitzek (2019–2020) — Immediate Past President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $146K, to Michelle G Draeger (Secretary &).
Frequently asked questions about Maine Justice Foundation
How much does Maine Justice Foundation give each year?
Maine Justice Foundation gave $3.8M across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $3.0M across 9 grants.
What is Maine Justice Foundation's typical grant size?
Maine Justice Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $211,694, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Maine Justice Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does Maine Justice Foundation give grants?
Maine Justice Foundation gives mostly in Maine: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Portland, ME (11 grants) and Augusta, ME (3 grants).
Does Maine Justice Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 18 grants with a stated purpose on Maine Justice Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "See Part IV" (6 grants), "LGBTQ Grants" (6 grants) and "Racial Justice" (3 grants).
Who are Maine Justice Foundation's largest grantees?
Maine Justice Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Volunteer Lawyers Project ($1,205,252), Pine Tree Legal Assistance ($751,282 across 2 grants) and Maine Equal Justice Project ($598,602), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 67% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Maine Justice Foundation?
Maine Justice Foundation reported $9.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $4.1M.
What does Maine Justice Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s mission is “to sustain, promote, and partner with legal aid providers and social justice organizations to inspire and support fairness and justice in Maine.” Its stated program work includes grants to legal-service and social-justice organizations serving low-income people. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Maine Justice Foundation?
For future funding opportunities, the Foundation invites interested parties to request placement on its notification list. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Maine Justice Foundation's EIN?
Maine Justice Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-2559133. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 21, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 1, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 23, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 8, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Maine Justice Foundation funds
Crime & Legal Related Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Maine Justice Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Maine Justice Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/maine-justice-foundation-morg_0677c15f93d540fab982dcb451fe78ed
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_222559133_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Maine Justice Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/maine-justice-foundation-morg_0677c15f93d540fab982dcb451fe78ed},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Maine Justice Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Maine Justice Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?