Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust
The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Portland, Maine. Established in 1988 by Joan Morton Kelly and her mother, Mildred Duncan Morton, it supports work connecting people and place through the arts, culture, historic preservation, and the natural environment in Maine.
Key facts about Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust
In short: Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust gave $1.3M across 123 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Maine. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 01-0442078
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,300,936
- Grants made (2025)
- 123
- Average grant
- $10,577
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $21,561,298
- Primary geography
- Maine (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- Applications are submitted online through the Trust’s grant portal. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- October 1 each year.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$21.6M
+6.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.3M
-0.3% YoY
Grant Count
123
+12200.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$11K
-99.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $1.4M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust gives
- Giving grew 24% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Trust’s stated overarching interest is connecting people and place through the arts, culture, and the natural environment in Maine. Its program areas are Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation, and Environmental Initiatives. It welcomes operating-support and project requests that may benefit local, regional, or statewide communities.
Arts and culture priorities include access to cultural experiences, creative expression, Maine’s diverse cultural heritage, and cultural facility improvements and historic preservation. The Trust identifies environmental priorities including land conservation and stewardship, watershed protection, restoration, and environmental outdoor learning. It does not fund summer festivals or artist residencies unless they include year-round Maine-based programming and community engagement.
Examples of 2025 grantees illustrate the range of organizations funded. Preble Street describes its mission as providing accessible services and advocating for solutions for people experiencing homelessness, housing problems, hunger, and poverty. Maine Historical Society says it preserves and shares Maine’s story, while Maine Preservation says it promotes and preserves historic places and strengthens Maine communities. Bomazeen Land Trust describes its work as enabling Abenaki/Wabanaki descendants to renew stewardship of lands and waters significant to their people.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the Trust reported 123 grants totaling $1,300,936. Grant amounts ranged from $3,350 to $50,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest award was $50,000 to Preble Street for a capital campaign. Other notable awards included $20,000 each to Bomazeen Land Trust, Friends of the Veterans’ Memorial Library, Greater Portland Landmarks, Indigo Arts Alliance, Maine Environmental Education Association, Maine Historical Society, Maine Humanities Council, Maine Preservation, and Wabanaki Community Foundation. The Trust also gave $15,000 to Aroostook Arts and Education Center (DBA Wintergreen Arts Center) and Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine.
Review Cycle
October 1 each year. For the 2026 cycle, applications close at midnight on October 1, 2026; extensions are not available.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust
Ready to take the next step with Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Trust describes its work as Maine-focused, with proposals potentially benefiting local, regional, or statewide communities. In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Maine, 1% to Vermont, and 1% to Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 123 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $958K (2020) to $1.3M (2024). In 2025 it made 123 grants totaling $1.3M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Preble Street ($65K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $245K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
127 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 122 grants of 127 (96%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Preble Street Portland, ME | Capital Campaign | $50,000 |
| Bomazeen Land Trust Portland, ME | Cultural Transmission, Operating Support | $20,000 |
| Friends of the Veterans' Memorial Library Patten, ME | Friends of the Veterans Memorial Library and Community Center | $20,000 |
| Greater Portland Landmarks Portland, ME | Operating Support: Strategic Plan in Action | $20,000 |
| Indigo Arts Alliance Portland, ME | Indigo Arts Alliance | $20,000 |
| Maine Environmental Education Association Brunswick, ME | Maine Environmental Education Association Operating Support 2025 | $20,000 |
| Maine Historical Society Portland, ME | Maine Historical Society - Revolutionary Maine: America at 250 | $20,000 |
| Maine Humanities Council Portland, ME | Operating Support: Humanities in Need | $20,000 |
| Maine Preservation Yarmouth, ME | Operating Support Technical Assistance | $20,000 |
| Wabanaki Community Foundation Pembroke, ME | Start-up Operations | $20,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant sum | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $21,561,298 | $2,868,446 | $1,582,195 | $1,300,936 | 123 |
| 2024 | $20,243,296 | $3,731,306 | $1,495,859 | $1,305,500 | 1 |
| 2023 | $17,851,579 | $1,247,086 | $1,422,642 | $1,252,057 | 1 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $21,561,298 | $20,243,296 | $17,851,579 |
| Revenue | $2,868,446 | $3,731,306 | $1,247,086 |
| Expenses | $1,582,195 | $1,495,859 | $1,422,642 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,404,004 | $1,388,309 | $1,343,363 |
| Net Investment Income | $2,775,885 | $3,623,756 | $1,167,807 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,438,209 | $1,304,137 | $1,141,332 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Douglas M. Henry as President/Director; Marilyn A. Lalumiere as Director/Past President; Michael J. Quinlan as Treasurer/Secretary/Director; Janet Henry, Erik C. Jorgensen, D. Tyler Kidder, and Mari Jones as Directors; and Sheila Jans as Past Director.
Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust is led by Douglas M Henry, President & Director since 2025 (on filings since 2020); 6 of 8 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Douglas M Henry
President & Director
Director → President & Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$5K (2020) → $6K (2025)
Erik C Jorgensen
Director
Director Administrator Tee → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$24K (2020) → $6K (2025)
Janet Henry
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$5K (2020) → $6K (2025)
Marilyn A Lalumiere
Director & Past President
President & Director → Director & Past President, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$5K (2020) → $6K (2025)
D Tyler Kidder
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
$6K (2025)
Mari Jones
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.7 hrs/week
$4K (2025)
Michael J Quinlan
Treasurer, Secretary & Director
Secretary Treasurer & Director → Treasurer, Secretary & Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sheila Jans
Past Director
Director → Past Director, 2025
On filings since 2023
$5K (2024) → $0 (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 $6K, to Douglas M Henry (President/Director). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Application contact: Lissa Widoff Program Advisor
Mailing address: Jensen Baird 10 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101
Phone: (207) 775-7271
Email: programs@morton-kelly.org
Website: https://www.morton-kelly.org
Frequently asked questions about Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust
How much does Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust give each year?
Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust gave $1.3M across 123 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.3M across 1 grant.
What is Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $10,577, across 123 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust give grants?
Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust gives mostly in Maine: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Portland, ME (28 grants), Augusta, ME (7 grants), Brunswick, ME (4 grants) and Rockland, ME (4 grants).
Does Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 47% of Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (58 of 123) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Preble Street ($65,000 across 2 grants), Bomazeen Land Trust ($20,000) and Friends of the Veterans' Memorial Library ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 8% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust?
Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust reported $21.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust fund?
The Trust’s stated overarching interest is connecting people and place through the arts, culture, and the natural environment in Maine. Its program areas are Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation, and Environmental Initiatives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust?
Applications are submitted online through the Trust’s grant portal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust's EIN?
Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 01-0442078. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust by hand.
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