Rosamond Thaxter Foundation
The Rosamond Thaxter Foundation is a private foundation based in Portland, Maine. Established in 1964 by Kittery Point resident Rosamond Thaxter, it supports charitable organizations primarily in the communities around Kittery, Maine, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Rosamond Thaxter Foundation at a glance
In short: Rosamond Thaxter Foundation gave $96K across 32 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in New Hampshire. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $96,200
- +9.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 32
- +3.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,006
- +5.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $1,347,454
- +0.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (4 of 32, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New Hampshire (51% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Rosamond Thaxter Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The website describes submitting a cover letter and completed application form as a single PDF by email or by mail. The application form says requests should be received by October 1, while the foundation’s 2025 filing lists a deadline of November 15. The October 1 deadline for the 2026 cycle has passed as of October 2, 2026; the sources give conflicting deadline dates.
- Contact
Application contact: Michael Currie
Mailing address: H M Payson Co P O Box 31, Portland, ME 04112-0031
Phone: (207) 772-3761
Email: eas@hmpayson.com
Website: https://rosamondthaxterfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Rosamond Thaxter Foundation
Who Rosamond Thaxter Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Girl Scouts of the Green & White ($8K). Together the top 10 received $49K.
Grant Size Distribution
146 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 146 grants of 146 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated focus is the area surrounding Kittery, Maine, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as well as the Isles of Shoals. Its application form says grants outside the Greater Kittery/Portsmouth area are made only on rare occasions. In 2025, 51% of grant dollars went to recipients in New Hampshire, 44% to Maine, and 5% to Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Rosamond Thaxter Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 32 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 93% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 104% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $50K (2022) to $120K (2021). In 2025 it made 32 grants totaling $96K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Girl Scouts of the Green & White Bedford, NH | General Support | $7,500 |
| Mainspring Kittery, ME | General Purposes | $7,500 |
| Kittery Land Trust Kittery, ME | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Footprints Food Pantry Kittery, ME | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Fair Tide Kittery, ME | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Lovering Health Center Greenland, NH | Medical Care | $5,000 |
| Conservation Law Foundation Boston, MA | General Purpose | $4,500 |
| Seacoast Community School Portsmouth, NH | General Purposes | $3,500 |
| Portsmouth Historical Society Portsmouth, NH | General Purpose | $3,000 |
| Gundalow Company Portsmouth, NH | General Purpose | $3,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,347,454 | $130,803 | $130,808 | $96,200 | 32 | $105,834 | $106,168 | $101,742 |
| 2024 | $1,341,198 | $136,222 | $118,020 | $87,985 | 31 | $95,444 | $112,130 | $97,028 |
| 2023 | $1,325,654 | $59,053 | $108,941 | $81,373 | 27 | $100,288 | $48,753 | $85,978 |
| 2022 | $1,352,115 | $101,640 | $82,743 | $49,815 | 22 | $57,007 | $80,838 | $85,797 |
| 2021 | $1,333,372 | $168,966 | $149,533 | $120,092 | 34 | $124,387 | $140,020 | $92,744 |
| 2020 | $1,314,109 | $78,118 | $89,212 | $56,466 | 31 | — | $65,159 | $79,252 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Rosamond Thaxter Foundation reported a distributable amount of $102K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to support charitable organizations in and around Kittery, Portsmouth, and the Isles of Shoals. It awards grants to organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and does not award grants to private foundations under Section 509.
Its 2025 grantees illustrate the range of supported work. Kittery Land Trust describes its mission as conserving and protecting lands of ecological, scenic, agricultural, and educational significance in the Kittery area. Fair Tide says it works to reduce homelessness through housing and support services. Seacoast Community School describes its work as providing nurturing care and exceptional education for children of the Seacoast. The Dance Hall says it promotes and advances artistic work and education in dance, music, and performing arts. Portsmouth Historical Society describes its work as connecting the community to its past, present, and future through collections, interpretation, education, and preservation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 32 grants totaling $96,200. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $7,500, with a median of $2,500. The largest awards included $7,500 to Girl Scouts of the Green & White and $7,500 to Mainspring; $5,000 each to Kittery Land Trust, Footprints Food Pantry, Fair Tide, and Lovering Health Center; and $4,500 to Conservation Law Foundation.
The foundation’s website says trustees review applications once a year in late fall, notify applicants by year-end, and usually distribute grants in January. It requests a cover letter of no more than three pages and a completed application form. The application form asks for information such as the organization’s objectives and current work, governing and executive committee members, revenue and expenditures, financial statements or a balance sheet, and its IRS determination letter. Organizations that received support in the prior year are asked to summarize how the funds were used and their impact. The form says applicants must be tax-exempt nonprofits and not private foundations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Melissa Paly, Joan Rice, HM Payson Co, Beverly A. Daniel, and John Rice as trustees. The foundation’s website identifies Elizabeth Small as Senior Trust Associate.
Rosamond Thaxter Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; 1 of 5 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Beverly A. Daniel
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$3K (2020) → $0 (2025)
Hm Payson Co
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$15K (2020) → $18K (2025)
Joan Rice
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$3K (2020) → $0 (2025)
Melissa Paly
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$3K (2020) → $0 (2025)
John Rice
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$2K (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 $18K, to HM Payson CO (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Rosamond Thaxter Foundation
How much does Rosamond Thaxter Foundation give each year?
Rosamond Thaxter Foundation gave $96K across 32 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $88K across 31 grants.
What is Rosamond Thaxter Foundation's typical grant size?
Rosamond Thaxter Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $3,006, across 32 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Rosamond Thaxter Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Rosamond Thaxter Foundation give grants?
Rosamond Thaxter Foundation gives mostly in New Hampshire: 51% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Maine (44%). The most frequent recipient cities were Portsmouth, NH (15 grants) and Kittery, ME (8 grants).
Does Rosamond Thaxter Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 84% of Rosamond Thaxter Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (27 of 32) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Rosamond Thaxter Foundation's largest grantees?
Rosamond Thaxter Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Girl Scouts of the Green & White ($7,500), Mainspring ($7,500) and Kittery Land Trust ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Rosamond Thaxter Foundation?
Rosamond Thaxter Foundation reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $106K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $102K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Rosamond Thaxter Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to support charitable organizations in and around Kittery, Portsmouth, and the Isles of Shoals. It awards grants to organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and does not award grants to private foundations under Section 509. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Rosamond Thaxter Foundation?
The website describes submitting a cover letter and completed application form as a single PDF by email or by mail. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Rosamond Thaxter Foundation's EIN?
Rosamond Thaxter Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 01-6019476. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Rosamond Thaxter Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Rosamond Thaxter Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/rosamond-thaxter-foundation-morg_4eb4d256dcfa4ccb921b3771421dcb75
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_016019476_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Rosamond Thaxter Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/rosamond-thaxter-foundation-morg_4eb4d256dcfa4ccb921b3771421dcb75},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Rosamond Thaxter 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.
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