The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation
The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation is an artist-endowed charitable foundation based in Portland, Maine. Created in 1999, the foundation is dedicated to supporting visual arts and arts journalism in the United States. The foundation operates a destination gallery space at 13 Brown Street in Portland, Maine, where visitors can explore the art and archives of Leo Rabkin, the foundation's namesake and a school teacher, art collector, and artist known for color-saturated watercolors and innovative box constructions in plastic, wood, and found materials.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$25.1M
+17.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$583K
+15.0% YoY
Grant Count
34
+54.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$17K
-25.6% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission is to promote the visual arts through exhibitions, publications, and other means of dissemination of information. The foundation is primarily known for the Rabkin Prize, which recognizes the intellectual and creative labors of visual arts journalists. The foundation believes that arts writers are essential to cultural conversations, create original field research for art history, and bear witness to the value of artists' work.
The foundation's core focus areas include:
- Visual arts journalism and arts writing — The primary funding initiative
- Support for the arts writing field — Through community building, thought leadership, and recognition of excellence
- Arts and culture initiatives — Broader support for nonprofit visual arts organizations and journals
Grantmaking
The Rabkin Prize is the central initiative of the foundation. It recognizes individual visual arts journalists whose work exemplifies the contributions of visual arts journalists to the cultural life of the nation. The prize comes with an unrestricted award of $50,000 per recipient.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation funds projects across numerous cities and states in the U.S., including major urban centers such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Geographic focus areas include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Wisconsin, and other states.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
- Total Assets: $25,068,528 (as of most recent IRS Form 990 filing, 2024)
- Total Giving: $582,800 (most recent filing)
- Annual Revenue: Approximately $985,000
- Annual Expenses: Approximately $1,000,000
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $25,068,528 | $21,393,203 | $21,275,805 |
| Revenue | $1,169,691 | $984,685 | $1,139,745 |
| Expenses | $1,163,307 | $1,018,845 | $1,031,900 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,076,128 | $914,417 | $898,599 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,072,275 | $896,859 | $1,045,672 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,105,007 | $970,561 | $1,027,351 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
122 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Hrag Vartanian ($51,000), Tk Smith ($51,000), Siddhartha Mitter ($51,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| HRAG VARTANIAN NEW YORK, NY | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $51,000 |
| JESSICA LYNNE NEW YORK, NY | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $1,000 |
| KAELEN WILSON-GOLDIE SCITUATE, MA | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $1,000 |
| ERIKA FREDRICKSON MISSOULA, MT | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $1,000 |
| NANCY ZASTUDIL ALBUQUERQUE, NM | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $1,000 |
| DEAN KISSICK NEW YORK, NY | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $1,000 |
| BEN DAVIS BROOKLYN, NY | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $1,000 |
| LIZA ROBERTS RALEIGH, NC | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $1,000 |
| TK SMITH PHILADELPHIA, PA | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $51,000 |
| SIDDHARTHA MITTER BROOKLYN, NY | VISUAL ARTS JOURNALISM PRIZE; SEE PART VIII-A FOR MORE INFORMATION | $51,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Mary Louise Schumacher — Executive Director
- Nancy Karlins Thoman — President
- Danielle Yovino — Gallery Manager and Curator of the Collection
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARY LOUISE SCHUMACHER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 50 | $150,000 |
| NANCY KARLINS THOMAN | PRESIDENT | 1 | — |
| EDGAR ALLEN BEEM | SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| DEBORAH IRMAS | TREASURER | 1 | — |
| AX MINA | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| RASHID SHABAZZ | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
Contact Information
The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation
13 Brown Street
Portland, Maine 04101
Phone: 207-536-1686
Website: www.rabkinfoundation.org
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation fund?
The foundation's mission is to promote the visual arts through exhibitions, publications, and other means of dissemination of information. The foundation is primarily known for the Rabkin Prize, which recognizes the intellectual and creative labors of visual arts journalists. The foundation believes that arts writers are essential to cultural conversations, create original field research for art history, and bear witness to the value of artists' work. The foundation's core focus areas include: …
How do I apply for a grant from The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation?
The Rabkin Prize is the central initiative of the foundation. It recognizes individual visual arts journalists whose work exemplifies the contributions of visual arts journalists to the cultural life of the nation. The prize comes with an unrestricted award of $50,000 per recipient. Awards are given through a nomination process with input from a panel of art world experts. The foundation does not operate a traditional application program for the Rabkin Prize. Beyond the Rabkin Prize, the founda…
Where does The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation make grants?
The foundation funds projects across numerous cities and states in the U.S., including major urban centers such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Geographic focus areas include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Wisconsin, and other states.
What size grants does The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation award?
In 2024, The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation awarded 34 grants totaling $583K — an average of about $17K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation's EIN?
The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-4091650. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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