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Cara Charitable Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Cara Charitable Foundation Inc

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$156k
Granted FY2025still arriving
1
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$156k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Community Improvement$1.6MEducation$274kHealth$103kFood & Nutrition$58kInternational$34kReligion$25kHuman Services$23kPublic Benefit$16kOther$0
02FY2025 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$155,500
Median grant
1
States reached
$923
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
OUR KATAHDIN$155,500
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–24, $46k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%OLYMPIA SNOWE WOMENS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE: $5k → 7%OLYMPIA SNOWE WOMENS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE: $3k → 7%KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION: $10k → 11%PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA: $5k → 11%PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA: $5k → 11%PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA: $4k → 11%PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA: $3k → 11%PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA: $3k → 11%PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA: $2k → 11%PENOBSCOT BAY YMCA: $2k → 11%KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION: $1k → 11%KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION: $1k → 11%KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION: $1k → 11%KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION: $1k → 11%KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION: $1k → 11%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
VT
NH
MN
PA
CA
DE
DC
AL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.3M · 14 repeat orgs$98k to everyone else

14 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2025, 13 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
12

Total granted

$2.3M
$98k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+14%
+122%

Still filing today

93%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHealthHuman ServicesInternationalCommunity ImprovementArts & CultureOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • OK
    Our Katahdin
    7× · 2019–2025 · $1.8M · revenue +257%
  • ST ANDREW'S SCHOOL OF DELAWARE INC
    2× · 2017–2018 · $85k · revenue +44%
  • GS
    Good Shepherd Food Bank
    4× · 2020–2023 · $58k · revenue +50%

Funded once

  • MM
    MARLBORO MEETING HOUSE
    one grant, 2019 · $25k
  • TO
    TOWN OF MILLINOCKET
    one grant, 2023 · $16k
  • SC
    SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EQUESTRIAN SPORTSgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $10k · revenue +263%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
MaineGeneral Health

To enhance, every day, the health of our patients, our families and our communities. We do that through a range of health care services for people of all ages, in a variety of care settings.

Health
2
Maine GearShare

To provide access to outdoor gear and know-how through a collaborative, equity-centered approach.

Recreation & Sports
3
Islesboro Islands Trust

The mission of Islesboro Islands Trust is to enhance the quality of residents' lives through the preservation of open space, educate all residents as to the value of the island's natural ecosystems, and act as an environmental advocate on…

Philanthropy
4
Midcoast Conservancy

The mission of Midcoast Conservancy is to protect vital lands and waters on a scale that matters and to inspire wonder and action on behalf of all species and the Earth.

Environment
5
Penobscot Bay Medical Center

Penobscot Bay Medical Center (PBMC) is an acute care hospital that offers inpatient and outpatient care, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative services, patient and community education, and a full range of specialty services through…

—
6
Fork Food Lab

Fork Food Lab is a nonprofit food business incubator and shared commercial kitchen focused on growing the local food economy. We support the growth of sustainable Maine-based businesses by providing entrepreneurs with work space,…

Environment
7
Kennebunk Land Trust

Kennebunk Land Trust's mission is to permanently conserve and steward land to benefit natural and human communities.

Environment
8
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine Inc

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children statewide; provides affordable home away from home lodging which increases access to medical care for…

Health
9
Maine Philanthropy Center

The Maine Philanthropy Center (MPC) is the state's leading resource that provides opportunity, leadership and support to advance the effectiveness of philanthropy in Maine and its ability to make a meaningful difference. It helps grant…

Education
10
Maine & Company

Maine & Company is a private, non-profit business development sales organization. Its purpose is to improve Maine's success in attracting new business and expanding and retaining existing business by providing a focused, statewide sales…

—
11
Maine Community Foundation Inc

The Maine Community Foundation brings people and resources together to build a better Maine.

Philanthropy
12
Western Maine Health Care Corp

Ensured a high quality, accessible, affordable and appropriate integrated health care system to improve the health and well being of the community.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Make-a-Wish Foundation of Maine; the most unlike its peers is International Rescue Committee Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

22 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 22 of the 26 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
9
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
16/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Our Katahdin: $1,772,000 · Community ImprovementOur KatahdinCAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY: $129,500 · OtherCAMDEN PU…MARLBORO MEETING HOUSE: $25,000 · OtherMARLBORO …TOWN OF MILLINOCKET: $16,000 · OtherTOWN OF M…MAINEGENERAL HEALTH: $10,000 · OtherSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EQUESTRIAN SPORTS: $10,000 · OtherMaine Public Broadcasting Corporation: $9,500 · Other+3 more: $8,000 · OtherST ANDREW'S SCHOOL OF DELAWARE INC: $85,000 · EducationST ANNE'S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL: $30,000 · EducationMILLINOCKET MEMORIAL LIBRARY: $26,500 · EducationNorthern Forest Center Inc: $5,000 · Education+2 more: $3,500 · EducationLifeFlight Foundation: $56,200 · HealthMillinocket Regional Hospital: $28,500 · HealthMAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF MAINE: $8,000 · HealthOUTDOOR SPORT INSTITUTE INC: $5,000 · HealthGood Shepherd Food Bank: $58,000 · Food & NutritionPENOBSCOT BAY YMCA: $23,300 · Human ServicesHomeworthy: $15,000 · Human ServicesOlympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute: $7,500 · Human ServicesInternational Rescue Committee INC: $33,000 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $10,000 · International
Community Improvement$1,772,000Other$208,000Education$150,000Health$97,700Food & Nutrition$58,000Human Services$45,800International$43,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetOur Katahdin: $1,772,000 over 7y, 22% of budgetST ANDREW'S SCHOOL OF DELAWARE INC: $85,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetGood Shepherd Food Bank: $58,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetLifeFlight Foundation: $56,200 over 6y, 0.6% of budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $33,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetST ANNE'S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL: $30,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetMillinocket Regional Hospital: $28,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMILLINOCKET MEMORIAL LIBRARY: $26,500 over 5y, 2.0% of budgetPENOBSCOT BAY YMCA: $23,300 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetHomeworthy: $15,000 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EQUESTRIAN SPORTS: $10,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMaine Public Broadcasting Corporation: $9,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF MAINE: $8,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetOlympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute: $7,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $6,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNorthern Forest Center Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetOUTDOOR SPORT INSTITUTE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetTHE CAMDEN CHILDRENS HOUSE MONTESSORI SCHOOL: $2,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetFinding Our Voices: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetPAWS Animal Adoption Center: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetNURTURING MINDS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Maine Community Found…Elmina B Sewall Found…Bangor Savings Bank F…Reny Charitable Found…Trowbridge FoundationMessler Family Founda…Arthur K Watson Trust…Northern Forest Cente…Fisher Charitable Fou…The Ayco Charitable F…Vanguard Charitable E…The Bank of America C…
Maine Community Foundation IncME30.4× affinity13 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Maine Community Foundation Inc · Elmina B Sewall Foundation · Bangor Savings Bank Foundation · Reny Charitable Foundation · Trowbridge Foundation · Messler Family Foundation · Arthur K Watson Trust Xxxxx5001 · Northern Forest Center Inc · Fisher Charitable Foundation · The Ayco Charitable Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Cara Charitable Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Cara Charitable Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%2%6%14%25%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • St Anne's Episcopal School: 0% of income from government
  • St Andrew's School of Delaware Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Cara Charitable Foundation Inc?

Find your warmest path to Cara Charitable Foundation Inc through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 26 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Cara’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home