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Cotton Family Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Cotton Family 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.

$162k
Granted FY2025still arriving
8
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$373kEnvironment$258kHealth$100kHousing & Shelter$50kReligion$46kEducation$15kRecreation & Sports$10kFood & Nutrition$8kOther$0
02FY2025 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k4 grants · $17k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $45k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $100k
$10,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$886k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Maine Public$100,000
Medical University of South Carolina Foundation$25,000
Tedford Housing$10,000
Maine Coast Heritage trust$10,000
Kiawah Conservancy$7,500
Maine Huts & Trails$5,000
The Krenov Foundation$3,000
St Thomas Church Camden$1,200
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 4% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 13%The Krenov Foundation: $3k → 11%CASPAR COMMUNITY CENTER: $3k → 18%BRIC: $8k → 20%Medical University of South Carolina Foundation: $25k → 12%FUTURE 5: $5k → 9%TEDFORD HOUSING: $20k → 7%MAINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST: $20k → 9%NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE: $30k → 12%MAINE PUBLIC: $110k → 13%Maine Huts & Trails: $5k → 14%THE KRENOV FOUNDATION: $3k → 18%BRIC: $5k → 20%Medical University of South Carolina Foundation: $25k → 12%Tedford Housing: $20k → 7%Maine Coast Heritage Trust: $10k → 9%SAINT PETERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH: $3k → 11%NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE: $30k → 12%Maine Public: $100k → 13%Maine Huts & Trails: $5k → 14%THE KRENOV FOUNDATION: $3k → 18%MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA: $25k → 12%Tedford Housing: $10k → 7%MAINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST: $10k → 9%NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE: $25k → 12%Maine Public: $50k → 13%MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA: $25k → 12%MAINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST: $10k → 9%NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE: $25k → 12%MAINE PUBLIC: $25k → 13%Johns Island Presbyterian Church: $38k → 12%MAINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST: $10k → 9%NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE: $25k → 12%MAINE PUBLIC: $25k → 13%THE KIWAH CONSERVATORY: $15k → 12%MAINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST: $10k → 9%NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE: $5k → 12%MAINE PUBLIC: $10k → 13%Kiawah Conservancy: $8k → 12%MITCHELL INSTITUTE: $5k → 7%Maine Coast Heritage trust: $10k → 9%NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE: $5k → 12%MAINE PUBLIC: $10k → 13%MITCHELL INSTITUTE: $5k → 7%MAINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST: $5k → 9%MAINE PUBLIC: $10k → 13%HARPSWELL HERITAGE LAND TRUST: $15k → 7%MAINE PUBLIC: $10k → 13%HARPSWELL HERITAGE LAND TRUST: $5k → 7%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.
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.

92%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$808k · 13 repeat orgs$69k to everyone else

13 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2025, 7 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
4

Total granted

$808k
$60k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+54%
+82%

Still filing today

85%
25%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 95% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $9k 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
EnvironmentArts & CultureEducationHealthHousing & ShelterYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • MP
    Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation
    9× · 2017–2025 · $350k · revenue +88%
  • NR
    Natural Resources Council of Maine Inc
    7× · 2017–2023 · $145k · revenue +17%
  • Maine Coast Heritage Trust
    8× · 2017–2025 · $85k · revenue +106%

Funded once

  • JI
    Johns Island Presbyterian Church
    one grant, 2024 · $38k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2023 · $15k
  • F5
    FUTURE 5 INCgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $5k · revenue +82%
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
Wetlands Foundation
Environment
2
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
3
Protect Maine's Fishing Heritage Foundation
Environment
4
Maine Historical Society

Maine Historical Society, founded in 1822, is a private non-profit whose mission is to preserve and share Maine's story. Based in Portland, we work closely with communities and partners throughout the state, and serve a statewide and…

Arts & Culture
5
Coastal Mountains Land Trust

We conserve land permanently to benefit the natural and human communities of western the Penobscot Bay region.

Environment
6
Eastern Maine Conservation Initiative

The Eastern Maine Conservation Initiative (EMCI) is a non-profit organization with broad conservation interests that seeks to: 1) Foster environmentally sustainable communities of the eastern Maine coast; 2) Encourage an appreciation of…

Animals
7
Kennebunk Land Trust

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

Environment
8
Maine Island Trail Association

The mission of the Maine Island Trail Association is to advance a model of thoughtful use and volunteer stewardship of Maine's wild islands, creating an inspiring recreational water trail that is cared for by the people who use it.

Environment
9
Maine Media College

Maine Media Workshops & College educates and inspires visual artists and storytellers to achieve their creative potential. We provide lifelong learning opportunities for those pursuing the fine arts and media-related professions. We are…

—
10
Kennebec Estuary Land Trust

The mission of the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust is to conserve, restore, and instill appreciation of the land and water resources of the Kennebec Estuary for the benefit of today's communities and future generations.

Environment
11
Maine Tree Foundation

Our Mission is to educate and advocate for the sustainable use of the forest and the ecological, economic, and social health of Maines forest community

Environment
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Natural Resources Council of Maine Inc; the most unlike its peers is The Krenov Foundation. 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

13 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

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 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 13 of the 19 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
12/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation: $350,000 · Arts & CultureMaine Public Broadcasting CorporationBRIC ARTS MEDIA BKLYN INC: $12,500 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $10,500 · Arts & CultureNatural Resources Council of Maine Inc: $145,000 · EnvironmentNatural Resources Council of Main…Maine Coast Heritage Trust: $85,000 · EnvironmentMaine Coast Heritage TrustHarpswell Heritage Land Trust: $20,000 · EnvironmentHarpswell Heritage Land Trust+1 more: $7,500 · EnvironmentMEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA: $50,000 · OtherMEDICAL UNIVERS…Johns Island Presbyterian Church: $37,500 · OtherJohns Island Pr…Individual grant recipient: $15,000 · OtherIndividual gran…Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program: $7,500 · OtherMid Coast Hunge…SAINT PETERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH: $7,500 · OtherSAINT PETERS EP…+2 more: $3,700 · OtherMEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA FOUNDATION: $50,000 · HealthTEDFORD HOUSING: $50,000 · Housing & ShelterSenator George J Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute: $10,000 · EducationMaine Huts & Trails: $10,000 · EducationFUTURE 5 INC: $5,000 · Youth Development
Arts & Culture$373,000Environment$257,500Other$121,200Health$50,000Housing & Shelter$50,000Education$20,000Youth Development$5,000

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMaine Public Broadcasting Corporation: $350,000 over 9y, 0.5% of budgetNatural Resources Council of Maine Inc: $145,000 over 7y, 0.9% of budgetMaine Coast Heritage Trust: $85,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetMEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTEDFORD HOUSING: $50,000 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetHarpswell Heritage Land Trust: $20,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetBRIC ARTS MEDIA BKLYN INC: $12,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSenator George J Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMaine Huts & Trails: $10,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetThe Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy Inc: $7,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMid Coast Hunger Prevention Program: $7,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetFUTURE 5 INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% 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…John T Gorman Foundat…Vanguard Charitable E…American Endowment Fo…Morgan Stanley Global…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Maine Community Foundation IncME15.2× affinity5 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Maine Community Foundation Inc · John T Gorman Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

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 Cotton Family Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Cotton Family Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
    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.

    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 19 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 Cotton Family’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