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Elmina B. Sewall Foundation

Annual Giving
$14.3M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.2M
Decision Time
3mo

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $14,300,000
  • Total Assets: $170,578,667
  • Decision Time: 10-12 weeks
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $200,000
  • Geographic Focus: Maine (with limited Legacy grants outside Maine)
  • Total Grants in 2023: 286 awards

Contact Details

Address: Freeport, ME (offices in Portland)

Phone: (207) 865-3810

Email: info@sewallfoundation.org

Website: www.sewallfoundation.org

Online Application Portal: sewallfoundation.givingdata.com

Program-Specific Contacts:

Overview

Established in 1983 by Elmina Brewster Sewall of Kennebunk, Maine, the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation has evolved into one of Maine's leading philanthropic organizations with assets exceeding $170 million. The foundation's mission is "to support a culture of equity and interconnected well-being for people, animals, and the environment in Maine." In 2024, the foundation adopted a new "Sewall Approach" emphasizing values-driven grantmaking and is committed to achieving 100% values-aligned investments by 2028. With annual giving of approximately $14.3 million and 286 grants awarded in 2023, the foundation prioritizes supporting organizations led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color, rural Mainers, and women. The foundation's work focuses on building trusted relationships across diverse groups, expanding access to power, and strengthening communities for lasting change.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Sewall Foundation provides grants through nine program areas:

Animal Welfare (2026 funding: $320,000, invitation only)

  • Animal Shelters: $10,000 - $50,000/year (1-3 years)
  • Field Building: $25,000 - $75,000/year (1-4 years)
  • Social Services: $10,000 - $50,000/year (1-3 years)
  • Pet Population Control: $10,000 - $50,000/year (1-3 years)
  • Applications due February 25, decisions by early May

Food Systems (2026 funding: $180,000, invitation only)

  • Individual organizations: $10,000 - $60,000/year
  • Collaborative efforts: Up to $200,000/year
  • 1-4 year proposals considered
  • Applications due February 25, decisions by early May

Keystone (2026 funding: $1,390,000)

  • Building Community Resilience: $20,000 - $60,000/year
  • Resourcing Community Resilience: $10,000 - $50,000/year
  • Systems-Level Advocacy: $10,000 - $40,000/year
  • Multi-year grants up to 4 years
  • Applications due February 25, decisions by early May

Lewiston-Auburn (2026 funding: $1,780,000)

  • Individual organizations: $25,000 - $50,000/year
  • Collaborative efforts: Up to $150,000/year
  • Multi-year grants up to 4 years
  • Grants allocated through collaborative decision-making process
  • Applications due February 25, decisions by early May

Nature-Based Education (2026 funding: $285,000, invitation only)

  • Systems Funding: Up to $200,000
  • Direct Programming: $10,000 - $50,000
  • Multi-year grants considered
  • Applications due February 25, decisions by early May

Rural Partnerships (2026 funding: $95,000, invitation only)

  • Individual organizations: $10,000 - $60,000/year
  • Collaborative efforts: Up to $200,000/year
  • Focus on Katahdin Region and Washington County
  • Applications due February 25, decisions by early May

Wabanaki (2026 funding: $327,000, invitation only)

  • Individual organizations: $10,000 - $50,000/year
  • Collaborations: Up to $200,000/year
  • Transformational opportunities: Variable funding
  • Applications due February 25, decisions by early May

Rapid Response Fund (2026 funding: $400,000)

  • Most grants: Up to $10,000
  • Land back/land access: Up to $100,000
  • 12-month grant term
  • Rolling applications through September 1
  • Email inquiry first, then invited to apply if aligned
  • Decision within 2 weeks of application

Legacy Grants (invitation only)

  • Limited to pre-designated organizations with historical ties to Mrs. Sewall
  • Applications due June 12, decisions by mid-August
  • 11 organizations received $540,000 over three years in 2022

Priority Areas

The foundation funds work aligned with these values:

  • Interconnected Well-Being: Projects addressing connections among human, animal, and environmental well-being
  • Equity-Rooted Systems: Supporting organizations led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color, rural Mainers, and women
  • Community-Led Approaches: Trust-based partnerships with communities closest to the issues
  • Social and Environmental Justice: Grassroots efforts addressing environmental and racial justice
  • Systems Change: Collaborative backbone infrastructure creating sustainable, systemic changes

Specific thematic areas include:

  • Affordable housing
  • Animal welfare (companion animals)
  • Broadband expansion
  • Climate change planning
  • Civic infrastructure and engagement
  • Community and economic development
  • Food systems and food justice
  • Land and water sovereignty
  • Nature-based education
  • Public health
  • Wabanaki sovereignty and self-determination
  • Workforce development

What They Don't Fund

  • Private for-profit enterprises, cooperatives, or individuals (except when contracted by a nonprofit grantee)
  • Operating endowments
  • Rapid Response Fund does not fund:
    • Ongoing operations
    • Replacement of existing funding sources
    • Political/lobbying activities
  • 501(c)(4) organizations require special consideration and must contact program staff before applying

Governance and Leadership

Executive Director: Dr. Gabriela Alcalde

Dr. Alcalde joined the foundation in 2019, bringing over 20 years of experience as a leader, grantmaker, and scholar working at the intersections of public health, community organizing, advocacy, racial equity, and systems change. She holds a DrPH in Health Policy and Management from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Under Dr. Alcalde's leadership, the foundation has emphasized values-driven philanthropy. As stated in the 2024 Annual Report: "Above all else, Sewall is a values-driven organization" and "Change is not linear, it is often unpredictable, and it is always best informed by those closest to and most affected by the change."

Board of Directors

The Sewall board evolved from a working board to a governance board with professional staff. Through an open call process focused on equity principles, the foundation welcomed six new board members in 2022. The board provides strategic leadership, champions the mission and values, and serves in an equity-informed fiduciary role. The board and staff form an intentional community committed to a values-based culture.

Notable operational practice: Starting in January 2025, the foundation is piloting a four-day work week, working Monday through Thursday.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The foundation accepts applications exclusively through its online grant system at sewallfoundation.givingdata.com. Applications are not accepted by mail, email, or any other method.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, public school, public agency, or recognized tribal government
  • Fiscal sponsorships are accepted (must provide signed fiscal sponsorship agreement)
  • Collaboratives can apply with one organization serving as fiscal host
  • Must be located in or serving communities in Maine (except Legacy program)

Application Periods:

  • Most programs: February 25 deadline (5 PM EST), decisions announced early May
  • Legacy Grants: June 12 deadline (5 PM), decisions mid-August
  • Rapid Response Fund: Rolling through September 1

Application Restrictions:

  • Organizations may submit only one application per calendar year (does not apply to Rapid Response Fund)
  • Organizations with active multi-year grants must wait to reapply until the year the current grant ends
  • Several programs (Animal Welfare, Food Systems, Nature-Based Education, Rural Partnerships, Wabanaki) operate by invitation only; interested organizations should contact program staff to discuss potential invitation

Required Materials:

  • Online application form (concise narrative responses preferred)
  • Project budget (for some applications)
  • Financial statements from last fiscal year (not IRS 990s)
  • Fiscal sponsorship agreement (if applicable)
  • Files must be under 20MB

Important Technical Notes:

  • Create one account per organization using a consistently monitored email address
  • Add mail@givingdata.com to safe senders list
  • Avoid complex formatting; cut and paste from word processing software
  • Applications automatically save as you work
  • 90-minute system timeout
  • Do not submit additional materials beyond the application; staff will request specific items if needed

Decision Timeline

  • Application review period: Approximately 10-12 weeks from deadline
  • Staff may contact applicants during review for additional information or clarification
  • Rapid Response Fund decisions within 2 weeks of application submission
  • All applicants are notified of funding decisions

Success Rates

The foundation does not publicly disclose specific success rate percentages. However, the foundation acknowledges that it receives "more compelling requests than can be approved each year," indicating a competitive selection process. In 2023, the foundation made 286 grants totaling $13,386,409. The 2024 Rapid Response Fund supported 28 out of 46 inquiries (approximately 61% success rate for that program).

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants may reapply. Organizations are limited to one application per calendar year, meaning if an organization applies in February, they must wait until the following February to be eligible to apply again. However, if they apply in June, they may apply for the subsequent deadline in February, as it falls into a different calendar year. This restriction does not apply to Rapid Response Fund grants.

Organizations with active multi-year grants should wait to reapply until the year their current grant will be completed.

Application Success Factors

Values Alignment is Critical

The foundation's 2024 annual report emphasizes that "Above all else, Sewall is a values-driven organization." Applications must demonstrate clear alignment with the foundation's core values:

  • Work addressing interconnections among human, animal, and environmental well-being
  • Systems and structures that are trust-based, equity-rooted, and community-led
  • Supporting organizations led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color, rural Mainers, and women

Community-Led and Equity-Focused Approaches

The foundation prioritizes "grassroots and community-led efforts" and defines grassroots efforts as "inclusive community-led and -based efforts that include everyday people working to bring about a change through collective action." Projects should be led by people from the community primarily affected by the issue being addressed.

Collaborative Work

The foundation values collaborative approaches, particularly those that "co-create solutions to structural problems with the communities closest to the issues at hand and achieve outcomes beyond what any single organization could achieve on their own." Collaborative requests can receive significantly larger grants (up to $200,000 versus $10,000-$60,000 for individual organizations).

Transformational and Systems-Level Change

Applications that address "transformational opportunities" which "address critical community priorities and create sustainable, systemic changes, advancing processes that heal, correct unjust conditions and structures, and create conditions for fair access to power, resources, and opportunities" are particularly valued.

Recent Examples of Funded Work:

  • Generational Noor received its first Sewall grant in 2023, plus additional funding after the October 2023 Lewiston mass shooting
  • The Education Fund received a 24-month Equitable Civic Engagement grant in 2023
  • Presente! Maine has received six Sewall grants since its inception in 2020
  • Wabanaki Youth In Science received a 36-month Healthy People Healthy Places grant in 2022
  • In response to the Lewiston mass shootings, the foundation paid $750,000 in special grants ranging from $7,500 to $140,000 for emergency food and shelter, trauma support, and programs for children and youth

Application Quality Matters

  • Write concise responses; the foundation values brevity and clarity
  • Carefully review program guidelines before applying
  • Contact program staff with questions before submitting
  • One organization account should be maintained for continuity
  • Use a shared organizational email (like info@) rather than individual staff email addresses

Communication is Welcomed

The foundation encourages applicants to contact program or focus area leads with questions about proposals. Staff may also reach out during the review process to better understand proposals or request additional information.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Lead with equity: Organizations led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color, rural Mainers, and women are explicitly prioritized across all programs
  • Think collaboratively: Collaborative requests receive significantly higher funding caps (up to $200,000) and are strongly encouraged for systemic change work
  • Match your program area carefully: With nine distinct programs and many operating by invitation only, contact program staff to discuss fit before applying
  • Demonstrate interconnection: Show how your work addresses the connections between human, animal, and environmental well-being rather than treating these as separate issues
  • Emphasize community leadership: Projects should be led by those closest to the issues, not imposed by external organizations
  • Consider multi-year requests: The foundation accepts proposals for 1-4 years depending on the program, which can provide more sustainable support
  • Rapid Response for urgent needs: Time-sensitive needs under $10,000 can use the rolling Rapid Response Fund (or up to $100,000 for land back/land access projects)
  • Reapplication is encouraged: Unsuccessful applicants can and should reapply, respecting the one-application-per-calendar-year rule
  • Values over prescriptive priorities: The foundation emphasizes alignment with values and approach over checking specific programmatic boxes

References

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