Welcome to Elsie & William Viles Foundation

The Elsie & William Viles Foundation is a private foundation established in 1990 by Elsie Pike Viles. In keeping with the generosity and legacy created during their lifetimes, the Elsie & William Viles Foundation is committed to supporting charitable organizations with preference given to organizations in Maine and the Capital Region.

The purposes of the Foundation are: For such charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes as are permitted to organizations exempt from federal income tax and described in section 501(c)(3) of the code, including without limitation, projects and organizations that:

Preserve open spaces and conservation of forest lands.
Care for and protect animals.

Support children and education.
Promote and preserve Maine History and culture.

Funding requests are separated into two categories:

Donations: Organizations requesting less than $2500.00.
Grants: Organizations requesting more than $2500.00 and less than $25000.00

To request a donation or grant please visit our How To Apply page for more detailed information and the applications.

The Board of Directors meets annually in July to review requests for donations and grants. Requests must be received no later than May 1st. The Foundation does not normally make multiple year pledges and in most cases funds smaller donations. Organizations receiving a grant are expected to submit a one page status report to the Foundation by January 31st of the following year.