About The Eunice Frye Home Foundation
Eunice Nicholas Frye (1852-1923), Vassalboro, Maine
A native of Vassalboro, Maine, Eunice Nicholas Frye (1852-1923) was passionate about philanthropy and in particular the care of women. She founded several Women’s Study Clubs on a local and national level as she noted that women needed to keep their minds busy. Eunice was the first President of the Wayside Rest Home for Worthy Women, founded in 1894 on Peaks Island, and served in that position for 25 years. The Home moved to Portland in 1895 and in 1903 a new Home was built on Capisic Street with a donation from Eunice’s husband George, a chemist and manufacturer of hospital and surgical equipment. The Home was renamed the Eunice Frye Home and continued to serve and aid the residents of Portland until it ceased operations in 2002. The home was then sold to The Sisters of Mercy as a residence for elderly nuns. The funds from the sale of the home were added to an existing modest endowment creating the Eunice Frye Home Foundation. The Fund continues the legacy and tradition started by Eunice Frye to serve her community and keep minds busy.
What We Support
The purpose of The Eunice Frye Home Foundation shall be to continue the Home’s tradition of services to the community by awarding grants to not-for-profit organizations that provide programs and/or services to improve or enhance the quality of life for the people in the Greater Portland area. The Foundation in responding to the needs of the community it serves, focuses its funding priorities in the areas of:
- Elderly Services
- Community Services
- Social Services
- Educational Services
Applicant Eligibility
The Foundation annually awards charitable grants only to organizations which are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, not to private foundations under Section 509 of the Code, nor to governmental entities. The Foundation generally does not fund multi-year requests. We do not fund awards to individuals or to religious organizations. Applications for grants must be received by the Foundation between April 1st and May 31st. Read more about applying here.
Note: From time to time, the Foundation may make awards to organizations and institutions who have made no formal request, whom we have recognized for exemplary work, and whose continuing work and mission would be more fully enhanced and supported by the funding.
