Open Foundations · Maine

Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research Inc

Phillips, Maine · EIN 010524375. Its Form 990-PF says giving is not restricted to organizations picked in advance, which is how a private foundation files that it accepts unsolicited requests. It paid $1.1M across 46 grants in 2024, a median of $9K each.

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$1.1M
paid in 2024
46
grants paid
$9K
median grant
27%
to first-time recipients
$50.8M
assets on file

How to apply, as filed

Straight off Part XV of the return. Where the foundation left a line blank, this says so rather than guessing.

Send requests to
Firebird Foundation for Anthropolog
Address
PO Box A, Phillips, ME, 04966
Phone
2076393939
Form the request should take
The Foundation provides fellowships to enable anthropologists, linguists, and other scholars, as well as individuals or teams of local researchers in indigenous societies, to collect and preserve these unique oral traditions. Fellows are encouraged, where possible, to foster the development of local teams of collectors to continue the work of recording traditional literature, language, and ecological knowledge. Transcriptions of the recordings are encouraged. There is no application form. Applicants are asked to submit a proposal with a budget by email to address noted above. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis and grants are awarded quarterly. The primary selection criteria are the importance of collecting oral literature among the society in which the applicant will be working, the methods to be used, the goals to be achieved, and the urgency of the project.
Submission deadline
None
Restrictions on awards
Anyone engaged in the documentation of threatened oral literature and traditional ecological knowledge may apply for a fellowship. Specific academic credentials are not required, but academic credentials are taken into consideration. Fellowships are currently awarded by the Foundations board. Foundation directors and members of the selection committee are ineligible to receive grants, as are their family members; certain descendants and family members of George N. Appell and Laura W.R. Appell are also ineligible. The terms and conditions of each fellowship are set forth in a letter sent to the grant recipient. The Foundation must receive a current report for each fellowship of the progress made and use of grant funds at least annually, and a final report on the results of the grantees research with an accounting for the funds expended.

As filed on the Form 990-PF for tax year 2024, IRS filing object id 202543079349100874. Printed word for word, including the entries that only say to see a website or an attachment.

What it funds, in its own words

The words that come up most often across the purposes it wrote on its 2024 grants. These are the foundation's own words, not a category we assigned.

literature traditionaltraditional knowledgecollection oraloral literaturefellowships collection

Biggest grants in 2024

The 15 largest of the 46 grants paid in 2024, with the purpose the foundation wrote for each.

#RecipientStateAmountPurpose as filed
1Rangeley Lakes Heritage TrustME$333,333General operating support
2Northeast Wilderness TrustVT$195,000General operating support
3Maine Coast Heritage TrustME$125,000General operating support
4University of SydneyAS$105,644f/b/o Center for Cultural Linguistic Diversity & TRICL
5Maine Media Workshops CollegeME$50,000General operating support
6Tanzin Gyalzen Laman/a$35,892Fellowships in the Collection of Oral Literature & Traditional Knowledge
7Stephanie MorganWI$26,100Fellowships in the Collection of Oral Literature & Traditional Knowledge
8Fidelity CharitableMA$24,291Contribution to donor-advised fund of disqualified person
9Oceanarium & Education CenterME$20,902General operating support
10Peter MckinleyME$10,000Recipient of the George and Laura Appell Award for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Maine
11Phillips Public LibraryME$10,000General operating support
12Ana Carolina HechtAR$9,000Fellowships in the Collection of Oral Literature & Traditional Knowledge
13Antonio Guerreiron/a$9,000Fellowships in the Collection of Oral Literature & Traditional Knowledge
14Garaoun Massinissan/a$9,000Fellowships in the Collection of Oral Literature & Traditional Knowledge
15Guillem Belmar Viernesn/a$9,000Fellowships in the Collection of Oral Literature & Traditional Knowledge

Giving by year, and who received it

Grants paid by year

Every year of this foundation's grants that Civly holds
Tax yearGrantsPaid
202015$147K
202118$1.8M
202226$2.1M
202341$18.6M
202446$1.1M

Where the money went

Share of 2024 grant dollars by recipient state
??30%
Maine15%
California11%
AS4%
Massachusetts4%

Who decides

Officers, directors and trustees as filed, with the year of the return they appeared on.

Charity R AppellExec. Director/Treasurer · 2024
Laura P Appell-warrenPresident/Director · 2024
Steven G HochSecretary/Director · 2024

Every figure on this page is that foundation's own latest filed year, which is 2022 or later. This foundation is listed because its Form 990-PF says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and it paid at least 5 grants totaling $100K or more that year. Latest-year grants and terms per foundation from IRS 990-PF e-file returns; the newest tax year is partial until the IRS finishes releasing it. Grants are de-duplicated on funder, year, recipient and amount, so identical repeat grants collapse into one and totals can run low. Full method.

Source: IRS Form 990-PF e-file releases (public domain). Analysis: Civly.

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