Promote strong, sustainable nonprofits that reliably serve Maine communities

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
75¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$66K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2021 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
1 of 4
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $138K a year · 53% of revenue · last 4 filings
Concern: a surplus in 1 of the last 4 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 4 filings
Spent on programs
75%
of spending
Looks good: 75% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$66K
to officers and key staff · 14% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 14% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
17 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 17.1 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Liabilities
$57K
8% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 8% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
2
of 3 voting members
Looks good: 2 of 3 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$157K
-51% vs prior year
Spent
$459K
To programs
75%
Net assets
$616K
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$157K
FY2021▼ -51%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$319K
FY2021$157K
FY2022$383K
FY2023$177K
FY2024$76K
Expenses
$459K
FY2021-0.06%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$460K
FY2021$459K
FY2022$313K
FY2023$356K
FY2024Not on file
Net assets
$616K
FY2021▼ -33%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$918K
FY2021$616K
FY2022$685K
FY2023$507K
FY2024$192K

From the FY2021 Form 990 · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Dec 2000.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

75 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 75% · $345K Management & general 25% · $114K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

3 people listed on the 990; $66K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Chairman and CEO
$66,250Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Laura J Roming’s $82K as Director/Research & Program Officer is at the 94th percentile of top reported officer pay among 145 <$100K education nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Laura J Roming$82,236$76,208$65,931——
Lawrence J Sterrs$53,480$51,500$63,134$66,250$66,250

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Strengthens Maine nonprofits to better serve their communities.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $345K · in their own filed words · FY2021
01

Unity Foundation supports youth, educational, environmental, arts and community development programs, activities and services of its supported organizations and other nonprofits. The Foundation enables nonprofits to fulfill their missions by providing grants, technical assistance, education and convenings.

$345Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · this organization's grantmaking
Grants paid · 16 grants · $307K · 2020–2023
Children's Discovery MuseumME · FY2023$25,000
Local Media FoundationMI · FY2023$15,000
Camden ConferenceME · FY2023$10,000
Points North InstituteME · FY2023$10,000
Rural Aspirations ProjectME · FY2023$10,000
Ecology Learning CenterME · FY2022$15,000
Camden ConferenceME · FY2022$10,000
Good Will Home AssociationME · FY2021$80,000
Groundtruth Project INCMA · FY2021$30,000
Camden ConferenceME · FY2020$15,000
Points North InstituteME · FY2020$10,000

By the numbers

The FY2021 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$157K
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$151K
Other incomeLn 4–11$5K
Investment incomeLn 3$29
Money outPt IX
$459K
Ln 25
Programscol B$345K
Managementcol C$114K
Owns and owesPt X
$616K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$653K
Total assetsLn 16$673K
LiabilitiesLn 26$57K
PeoplePt VI, VII
3
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a3
IndependentVI 1b2
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Fees for servicesLn 2g$151K
Investment incomeLn 3$29
Other incomeLn 4–11$5K
Total revenueLn 12$157K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$603K
SavingsLn 2$50K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$653K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$18K
Total assetsLn 16$673K
LiabilitiesLn 26$57K
Net assetsLn 32$616K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 52
VolunteersI 62
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY21End FY21
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$932K$653K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$18K$18K
Total assetsLn 16$952K$673K
LiabilitiesLn 26$34K$57K
Net assetsLn 32$918K$616K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$168K$168K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$66K$17K$50K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$61K$43K$18K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$2K$1K$413
Other employee benefitsLn 9$19K$14K$5K
Payroll taxesLn 10$10K$7K$2K
Legal feesLn 11b$421$379$42
Accounting feesLn 11c$19K$19K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$10K$9K$1K
Office expensesLn 13$9K$8K$2K
Information technologyLn 14$3K$3K
OccupancyLn 16$15K$9K$6K
TravelLn 17$38$38
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$645$645
InsuranceLn 23$4K$4K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$73K$66K$6K
Total functional expensesLn 25$459K$345K$114K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest $76K$192K 990 PDF
FY2023 $177K$356K−$179K$507K 990 PDF
FY2022 $383K$313K$70K$685K 990 PDF
FY2021 Viewing $157K$459K−$303K$616K 990 PDF
FY2020 $319K$460K−$141K$918K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $156,789 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $0$0
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $133,565$151,425
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $168,360$29
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $16,781$5,335
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $318,706$156,789
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $134,500$168,400
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $155,939$157,506
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $169,294$133,546
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $459,733$459,452
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$141,027−$302,663
Part VI · Governance 2 of 3 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body3
VI-1b Independent voting members2
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $156,789 across 4 lines filed
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Unrelated business $151,425$151,425
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $29$29
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossExcluded from tax $5,335$5,335
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $151,425 · Excluded from tax $5,364$156,789
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $459,452 across 16 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $168,400$168,400
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $16,563 · Management $49,687$66,250
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $42,776 · Management $18,189$60,965
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $1,240 · Management $413$1,653
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $14,056 · Management $4,685$18,741
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $7,423 · Management $2,474$9,897
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $379 · Management $42$421
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $19,320$19,320
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $9,000 · Management $1,000$10,000
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $7,536 · Management $1,552$9,088
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $2,580$2,580
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $9,120 · Management $6,080$15,200
IX-17 TravelManagement $38$38
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsManagement $645$645
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $3,655$3,655
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $66,306 · Management $6,293$72,599
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $345,379 · Management $114,073 · Fundraising $0$459,452
Part X · Balance sheet $672,521 assets, 12 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $932,000$602,981
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investments$50,042
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $2,241$1,738
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $17,760$17,760
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $952,146$672,521
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $33,382$26,955
X-18 Grants payable$30,000
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $535$0
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $33,917$56,955
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $918,229$615,566
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $918,229$615,566
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $952,146$672,521
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $615,566 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$156,789
XI-2 Total expenses$459,452
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$302,663
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$918,229
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$615,566

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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