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The Merrill Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

The Merrill Foundation Inc

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$4.6M
Granted FY2022
45
Grants FY2022
6
States reached
$1.5M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02Its granteesRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0189% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$2.5MEnvironment$1.1MArts & Culture$860kFood & Nutrition$680kInternational$671kRecreation & Sports$452kHealth$135kPublic Benefit$130kOther$0
02FY2022 · 45 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 45 grants below total $3,922,200, the rows itemized in this filing. The $4,622,900 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $700,700 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2022

  • Under $10k10 grants · $42k
  • $10k–50k16 grants · $330k
  • $50k–250k18 grants · $2.0M
  • $250k+1 grant · $1.5M
$30,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$42M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Cornell University$1,520,000
JDRF International Inc.$245,600
Friends of Mitchell Park, DC$225,000
Ford's Theatre$200,000
Capital Area Food Bank$200,000
Chesapeake Bay Trust$150,000
International Towing and Recovery Survivors Fund$150,000
News Literacy Project$105,000
Trust for National Mall$100,000
Shelburne Farms$100,000
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay$100,000
Memorial International Center$90,000
Girl Scouts of the Green and White$65,000
Light House Inc.$50,000
Univ of MD Center for the Env Science$50,000
02Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

68%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$4.7M · 22 repeat orgs$2.2M to everyone else

22 repeat relationships: 22 still active in FY2022, 0 since wound down; 23 grantees were first funded in FY2022 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

22
14

Total granted

$4.7M
$1.2M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+30%
+59%

Still filing today

77%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2022, 75% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $987k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’22
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’20’22
EducationEnvironmentHealthArts & CultureFood & NutritionInternationalOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • Cornell University
    2× · 2020–2022 · $2.0M · revenue +46%
  • CA
    CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC
    2× · 2020–2022 · $425k · revenue +39%
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FOUNDATION INC
    2× · 2020–2022 · $236k · revenue +22%

Funded once

  • CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2020 · $600k · revenue -6%
  • LC
    LAKE CHAMPLAIN COMMUNITY SAILING CENTER INCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $205k · revenue +102%
  • FH
    FREEDOM HOUSEgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $150k · revenue +37%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

03Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Create a more accessible, sustainable, prosperous and livable national capital region by being a discussion forum, expert resource, issue advocate, and catalyst for action.

Public Benefit
2
Harry R Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology

The Center brings together diverse interests from the agricultural, forestry, and environmental communities for the purpose of retaining Maryland's working landscapes and the industries they support while protecting and improving the…

Food & Nutrition
3
Freshfarm Markets

Freshfarm is a washington, dc-based nonprofit that builds a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system in the mid-atlantic region by producing innovative solutions in partnership with local communities and organizations. we…

Food & Nutrition
4
Medstar Health Inc

Plan, develop, coordinate, direct and manage an integrated healthcare system.

Health
5
National Audubon Society Inc

We work towards a future where birds thrive across the americas because audubon is a powerful, diverse, and ever-growing force for conservation. (continued on schedule o).

Environment
6
University of Maryland Anesthesiology Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

—
7
University of Maryland Neurosurgeryassociates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

Education
8
Maryland Independent College & University Association Inc

Serving the interests of independent higher education and supporting the work of campus leaders throughout the state of maryland.

—
9
The Center for Conservation Biology

Mission statement: our mission is to provide the global community with the information needed to drive thoughtful, science-based conservation, to educate and train the next generation of conservation scientists, and to make lasting…

Environment
10
Albright College

As a diverse community of learners, we cultivate integrity, curiosity, connection and resilience.

Education
11
National Association of Clean Water Agencies

Nacwa is the national voice of public clean water utilities, shaping water policy, convening a vibrant peer network, and empowering water leaders.

—
12
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Chesapeake Bay Trust; the most unlike its peers is Building Bridges. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

27 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 27 of the 59 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
27/27
Grantees still filing
23/27
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Cornell University: $2,037,000 · EducationCornell UniversityUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FOUNDATION INC: $235,600 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FOUNDATION INCLAKE CHAMPLAIN COMMUNITY SAILING CENTER INC: $205,000 · EducationLAKE CHAMPLAIN COMMUNITY SAILING CENTER INCTHE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT INC: $130,000 · Education+1 more: $35,000 · EducationJDRF International Inc.: $245,600 · OtherJDRF International Inc.Friends of Mitchell Park, DC: $227,000 · OtherFriends of Mitchell Park, DCTrust for National Mall: $180,000 · OtherTrust for National MallInternational Towing and Recovery Survivors Fund: $155,000 · OtherInternational Towing and Recovery …CHESAPEAKE BAY TRUST: $150,000 · OtherCHESAPEAKE BAY TRUSTJohns Hopkins University Foundation: $150,000 · OtherJohns Hopkins University Foundatio…THE MARYLAND FOOD BANK INC: $103,000 · OtherShelburne Farms: $100,000 · OtherANNAPOLIS MARITIME MUSEUM INC: $95,000 · OtherMemorial International Center: $90,000 · Other+29 more: $581,800 · Other+29 moreCHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION INC: $600,000 · EnvironmentCHESAPEAKE BAY …ALLIANCE FOR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY INC: $130,000 · EnvironmentALLIANCE FOR TH…CHESAPEAKE LEGAL ALLIANCE INC: $90,000 · EnvironmentCHESAPEAKE LEGA…ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY INC: $90,000 · EnvironmentANACOSTIA WATER…+1 more: $10,000 · EnvironmentFORD'S THEATRE SOCIETY: $450,000 · Arts & CultureAMERICAN COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES AND ALUMNI: $60,000 · Arts & CultureCAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC: $425,000 · Food & NutritionVERMONT FOODBANK: $20,000 · Food & NutritionFREEDOM HOUSE: $150,000 · InternationalMERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER: $30,000 · InternationalCHILDREN'S NATIONAL: $70,000 · HealthLUMINIS HEALTH ANNE ARUNDEL MEDICAL CENTER INC: $30,000 · HealthCommunity Crisis Services Inc: $15,000 · HealthAUTISM SOCIETY OF MARYLAND INC: $12,000 · Health
Education$2,642,600Other$2,077,400Environment$920,000Arts & Culture$510,000Food & Nutrition$445,000International$180,000Health$127,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCornell University: $2,037,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION INC: $600,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetFORD'S THEATRE SOCIETY: $450,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetCAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC: $425,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FOUNDATION INC: $235,600 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetLAKE CHAMPLAIN COMMUNITY SAILING CENTER INC: $205,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetCHESAPEAKE BAY TRUST: $150,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetFREEDOM HOUSE: $150,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetALLIANCE FOR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY INC: $130,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetTHE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT INC: $130,000 over 2y, 2.1% of budgetTHE MARYLAND FOOD BANK INC: $103,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetANNAPOLIS MARITIME MUSEUM INC: $95,000 over 2y, 4.9% of budgetCHESAPEAKE LEGAL ALLIANCE INC: $90,000 over 2y, 6.3% of budgetANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY INC: $90,000 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetCHILDREN'S NATIONAL: $70,000 over 2y, 4.2% of budgetAMERICAN COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES AND ALUMNI: $60,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetTHE LIGHT HOUSE INC: $60,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetMARET SCHOOL INC: $35,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER: $30,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLUMINIS HEALTH ANNE ARUNDEL MEDICAL CENTER INC: $30,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Barker Adoption Foundation: $30,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetVERMONT FOODBANK: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCommunity Crisis Services Inc: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAUTISM SOCIETY OF MARYLAND INC: $12,000 over 1y, 3.4% of budgetBuilding Bridges: $10,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetUpstream Alliance Inc: $10,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetFEDERAL CITY COUNCIL: $4,200 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Greater Washington Co…The Keith Campbell Fo…Clark-Winchcole Found…Chesapeake Bay TrustCommunity Foundation …Brown Advisory Charit…The Morris and Gwendo…Give Back FoundationNational Fish and Wil…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Ibm International Fou…T Rowe Price Program …
Greater Washington Community FoundationDC20.2× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Washington Community Foundation · The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment Inc · Clark-Winchcole Foundation · Chesapeake Bay Trust · Community Foundation of Anne Arundel Co · Brown Advisory Charitable Foundation Inc · The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation · Give Back Foundation · National Fish and Wildlife Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Ibm International Foundation · T Rowe Price Program for Charitable Giving Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.
04Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Merrill Foundation Inc?

Find your warmest path to The Merrill Foundation Inc through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 59 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2022, released 2022. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports $4.2M of grant expense with no grantee named in the published copy. A private foundation itemizes every grant it makes, so a return carrying none has filed its list as an attachment that the public copy does not include. The figures above are therefore from FY2022, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Merrill’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home