Merck Family Fund

Historical Funder

Boston, Massachusetts · EIN 22-6063382 · Private foundation

Grants paid (2024)$3.2M

Organizations funded87

Typical grant$35,000

Total assets$64.1M

Half of its grants to organizations were between $30,000 and $50,000.

From the return

How to apply

The foundation filed the following application information (Form 990-PF Part XV, tax year 2024):

Contact	MERCK FAMILY FUND ATTN JAMES MAGUIR
Address	131 DARTMOUTH STREET SUITE 301, BOSTON MA 021165297
Phone	7817896516
Form and materials	STEP 1 - LETTER OF INQUIRY USING THE ONLINE APPLICATION; STEP 2 - FULL PROPOSAL USING THE ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM
Deadlines	FEBRUARY 1 AND AUGUST 1
Restrictions	GRANTS MADE ONLY TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE TAX EXEMPT

Copied as filed. Deadlines on a tax return describe the foundation's usual process; they are not confirmation of a current open cycle.

What it funds

Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.

Environment20
Children & Youth12
Community Development9
Human Services6
Education2
Disability Services1

Where it gives

70% of grants went outside Massachusetts.

Grants paid in tax year 2024

Recipient	Location	Purpose	Amount
Tides Foundation	Los Angeles, CA	Community food funders	$130,000
Clean Energy Group Inc	Montpelier, VT	Mobilizing corporate energy users to increase energy efficiency	$80,000
Acadia Center	Rockport, ME	Endorsing energy efficiency and protecting public health in the southeast	$75,000
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest	New York, NY	General support	$75,000
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia	Philadelphia, PA	Bushwick grows community farm	$70,000
Dogwood Alliance	Asheville, NC	Our forests aren't fuel	$60,000
Farm School NYC	New York, NY	Building civic engagement within the NYC urban agriculture & food justice community	$60,000
Blueprint Nc	Raleigh, NC	General support	$50,000
Casa Pennsylvania	Hyattsville, MD	Defending democracy	$50,000
Conservation Law Foundation	Boston, MA	Advancing state-based decarbonization strategies	$50,000
El Pueblo	Raleigh, NC	Leveraging efficiency for nonprofits and rural on-bill financing to speed an energy transition	$50,000
Groundwork USA	Yonkers, NY	Growing youth leaders through job training and urban farming	$50,000
Ma Voter Table	Springfield, MA	Addressing climate change through land conservation	$50,000
Make the Road Pa	Allentown, PA	General support.	$50,000
National Vote at Home Institute	Washington, DC	National vote at home institute	$50,000
Nc Climate Justice Collective	Durham, NC	General support	$50,000
Neighborhood Gardens Trust	Philadelphia, PA	Peak coalition	$50,000
New England Grassroots Environment Fund	Newmarket, NH	General support	$50,000
North Carolina Black Alliance	Raleigh, NC	Urban herbal plant project	$50,000
One Pennsylvania United	Pittsburgh, PA	Empowering young climate leaders to advocate for energy efficiency in the northeast	$50,000
Pennsylvania Voice	Philadelphia, PA	The urban agriculture release plan event	$50,000
Power	Philadelphia, PA	Red hook farms - an urban youth farm in red hook, brooklyn	$50,000
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy	Knoxville, TN	General support	$50,000
Southern Coalition for Social Justice	Durham, NC	The food projects youth programs	$50,000
Southern Environmental Law Center	Charlottesville, VA	NY renews coalition-wide climate justice regrants	$50,000
United Community Centers	Brooklyn, NY	Philadelphia land justice coalition	$50,000
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy	Washington, DC	Aquatic biodiversity, environmental justice, and climate resilience in the tennessee river basin	$40,000
Green Guerillas	New York, NY	Black urban farmers conference	$40,000
Ma Food System Collaborative	Boston, MA	Youth-Led agriculture and local food sovereignty at the sankofa community farm at bartram's garden	$40,000
Urban Farming Institute	Mattapan, MA	Growing youth & resident power	$40,000
Coastal Conservation League	Charleston, SC	Centering equity in energy efficiency	$35,000
Equity Advocates	Harrison, NY	Membership grant	$35,000
Everett Community Growers	Everett, MA	Biofuels environmental accountability project	$35,000
Gardening the Community	Springfield, MA	Membership grant	$35,000
Green City Force	Brooklyn, NY	General support	$35,000
Greenroots	Chelsea, MA	General support	$35,000
Groundwork Lawrence	Lawrence, MA	Green city force (gcf) service corps and eco-hubs	$35,000
Groundwork Somerville	Somerville, MA	Green guerillas youth empowerment pipeline	$35,000
Groundwork Somerville	Somerville, MA	Black urban farmers conference	$35,000
Groundwork Southcoast	New Bedford, MA	Achieving food sovereignty through urban agriculture and youth leadership	$35,000
Hattie Carthan Community Garden	Brooklyn, NY	Haley house's urban agriculture program	$35,000
John Bartram Association	Philadelphia, PA	General support	$35,000
Neighborhood Land Power Project	Philadelphia, PA	General support	$35,000
New England Grassroots Environment Fund	Newmarket, NH	North carolina black alliance civic engagement	$35,000
Norris Square Neighborhood Project	Philadelphia, PA	General support	$35,000
One Art Community Center	Philadelphia, PA	Discretionary	$35,000
Regional Environmental Council Inc	Worcester, MA	Youth gardening	$35,000
Slingshot Peak Coalition	Boston, MA	Scaling energy efficiency work in local governments and communities throughout the south	$35,000
The Food Project	Lincoln, MA	General support	$35,000
Urban Creators	Philadelphia, PA	Resilient roots farm program	$35,000
Vietlead	Philadelphia, PA	Peak coalition	$35,000
Boston Farms	Mattapan, MA	General support	$30,000
Clean Water Fund	Boston, MA	Phasing out peakers in massachusetts and philadelphia	$30,000
Eastern Woodlands Rematriation Collective	New York, NY	Living lands program	$30,000
Eastie Farm Inc	Boston, MA	General support	$30,000
Mill Creek Urban Farm	Philadelphia, PA	Expanding investor power for 1.5 c corporate governance alignment & large am accountability	$30,000
National Caucus of Environmental Legislators	Washington, DC	Building latine civic engagement power in eastern pa	$30,000
Natural Resources Council of Maine	Augusta, ME	Climate action and the clean energy system for maines future	$30,000
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships	Lexington, MA	Defend and expand democracy to promote energy efficiency philly 2023	$30,000
Our Climate Education Fund	Seattle, WA	Supporting community gardens and urban agriculture in philadelphia	$30,000

Showing the 60 largest of 87 grants to organizations.

Grants approved for future payment

Recipient	Location	Purpose	Amount
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia	Philadelphia, PA	Garden justice legal initiative	$70,000
Blueprint Nc	Raleigh, NC	General support	$50,000
Casa Pennsylvania	Hyattsville, MD	Defending democracy	$50,000
Dogwood Alliance	Asheville, NC	Our forests aren't fuel	$50,000
El Pueblo	Raleigh, NC	General support	$50,000
Ma Voter Table	Springfield, MA	General support	$50,000
Make the Road Pa	Allentown, PA	Building latine civic engagement power in eastern pa	$50,000
Nc Climate Justice Collective	Durham, NC	General support	$50,000
Neighborhood Gardens Trust	Philadelphia, PA	General support	$50,000
North Carolina Black Alliance	Raleigh, NC	North carolina black alliance civic engagement	$50,000
One Pennsylvania United	Pittsburgh, PA	Defend and expand democracy to promote energy efficiency _ philly 2023	$50,000
Pennsylvania Voice	Philadelphia, PA	General support.	$50,000
Power	Philadelphia, PA	Building statewide power in relationships	$50,000
Southern Coalition for Social Justice	Durham, NC	Challenging administrative disenfranchisements	$50,000
United Community Centers	Brooklyn, NY	East new york farms!	$50,000
Coastal Conservation League	Charleston, SC	Coastal conservation league 2023-2024 energy program support	$35,000
Everett Community Growers	Everett, MA	Exploring ecosystems: youth in agriculture and community	$35,000
Gardening the Community	Springfield, MA	General support	$35,000
Greenroots	Chelsea, MA	Achieving food sovereignty through urban agriculture and youth leadership	$35,000
Groundwork Lawrence	Lawrence, MA	Growing youth leaders through job training and urban farming	$35,000
Groundwork Somerville	Somerville, MA	General support	$35,000
Groundwork Southcoast	New Bedford, MA	Urban farming within a social justice framework to empower youth in the south coast of massachusetts	$35,000
Hattie Carthan Community Garden	Brooklyn, NY	General support	$35,000
John Bartram Association	Philadelphia, PA	Youth-Led agriculture and local food sovereignty at the sankofa community farm at bartram's garden	$35,000
Neighborhood Land Power Project	Philadelphia, PA	General support	$35,000
Norris Square Neighborhood Project	Philadelphia, PA	General support	$35,000
One Art Community Center	Philadelphia, PA	Urban herbal plant project	$35,000
Regional Environmental Council Inc	Worcester, MA	Youthgrow program	$35,000
The Food Project	Lincoln, MA	The food projects youth programs	$35,000
Urban Creators	Philadelphia, PA	General support	$35,000
Urban Farming Institute	Mattapan, MA	General support	$35,000
Vietlead	Philadelphia, PA	Resilient roots farm program	$35,000
Boston Farms	Mattapan, MA	General support	$30,000
Eastern Woodlands Rematriation Collective	New York, NY	Indigenous foodways	$30,000
Eastie Farm Inc	Boston, MA	Living lands program	$30,000
Green Guerillas	New York, NY	Black urban farmers conference	$30,000
Mill Creek Urban Farm	Philadelphia, PA	General support	$30,000
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society	Philadelphia, PA	Supporting community gardens and urban agriculture in philadelphia	$30,000
The Campaign Against Hunger Inc	Brooklyn, NY	Green teens internship program	$30,000

Giving by year

Tax year	Grants paid	Grant lines
2024	$3,204,836	126
2023	$3,120,202	87

Sources

IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 13, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202533169349102758
IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 22-6063382
Profile updated Nov 5, 2026

Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.