Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry
Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry is a private foundation based in Augusta, Georgia. It supports organizations through contributions for general assistance; in 2025, it made 26 grants totaling $98,000.
Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry at a glance
In short: Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry gave $98K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Georgia. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $98,000
- +2.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- +13.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,769
- -9.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $1,672,036
- -2.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (5 of 26, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Georgia (95% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists no particular application form and states that contributions are discretionary. The filing lists no deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Arthur Ernest Merry Foundation Inc
Mailing address: 2919 Sussex Drive, Augusta, GA 30909
Phone: (706) 738-7976
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Augusta Rescue Mission ($9K). Together the top 10 received $68K.
Grant Size Distribution
115 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 115 grants of 115 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Georgia. The remaining grant dollars went to recipients in Maryland (2%), and New York, South Carolina, and Michigan (1% each).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 26 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 100% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $85K (2020) to $117K (2021). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $98K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Augusta Rescue Mission Augusta, GA | General Assistance | $9,000 |
| Young Life of Augusta Augusta, GA | General Assistance | $9,000 |
| Easter Seals of East Georgia Augusta, GA | General Assistance | $7,000 |
| Broad Street Ministry Augusta, GA | General Assistance | $7,000 |
| Christ Community Health Services Inc Augusta, GA | General Assistance | $7,000 |
| Covenant Care Services Inc Macon, GA | General Assistance | $7,000 |
| Augusta Care Pregnancy Center Augusta, GA | General Assistance | $6,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Augusta Augusta, GA | General Assistance | $6,000 |
| Augusta Technical College Augusta, GA | General Assistance | $5,000 |
| Golden Harvest Food Bank Augusta, GA | General Assistance | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,672,036 | $62,552 | $110,482 | $98,000 | 26 | $98,000 | $70,397 | $97,920 |
| 2024 | $1,719,966 | $80,469 | $106,683 | $96,000 | 23 | $96,000 | $80,469 | $96,430 |
| 2023 | $1,746,180 | $71,920 | $100,105 | $90,000 | 22 | $90,000 | $71,920 | $87,603 |
| 2022 | $1,774,365 | $86,853 | $112,560 | $103,000 | 22 | $103,000 | $86,853 | $104,763 |
| 2021 | $1,800,072 | $59,267 | $125,223 | $117,000 | 22 | $117,000 | $72,757 | $110,171 |
| 2020 | $1,866,028 | $87,384 | $93,943 | $85,000 | 24 | — | $87,384 | $91,871 |
| 2019 | $1,872,587 | $75,368 | $123,813 | $113,250 | 28 | — | $75,368 | $110,171 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry reported a distributable amount of $98K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s filing describes its charitable activity as contributions to organizations for general assistance. Its 2025 grantees include organizations working in areas such as shelter and services for people experiencing homelessness, healthcare, adoption services, pregnancy counseling, workforce education, food assistance, and early childhood education. These are descriptions of the grantees’ work, not a stated mission or set of focus areas for the foundation.
For example, Augusta Rescue Mission describes its work as sheltering homeless men and providing food, clothing, and life-skills training. Christ Community Health Services describes its work as providing and promoting healthcare in medically underserved areas of the Central Savannah River Area. Appraro Academy describes its programs as specialized early intervention and education for children.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 26 grants totaling $98,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $9,000, with a median of $3,000. The filing lists grant purposes as general assistance.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $9,000 each to Augusta Rescue Mission and Young Life of Augusta; $7,000 each to Easter Seals of East Georgia, Broad Street Ministry, Christ Community Health Services, and Covenant Care Services; and $6,000 each to Augusta Care Pregnancy Center and Boys & Girls Club of Augusta. Other grants included $5,000 each to Augusta Technical College, Golden Harvest Food Bank, and Apparo Academy, and $3,000 to Family Promise of Augusta.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Catherine M Williams as President, James Leibach as Vice President, and Robert B McDonald as Trustee.
Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry is led by Catherine M Williams, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Catherine M Williams
President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Robert B McDonald
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
James Leibach
Vice President
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Joseph Brian Williams (2022–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Herbert P Williams (2019–2020) — Vice President
- Former: Kenneth H Merry Jr. (2019) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry
How much does Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry give each year?
Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry gave $98K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $96K across 23 grants.
What is Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry's typical grant size?
Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $3,769, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry that year got $1K on average.
Where does Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry give grants?
Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry gives mostly in Georgia: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Augusta, GA (18 grants).
Does Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (26 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry's largest grantees?
Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry's largest 2025 grantees include Augusta Rescue Mission ($9,000), Young Life of Augusta ($9,000) and Easter Seals of East Georgia ($7,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry?
Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $98K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $98K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry fund?
The foundation’s filing describes its charitable activity as contributions to organizations for general assistance. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry?
The 2024 filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry's EIN?
Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-2050931. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 14, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 30, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/arthur-h-merry-and-ernest-b-merry-morg_194894df1c284eea9ef405ccae662d5f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_822050931_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Arthur H Merry \& Ernest B Merry funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/arthur-h-merry-and-ernest-b-merry-morg_194894df1c284eea9ef405ccae662d5f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Arthur H Merry & Ernest B Merry's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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