Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Omaha, NE EIN: 31-1653349

The Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation is a private foundation based in Omaha, Nebraska. In its 2025 filing, it reported making charitable grants to organizations in Nebraska and other states.

Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation at a glance

In short: Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation gave $534K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $41K), mostly in Indiana. 54% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$533,500
+1000.0% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
13
-27.8% vs 2024
Average grant
$41,038
+1423.1% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,000
Total assets
$218,363
-66.3% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
54% first-time grantees (7 of 13, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Indiana (96% 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 Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Contact

Mailing address: 1435 N 133Rd St, Omaha, NE 68154
Phone: (402) 330-0718

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

University of Notre Dame: $510KUniversity of Notre Dame$510KAmerican Red Cross: $5KAmerican Red Cross$5KMarquette University: $5KMarquette University$5KSacred Heart Schools: $5KSacred Heart Schools$5KServants of Mary: $2KServants of Mary$2KDiocese of Venice: $1KDiocese of Venice$1KEssential Pregnancy Services: $1KEssential Pregnancy Services$1KFoodbank of the Heartland: $1KFoodbank of the Heartland$1KFred and Pamela Buffet Cancer Center: $1KFred and Pamela Buffet CancerCenter$1KNebraska Public Media Foundation: $1KNebraska Public MediaFoundation$1K

The largest 2025 recipient was University of Notre Dame ($510K). Together the top 10 received $532K.

Grant Size Distribution

88 grants across all recorded years

87<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K1$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 87 grants of 88 (99%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Indiana, 2% to Nebraska, and 1% each to Wisconsin and Illinois. Florida accounted for 0% as reported. Listed recipients included organizations in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, as well as Notre Dame, Indiana; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; and Venice, Florida.

Grant Distribution by State

17states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.

Cities

OmahaChicagoMilwaukeeNotre DameSouth BendImmokaleePotomac FallsElkhornFort WorthMemphisAmesBellevueBostonBuffaloDanversDenverLincolnMcLeanNew YorkNorwood

Is Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation open to new grantees?

54%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 7 of 13 grantees (54%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $88K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.

  • 23% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 989% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out well above 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

$0$200K$400K$600K23 grants2019 19 grants2020 16 grants2021 14 grants2022 27 grants2023 18 grants2024 13 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $49K (2024) to $534K (2025). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $534K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, INCharitable$510,000
American Red Cross Omaha, NECharitable$5,000
Marquette University Milwaukee, WICharitbale$5,000
Sacred Heart Schools Chicago, ILCharitable$5,000
Servants of Mary Omaha, NECharitable$2,000
Diocese of Venice Venice, FLCharitable$1,000
Essential Pregnancy Services Omaha, NECharitable$1,000
Foodbank of the Heartland Omaha, NECharitable$1,000
Fred and Pamela Buffet Cancer Center Omaha, NECharitable$1,000
Nebraska Public Media Foundation Lincoln, NECharitable$1,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$218,363$112,636$542,469$533,50013$533,500$104,423$21,745
2024$648,196$38,433$57,602$48,50018$48,500$29,331$34,609
2023$667,365$14,302$73,942$65,00027$65,000$17,067$35,304
2022$727,005$42,076$58,704$49,00014$49,000$32,372$38,218
2021$743,633$46,133$62,725$50,50016$50,500$33,908$42,527
2020$760,225$94,018$79,681$69,20019—$83,469$41,824
2019$745,888$34,527$58,164$49,50023—$25,863$39,037

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation reported a distributable amount of $22K 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

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees included Marquette University, which describes its mission as a Catholic, Jesuit university’s pursuit of truth and knowledge, personal and professional excellence, faith, and leadership in service to others. Nebraska Public Media Foundation describes its purpose as supporting Nebraska Public Media, including by raising funds for public media development and transmission in the state.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $533,500. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $510,000, with a median of $1,000. The largest listed grant was $510,000 to the University of Notre Dame for a charitable purpose. Other listed grants included $5,000 each to the American Red Cross, Marquette University, and Sacred Heart Schools; $2,000 to Servants of Mary; and $1,000 to Nebraska Public Media Foundation.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Dennis F. Murphy as president; Ellin Murphy as vice president; Kathleen McMahon as secretary; and Dennis J. Murphy and Kevin J. Murphy as directors.

Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation is led by Dennis J. Murphy, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Dennis J. Murphy

    President & Director

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Kevin J. Murphy

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Ellin Murphy

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Kathleen McMahon

    Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

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 Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation

How much does Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation give each year?

Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation gave $534K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $49K across 18 grants.

What is Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation's typical grant size?

Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $41,038, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation that year got $1K on average.

Where does Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation give grants?

Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation gives mostly in Indiana: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Omaha, NE (8 grants).

Does Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (12 grants).

Who are Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation's largest grantees?

Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Notre Dame ($510,000), American Red Cross ($5,000) and Marquette University ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 97% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation?

Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation reported $218K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $534K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $22K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees included Marquette University, which describes its mission as a Catholic, Jesuit university’s pursuit of truth and knowledge, personal and professional excellence, faith, and leadership in service to others. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation?

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation's EIN?

Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1653349. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(3)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 21, 2020)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 22, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/dennis-and-ellin-murphy-foundation-morg_14eee5fc23c74d2e82013d226c1fae11

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311653349_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Dennis \& Ellin Murphy Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/dennis-and-ellin-murphy-foundation-morg_14eee5fc23c74d2e82013d226c1fae11},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Dennis & Ellin Murphy Foundation'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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