Durham Merchants Association
Durham Merchants Association is a private foundation based in Durham, North Carolina. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in North Carolina, including organizations serving people facing homelessness, food insecurity, health challenges, and other needs.
Durham Merchants Association at a glance
In short: Durham Merchants Association gave $168K across 39 grants in 2024 (avg $4K), mostly in North Carolina. 23% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $167,843
- +0.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 39
- -2.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $4,304
- +3.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $2,748,707
- +7.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (9 of 39, 2024)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Durham Merchants Association
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. No further application process or required materials are stated.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 52016, Durham, NC 27717
Phone: (919) 819-8312
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Durham Merchants Association funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Urban Ministries of Durham ($15K). Together the top 10 received $79K.
Grant Size Distribution
168 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 168 grants of 168 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2024 went to recipients in North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Durham Merchants Association open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 39 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 64% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−19%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 102% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $167K (2023) to $226K (2020). In 2024 it made 39 grants totaling $168K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Urban Ministries of Durham Durham, NC | General Support | $15,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Greater Durham Durham, NC | General Support | $9,560 |
| Caring House Durham, NC | General Support | $8,500 |
| Meals on Wheels of Durham Durham, NC | General Support | $8,000 |
| Families Moving Forward Durham, NC | General Support | $7,200 |
| Housing for New Hope Durham, NC | General Support | $7,000 |
| The Salvation Army of Durham Durham, NC | General Support | $7,000 |
| YMCA of the Triangle Area Raleigh, NC | General Support | $6,000 |
| Latino Educational Achievement Partnership Durham, NC | General Support | $6,000 |
| Autism Support and Advocacy Center Durham, NC | General Support | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Durham Merchants Association?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The filing type is Form 990-PF.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,748,707 | $411,816 | $229,389 | $167,843 | 39 | $172,004 | $354,431 | $168,610 |
| 2023 | $2,566,127 | $123,861 | $226,654 | $166,751 | 40 | $169,321 | $66,965 | $159,935 |
| 2022 | $2,668,625 | $273,344 | $267,071 | $195,250 | 34 | $214,722 | $231,458 | $164,460 |
| 2021 | $2,661,548 | $468,891 | $273,384 | $207,100 | 29 | $225,371 | $421,251 | $185,749 |
| 2020 | $2,463,810 | $188,805 | $287,392 | $225,500 | 26 | — | $148,219 | $167,099 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Durham Merchants Association reported a distributable amount of $169K for 2024 — 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 is provided. The 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including housing and homelessness services, meals and nutrition, cancer patient support, youth services, education, and health. For example, Urban Ministries of Durham describes its work as providing case management, emergency shelter, meals, groceries, clothing, referrals, workforce and life-skills training, and educational enrichment for people in need. Families Moving Forward says it helps families experiencing homelessness through temporary housing, case management, skills education, and connections to community resources.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 39 grants totaling $167,843. Grants ranged from $250 to $15,000, with a median grant of $4,000. Notable awards included $15,000 to Urban Ministries of Durham, $9,560 to Boys & Girls Club of Greater Durham, $8,500 to Caring House, $8,000 to Meals on Wheels of Durham, $7,200 to Families Moving Forward, and $7,000 each to Housing for New Hope and The Salvation Army of Durham. The listed grant purposes were general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jeff Hendriks as president; Steve Hancock as executive director; Dede Brockwell as secretary; Kirk West as vice president; and Joye Speight as treasurer. It also lists Alex Sykes, Nancy Brown, Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, Seth Jernigan, and Kelly Misenheimer as directors.
Durham Merchants Association is led by Steve Hancock, Executive Director since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 10 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Steve Hancock
Executive Director
President → Treasurer, 2021
Treasurer → Executive Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$25K (2022) → $0 (2024)
Jeff Hendriks
President
Director → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → President, 2024
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Nancy Brown
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Alex Sykes
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Kelly Misenheimer
Director
New on the 2024 filing
No compensation reported
Pilar Rocha-Goldberg
Director
New on the 2024 filing
No compensation reported
Seth Jernigan
Director
New on the 2024 filing
No compensation reported
Dede Brockwell
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Joye Speight
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Kirk West
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Cindie Diehl (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Jeff Stewart (2020–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Lois Deloatch (2020–2023) — President
- Former: Charles Atwater (2020–2021) — Executive Director
- Former: Frances Dyer (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Jay Harris (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Paige Ward (2020–2021) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2022 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2022 filing was $25K, to Steve Hancock (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Durham Merchants Association
How much does Durham Merchants Association give each year?
Durham Merchants Association gave $168K across 39 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $167K across 40 grants.
What is Durham Merchants Association's typical grant size?
Durham Merchants Association's median grant in 2024 was $4,000, and its average grant was $4,304, across 39 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Durham Merchants Association that year got $3K on average.
Where does Durham Merchants Association give grants?
Durham Merchants Association gives mostly in North Carolina: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Durham, NC (35 grants) and Raleigh, NC (4 grants).
Does Durham Merchants Association give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Durham Merchants Association's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (39 of 39) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Durham Merchants Association's largest grantees?
Durham Merchants Association's largest 2024 grantees include Urban Ministries of Durham ($15,000), Boys & Girls Club of Greater Durham ($9,560) and Caring House ($8,500), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 20% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Durham Merchants Association?
Durham Merchants Association reported $2.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $172K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $169K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Durham Merchants Association fund?
No mission statement is provided. The 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including housing and homelessness services, meals and nutrition, cancer patient support, youth services, education, and health. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Durham Merchants Association?
The foundation 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 Durham Merchants Association's EIN?
Durham Merchants Association's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-1651068. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Durham Merchants Association 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Durham Merchants Association funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/durham-merchants-association-morg_195ec284d9c147c98b8325d15f1621f7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_561651068_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Durham Merchants Association funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/durham-merchants-association-morg_195ec284d9c147c98b8325d15f1621f7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Durham Merchants Association'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.
Durham Merchants Association down — hundreds of funders to go?