Half Moon Foundation
Half Moon Foundation is a private foundation based in New Canaan, Connecticut. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in areas including education, arts and humanities, medical care, social welfare, religion, and conservation.
Half Moon Foundation at a glance
In short: Half Moon Foundation gave $316K across 41 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Connecticut. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $315,500
- -6.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 41
- -2.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,695
- -4.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $1,124,637
- +17.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (2 of 41, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (68% 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 Half Moon 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: 726 Weed Street, New Canaan, CT 06840
Phone: (312) 453-9181
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Half Moon Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was New Canaan Library ($102K). Together the top 10 received $245K.
Grant Size Distribution
204 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 200 grants of 204 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went primarily to organizations in Connecticut (68%), followed by Massachusetts (13%), Illinois (7%), Maine (5%), and California (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 41 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Half Moon Foundation open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 41 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 93% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 30% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 376% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $243K (2022) to $394K (2020). In 2025 it made 41 grants totaling $316K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New Canaan Library New Canaan, CT | Education | $102,000 |
| Stepping Stones Museum Norwalk, CT | Arts/Humanities | $36,000 |
| McLean Hospital Belmont, MA | Medical | $20,000 |
| Stamford Hospital Foundation Stamford, CT | Medical | $20,000 |
| Americares STAmFORD, CT | Social Welfare | $15,000 |
| Williams College Williamstown, MA | Education | $15,000 |
| Nature Conservancy Chicago, IL | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Congregational Church of New Canaan New Canaan, CT | Religious | $10,000 |
| SquashBridge Bridgeport, CT | Charitable | $10,000 |
| New Canaan Mounted Troop Inc New Canaan, CA | Education | $7,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Half Moon Foundation?
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 | $1,124,637 | $782,926 | $331,792 | $315,500 | 41 | $316,425 | $196,230 | $84,267 |
| 2024 | $960,655 | $395,154 | $358,868 | $338,920 | 42 | $341,614 | $75,300 | $79,955 |
| 2023 | $1,024,586 | $434,171 | $284,998 | $269,000 | 40 | $270,246 | $142,605 | $68,683 |
| 2022 | $946,865 | $261,236 | $260,948 | $242,750 | 40 | $243,629 | $73,771 | $63,361 |
| 2021 | $883,886 | $587,046 | $331,978 | $315,600 | 41 | $317,245 | $230,126 | $69,914 |
| 2020 | $744,691 | $451,521 | $543,406 | $393,750 | 45 | — | — | $56,769 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Half Moon Foundation reported a distributable amount of $84K 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 grants included support for educational institutions, cultural organizations, hospitals, social-welfare organizations, religious organizations, and environmental and conservation groups.
The grantees describe their own work in a range of ways. Friends of Acadia says it works to preserve and protect Acadia National Park and surrounding communities. The National Forest Foundation says it carries out on-the-ground work and grantmaking for the National Forest System. Food Rescue US says it coordinates transfers of surplus food to organizations serving people experiencing food insecurity. The New Canaan Community Foundation says it addresses local needs through leadership, grants, and support for charitable giving.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 41 grants totaling $315,500. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $102,000, with a median of $3,000.
The largest reported grants included $102,000 to New Canaan Library for education; $36,000 to Stepping Stones Museum for arts and humanities; $20,000 each to McLean Hospital and Stamford Hospital Foundation for medical purposes; and $15,000 each to Americares for social welfare and Williams College for education. Other grants included $10,000 each to the Nature Conservancy, Congregational Church of New Canaan, and SquashBridge.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Tracy L. Merrill as president and director, Joseph W. Merrill as vice president and director, and Oliver Merrill as secretary, treasurer, and director.
Half Moon Foundation is led by Tracy L. Merrill, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Tracy L. Merrill
President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joseph W. Merrill
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Oliver Merrill
Secretary, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Half Moon Foundation
How much does Half Moon Foundation give each year?
Half Moon Foundation gave $316K across 41 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $339K across 42 grants.
What is Half Moon Foundation's typical grant size?
Half Moon Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $7,695, across 41 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Half Moon Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Half Moon Foundation give grants?
Half Moon Foundation gives mostly in Connecticut: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (13%) and Illinois (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New Canaan, CT (10 grants), Chicago, IL (4 grants), Islesford, ME (4 grants) and Stamford, CT (3 grants).
Does Half Moon Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 41 grants with a stated purpose on Half Moon Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (19 grants), "Education" (13 grants) and "Medical" (5 grants).
Who are Half Moon Foundation's largest grantees?
Half Moon Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include New Canaan Library ($102,000), Stepping Stones Museum ($36,000) and McLean Hospital ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Half Moon Foundation?
Half Moon Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $316K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $84K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Half Moon Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for educational institutions, cultural organizations, hospitals, social-welfare organizations, religious organizations, and environmental and conservation groups. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Half Moon 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 Half Moon Foundation's EIN?
Half Moon Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3715158. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Half Moon 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Half Moon Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Half Moon Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/half-moon-foundation-morg_5a755bf4856348f9a04975623c6375ac
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363715158_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Half Moon Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/half-moon-foundation-morg_5a755bf4856348f9a04975623c6375ac},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Half Moon 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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