John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc

Foundation · Grantmaker Tucson, AZ EIN: 86-0802319

The John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Tucson, Arizona. In its 2025 filing, it reported 21 grants totaling $290,500, all to recipients in Arizona. Listed grant purposes included scholarships, food programs, homeless programs, and support for ongoing programs.

Key facts about John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc

In short: John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc gave $291K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), mostly in Arizona. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
86-0802319
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$290,500
Grants made (2025)
21
Average grant
$13,833
Median grant
$7,500
New grantees (estimate)
0% first-time grantees (0 of 21, 2025)
Total assets
$3,450,598
Primary geography
Arizona (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$3.5M

-2.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$291K

-6.3% YoY

Grant Count

21

-12.5% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$14K

+7.1% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $287K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

0%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 0 of 21 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. How we count

  • 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−14%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 38% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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.

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 programs and scholarships, food programs, homeless programs, literacy, theatre operations, and other ongoing programs.

The grantees describe their own missions in a range of ways. The University of Arizona Foundation says it supports and enhances the university’s vision, mission, and values through developing and managing private support. The Community Food Bank says its mission is to help ensure communities are healthy and hunger-free. Literacy Connects describes its work as connecting people of all ages to opportunities through literacy and creative expression. Arizona Theatre Company says it creates theatre intended to inspire curiosity and creativity, spark empathy and joy, and bring Arizonans together.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave $290,500 through 21 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $127,000, with a median grant of $7,500. The largest awards included $127,000 to the University of Arizona Foundation for scholarships; $20,000 each to Community Food Bank for food programs for people in need and Primavera Foundation for homeless programs; and $16,000 to Pima Community College Foundation for scholarships. Other notable awards were $15,000 each to Emerge Center for Domestic Abuse and Planned Parenthood for ongoing programs, and $10,000 each to Literacy Connects, Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona, and Education Enrichment Foundation.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Arizona. The listed 2025 grantees are based in Tucson.

Grant Distribution by State

1state

Share of all 21 itemized 2025 grant dollars.

States

Cities

Tucson

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K$400K23 grants202023 grants202123 grants202223 grants202324 grants202421 grants2025

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

University of Arizona Foundation: $127KUniversity of ArizonaFoundation$127KCommunity Food Bank: $20KCommunity Food Bank$20KPrimavera Foundation: $20KPrimavera Foundation$20KPima Community College Foundation: $16KPima Community CollegeFoundation$16KEmerge Center for Domestic Abuse: $15KEmerge Center for DomesticAbuse$15KPlanned Parenthood: $15KPlanned Parenthood$15KLiteracy Connects: $10KLiteracy Connects$10KMobile Meals of Southern Arizona: $10KMobile Meals of SouthernArizona$10KEducation Enrichment Foundation: $10KEducation EnrichmentFoundation$10KArizona Theatre Company: $8KArizona Theatre Company$8K

Grant Size Distribution

114 grants across all recorded years

109<$50K$50–100K5$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
University of Arizona Foundation Tucson, AZScholarships$127,000
Community Food Bank Tucson, AZSupport food programs for poor$20,000
Primavera Foundation Tucson, AZSupport homeless programs$20,000
Pima Community College Foundation Tucson, AZScholarships$16,000
Emerge Center for Domestic Abuse Tucson, AZSupport ongoing programs$15,000
Planned Parenthood Tucson, AZSupport ongoing programs$15,000
Literacy Connects Tucson, AZSupport reading programs$10,000
Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona Tucson, AZSupport onging programs$10,000
Education Enrichment Foundation Tucson, AZTo support educational programs$10,000
Arizona Theatre Company Tucson, AZSupport theatre operations$7,500

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2025 $3,450,598 $414,790 $520,029 $290,500 (21 grants)
2024 $3,551,798 $457,790 $542,633 $310,000 (24 grants)
2023 $3,639,131 $249,209 $527,929 $331,000 (23 grants)
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$200K$400K$600K$800K202020212022202320242025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$3,450,598$3,551,798$3,639,131
Revenue$414,790$457,790$249,209
Expenses$520,029$542,633$527,929
Qualifying Distributions$110,236$7,567$5,705
Net Investment Income$144,196——
Distributable Amount$286,962$281,315$277,801

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Ana Nygren as President, Bruce Burke as Vice President, Jay S Kittle as Chairman, Cheryl House as Treasurer, and Bobbie Jo Buel Carter as Secretary.

John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc is led by Ana Nygren, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Ana Nygren

    President

    On filings since 2020

    60 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jay S Kittle

    Chairman

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Bruce Burke

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Bobbie Jo Buel Carter

    Secretary

    New on the 2025 filing

    No compensation reported

  • Cheryl House

    Treasurer

    New on the 2025 filing

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Gordon Waterfall (2020–2021) — Secretary

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.

Contact

Mailing address: 5448 N Crescent Hill Place, Tucson, AZ 85718
Phone: (520) 299-6413

Frequently asked questions about John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc

How much does John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc give each year?

John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc gave $291K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $310K across 24 grants.

What is John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $13,833, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc give grants?

John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc gives mostly in Arizona: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Tucson, AZ (21 grants).

Does John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support ongoing programs" (5 grants).

Who are John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include University of Arizona Foundation ($127,000), Community Food Bank ($20,000) and Primavera Foundation ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 57% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc?

John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc reported $3.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $110K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $287K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for educational programs and scholarships, food programs, homeless programs, literacy, theatre operations, and other ongoing programs. The grantees describe their own missions in a range of ways. The University of Arizona Foundation says it supports and enhances the university’s vision, mission, and values through developing and managing private support. The Community Food Bank says its mission is to help ensu…

How do I apply for a grant from John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc?

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 John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc's EIN?

John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 86-0802319. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does John and Helen Murphey Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?

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

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

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