John and Linda Macdonald Foundation
The John and Linda Macdonald Foundation is a private foundation based in La Quinta, California. It makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and its 2024 grants supported organizations working in areas including health, disaster response, youth mentoring, and peacebuilding.
John and Linda Macdonald Foundation at a glance
In short: John and Linda Macdonald Foundation gave $1.1M across 18 grants in 2024 (avg $63K), top state California. 11% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,125,600
- +51.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 18
- +20.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $62,533
- +25.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $12,502,200
- -2.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 18, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (36% 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 John and Linda Macdonald Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 80875 Via Portofino, La Quinta, CA 92253
Phone: (925) 640-1008
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who John and Linda Macdonald Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Eisenhower Health Foundation ($265K). Together the top 10 received $936K.
Grant Size Distribution
95 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 57 grants of 95 (60%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in California (36%), New York (34%), Maryland (12%), Washington, DC (7%), and Oregon (5%), among other states.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
Cities
Is John and Linda Macdonald Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 2 of 18 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $163K; repeat grants $50K. How we count
Medians: $163K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 83% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 36% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 149% 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 $740K (2022) to $1.1M (2024). In 2024 it made 18 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Health Foundation Rancho Mirage, CA | The eisenhower health foundation raises funds to support eisenhower health, a non-profit hospital system, by providing resources for world-class patient care, advanced technology, and state-of-the-art facilities. | $265,000 |
| Michael J Fox Foundation New York, NY | The michael j. Fox foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with parkinson's today. | $100,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Federation of America New York, NY | Planned parenthood is America's most trusted provider of reproductive health care. The skilled health care professionals are dedicated to offering men, women, and teens high-quality, affordable medical care. One in five American women has chosen planned parenthood for health care at least once in her life. | $100,000 |
| Seeds of Peace New York, NY | Seeds of peace aims to amplify the voices of its graduates. As such, seeds of peace puts forward the charter on uprooting hatred and terror, co-authored by more than 120 seeds from the middle east, south asia, the balkans, cyprus and the united states, as the best reflection of their shared principles. | $100,000 |
| CF Foundation Bethesda, MD | The mission of the cystic fibrosis foundation is to cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all people with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment, and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care. | $80,000 |
| US Foundation - Queen's University Washington, DC | The us foundation for queen's university at kingston is a recognized 501 (c) (3) "tax-exempt organization and was created in 1995 specifically to benefit supporters of the university who are residents of the united states. Today, organizations and individuals living in the united states can help the university fulfill its mission with a charitable gift and qualify for an income tax deduction. | $80,000 |
| Friends of the Children Portland, OR | The friends of the children breaks the cycle of generational poverty by providing long-term, paid professional mentors to children from kindergarten through high school graduation. | $60,600 |
| Doctors Without Borders USA New York, NY | Doctors without borders/mdecins sans frontires (MSF) helps people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care. | $50,000 |
| Engineers Without Borders USA Denver, CO | Engineers without borders usa builds a better world through engineering projects that empower communities to meet their basic human needs and equip leaders to solve the world's most pressing challenges. Their 16,800 members work with communities to find appropriate solutions for water supply, sanitation, energy, agriculture, civil works and structures. | $50,000 |
| Fisher House Foundation Inc Maryland, MD | Fisher house foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans' families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. Fisher house foundation also operates the hero miles program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the hotels for heroes program using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge. | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with John and Linda Macdonald 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $12,502,200 | $1,250,118 | $1,238,598 | $1,125,600 | 18 | $1,130,600 | $884,827 | $760,477 |
| 2023 | $12,850,251 | $986,255 | $857,881 | $745,000 | 15 | $755,239 | $659,770 | $721,004 |
| 2022 | $12,865,481 | $623,055 | $867,691 | $740,000 | 17 | $740,000 | $296,166 | $713,065 |
| 2021 | $13,171,960 | $1,196,974 | $970,483 | $830,000 | 23 | $830,000 | $824,945 | $790,949 |
| 2020 | $13,129,976 | $973,700 | $934,721 | $800,000 | 22 | — | $588,979 | $703,191 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John and Linda Macdonald Foundation reported a distributable amount of $760K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose stated missions address medical research and care, humanitarian response, youth mentoring, and peacebuilding. For example, Seeds of Peace says it equips young leaders in communities divided by conflict to advance changes essential for peace. Friends of the Children describes its work as empowering youth facing significant obstacles through long-term relationships with paid professional mentors.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 18 grants totaling $1,125,600. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $265,000, with a median grant of $50,000. Among the largest were $265,000 to Eisenhower Health Foundation; $100,000 each to Michael J. Fox Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Seeds of Peace; and $80,000 each to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the US Foundation for Queen’s University.
Other 2024 recipients included Friends of the Children ($60,600), Doctors Without Borders USA ($50,000), Engineers Without Borders USA ($50,000), Fisher House Foundation ($50,000), Team Rubicon ($50,000), Breast Cancer Research Foundation ($30,000), and Prostate Cancer Foundation ($25,000). The grantees’ stated work includes, respectively, long-term mentoring for children, emergency medical aid, community engineering projects, support for military and veterans’ families, disaster response, breast cancer research, and prostate cancer research.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists John A. Macdonald as president, Kathryn J. Macdonald as secretary, and Linda M. Macdonald as vice president and treasurer.
John and Linda Macdonald Foundation is led by John A. Macdonald, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
John A. Macdonald
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kathryn J. Macdonald
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Linda M. Macdonald
Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about John and Linda Macdonald Foundation
How much does John and Linda Macdonald Foundation give each year?
John and Linda Macdonald Foundation gave $1.1M across 18 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $745K across 15 grants.
What is John and Linda Macdonald Foundation's typical grant size?
John and Linda Macdonald Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $50,000, and its average grant was $62,533, across 18 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John and Linda Macdonald Foundation that year got $163K on average.
Where does John and Linda Macdonald Foundation give grants?
John and Linda Macdonald Foundation's top state is California, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (34%) and Maryland (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (5 grants).
Does John and Linda Macdonald Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 18 grants with a stated purpose on John and Linda Macdonald Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are John and Linda Macdonald Foundation's largest grantees?
John and Linda Macdonald Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Eisenhower Health Foundation ($265,000), Michael J Fox Foundation ($100,000) and Planned Parenthood Federation of America ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is John and Linda Macdonald Foundation?
John and Linda Macdonald Foundation reported $12.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $760K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does John and Linda Macdonald Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose stated missions address medical research and care, humanitarian response, youth mentoring, and peacebuilding. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from John and Linda Macdonald Foundation?
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 John and Linda Macdonald Foundation's EIN?
John and Linda Macdonald Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-4310945. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does John and Linda Macdonald 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
(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). John and Linda Macdonald Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-and-linda-macdonald-foundation-morg_2f8106c9da864fdeaa848bd629d3807c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_464310945_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{John and Linda Macdonald Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-and-linda-macdonald-foundation-morg_2f8106c9da864fdeaa848bd629d3807c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 John and Linda Macdonald 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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