John and Linda Macdonald Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker La Quinta, CA EIN: 46-4310945

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.

Key facts about John and Linda Macdonald Foundation

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.

EIN
46-4310945
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$1,125,600
Grants made (2024)
18
Average grant
$62,533
Median grant
$50,000
New grantees (estimate)
11% first-time grantees (2 of 18, 2024)
Total assets
$12,502,200
Primary geography
California (36% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; 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 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$12.5M

-2.7% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.1M

+51.1% YoY

Grant Count

18

+20.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$63K

+25.9% YoY

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.

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. 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.

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.

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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

7states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkWashingtonBethesdaDenverLos AngelesPiedmontSan FranciscoSanta MonicaBerkeleyDallasMarylandPalm DesertBaltimoreBarkleyBrooklynPortlandRancho MirageRockvilleWashington District O

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$500K$1M$1.5M22 grants2020 23 grants2021 17 grants2022 15 grants2023 18 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $740K (2022) to $1.1M (2024). In 2024 it made 18 grants totaling $1.1M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Eisenhower Health Foundation: $265KEisenhower Health Foundation$265KMichael J Fox Foundation: $100KMichael J Fox Foundation$100KPlanned Parenthood Federation of America: $100KPlanned Parenthood Federationof America$100KSeeds of Peace: $100KSeeds of Peace$100KCF Foundation: $80KCF Foundation$80KUS Foundation - Queen's University: $80KUS Foundation - Queen'sUniversity$80KFriends of the Children: $61KFriends of the Children$61KDoctors Without Borders USA: $50KDoctors Without Borders USA$50KEngineers Without Borders USA: $50KEngineers Without Borders USA$50KFisher House Foundation Inc: $50KFisher House Foundation Inc$50K

The largest 2024 recipient was Eisenhower Health Foundation ($265K). Together the top 10 received $936K.

Grant Size Distribution

95 grants across all recorded years

57<$50K19$50–100K18$100–250K1$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 57 grants of 95 (60%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Eisenhower Health Foundation Rancho Mirage, CAThe 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, NYThe 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, NYPlanned 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, NYSeeds 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, MDThe 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, DCThe 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, ORThe 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, NYDoctors 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, COEngineers 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, MDFisher 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

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grant total Grant count
2024 $12,502,200 $1,250,118 $1,238,598 $1,125,600 18
2023 $12,850,251 $986,255 $857,881 $745,000 15
2022 $12,865,481 $623,055 $867,691 $740,000 17
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$500K$1M$1.5M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$12,502,200$12,850,251$12,865,481
Revenue$1,250,118$986,255$623,055
Expenses$1,238,598$857,881$867,691
Qualifying Distributions$1,130,600$755,239$740,000
Net Investment Income$884,827$659,770$296,166
Distributable Amount$760,477$721,004$713,065

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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.

Contact

Mailing address: 80875 Via Portofino, La Quinta, CA 92253
Phone: (925) 640-1008

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

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