M W Murphy Foundation
M W Murphy Foundation is a private foundation based in El Dorado, Arkansas. It made 34 grants totaling $881,014 in 2025 to organizations and individual recipients in several states.
M W Murphy Foundation at a glance
In short: M W Murphy Foundation gave $881K across 34 grants in 2025 (avg $26K), top state Louisiana. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $881,014
- +55.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 34
- +21.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $25,912
- +28.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $11,829,581
- -1.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Louisiana (48% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to M W Murphy Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says applications should be made in letter form, detailing the purpose and amount requested. Contact Martha W Murphy. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Martha W Murphy
Mailing address: 200 North Jefferson, El Dorado, AR 71730
Phone: (870) 862-4961
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who M W Murphy Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Tulane University ($125K). Together the top 10 received $637K.
Organizations only. It also paid 10 individual scholarships ($181,514), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
127 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 107 grants of 127 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Louisiana received 48% of grant dollars, Mississippi 21%, Texas 14%, California 9%, and Florida 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 34 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How M W Murphy Foundation gives
- 61% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+14%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 90% 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 (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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $102K (2020) to $881K (2025). In 2025 it made 34 grants totaling $881K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tulane University New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $125,000 |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX | General Fund | $100,000 |
| St Thomas Community Health Center New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $100,000 |
| Community Foundation Jackson, MS | Nova Foundation Fund | $60,000 |
| 10 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $181,514 |
| Ellis Marsalis Center for Music New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Hope Enterprise Corporation Jackson, MS | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Louisiana Music & Heritage EXP New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $50,000 |
| New Orleans Book Fest at Tulane New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Greater New Orleans Foundation New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $30,000 |
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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 | $11,829,581 | $3,718,254 | $977,950 | $881,014 | 34 | $881,333 | $682,437 | $983,885 |
| 2024 | $12,004,536 | $633,493 | $650,508 | $566,780 | 28 | $566,891 | $549,876 | $895,491 |
| 2023 | $12,006,771 | $552,679 | $292,706 | $219,775 | 9 | $219,775 | $479,949 | $772,023 |
| 2022 | $11,742,592 | $-1,844 | $854,413 | $773,539 | 38 | $773,539 | $224,059 | $773,693 |
| 2021 | $12,589,405 | $527,818 | $580,322 | $501,867 | 18 | $501,867 | $449,482 | $814,341 |
| 2020 | $12,662,437 | $4,674,544 | $375,017 | $101,797 | 6 | — | $3,696,218 | $463,044 |
| 2019 | $8,362,910 | $8,403,798 | $158,343 | $148,382 | 16 | — | $6,858,762 | $99,191 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, M W Murphy Foundation reported a distributable amount of $984K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of recipients. For example, St. Thomas Community Health Center says its mission is to provide quality health care regardless of ability to pay and to support research and education addressing community health disparities. Hope Enterprise Corporation describes its mission as strengthening the financial health of people in under-resourced Deep South communities. Other recipients include educational, conservation, cultural, and public-interest organizations.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 34 grants totaling $881,014. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $125,000, with a median of $10,000. Notable awards included $125,000 to Tulane University, $100,000 each to MD Anderson Cancer Center and St. Thomas Community Health Center, and $60,000 to Community Foundation for the Nova Foundation Fund. The filing also lists three scholarship awards to individual recipients.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Martha W Murphy is listed on the 2025 filing as “PRESIDENT/DI.”
M W Murphy Foundation is led by Martha W. Murphy, President & Director since 2020 (on filings since 2019) — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Martha W. Murphy
President & Director
President, Treasurer & Director → President & Director, 2020
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: J. David Forsyth (2019–2021) — Registered Agent
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 M W Murphy Foundation
How much does M W Murphy Foundation give each year?
M W Murphy Foundation gave $881K across 34 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $567K across 28 grants.
What is M W Murphy Foundation's typical grant size?
M W Murphy Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $25,912, across 34 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does M W Murphy Foundation give grants?
M W Murphy Foundation's top state is Louisiana, with 48% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Mississippi (21%) and Texas (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were New Orleans, LA (9 grants), Jackson, MS (3 grants), Sonoma, CA (3 grants) and Pass Christian, MS (3 grants).
Does M W Murphy Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 62% of M W Murphy Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (21 of 34) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (10 grants).
Who are M W Murphy Foundation's largest grantees?
M W Murphy Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Tulane University ($125,000), MD Anderson Cancer Center ($100,000) and St Thomas Community Health Center ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 10 individual scholarships ($181,514), which are not listed by name. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is M W Murphy Foundation?
M W Murphy Foundation reported $11.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $881K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $984K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does M W Murphy Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of recipients. For example, St. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from M W Murphy Foundation?
The filing says applications should be made in letter form, detailing the purpose and amount requested. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is M W Murphy Foundation's EIN?
M W Murphy Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 71-0802701. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 9, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work M W Murphy Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). M W Murphy Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/m-w-murphy-foundation-morg_40d34505702d46778b1c10c712cae13b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_710802701_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{M W Murphy Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/m-w-murphy-foundation-morg_40d34505702d46778b1c10c712cae13b},
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 M W Murphy 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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