Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation
The Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation is a private foundation based in Portland, Oregon. In its 2025 filing, it reported 18 grants totaling $136,500 to charitable organizations, including organizations in Oregon, Hawaii, and Tennessee.
Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation at a glance
In short: Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation gave $137K across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Oregon. 44% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $136,500
- +7.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- +50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,583
- -28.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,057,282
- -7.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 44% first-time grantees (8 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Oregon (56% 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 Margaret Watt Edwards 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: 641 Nw 24Th Ave, Portland, OR 97210
Phone: (503) 784-5694
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Hawaii Community Foundation ($37K). Together the top 10 received $115K.
Grant Size Distribution
67 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 67 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Oregon (56%), Hawaii (33%), and Tennessee (11%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation open to new grantees?
44%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 18 grantees (44%) 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 $4K; repeat grants $10K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 56% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $105K (2021) to $137K (2025). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $137K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii Community Foundation Honolulu, HI | HPA Behavioral Health Fund | $36,500 |
| Blosser Center for Dyslexia Resources Portland, OR | To Support Orton-Gillingham Tutoring | $19,500 |
| Grace Memorial Episcopal Church Portland, OR | General Operating Support | $18,500 |
| University of the South Sewanee, TN | Alyson C. Hardin & Josephine Hardin Memorial Scholarship | $10,000 |
| Central City Concern Portland, OR | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Oregon Natural Resources Council DBA Oregon Wild Portland, OR | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Pacific Youth Choir Portland, OR | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette Inc Portland, OR | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Webb School Bell Buckle, TN | Josephine J. Hardin Scholarship Fund | $5,000 |
| Western Rivers Conservancy Portland, OR | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
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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 | $1,057,282 | $59,110 | $144,097 | $136,500 | 18 | $138,613 | $69,049 | $144,905 |
| 2024 | $1,142,269 | $146,620 | $133,199 | $126,600 | 12 | $128,763 | $143,150 | $138,561 |
| 2023 | $1,128,848 | $120,708 | $137,949 | $127,000 | 14 | $130,170 | $116,267 | $124,575 |
| 2022 | $1,146,089 | $140,341 | $135,878 | $129,000 | 13 | $131,354 | $148,430 | $130,474 |
| 2021 | $1,141,626 | $64,135 | $111,081 | $105,000 | 10 | $107,309 | $60,663 | $132,178 |
| 2020 | $1,188,572 | $85,172 | $131,227 | $121,890 | 14 | — | $81,155 | $111,658 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation reported a distributable amount of $145K 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 went to organizations working in areas including education, behavioral health, homelessness services, music, river conservation, food access, animal welfare, and public broadcasting. These descriptions reflect grantees’ own missions: Central City Concern says it works to end homelessness and achieve self-sufficiency; Pacific Youth Choir says it seeks to instill a lifelong love of music in young people; and Western Rivers Conservancy says it protects outstanding river ecosystems in the western United States. The foundation also supported education-related purposes, including tutoring and scholarships.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 18 grants totaling $136,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $36,500, with a median of $5,000. The largest awards included $36,500 to Hawaii Community Foundation for the HPA Behavioral Health Fund, $19,500 to Blosser Center for Dyslexia Resources for Orton-Gillingham tutoring, and $18,500 to Grace Memorial Episcopal Church for general operating support.
Other 2025 grants included $10,000 to the University of the South for the Alyson C. Hardin & Josephine Hardin Memorial Scholarship; $5,000 each to Central City Concern, Oregon Wild, Pacific Youth Choir, Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette, Webb School, and Western Rivers Conservancy; $4,500 to the University of Hawaii Foundation; and $4,000 to Oregon Food Bank.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Bronwen Edwards-Denney as trustee and executive secretary, Cameron Shand Denney as trustee, and Colin Beveridge Denney as trustee.
Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bronwen Edwards-Denney
Trustee & Executive Secretary
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cameron Shand Denney
Trustee
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Colin Beveridge Denney
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 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 Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation
How much does Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation give each year?
Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation gave $137K across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $127K across 12 grants.
What is Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation's typical grant size?
Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,583, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation give grants?
Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation gives mostly in Oregon: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Hawaii (33%) and Tennessee (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Portland, OR (11 grants) and Honolulu, HI (5 grants).
Does Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 67% of Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation's largest grantees?
Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Hawaii Community Foundation ($36,500), Blosser Center for Dyslexia Resources ($19,500) and Grace Memorial Episcopal Church ($18,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation?
Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $139K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $145K (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 Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including education, behavioral health, homelessness services, music, river conservation, food access, animal welfare, and public broadcasting. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Margaret Watt Edwards 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 Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation's EIN?
Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 93-1284549. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Margaret Watt Edwards 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 7, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 30, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/margaret-watt-edwards-foundation-morg_02db246ab1b844df95f6d4ae595cdbb5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_931284549_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Margaret Watt Edwards Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/margaret-watt-edwards-foundation-morg_02db246ab1b844df95f6d4ae595cdbb5},
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 Margaret Watt Edwards 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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