Mary Gard Jameson Foundation
The Mary Gard Jameson Foundation is a private foundation based in Pasadena, California. In filing year 2025, it made 10 grants totaling $765,000, with all reported grant dollars going to California recipients.
Mary Gard Jameson Foundation at a glance
In short: Mary Gard Jameson Foundation gave $765K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $77K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $765,000
- +121.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +66.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $76,500
- +33.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $65,000
- Total assets
- $4,605,031
- +97.2% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (100% 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 Mary Gard Jameson 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: 80 S Lake Avenue 830, Pasadena, CA 91101
Phone: (626) 395-0860
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mary Gard Jameson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Global Conservation ($150K). Together the top 10 received $765K.
Grant Size Distribution
30 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 16 grants of 30 (53%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in California. The listed grantees include organizations in San Francisco, La Jolla, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Imperial Beach, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Monterey.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Mary Gard Jameson Foundation gives
- 60% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 353% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 346% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $20K (2020) to $765K (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $765K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Global Conservation San Francisco, CA | General Support | $150,000 |
| Uc San Diego Foundation La Jolla, CA | General Support | $150,000 |
| Onereef Worldwide Stewardship Santa Cruz, CA | General Support | $125,000 |
| Legacy Works Group Santa Barbara, CA | General Support | $80,000 |
| Wildcoast Imperial Beach, CA | General Support | $80,000 |
| University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $50,000 |
| Wild Aid San Francisco, CA | General Support | $50,000 |
| Five Gyres Institute Santa Monica, CA | General Support | $35,000 |
| Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey, CA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Blue Latitudes Foundation La Jolla, CA | General Support | $20,000 |
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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 | $4,605,031 | $3,100,164 | $830,242 | $765,000 | 10 | $774,853 | $83,281 | $223,912 |
| 2024 | $2,335,109 | $1,149,304 | $372,815 | $345,000 | 6 | $347,690 | $36,113 | $109,583 |
| 2023 | $1,558,620 | $528,367 | $255,954 | $230,000 | 6 | $233,524 | $21,151 | $77,600 |
| 2022 | $1,286,207 | $533,499 | $200,484 | $169,000 | 6 | $174,938 | $19,673 | $70,489 |
| 2021 | $953,192 | $144,211 | $71,130 | $40,000 | 2 | — | $31,795 | $56,759 |
| 2020 | $880,111 | $171,655 | $35,742 | $20,000 | 1 | — | $14,074 | $45,917 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mary Gard Jameson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $224K 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 included organizations working in conservation and marine stewardship, as well as the UC San Diego Foundation, which describes its mission as raising private support for UC San Diego’s research, teaching, and public service.
Among the conservation grantees, Global Conservation describes its mission as protecting endangered UNESCO World Heritage sites and national parks in developing countries. OneReef Worldwide Stewardship says it works to ensure healthy ocean ecosystems and thriving coastal communities across the Pacific. WILDCOAST describes its mission as conserving coastal and marine ecosystems and addressing climate change through natural solutions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 10 grants totaling $765,000. Grant amounts ranged from $20,000 to $150,000, with a median grant of $65,000. The listed grants were for general support.
The largest grants were $150,000 each to Global Conservation and the UC San Diego Foundation, followed by $125,000 to OneReef Worldwide Stewardship. Other grants included $80,000 each to Legacy Works Group and WILDCOAST, and $50,000 each to the University of Southern California and WildAid.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mary Gard Jameson, Valerie J Merritt, Michael Sutton, and Lida Teneva as trustees, and Parker Howes as treasurer.
Mary Gard Jameson Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mary Gard Jameson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Sutton
Trustee
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lida Teneva
Trustee
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Valerie J. Merritt Part Year
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Parker Howes
Treasurer
Trustee → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Natalie Arnoldi (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Valerie J. Merritt (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Kiki Tidwell (2020–2022) — Trustee
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 Mary Gard Jameson Foundation
How much does Mary Gard Jameson Foundation give each year?
Mary Gard Jameson Foundation gave $765K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $345K across 6 grants.
What is Mary Gard Jameson Foundation's typical grant size?
Mary Gard Jameson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $65,000, and its average grant was $76,500, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Mary Gard Jameson Foundation give grants?
Mary Gard Jameson Foundation gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (2 grants) and La Jolla, CA (2 grants).
Does Mary Gard Jameson Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Mary Gard Jameson Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Mary Gard Jameson Foundation's largest grantees?
Mary Gard Jameson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Global Conservation ($150,000), Uc San Diego Foundation ($150,000) and Onereef Worldwide Stewardship ($125,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mary Gard Jameson Foundation?
Mary Gard Jameson Foundation reported $4.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $775K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $224K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Mary Gard Jameson Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in conservation and marine stewardship, as well as the UC San Diego Foundation, which describes its mission as raising private support for UC San Diego’s research, teaching, and public service. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mary Gard Jameson 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 Mary Gard Jameson Foundation's EIN?
Mary Gard Jameson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-7141983. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Mary Gard Jameson 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 2020–2025
Live grants for the work Mary Gard Jameson Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mary Gard Jameson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mary-gard-jameson-foundation-morg_3482510bb5d34f31b7458a24fcd6a75f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_477141983_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mary Gard Jameson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mary-gard-jameson-foundation-morg_3482510bb5d34f31b7458a24fcd6a75f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Mary Gard Jameson 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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