Meerwarth Family Foundation
The Meerwarth Family Foundation is a private foundation based in New Vernon, New Jersey. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in areas including community service, medical care, education, environmental work, family services, and culture.
Meerwarth Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Meerwarth Family Foundation gave $719K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $51K), mostly in New Jersey. 7% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $719,357
- -11.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- -30.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $51,383
- +26.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $13,569,273
- +7.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 7% first-time grantees (1 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (58% 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 Meerwarth Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It requests letter applications with brochures demonstrating charitable purpose. The filing lists no restrictions on awards and no deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Tracy Pester
Mailing address: PO Box 620, New Vernon, NJ 07976
Phone: (561) 833-5691
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Meerwarth Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was MGA Foundation ($150K). Together the top 10 received $694K.
Grant Size Distribution
125 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 101 grants of 125 (81%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 58% of grant dollars went to recipients in New Jersey, 23% to New York, 14% to Pennsylvania, 3% to Illinois, and 1% to Vermont.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Meerwarth Family Foundation open to new grantees?
7%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 14 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $50K; repeat grants $51K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 86% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 87% 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 $563K (2020) to $943K (2023). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $719K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| MGA Foundation Elmsford, NY | Community Service | $150,000 |
| Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Morristown, NJ | Medical | $142,857 |
| Kent Place School Annual Fund Summit, NJ | Educational | $125,000 |
| Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | Educational | $100,000 |
| Homeless Solutions Morristown, NJ | Community Service | $51,000 |
| The Baltusrol Foundation Springfield, NJ | Community Service | $50,000 |
| Evans Scholarship Foundation Glenview, IL | Educational | $25,000 |
| The Peck School Annual Fund Morristown, NJ | Educational | $25,000 |
| The Great Swamp Watershed Association Morristown, NJ | Environmental | $15,000 |
| Vermont Food Bank Barre, VT | Family Services | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Meerwarth Family 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $13,569,273 | $1,801,713 | $857,837 | $719,357 | 14 | $719,357 | $1,688,233 | $829,740 |
| 2024 | $12,625,397 | $1,220,492 | $919,471 | $812,857 | 20 | $812,857 | $1,113,878 | $752,373 |
| 2023 | $12,324,376 | $75,309 | $1,067,677 | $942,957 | 17 | $942,957 | $163,582 | $731,556 |
| 2022 | $13,316,744 | $308,981 | $907,483 | $761,815 | 37 | $761,815 | $211,999 | $756,036 |
| 2021 | $13,915,246 | $859,450 | $832,434 | $727,700 | 37 | $727,700 | $754,716 | $852,542 |
| 2020 | $13,888,230 | $686,197 | $661,257 | $563,199 | 30 | — | $588,139 | $747,257 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Meerwarth Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $830K 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 show support for educational, medical, community-service, environmental, family-service, and cultural purposes.
Among its grantees, the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center says it aims to advance exceptional health care and preserve or expand the medical center’s patient care, research, education, and preventive-medicine programs. Homeless Solutions says it works to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Morris County attain housing stability through shelter, affordable housing, and support services. Other supported organizations include the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association, which promotes women’s amateur golf and junior girls’ participation; the New York Botanical Garden, which describes itself as a plant museum and scientific research center; and Harding Land Trust, which conserves scenic, natural, and historic lands in Harding Township.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 14 grants totaling $719,357. Grants ranged from $3,000 to $150,000, with a median of $25,000.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $150,000 to MGA Foundation for community service; $142,857 to the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center for medical purposes; $125,000 to Kent Place School Annual Fund and $100,000 to Bucknell University for educational purposes; and $51,000 to Homeless Solutions for community service.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Tracy M. Pester as a director.
Meerwarth Family Foundation is led by Tracy M. Pester, Director on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Tracy M. Pester
Director
On filings since 2020
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 Meerwarth Family Foundation
How much does Meerwarth Family Foundation give each year?
Meerwarth Family Foundation gave $719K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $813K across 20 grants.
What is Meerwarth Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Meerwarth Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $51,383, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Meerwarth Family Foundation that year got $50K on average.
Where does Meerwarth Family Foundation give grants?
Meerwarth Family Foundation gives mostly in New Jersey: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (23%) and Pennsylvania (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Morristown, NJ (4 grants), Elmsford, NY (2 grants) and New Vernon, NJ (2 grants).
Does Meerwarth Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Meerwarth Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community Service" (5 grants) and "Educational" (4 grants).
Who are Meerwarth Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Meerwarth Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include MGA Foundation ($150,000), Foundation for Morristown Medical Center ($142,857) and Kent Place School Annual Fund ($125,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Meerwarth Family Foundation?
Meerwarth Family Foundation reported $13.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $719K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $830K (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 Meerwarth Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for educational, medical, community-service, environmental, family-service, and cultural purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Meerwarth Family Foundation?
The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Meerwarth Family Foundation's EIN?
Meerwarth Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-7018740. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Meerwarth Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/meerwarth-family-foundation-morg_ed42ba5c0bcf4d039d7c493e6aa5d4ee
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_137018740_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Meerwarth Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/meerwarth-family-foundation-morg_ed42ba5c0bcf4d039d7c493e6aa5d4ee},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Meerwarth Family 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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