Meldrum Foundation
The Meldrum Foundation is a private foundation based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Durham, North Carolina. It supports educational endeavors, artistic and cultural activities, and humanitarian programs, with the stated aim of enriching people’s lives.
Meldrum Foundation at a glance
In short: Meldrum Foundation gave $1.3M across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $42K), top state Utah. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,265,000
- +0.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- +42.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $42,167
- -29.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $25,183,488
- -8.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (8 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Utah (31% 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 Meldrum 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. Its website invites inquiries about possible grants and says organizations must be federally recognized nonprofit entities.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1808 Mohawk Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Phone: (801) 487-7602
Website: https://meldrumfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Meldrum Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Flying Kites ($250K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
98 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 98 (55%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation describes itself as based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Durham, North Carolina. In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Utah (31%), Massachusetts (24%), North Carolina (19%), Ohio (10%), and New York (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Meldrum Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 25 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $44K; repeat grants $54K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 48% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−2%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 104% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 $1.2M (2023) to $1.6M (2019). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $1.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Flying Kites Boston, MA | Teacher Tech Training Program & Center, Wash Initiatives | $250,000 |
| Benevolence Farm Graham, NC | Construction of Tiny Home Community | $120,000 |
| Homes of Hope Cleveland Heights, OH | Construction of Nursing Hospital and Hostel | $100,000 |
| Ballet West Salt Lake City, UT | Dancer Touring Fund | $100,000 |
| Her Future Coalition Saint Augustine, FL | Renovation of Hotel and Programming for Young Women | $75,000 |
| Natural History Museum of Utah Salt Lake City, UT | Museum Special Exhibits | $75,000 |
| University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT | Dept of Eng - Process Engineering Laboratory | $50,000 |
| Impact Network Brooklyn, NY | Classroom Building in Zambia | $50,000 |
| Hope Renovations Carrboro, NC | Expansion to Durham Tech and Wake Tech | $50,000 |
| Razia's Ray of Hope Wellesley, MA | Urgent Aid Nutrition Program in Afghanistan | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Meldrum 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 | $25,183,488 | $1,514,623 | $1,394,390 | $1,265,000 | 30 | $1,275,068 | $1,395,301 | $1,221,794 |
| 2024 | $27,443,331 | $1,477,011 | $1,379,970 | $1,261,000 | 21 | $1,269,389 | $1,363,695 | $1,280,097 |
| 2023 | $27,296,290 | $-221,976 | $1,305,465 | $1,196,000 | 16 | $1,202,354 | $1,052,975 | $1,246,943 |
| 2022 | $28,823,731 | $857,216 | $1,408,019 | $1,295,500 | 13 | $1,303,455 | $959,103 | $1,346,318 |
| 2021 | $29,374,534 | $753,584 | $1,661,112 | $1,522,000 | 18 | $1,527,336 | $757,748 | $1,536,403 |
| 2020 | $30,282,062 | $712,675 | $1,659,989 | $1,515,000 | 10 | — | $855,939 | $1,552,027 |
| 2019 | $31,229,376 | $808,511 | $1,791,837 | $1,587,000 | 15 | — | $1,034,716 | $1,564,323 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Meldrum Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.2M 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
The foundation says it fosters, promotes, and supports educational endeavors, artistic and cultural activities, and humanitarian programs. Its website lists scholarships, educational facilities, and endowments under education; new works, artistic facilities, special programs, and endowments under arts and culture; and social services, community facilities, and special projects under humanitarian programs.
Its 2025 grants included organizations whose missions illustrate the range of recipients. Flying Kites says it works to transform primary education in rural Kenya; Ballet West says it inspires and empowers communities through exposure, training, and education in ballet; and Benevolence Farm says it works with people impacted by North Carolina’s criminal legal system to cultivate leadership, promote sustainable livelihoods, and advance structural change.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 30 grants totaling $1,265,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $250,000, with a median of $25,000.
Among the largest grants were $250,000 to Flying Kites for a teacher tech training program and center and water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives; $120,000 to Benevolence Farm for a tiny home community; and $100,000 each to Homes of Hope for a nursing hospital and hostel and Ballet West for a dancer touring fund. Other grants included $75,000 to Her Future Coalition for hotel renovation and programming for young women, and $75,000 to the Natural History Museum of Utah for special exhibits.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Christopher S. Meldrum as executive director, Catherine R. Meldrum as secretary/treasurer, and Jennette D. Meldrum as trustee.
Meldrum Foundation is led by Christopher S. Meldrum, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christopher S. Meldrum
Executive Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Jennette D. Meldrum
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Catherine R. Meldrum
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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 Meldrum Foundation
How much does Meldrum Foundation give each year?
Meldrum Foundation gave $1.3M across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.3M across 21 grants.
What is Meldrum Foundation's typical grant size?
Meldrum Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $42,167, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Meldrum Foundation that year got $44K on average.
Where does Meldrum Foundation give grants?
Meldrum Foundation's top state is Utah, with 31% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (24%) and North Carolina (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Salt Lake City, UT (9 grants), Durham, NC (7 grants), Cleveland Heights, OH (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Meldrum Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 23% of Meldrum Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 30) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Education" (4 grants) and "Museum Special Exhibits" (3 grants).
Who are Meldrum Foundation's largest grantees?
Meldrum Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Flying Kites ($250,000), Natural History Museum of Utah ($170,000 across 4 grants) and Homes of Hope ($130,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Meldrum Foundation?
Meldrum Foundation reported $25.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Meldrum Foundation fund?
The foundation says it fosters, promotes, and supports educational endeavors, artistic and cultural activities, and humanitarian programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Meldrum Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Meldrum Foundation's EIN?
Meldrum Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-0657244. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Meldrum 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 13, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Meldrum Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Meldrum Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/meldrum-foundation-morg_bfdaf833191b416eab103e3b1a09a230
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_870657244_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Meldrum Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/meldrum-foundation-morg_bfdaf833191b416eab103e3b1a09a230},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-08. 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 Meldrum 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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