Melling Family Foundation
Melling Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Jackson, Michigan. Its stated charitable activity is contributing funds to charitable organizations; its 2025 filing lists 10 grants totaling $90,000.
Melling Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Melling Family Foundation gave $90K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in Michigan. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $90,000
- -5.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -16.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $9,000
- +13.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $1,234,677
- -0.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Michigan (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 Melling Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2620 Saradan Drive, Jackson, MI 49204
Phone: (517) 787-8172
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Melling Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Shop Rat Foundation ($25K). Together the top 10 received $90K.
Grant Size Distribution
42 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 40 grants of 42 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Michigan.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Melling Family Foundation gives
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 99% 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 $45K (2019) to $201K (2023). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $90K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Shop Rat Foundation Pleasant Lake, MI | General Contributions | $25,000 |
| Compassionate Ministries of Jackson County Jackson, MI | General Contributions | $15,000 |
| Jackson Y-Center Inc (YMCA) Jackson, MI | General Contributions | $10,000 |
| Saint Martha Parish & School Okemos, MI | General Contributions | $10,000 |
| Jackson Friendly Home Jackson, MI | General Contributions | $7,500 |
| John George Home Jackson, MI | General Contributions | $7,500 |
| Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI | General Contributions | $5,000 |
| Michigan Theatre of Jackson Inc Jackson, MI | Capital Campaign | $5,000 |
| Lansing Catholic High School Lansing, MI | General Contributions | $2,500 |
| Lumen Christi Catholic School Jackson, MI | General Contributions | $2,500 |
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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 | $1,234,677 | $100,128 | $107,822 | $90,000 | 10 | $92,193 | $84,499 | $93,144 |
| 2024 | $1,244,909 | $114,756 | $112,390 | $95,000 | 12 | $96,676 | $26,542 | $85,448 |
| 2023 | $1,244,185 | $109,532 | $221,992 | $200,500 | 2 | $203,765 | $91,305 | $82,939 |
| 2022 | $1,358,531 | $159,143 | $118,806 | $99,500 | 5 | $101,004 | $54,901 | $96,919 |
| 2021 | $1,415,833 | $125,494 | $93,703 | $77,000 | 13 | — | $24,994 | $91,261 |
| 2020 | $1,384,042 | $162,546 | $84,015 | $68,000 | 15 | — | $74,309 | $76,318 |
| 2019 | $1,305,511 | $253,449 | $64,436 | $45,000 | 14 | — | $91,266 | $65,702 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Melling Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $93K 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 separate mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2025 grants went to organizations including schools, a university, community organizations, and a theater. One recipient, John George Home, describes its own mission as providing low-income housing for elderly gentlemen.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $90,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $25,000, with a median of $7,500. Recipients included Shop Rat Foundation ($25,000), Compassionate Ministries of Jackson County ($15,000), Jackson Y-Center Inc. (YMCA) ($10,000), Saint Martha Parish & School ($10,000), and Jackson Friendly Home ($7,500). John George Home also received $7,500.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mark S. Melling as president and treasurer, Christine Melling as vice president, and Michelle McShane as secretary.
Melling Family Foundation is led by Mark S. Melling, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mark S. Melling
President & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christine Melling
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle McShane
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
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 Melling Family Foundation
How much does Melling Family Foundation give each year?
Melling Family Foundation gave $90K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $95K across 12 grants.
What is Melling Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Melling Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $9,000, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Melling Family Foundation give grants?
Melling Family Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Jackson, MI (6 grants).
Does Melling Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 90% of Melling Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Melling Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Melling Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Shop Rat Foundation ($25,000), Compassionate Ministries of Jackson County ($15,000) and Jackson Y-Center Inc (YMCA) ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Melling Family Foundation?
Melling Family Foundation reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $92K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $93K (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 Melling Family Foundation fund?
No separate mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2025 grants went to organizations including schools, a university, community organizations, and a theater. One recipient, John George Home, describes its own mission as providing low-income housing for elderly gentlemen. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Melling Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it contributes 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 Melling Family Foundation's EIN?
Melling Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 32-0042251. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Melling Family 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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 14, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Melling Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/melling-family-foundation-morg_53749f33237b4e68810b528ec296a6f4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_320042251_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Melling Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/melling-family-foundation-morg_53749f33237b4e68810b528ec296a6f4},
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 Melling 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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