Melton Foundation
The Melton Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. It supports global citizenship education and collaborative work on global challenges through its fellowship and other programs, and offers year-round Action Grants for Melton Fellows’ projects.
Melton Foundation at a glance
In short: Melton Foundation gave $68K across 42 grants in 2024 (avg $2K), top state Louisiana. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $68,245
- -52.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 42
- -43.2% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $1,625
- -16.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $1,604
- Total assets
- $10,050,825
- +4.1% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Louisiana (15% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Melton Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The website directs Melton Fellows to apply for Action Grants; applications are restricted to Fellows and assessed by a grant committee. The 2024 filing states that the foundation does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2810 N Church St Pmb 45771, Wilmington, DE 19802
Phone: (571) 279-0306
Website: https://www.meltonfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Melton Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
201 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 201 grants of 201 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website identifies primary operations in Chile, China, Germany, Ghana, India, and the United States. For 2024 grant dollars, the filing lists Louisiana at 15%, Arizona at 3%, Nevada at 3%, and a further 78% under an unspecified state designation.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 42 itemized grants.
Cities
How Melton Foundation gives
- Giving grew 743% from 2021 to 2024. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $8K (2021) to $145K (2023). In 2024 it made 42 grants totaling $68K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 42 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $68,245 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $10,050,825 | $331,963 | $728,597 | $68,245 | 42 | $671,997 | $215,042 |
| 2023 | $9,653,901 | $301,811 | $788,157 | $144,763 | 74 | $713,031 | $202,741 |
| 2022 | $8,939,543 | $174,363 | $741,534 | $107,336 | 79 | $685,787 | $173,919 |
| 2021 | $11,490,447 | $3,005,066 | $548,534 | $8,100 | 6 | $450,799 | $2,899,415 |
| 2020 | $10,943,717 | $197,288 | $500,241 | — | — | — | $109,416 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to promote and enable global citizenship so individuals and organizations can work across boundaries of place and identity to address challenges in an interconnected world. Its website describes its programs as supporting global citizenship education and practice, including experiential learning, intercultural collaboration, inclusive leadership, and systems thinking.
Its Action Grants support Melton Fellows and teams seeking to turn global citizenship into action. Stated areas include community action, education, networking, advocacy and outreach, and projects addressing global issues and the Sustainable Development Goals. The foundation also describes its direct activities as including an annual Global Citizenship conference and hands-on projects with Fellows, universities, and partners in several world regions.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 42 grants totaling $68,245 in 2024. Individual grants ranged from $143 to $2,920, with a median of $1,604. The largest listed grants were to individual recipients for “Fellowship (Global Citizenship Learning),” including awards of $2,920, $2,759, and $2,542.
The foundation’s website says Action Grants are offered year-round and are restricted to Melton Fellows. It describes a grant committee assessment process and says the committee works with applicants to strengthen proposals and provides support during projects. The foundation’s 2024 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Roland Bullard as Chair and Daphne Chebesi, Grace Wu, Martha Ramirez, Pia Obro, Rahn L Gatewood, Shanice Kativi, Vinita Joshi, Milicent Adjei Togo, and Qiang Lu as Directors.
Melton Foundation is led by Steffen Bethmann, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 15 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Steffen Bethmann
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$56K (2020) → $57K (2024)
Roland Bullard
Chair
Director → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Milicent Adjei Togo
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pia Obro
Director
Vice Chair → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Qiang Lu
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daphne Chebesi
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jagadeesh Huskur
Director
On filings since 2023
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Martha Ramirez
Director
Secretary → Director, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rahn L Gatewood
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shanice Kativi
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vinita Joshi
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Grace Wu
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andre Reichel
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Courtney Williams
Vice Chair
New on the 2024 filing
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rosemary Kotei Buckman
Secretary
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Pedro Poblete (2020–2023) — Vice Chair
- Former: Anika Niemeyer (2023) — Director
- Former: Skye Spencer (2023) — Director
- Former: H N Suma (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Jagadeesh H S (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Julian Klauke (2020–2022) — Chair
- Former: Marissa Scott (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Megan Williams (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Navneeth Prasanna Kumar (2020–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Ricardo Herrera Lara (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Mbiseh Clara Forbuzo (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Lindiwe Mutungamiri (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $57K, to Steffen Bethmann (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Melton Foundation
How much does Melton Foundation give each year?
Melton Foundation gave $68K across 42 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $145K across 74 grants.
What is Melton Foundation's typical grant size?
Melton Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,604, and its average grant was $1,625, across 42 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Melton Foundation give grants?
Melton Foundation's top state is Louisiana, with 15% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Does Melton Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 42 grants with a stated purpose on Melton Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Fellowship (Global Citizenship Learning)" (29 grants) and "Global Citizen Development" (13 grants).
How large is Melton Foundation?
Melton Foundation reported $10.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $332K.
What does Melton Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to promote and enable global citizenship so individuals and organizations can work across boundaries of place and identity to address challenges in an interconnected world. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Melton Foundation?
The website directs Melton Fellows to apply for Action Grants; applications are restricted to Fellows and assessed by a grant committee. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Melton Foundation's EIN?
Melton Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-1565779. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Melton 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Melton Foundation funds
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