Melton Foundation logo

Melton Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Wilmington, DE EIN: 54-1565779 Website

The Melton Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. It is an international nonprofit focused on global citizenship education and practice, using fellowships and collaborative programs to help people work across boundaries on global challenges.

Key facts about Melton Foundation

In short: Melton Foundation gave $68K across 42 grants in 2024 (avg $2K), top state Louisiana. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
54-1565779
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$68,245
Grants made (2024)
42
Average grant
$1,625
Median grant
$1,604
Total assets
$10,050,825
Primary geography
Louisiana (15% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$10.1M

+4.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$68K

-52.9% YoY

Grant Count

42

-43.2% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$2K

-16.9% YoY

How Melton Foundation gives

  • Giving grew 743% from 2021 to 2024. Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation’s mission is to promote and enable global citizenship so individuals and organizations can work together across boundaries of place and identity to address challenges in an interconnected world. Its website describes Action Grants as supporting fellows’ projects that put global citizenship into practice, including community action, education, and networking, advocacy, and outreach.

The foundation’s 2024 filing describes direct charitable activities that include an annual conference focused on global citizenship and hands-on projects involving fellows, universities, and partners in several world regions.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 42 grants totaling $68,245. The grants ranged from $143 to $2,920, with a median of $1,604. The largest listed awards included $2,920 to Neli Cetera, $2,759 to Jovita Norambuena, and $2,542 to Carlos Rilling, each for a “Fellowship (Global Citizenship Learning).” Other listed recipients received awards from $2,101 to $2,393 for the same purpose.

How to Apply

is restricted to Melton Fellows.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation describes its primary operations as spanning Chile, China, Germany, Ghana, India, and the United States. Its website also identifies hubs in New Orleans, Temuco, Jena, Accra, Bengaluru, and Hangzhou.

For 2024 grant dollars, the filing reports 15% to recipients in Louisiana, 3% in Arizona, 3% in Nevada, and 78% in a state category that is not specified.

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 42 itemized grants.

Cities

New OrleansLas VegasTempeWilmington

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$50K$100K$150K0 grants2020 6 grants2021 79 grants2022 74 grants2023 42 grants2024

From 2021 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $8K (2021) to $145K (2023). In 2024 it made 42 grants totaling $68K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Grant Size Distribution

201 grants across all recorded years

201<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 201 grants of 201 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
42 grants to individuals Recipients not named —$68,245

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2024 $10,050,825 $331,963 $728,597 $68,245
2023 $9,653,901 $301,811 $788,157 $144,763
2022 $8,939,543 $174,363 $741,534 $107,336
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$1M$2M$3M$4M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$10,050,825$9,653,901$8,939,543
Revenue$331,963$301,811$174,363
Expenses$728,597$788,157$741,534
Qualifying Distributions$671,997$713,031$685,787
Net Investment Income$215,042$202,741$173,919

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Roland Bullard as chair. Directors listed are Daphne Chebesi, Grace Wu, Martha Ramirez, Pia Obro, Rahn L Gatewood, Shanice Kativi, Vinita Joshi, Milicent Adjei Togo, and Qiang Lu.

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

Steffen Bethmann — Executive Director: $57KSteffen BethmannExecutive Director$57K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $57K, to Steffen Bethmann (Executive Director).

Contact

Mailing address: 2810 N Church St Pmb 45771, Wilmington, DE 19802
Phone: (571) 279-0306
Website: https://www.meltonfoundation.org

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 mission is to promote and enable global citizenship so individuals and organizations can work together 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 foundation states that it 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 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 September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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