Mercury Foundation
Mercury Foundation is a private foundation based in Redwood City, California. Its 2025 filing reports six grants totaling $28 million to organizations in New York, Rhode Island, and California.
Mercury Foundation at a glance
In short: Mercury Foundation gave $28.0M across 6 grants in 2025 (avg $4.7M), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $28,000,000
- +5.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 6
- -45.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,666,667
- +93.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000,000
- Total assets
- $249,451,224
- -8.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (82% 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 Mercury Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing says applications should be submitted electronically and include proof of IRC 501(c)(3) status. It states that grants are limited to IRS Section 501(c)(3)-defined purposes and charities.
- Review Cycle
- The filing states that no deadlines have been established.
- Deadline
- The filing states that no deadlines have been established.
- Contact
Application contact: Peter W Grousbeck Trustee
Mailing address: PO Box 29129, Los Angeles, CA 90029
Phone: (415) 392-2123
Website: https://mercuryfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mercury Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 6 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors ($15.0M). Together the top 6 received $28.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
40 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 20 grants of 40 (50%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 82% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 11% to Rhode Island, and 7% to California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 6 itemized grants.
Cities
How Mercury Foundation gives
- Giving grew 37% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 147% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $17.2M (2020) to $28.0M (2025). In 2025 it made 6 grants totaling $28.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors New York, NY | General | $15,000,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Federation of America New York, NY | General | $3,000,000 |
| Panthera New York, NY | General | $3,000,000 |
| Vanguard Charitable Fund - DAF Warwick, RI | General | $3,000,000 |
| NRDC New York, NY | General | $2,000,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | General | $2,000,000 |
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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 | $249,451,224 | $15,081,915 | $32,444,756 | $28,000,000 | 6 | $28,085,648 | $11,123,099 | $19,116,370 |
| 2024 | $271,327,366 | $18,735,299 | $30,485,075 | $26,545,000 | 11 | $26,612,856 | $15,061,742 | $20,002,746 |
| 2023 | $282,730,493 | $20,089,171 | $25,264,474 | $22,500,000 | 5 | $22,557,662 | $17,543,771 | $20,078,843 |
| 2022 | $287,554,216 | $17,749,396 | $22,528,145 | $20,500,000 | 4 | $20,557,304 | $14,050,760 | $17,414,514 |
| 2021 | $301,464,913 | $8,287,625 | $19,109,935 | $17,605,000 | 14 | — | $6,972,439 | $19,097,847 |
| 2020 | $314,377,054 | $5,798,621 | $17,898,707 | $17,160,000 | 14 | — | $5,248,631 | $18,167,180 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mercury Foundation reported a distributable amount of $19.1M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for several kinds of organizations. Panthera describes its mission as conserving the world’s 40 wild cat species and developing and overseeing conservation strategies globally. Planned Parenthood Federation of America describes its mission as providing leadership in comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care and advocating public policies. Planned Parenthood Los Angeles says it provides access to reproductive health care and sexual health information through patient services, education, and advocacy.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $28 million across six grants. Awards ranged from $2 million to $15 million, with a median of $3 million. The largest grant was $15 million to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Other listed grants were $3 million each to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Panthera, and Vanguard Charitable Fund – DAF, and $2 million each to NRDC and Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. Each was listed for general purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Peter Walker Grousbeck is listed as a trustee on the 2025 filing.
Mercury Foundation is led by Peter Walker Grousbeck, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Peter Walker Grousbeck
Trustee
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 Mercury Foundation
How much does Mercury Foundation give each year?
Mercury Foundation gave $28.0M across 6 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $26.5M across 11 grants.
What is Mercury Foundation's typical grant size?
Mercury Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000,000, and its average grant was $4,666,667, across 6 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Mercury Foundation give grants?
Mercury Foundation gives mostly in New York: 82% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Rhode Island (11%) and California (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (4 grants).
Does Mercury Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Mercury Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (6 of 6) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Mercury Foundation's largest grantees?
Mercury Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors ($15,000,000), Planned Parenthood Federation of America ($3,000,000) and Panthera ($3,000,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 75% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mercury Foundation?
Mercury Foundation reported $249.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $28.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $19.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Mercury Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for several kinds of organizations. Panthera describes its mission as conserving the world’s 40 wild cat species and developing and overseeing conservation strategies globally. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mercury Foundation?
The foundation’s filing says applications should be submitted electronically and include proof of IRC 501(c)(3) status. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Mercury Foundation's EIN?
Mercury Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4466525. 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 1, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Mercury Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Figures come from Mercury 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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