Merkley Charitable Trust
Merkley Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Columbus, Ohio. Its 2025 grants largely went to organizations in Michigan, including organizations serving Genesee County.
Merkley Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Merkley Charitable Trust gave $191K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in Michigan. 15% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $191,105
- -11.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -7.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,700
- -4.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $3,764,568
- +4.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (2 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (95% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Merkley Charitable Trust
- How to Apply
-
Submit a written request stating the name of the organization to be considered. The trust’s filing says its giving is not restricted to preselected organizations and that awards are restricted to organizations providing services to the youth and elderly of Genesee County.
- Contact
Application contact: Anne Farver Co Huntington Bank
Mailing address: 328 S Saginaw St, Flint, MI 48502
Phone: (810) 342-7089
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Merkley Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Genesee County Parks and Recreation ($105K). Together the top 10 received $185K.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 77 grants of 82 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan, 3% to recipients in Virginia, and 3% to recipients in Ohio. The listed Michigan grants include several organizations in Flint and the surrounding Genesee County area.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Merkley Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 13 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 81% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $191K (2025) to $226K (2020). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $191K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Genesee County Parks and Recreation Flint, MI | General Operating | $105,452 |
| Genesee County Humane Society Burton, MI | General Operating | $35,153 |
| Food Bank of Eastern Michigan Flint, MI | General Operating | $10,000 |
| Flint Institute of Music Flint, MI | General Operating | $10,000 |
| The Salvation Army Alexandria, VA | General Operating | $5,000 |
| Big Brothers and Big Sisters of East Cen Columbus, OH | General Operating | $5,000 |
| Crim Fitness Foundation Inc Flint, MI | General Operating | $5,000 |
| Crossover Downtown Outreach Ministry Flint, MI | General Operating | $4,000 |
| Chosen Few Arts Council Flint, MI | General Operating | $3,000 |
| Communities First Inc Flint, MI | General Operating | $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 | $3,764,568 | $404,410 | $259,308 | $191,105 | 13 | $252,143 | $394,517 | $310,215 |
| 2024 | $3,619,630 | $180,706 | $292,070 | $216,272 | 14 | $274,666 | $173,887 | $296,941 |
| 2023 | $3,730,995 | $441,671 | $270,505 | $207,272 | 17 | $262,286 | $435,478 | $260,762 |
| 2022 | $3,559,190 | $225,929 | $271,300 | $200,272 | 18 | $257,011 | $218,175 | $273,800 |
| 2021 | $3,588,083 | $298,021 | $275,935 | $208,772 | 20 | — | $290,699 | $295,730 |
| 2020 | $3,567,586 | $148,067 | $285,520 | $226,272 | 21 | — | $154,811 | $256,744 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Merkley Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $310K 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 mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including parks and recreation, animal welfare, food assistance, music, arts, and community development. The trust’s 2023 filing states that its awards are restricted to organizations providing services to the youth and elderly of Genesee County.
Among its 2025 grantees, the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan says its mission is to be a food source for people in need and to work with partners on community solutions to hunger. The Flint Institute of Music describes its mission as transforming lives through a lifelong continuum of music, theatre, and dance. Communities First, Inc. says it works to build healthy, vibrant communities through economic development, affordable housing, and innovative programming. The Flint Institute of Arts says it connects diverse communities through visual art experiences.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust made 13 grants totaling $191,105. Individual grants ranged from $1,000 to $105,452, with a median grant of $5,000. Notable grants included $105,452 to Genesee County Parks and Recreation and $35,153 to Genesee County Humane Society, both for general operating support. The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and Flint Institute of Music each received $10,000 for general operating support.
The trust made 14 grants totaling $216,272 in 2024 and 17 grants totaling $207,272 in 2023.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Huntington National Bank is listed as trustee on the 2025 filing.
Merkley Charitable Trust's only listed officer is Huntington National Bank, Trustee on every filing since 2020 (compensated).
Officers on the 2025 filing
Huntington National Bank
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$57K (2020) → $66K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $66K, to Huntington National Bank (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Merkley Charitable Trust
How much does Merkley Charitable Trust give each year?
Merkley Charitable Trust gave $191K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $216K across 14 grants.
What is Merkley Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Merkley Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $14,700, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Merkley Charitable Trust that year got $5K on average.
Where does Merkley Charitable Trust give grants?
Merkley Charitable Trust gives mostly in Michigan: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Flint, MI (10 grants).
Does Merkley Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Merkley Charitable Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Merkley Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Merkley Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Genesee County Parks and Recreation ($105,452), Genesee County Humane Society ($35,153) and Food Bank of Eastern Michigan ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Merkley Charitable Trust?
Merkley Charitable Trust reported $3.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $252K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $310K (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 Merkley Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including parks and recreation, animal welfare, food assistance, music, arts, and community development. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Merkley Charitable Trust?
Submit a written request stating the name of the organization to be considered. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Merkley Charitable Trust's EIN?
Merkley Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-6528749. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 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 April 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 19, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 3, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 31, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Merkley Charitable Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Merkley Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/merkley-charitable-trust-morg_8249ebd4c191454f87f03e0e2a6240ba
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_386528749_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Merkley Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/merkley-charitable-trust-morg_8249ebd4c191454f87f03e0e2a6240ba},
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 Merkley Charitable Trust'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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