Merle Chambers Fund
The Merle Chambers Fund was a private foundation based in Denver, Colorado. Its mission was to increase access to opportunities that improve the chances for success and quality of life for people most affected by economic, social, and political injustice. The fund says it spent down and closed on December 31, 2024.
Merle Chambers Fund at a glance
In short: Merle Chambers Fund gave $70K across 1 grant in 2025 (avg $70K), mostly in Colorado. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $70,395
- -99.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 1
- -99.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $70,395
- -72.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $70,395
- Primary geography
- Colorado (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Merle Chambers Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The fund made contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1685 S Colorado Blvd Unit S 517, Denver, CO 80222
Phone: (303) 839-4608
Website: https://chambersfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Merle Chambers Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top recipient in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Denver Foundation ($70K).
Grant Size Distribution
583 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 271 grants of 583 (46%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of the 2025 grant dollars on its one itemized grant.
States
Cities
How Merle Chambers Fund gives
- Giving fell 99% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $70K (2025) to $50.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 1 grant totaling $70K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Denver Foundation Denver, CO | Fund for Denver | $70,395 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The single 2025 grant was also the smallest, largest, and median grant for that year: $70,395.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | $1,802 | $77,595 | $70,395 | 1 | $77,595 | — | $3,560 |
| 2024 | $75,793 | $1,141,351 | $50,611,691 | $50,131,139 | 193 | $50,205,152 | $1,138,115 | $29,609,428 |
| 2023 | $49,546,133 | $1,880,657 | $11,741,644 | $10,332,960 | 117 | $10,829,311 | $1,852,043 | $1,217,326 |
| 2022 | $59,407,120 | $4,094,776 | $11,150,536 | $9,952,468 | 175 | $10,149,001 | $4,030,509 | $1,683,880 |
| 2021 | $66,462,880 | $7,349,081 | $7,433,172 | $5,317,460 | 97 | $6,413,238 | $6,272,551 | $3,189,749 |
| 2020 | $66,546,971 | $3,645,845 | $4,374,447 | $3,365,730 | 90 | — | $3,576,384 | $2,084,189 |
| 2019 | $66,683,240 | $2,009,447 | $2,431,521 | $1,222,231 | 41 | — | $1,942,890 | $2,121,678 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Merle Chambers Fund reported a distributable amount of $4K 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
The fund supported organizations working on equity and democracy through policy change, research, public education, and advocacy. Its Women’s Economic Security program supported systemic and policy efforts to improve women’s incomes, job security, and ability to provide for their families, including research, advocacy, policy change, and organizational development.
The Denver Foundation, which received a 2025 grant, describes itself as a community foundation serving the Metro Denver region through philanthropic grantmaking and donor services.
Grantmaking
The fund reported 117 grants totaling $10,332,960 in 2023, 193 grants totaling $50,131,139 in 2024, and one grant totaling $70,395 in 2025. The sole 2025 grant was $70,395 to The Denver Foundation for the Fund for Denver.
The fund’s website says it provided multi-year general-support exit grants to longtime grantees as part of its sunset. Its 2024 filing also describes asset transfers as part of the termination process, distinct from grant totals: transfers totaling $28,960,824 included alternative investments transferred to The Denver Foundation and a 100% ownership interest in Bannock 1201 LLC transferred to the Denver Art Museum. The filing narrative said a final distribution remained to be made.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing listed Merle C Chambers as chair/president, Joel Ours as treasurer, and Katharine Arnold as secretary.
Merle Chambers Fund is led by Merle C. Chambers, Chair & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Merle C. Chambers
Chair & President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katharine Arnold
Secretary
Secretary From → Secretary, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$31K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Joel Ours
Treasurer
Treasurer Ef → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Donald Hopkins (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Marla Williams (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Sally Leibbrandt (2019–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Letty Bass (2019) — Secretary & Executive Director
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.
Compensation Overview
No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.
Frequently asked questions about Merle Chambers Fund
How much does Merle Chambers Fund give each year?
Merle Chambers Fund gave $70K across 1 grant in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $50.1M across 193 grants.
What does Merle Chambers Fund fund?
The fund supported organizations working on equity and democracy through policy change, research, public education, and advocacy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Merle Chambers Fund?
The fund made contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does Merle Chambers Fund make grants?
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Colorado.
How much is Merle Chambers Fund required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Merle Chambers Fund reported a distributable amount of $4K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Merle Chambers Fund's EIN?
Merle Chambers Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-0929410. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Merle Chambers Fund 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.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 11, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 26, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 2, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 21, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 5, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Merle Chambers Fund down — hundreds of funders to go?