Merlin Charitable Foundation
Merlin Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Waltham, Massachusetts. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in areas including healthcare, climate change, girls’ education, malaria prevention, voting rights, and sexual and reproductive health.
Merlin Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Merlin Charitable Foundation gave $32K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state District of Columbia. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $32,000
- +23.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,200
- +23.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $413,806
- +63.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (38% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Merlin Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 10 Flagg Circle, Waltham, MA 02453
Phone: (781) 788-9388
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Merlin Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Pathfinder International ($6K). Together the top 10 received $32K.
Grant Size Distribution
50 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 50 grants of 50 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in Washington, DC (38%), Massachusetts (31%), and New York (25%); 6% were listed under an unspecified recipient state. The listed grants directly show support for organizations in those locations, as well as Against Malaria Foundation, for which no location was provided.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Merlin Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 10 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+19%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 4% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $15K (2019) to $32K (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $32K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Pathfinder International Watertown, MA | Womens Healthcare Overseas | $6,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | Provide Healthcare in War-Torn Nations | $4,000 |
| Citizens Climate Education Washington, DC | Educating About Climate Change | $4,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Boston, MA | Mitigating Effects of Climate Change | $4,000 |
| Malala Fund Washington, DC | World Where Every Girl Can Learn and Lead | $4,000 |
| Against Malaria Foundation | Purchase of Bed Nets for Affected Areas | $2,000 |
| Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Washington, DC | Opposing Minority Voter Discrimination | $2,000 |
| Planned Parenthood New York, NY | Sexual and Reproductive Health and Education | $2,000 |
| Evidence Action Washington, DC | Health Improvement in Asia and Africa | $2,000 |
| FOS Feminista New York, NY | Provide Young People with Sexual Education | $2,000 |
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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 | $413,806 | $194,065 | $32,914 | $32,000 | 10 | $914 | $105,987 | $24,217 |
| 2024 | $252,655 | $32,682 | $26,928 | $26,000 | 10 | $26,543 | $17,434 | $20,529 |
| 2023 | $246,901 | $21,403 | $26,690 | $26,000 | 10 | $26,305 | $21,196 | $18,082 |
| 2022 | $252,188 | $22,255 | $27,983 | $27,000 | 10 | $27,598 | $7,035 | $19,197 |
| 2021 | $257,916 | $27,399 | $25,848 | $25,000 | 10 | $25,463 | $27,219 | $19,821 |
| 2020 | $256,365 | $77,269 | $17,602 | $17,000 | 9 | — | $20,364 | $15,165 |
| 2019 | $196,698 | $5,262 | $15,039 | $14,500 | 9 | — | $5,156 | $11,117 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Merlin Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $24K 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 foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for healthcare and health education, climate change education and mitigation, girls’ education, malaria prevention, and civil rights.
Among its grantees, Evidence Action describes its mission as scaling evidence-based, cost-effective programs to reduce poverty and improve lives. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights describes its work as using legal advocacy to achieve racial justice and advance the voice, opportunity, and power of Black people and other people of color.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 10 grants totaling $32,000. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $6,000, with a median award of $3,000.
The largest listed grants were $6,000 to Pathfinder International for women’s healthcare overseas; $4,000 each to Doctors Without Borders for healthcare in war-torn nations, Citizens Climate Education for climate change education, Environmental Defense Fund for mitigating climate change, and Malala Fund for a world where every girl can learn and lead. Other listed recipients received $2,000 each: Against Malaria Foundation, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Planned Parenthood, Evidence Action, and Fos Feminista.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Margaret K Primak is listed as an officer and trustee on the 2025 filing.
Merlin Charitable Foundation is led by Margaret K. Primak Officer, Trustee on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Margaret K. Primak Officer
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Merlin Charitable Foundation
How much does Merlin Charitable Foundation give each year?
Merlin Charitable Foundation gave $32K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $26K across 10 grants.
What is Merlin Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Merlin Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $3,200, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Merlin Charitable Foundation give grants?
Merlin Charitable Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 38% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (31%) and New York (25%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does Merlin Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Merlin Charitable Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Merlin Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Merlin Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Pathfinder International ($6,000), Doctors Without Borders ($4,000) and Citizens Climate Education ($4,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Merlin Charitable Foundation?
Merlin Charitable Foundation reported $414K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $914 in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $24K (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 Merlin Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for healthcare and health education, climate change education and mitigation, girls’ education, malaria prevention, and civil rights. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Merlin Charitable Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Merlin Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Merlin Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-4351193. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Merlin Charitable 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 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 25, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 10, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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