Merritt Community Capital Corporation
Merritt Community Capital is an Oakland, California-based public charity and nonprofit affordable housing investor and lender. It provides equity and lending capital for affordable housing and supports training and career development for people working in the field.
Key facts about Merritt Community Capital Corporation
In short: Merritt Community Capital Corporation gave $885K across 26 grants in 2024 (avg $34K), mostly in California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 94-3099401
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $885,395
- Grants made (2024)
- 26
- Average grant
- $34,054
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $39,374,350
- Primary geography
- California (87% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Deadline
- April 30, 2026, for the Merritt Scholars Program.
Data from IRS Form 990, 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 · View filing
Total Assets
$39.4M
-5.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$885K
+7.1% YoY
Grant Count
26
+13.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$34K
-5.3% YoY
How Merritt Community Capital Corporation gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
Merritt’s stated mission is “to provide affordable housing for low income persons.” Its 2024 filing describes its work as serving as general partner in partnerships that invest in local projects to build or rehabilitate affordable housing under Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code, and providing ongoing support services to those partnerships. The filing also describes scholarships, internships, and career development intended to attract, train, and retain affordable housing professionals.
Merritt’s grants support affordable housing education and professional development, scholarships, and related initiatives. Among its 2024 grantees, Housing California says its work includes increasing the supply of safe, stable, affordable homes and preventing and ending homelessness. The San Diego Housing Federation describes its role as bringing together affordable housing community development organizations and others working on housing for low- and moderate-income people in San Diego County. The California Housing Consortium says it works to educate and collaborate on resources and initiatives to create and preserve safe, sustainable housing and communities. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, Merritt reported 26 grants totaling $885,395. Grant amounts ranged from $6,500 to $250,000, with a median of $20,000.
The largest reported grant was $250,000 to LISC LA for HDTI program implementation. Other large grants included $77,857 to the National Association of State and Local Equity Funds for affordable housing education; $60,000 to Housing California for scholarships; $60,000 to the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California for investing in affordable housing; and $50,000 to the California Housing Partnership Corporation for affordable housing education.
Merritt also has an active Merritt Scholars Program for California students pursuing careers in affordable housing. The program supports scholarships and aims to develop future affordable housing practitioners and leaders.
Review Cycle
April 30, 2026, for the Merritt Scholars Program.
Ready to take the next step with Merritt Community Capital Corporation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Merritt describes its affordable housing investment and lending as focused on California. In its 2024 grants, 87% of grant dollars went to recipients in California; other reported recipient-state shares were Missouri (9%), Maryland (2%), and Massachusetts (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $53K (2021) to $885K (2024). In 2024 it made 26 grants totaling $885K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Lisc LA ($250K). Together the top 10 received $668K.
Grant Size Distribution
86 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 75 grants of 86 (87%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lisc LA Los Angeles, CA | HDTI Program Implementation | $250,000 |
| National Association of State and Local Equity Funds Saint Louis, MO | Affordable Housing Education | $77,857 |
| Housing California Inc Sacramento, CA | Scholarships | $60,000 |
| Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California San Francisco, CA | Investing in Affordable Housing | $60,000 |
| California Housing Partnership Corporation San Francisco, CA | Affordable Housing Education | $50,000 |
| San Diego Housing Federation San Diego, CA | Affordable Housing Education | $45,000 |
| California Housing Consortium Agoura Hills, CA | Affordable Housing Education | $40,000 |
| California Coalition for Rural Housing Project Sacramento, CA | Rural Fellowship Funding | $35,000 |
| Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing Inc Los Angeles, CA | Affordable Housing Education & Development | $30,000 |
| The Regents of the University of California Davis Davis, CA | Scholarships | $20,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $39,374,350 | $8,481,176 | $6,455,286 | $885,395 |
| 2023 | $41,740,384 | $7,447,840 | $5,946,265 | $826,794 |
| 2022 | $31,748,169 | $10,552,423 | $5,433,051 | $575,000 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $39,374,350 | $41,740,384 | $31,748,169 |
| Revenue | $8,481,176 | $7,447,840 | $10,552,423 |
| Expenses | $6,455,286 | $5,946,265 | $5,433,051 |
| Net Investment Income | $202,505 | $209,984 | $47,089 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 17, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 31, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 4, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on Merritt’s 2024 filing are Cecile Chalifour, chairperson; Robert Williams, vice chairperson; Gina Leon, secretary; and Welton Jordan, treasurer. Directors listed are Chione Flegal, Dora Leong Gallo, Steve Herman, Ray Mendoza, Gisela Salgado, and Steve Spears.
Merritt Community Capital Corporation is led by Ari Beliak, President & CEO since 2022 (on filings since 2019); 10 of 26 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Ari Beliak
President & CEO
President → President & CEO, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$111K (2019) → $390K (2024)
Cecile Chalifour
Chairperson
Secretary → Chairperson, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Izaac Singh
Director of Asset Management
Senior Asset Manager → Director of Asset Mgt, 2022
Director of Asset Mgt → Director of Asset Management, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$125K (2020) → $232K (2024)
David Dologite
Director of Acquisitions
Acquisitions → Director of Acquisitions, 2022
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$213K (2021) → $275K (2024)
Karen Tiedemann
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Darnell Williams
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ray Mendoza
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Regina Celestin Williams
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chione Flegal
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dora Leong Gallo
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gisela Salgado
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Herman
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Spears
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adey Tesfaye
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ken Trigueiro
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pamela Deniels-Halisi
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paul Carney
COO & CFO
Director → COO & CFO, 2021
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$15K (2021) → $208K (2024)
Nedrah Barnes
CFO
Director of Fund Mgt → Director of Fund Management, 2023
Director of Fund Management → CFO, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$159K (2021) → $263K (2024)
David Eisenman
Associate Director of Acquisitions
Senior Acquisitions Manager → Senior Acquisition Manager, 2023
Senior Acquisition Manager → Associate Director of Acquisitions, 2024
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$185K (2022) → $209K (2024)
Amanda Hopkins
Senior Asset Manager
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$130K (2023) → $158K (2024)
Carla Vasquez-Noriega
Senior Investor Relations Manager
Director of Investor Relations → Senior Investor Relations Manager, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$120K (2023) → $166K (2024)
Mengxin Zhou
Senior Acquisitions Manager
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$149K (2024)
Rebecca Mauerer
Asset Manager
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$138K (2024)
Gina Leon
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Williams
Vice Chairperson
Director → Vice Chairperson, 2020
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Welton Jordan
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Maria Duarte (2019–2023) — Senior Asset Manager
- Former: Julie Quinn (2021–2023) — Director of Investor Relations
- Former: Andrea Ursillo (2019–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Carl Nichols (2019–2022) — Former CFO & COO
- Former: John Denton (2019–2022) — Chairperson
- Former: Karen Smyda (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Charles A. Cornell (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Nick Griffin (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Wendy Jacquemin (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Nedrah Elm (2019–2020) — Controller
- Former: Birute Skurdenis (2019) — Asset Manager
- Former: Chuck Cornell (2019) — Director
- Former: Lisa Castillo (2019) — President
- Former: Monica Sharp (2019) — Director Investor Relations
- Former: Suzanne Vice (2019) — Development Asset Manager
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $390K, to Ari Beliak (President & CEO). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 1901 Harrison Street 1650, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 444-7870
Website: https://merrittcap.org
Frequently asked questions about Merritt Community Capital Corporation
How much does Merritt Community Capital Corporation give each year?
Merritt Community Capital Corporation gave $885K across 26 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $827K across 23 grants.
What is Merritt Community Capital Corporation's typical grant size?
Merritt Community Capital Corporation's median grant in 2024 was $20,000, and its average grant was $34,054, across 26 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Merritt Community Capital Corporation give grants?
Merritt Community Capital Corporation gives mostly in California: 87% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Missouri (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (4 grants), Sacramento, CA (3 grants), San Francisco, CA (2 grants) and Irvine, CA (2 grants).
Does Merritt Community Capital Corporation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 26 grants with a stated purpose on Merritt Community Capital Corporation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarships" (15 grants) and "Affordable Housing Education" (6 grants).
Who are Merritt Community Capital Corporation's largest grantees?
Merritt Community Capital Corporation's largest 2024 grantees include Lisc LA ($250,000), National Association of State and Local Equity Funds ($77,857) and Housing California Inc ($60,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Merritt Community Capital Corporation?
Merritt Community Capital Corporation reported $39.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $8.5M.
What does Merritt Community Capital Corporation fund?
Merritt’s stated mission is “to provide affordable housing for low income persons.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Merritt Community Capital Corporation?
Merritt Community Capital Corporation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check merrittcap.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Merritt Community Capital Corporation's EIN?
Merritt Community Capital Corporation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3099401. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Merritt Community Capital Corporation by hand.
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