Robert & Margaret Mcnamara

WINTERS, CA EIN: 52-6056486

The Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation is a family foundation established in 1954 in Washington, DC. The foundation was founded by the late Robert McNamara, who served as United States Secretary of Defense for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968. The foundation is currently based in Winters, California.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$909K

-3.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$99K

+28.6% YoY

Grant Count

+0.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$2K

+28.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Robert & Margaret Mcnamara reported a distributable amount of $67K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's primary focus is giving for higher education. The foundation supports education, philanthropy, voluntarism, and grantmaking, as well as human services.

Grantmaking

The foundation makes grants with typical award sizes ranging from $500 to $15,000. Recent grant activity includes:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation has a geographic focus on the District of Columbia, Virginia, and California, with particular activity in Winters, California.

Grant Distribution by State

California $231K (68%)

Vermont $55K (16%)

New York $18K (5%)

Virginia $11K (3%)

Massachusetts $9K (3%)

District of Columbia $4K (1%)

Colorado $2K (1%)

Maryland $2K (0%)

+9 more states

States

California Colorado District of Columbia Hawaii Iowa Massachusetts Maryland Michigan North Carolina New Hampshire New York Rhode Island South Carolina Texas Virginia Vermont Wisconsin

Cities

AmherstAnnapolisArvadaAshvilleAspenAuburnAustinBerkeleyBooneBrentwoodCarbondaleColchesterConcordCotatiDavisDixonDorchesterDurhamEast ThetfordGrand Rapids

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation (EIN 52-6056486)

Location: 9264 Boyce Rd, Winters, CA 95694-9635

Robert and Margaret McNamara Foundation 2 (EIN 27-2141567)

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Total assets: $1,055,406
Total giving: $96,287
Tax-exempt since October 2010

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$909,410	$937,261	$890,683
Revenue	$90,746	$143,049	$113,672
Expenses	$118,597	$96,471	$75,812
Qualifying Distributions	$98,808	$76,821	$66,353
Net Investment Income	$35,944	$27,243	$43,943
Distributable Amount	$66,509	$79,652	$62,982

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

199 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include The Phogonot Trust ($31,786), Center for Land Based Learning ($25,000), Uc Santa Barbara Foundation ($5,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ACT BLUE SOMERVILLE, MA	CHARITABLE	$4,050
ALFRED A BRAUN HUT SYSTEM INC ASPEN, CO	CHARITABLE	$1,000
AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST WASHINGTON, DC	CHARITABLE	$250
AMERICAN LEADERSHIP FORUM SACRAMENTO, CA	CHARITABLE	$300
BIG DAY WINTERS SACRAMENTO, CA	CHARITABLE	$250
BIG DAY YOLO SACRAMENTO, CA	CHARITABLE	$300
CALCAN SACRAMENTO, CA	CHARITABLE	$500
CALIFORNIA AG LEADERSHIP MONTEREY, CA	CHARITABLE	$250
CAP RADIO SACRAMENTO, CA	CHARITABLE	$200
CENTER FOR LAND BASED LEARNING WOODLAND, CA	CHARITABLE	$25,000

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
R CRAIG MCNAMARA	PRESIDENT	—	—
JULIE MCNAMARA	BOARD MEMBER	—	—
GRAHAM MCNAMARA	BOARD MEMBER	—	—
SEAN MCNAMARA	BOARD MEMBER	—	—
EMILY MCNAMARA	BOARD MEMBER	—	—

Contact Information

Telephone: 530-795-3824
Address: 9264 Boyce Rd, Winters, CA 95694-9635

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Robert & Margaret Mcnamara fund?

The foundation's primary focus is giving for higher education. The foundation supports education, philanthropy, voluntarism, and grantmaking, as well as human services.

How do I apply for a grant from Robert & Margaret Mcnamara?

The foundation makes grants with typical award sizes ranging from $500 to $15,000. Recent grant activity includes: • $2,100 to Winters Farm To School (2023) • $200 to Winters Friends of the Library (2023) • $500 to Historical Society of Winters (2023)

Where does Robert & Margaret Mcnamara make grants?

The foundation has a geographic focus on the District of Columbia, Virginia, and California, with particular activity in Winters, California.

What size grants does Robert & Margaret Mcnamara award?

In 2024, Robert & Margaret Mcnamara awarded 50 grants totaling $99K — an average of about $2K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Robert & Margaret Mcnamara required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Robert & Margaret Mcnamara reported a distributable amount of $67K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.