Ruth & William Merkey Foundation
The Ruth & William Merkey Foundation is a private foundation based in Plymouth, Minnesota. It makes direct contributions to charitable institutions, supporting preselected organizations through grants.
Ruth & William Merkey Foundation at a glance
In short: Ruth & William Merkey Foundation gave $189K across 30 grants in 2026 (avg $6K), mostly in Wisconsin. 3% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $189,299
- +3.1% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 30
- +0.0% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $6,310
- +3.1% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $5,450
- Total assets
- $1,975,229
- -0.0% vs 2025
- New grantees (estimate)
- 3% first-time grantees (1 of 30, 2026)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (51% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Ruth & William Merkey Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4270 Fountain Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55446
Phone: (763) 550-1962
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ruth & William Merkey Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was Sisters of St Francis of the Holy Cross ($28K). Together the top 10 received $109K.
Grant Size Distribution
150 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 150 grants of 150 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Wisconsin recipients received 50% of grant dollars, followed by Minnesota at 10%, New York at 9%, Colorado at 7%, and Virginia at 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ruth & William Merkey Foundation open to new grantees?
3%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 1 of 30 grantees (3%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 97% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2023 to 2026 (+8%). Method
- In 2026 it paid out 103% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2026). 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 2021 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $161K (2024) to $193K (2022). In 2026 it made 30 grants totaling $189K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sisters of St Francis of the Holy Cross Green Bay, WI | Charitable | $28,349 |
| Friends of Kowak Erie, CO | Charitable | $10,800 |
| New Community Clinic Green Bay, WI | Charitable | $10,800 |
| New Zoo Green Bay, WI | Charitable | $10,800 |
| Pauls Pantry Green Bay, WI | Charitalbe | $10,800 |
| Second Harvest Heartland Brooklyn Park, MN | Charitable | $10,800 |
| Salvation Army of Brown County Green Bay, WI | Charitable | $7,400 |
| Salvatorian Mission Warehouse Salvatorian Center, WI | Charitable | $7,400 |
| Catholic Relief Services Baltimore, MD | Charitable | $5,900 |
| Crosier Brothers and Fathers Onamia, MN | Charitable | $5,900 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $1,975,229 | $196,423 | $197,049 | $189,299 | 30 | $189,299 | $178,226 | $184,380 |
| 2025 | $1,975,855 | $216,577 | $189,605 | $183,525 | 30 | $183,525 | $172,086 | $182,966 |
| 2024 | $1,948,883 | $139,954 | $166,365 | $160,503 | 30 | $160,503 | $120,029 | $161,768 |
| 2023 | $1,975,294 | $122,046 | $180,436 | $174,819 | 30 | $174,819 | $117,559 | $164,885 |
| 2022 | $2,033,684 | $123,259 | $198,237 | $192,579 | 30 | $192,579 | $113,406 | $195,284 |
| 2021 | $2,108,662 | $177,954 | $194,002 | $189,825 | 30 | — | $109,494 | $187,514 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ruth & William Merkey Foundation reported a distributable amount of $184K for 2026 — 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 foundation mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Second Harvest Heartland describes its mission as ending hunger through partnerships with food shelves and hunger-relief programs. New Community Clinic says it provides compassionate, high-quality health services, while Paul’s Pantry describes itself as a volunteer-based food pantry that distributes recovered surplus food to people in need.
Other 2025 recipients include American Bird Conservancy, which says it works to conserve wild birds and their habitats, and Xavier Society for the Blind, which provides religious reading materials to people with sight impairments. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not stated priorities of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave 30 grants totaling $183,525. Grants ranged from $650 to $25,663, with a median of $5,100. Among the largest grants were $25,663 to Sisters of St Francis of the Holy Cross, $13,808 to Second Harvest Heartland, $9,838 to New Community Clinic, $9,808 to New Zoo, and $9,808 to Paul’s Pantry. Other notable grants included $9,500 to Friends of Kowak, $9,200 to Catholic Relief Services, and $9,000 to Project Hope. Its 2026 filing, the latest on this page, reports 30 grants totaling $189,299.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Linda Boss as director, president, and treasurer; Helen Fisher as director and secretary; Sr Rose Jochman as director; and Kathy Rolling as director and vice-president.
Ruth & William Merkey Foundation is led by Linda Boss, Director, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2021; none of the 3 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Linda Boss
Director, President & Treasurer
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Helen Fisher
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sr Rose Jochman
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Kathy Rolling (2021–2025) — Director & Vice President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "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 Ruth & William Merkey Foundation
How much does Ruth & William Merkey Foundation give each year?
Ruth & William Merkey Foundation gave $189K across 30 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $184K across 30 grants.
What is Ruth & William Merkey Foundation's typical grant size?
Ruth & William Merkey Foundation's median grant in 2026 was $5,450, and its average grant was $6,310, across 30 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ruth & William Merkey Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Ruth & William Merkey Foundation give grants?
Ruth & William Merkey Foundation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 51% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Minnesota (12%) and New York (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Green Bay, WI (8 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Ruth & William Merkey Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 30 grants with a stated purpose on Ruth & William Merkey Foundation's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (27 grants) and "Charitalbe" (3 grants).
Who are Ruth & William Merkey Foundation's largest grantees?
Ruth & William Merkey Foundation's largest 2026 grantees include Sisters of St Francis of the Holy Cross ($28,349), Friends of Kowak ($10,800) and New Community Clinic ($10,800), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is Ruth & William Merkey Foundation?
Ruth & William Merkey Foundation reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $189K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $184K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ruth & William Merkey Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Second Harvest Heartland describes its mission as ending hunger through partnerships with food shelves and hunger-relief programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ruth & William Merkey Foundation?
The foundation makes 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 ↑
What is Ruth & William Merkey Foundation's EIN?
Ruth & William Merkey Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-2749281. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.
Does Ruth & William Merkey Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS September 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Live grants for the work Ruth & William Merkey Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Ruth & William Merkey Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ruth & William Merkey Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ruth-and-william-merkey-foundation-morg_cefe442204ff4dfeb685b700ff741b0f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_262749281_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ruth \& William Merkey Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ruth-and-william-merkey-foundation-morg_cefe442204ff4dfeb685b700ff741b0f},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-06. 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 Ruth & William Merkey Foundation'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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