Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable
Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable is a private foundation based in Providence, Rhode Island. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, all of them in Rhode Island.
Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable at a glance
In short: Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable gave $87K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in Rhode Island. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $86,500
- -4.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,650
- -14.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,750
- Total assets
- $1,724,478
- +6.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Rhode Island (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: One Turks Head Place Suite 800 800, Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 421-8900
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Vincent Depaul Society ($15K). Together the top 10 received $87K.
Grant Size Distribution
27 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 26 grants of 27 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Rhode Island.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable gives
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 541% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 93% 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 (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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $14K (2022) to $91K (2024). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $87K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Vincent Depaul Society Cranston, RI | Charitable | $15,000 |
| San Miguel School Providence, RI | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Yellow Horse Equine Therapeutic Riding Program Wood River JCT, RI | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Chesterton Academy Warwick, RI | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Angel in Action RI West Warwick, RI | Charitable | $8,000 |
| North Kingstown Food Pantry North Kingstown, RI | Charitable | $7,500 |
| Clothes to Kids Johnston, RI | Charitable | $7,500 |
| Moms of Marieville North Providence, RI | Charitable | $7,500 |
| Brian Messier East Greenwich High School Scholarship Fund Providence, RI | Charitable | $6,000 |
| Woonsocket Athletics Woonsocket, RI | Charitable | $5,000 |
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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 | $1,724,478 | $211,111 | $95,085 | $86,500 | 10 | $86,500 | $202,526 | $93,449 |
| 2024 | $1,620,679 | $422,025 | $97,755 | $90,500 | 9 | $90,500 | $79,532 | $82,206 |
| 2023 | $1,263,675 | $38,829 | $43,334 | $37,500 | 4 | $37,500 | $32,995 | $59,856 |
| 2022 | $1,272,236 | $21,757 | $18,090 | $13,500 | 2 | $13,500 | $26,992 | $69,393 |
| 2021 | $1,268,134 | $111,541 | $86,722 | $84,500 | 2 | $84,500 | $109,319 | $82,095 |
| 2020 | $1,249,606 | $25,243 | $86,643 | $79,500 | 5 | — | $18,100 | $63,698 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable reported a distributable amount of $93K 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 available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including a food pantry, schools, an equine therapeutic riding program, a clothing organization, and community and athletic organizations. North Kingstown Food Pantry describes its own mission as providing emergency food assistance and services to individuals and families in North Kingstown, helping address short-term need and ensure clients have an adequate, healthy diet.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $86,500 through 10 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $15,000, with a median of $7,750. Recipients included Vincent DePaul Society ($15,000), San Miguel School ($10,000), Yellow Horse Equine Therapeutic Riding Program ($10,000), and Chesterton Academy ($10,000). North Kingstown Food Pantry received $7,500.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John Marginson as trustee.
Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable is led by John Marginson, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Marginson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable
How much does Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable give each year?
Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable gave $87K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $91K across 9 grants.
What is Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable's typical grant size?
Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable's median grant in 2025 was $7,750, and its average grant was $8,650, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable give grants?
Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable gives mostly in Rhode Island: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Providence, RI (2 grants).
Does Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (10 grants).
Who are Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable's largest grantees?
Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable's largest 2025 grantees include Vincent Depaul Society ($15,000), San Miguel School ($10,000) and Yellow Horse Equine Therapeutic Riding Program ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable?
Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $87K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $93K (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 Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including a food pantry, schools, an equine therapeutic riding program, a clothing organization, and community and athletic organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable's EIN?
Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-6124667. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 4, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/stephen-w-and-merle-dresner-charitable-morg_ff94da65a7944fd88efefb81f08816e3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_826124667_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Stephen W \& Merle Dresner Charitable funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/stephen-w-and-merle-dresner-charitable-morg_ff94da65a7944fd88efefb81f08816e3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Stephen W & Merle Dresner Charitable'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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