The Harold and Marilyn Melcher
The Harold and Marilyn Melcher is a private foundation based in Kansas City, Missouri. It supports charitable organizations, with 2025 grants going to organizations serving causes including animal welfare, human services, library support, health services, food distribution, human rights, education, and youth programs.
The Harold and Marilyn Melcher at a glance
In short: The Harold and Marilyn Melcher gave $121K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Missouri. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $120,752
- -36.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +15.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,250
- -44.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,250
- Total assets
- $860,981
- +1301.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (7 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Missouri (53% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Harold and Marilyn Melcher
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 800 W 47Th Street No 720, Kansas City, MO 64112
Phone: (816) 931-5300
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Harold and Marilyn Melcher funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Wayside Waifs ($52K). Together the top 10 received $112K.
Grant Size Distribution
124 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 121 grants of 124 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went primarily to organizations in Missouri (53%) and Kansas (31%). Other recipient states were California (6%), Illinois (4%), and New York (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Harold and Marilyn Melcher open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 23 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $750 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 52% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 789% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $96K (2023) to $368K (2019). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $121K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wayside Waifs Kansas City, MO | Animal Welfare | $51,730 |
| Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City Overland Park, KS | Human Services | $35,000 |
| Pet Resource Center of Kansas City Kansas City, MO | Animal Welfare | $10,000 |
| Carmel Public Library Foundation Carmelbythesea, CA | Library Support | $2,500 |
| Community Health Chicago, IL | Health Services | $2,500 |
| Harvesters Kansas City, MO | Food Distribution Programs | $2,500 |
| Jewish Community Relations Bureau Overland Park, KS | Human Rights | $2,500 |
| SCHOOLS3 Carmel, CA | Education Programs | $2,500 |
| The Night Ministry Chicago, IL | Human Services | $1,500 |
| Kings County Tennis League Brooklyn, NY | Youth Tennis Programs | $1,250 |
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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 | $860,981 | $2,453,735 | $124,002 | $120,752 | 23 | $122,021 | $7,935 | $15,459 |
| 2024 | $61,437 | $201,003 | $191,144 | $188,750 | 20 | $189,947 | $24,806 | $11,612 |
| 2023 | $51,454 | $127,033 | $98,748 | $95,515 | 21 | $97,126 | $421 | $9,386 |
| 2022 | $23,319 | $124,751 | $140,087 | $136,098 | 35 | $137,737 | $23,112 | $9,952 |
| 2021 | $30,668 | $129,904 | $135,890 | $131,500 | 25 | $133,224 | $56,081 | $11,768 |
| 2020 | $37,528 | $178,204 | $229,442 | $225,068 | 26 | — | $61,323 | $11,781 |
| 2019 | $57,776 | $82,114 | $373,131 | $367,569 | 30 | — | $79,983 | $19,811 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Harold and Marilyn Melcher reported a distributable amount of $15K 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 animal welfare, human services, library support, health services, food distribution, human rights, education, and youth programs.
Grantee missions illustrate the range of supported work. Wayside Waifs says it prepares pets and people for lifelong bonds by caring for pets, supporting the community, and advocating for the joy pets bring. The Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City says it works to sustain and enhance Jewish life at home and around the world. Carmel Public Library Foundation says it provides financial support for Carmel Public Library. The Jewish Community Relations Bureau says it advocates for the Jewish community, combats antisemitism, and pursues justice. The Night Ministry says it provides human connection, housing support, and health care to people who are unhoused or experiencing poverty. MADRE says it advances women’s human rights by meeting urgent community needs and building lasting solutions.
Grantmaking
The foundation awarded 23 grants totaling $120,752 in 2025. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $51,730, with a median grant of $1,250. Its largest 2025 grants were $51,730 to Wayside Waifs for animal welfare, $35,000 to the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City for human services, and $10,000 to Pet Resource Center of Kansas City for animal welfare. Other grants included $2,500 each to Carmel Public Library Foundation, Community Health, Harvesters, Jewish Community Relations Bureau, and Schools3.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Randall D Clark as chairman and president, Richard A Melcher as secretary, Steven N Palmer as treasurer, and Laurie Ann Benjamin and Lynne F Melcher as directors.
The Harold and Marilyn Melcher is led by Randall D. Clark, Chairman & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Randall D. Clark
Chairman & President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laurie Ann Benjamin
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lynne F. Melcher
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard A. Melcher
Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven N. Palmer
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Marilyn Melcher (2021–2024) — Chairman Emeritus
- Former: Harold Marilyn Melcher (2019–2020) — Chairman Emeritus
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 The Harold and Marilyn Melcher
How much does The Harold and Marilyn Melcher give each year?
The Harold and Marilyn Melcher gave $121K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $189K across 20 grants.
What is The Harold and Marilyn Melcher's typical grant size?
The Harold and Marilyn Melcher's median grant in 2025 was $1,250, and its average grant was $5,250, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Harold and Marilyn Melcher that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Harold and Marilyn Melcher give grants?
The Harold and Marilyn Melcher gives mostly in Missouri: 53% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Kansas (31%) and California (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (4 grants), Kansas City, MO (3 grants), Overland Park, KS (2 grants) and Brooklyn, NY (2 grants).
Does The Harold and Marilyn Melcher give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on The Harold and Marilyn Melcher's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education Programs" (5 grants), "Human Services" (5 grants) and "Human Rights" (3 grants).
Who are The Harold and Marilyn Melcher's largest grantees?
The Harold and Marilyn Melcher's largest 2025 grantees include Wayside Waifs ($51,730), Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City ($35,000) and Pet Resource Center of Kansas City ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 80% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Harold and Marilyn Melcher?
The Harold and Marilyn Melcher reported $861K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $122K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $15K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Harold and Marilyn Melcher fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for animal welfare, human services, library support, health services, food distribution, human rights, education, and youth programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Harold and Marilyn Melcher?
The foundation 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 The Harold and Marilyn Melcher's EIN?
The Harold and Marilyn Melcher's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 43-1671354. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Harold and Marilyn Melcher accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 May 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Harold and Marilyn Melcher funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-harold-and-marilyn-melcher-morg_96ff334c998a43e184eea44fef975fa9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_431671354_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Harold and Marilyn Melcher funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-harold-and-marilyn-melcher-morg_96ff334c998a43e184eea44fef975fa9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 The Harold and Marilyn Melcher'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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