The Mardi Gras Fund
The Mardi Gras Fund is a private foundation based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In its 2025 filing, it reported giving $77,000 through 13 grants to charitable organizations.
The Mardi Gras Fund at a glance
In short: The Mardi Gras Fund gave $77K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state Ohio. 15% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $77,000
- -12.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -23.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,923
- +14.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,672,569
- +3.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (2 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (37% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Mardi Gras Fund
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 515 West Washington Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Phone: (734) 223-0928
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Mardi Gras Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Girls Group ($10K). Together the top 10 received $63K.
Grant Size Distribution
67 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 67 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants went to recipients in Ohio (37% of grant dollars), Michigan (31%), Illinois (26%), and New York (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Mardi Gras Fund open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 13 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 85% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 130% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 100% 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 (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 $30K (2020) to $88K (2024). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $77K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Girls Group Ann Arbor, MI | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| The Cleveland Foundry Cleveland, OH | General Purpose | $7,500 |
| University Musical Society Ann Arbor, MI | General Purpose | $7,500 |
| Ann Arbor Symphony Ann Arbor, MI | General Purpose | $6,000 |
| Cleveland Public Theater Cleveland, OH | General Purpose | $6,000 |
| Playmakers Laboratory Chicago, IL | General Purpose | $6,000 |
| Art House Cleveland, OH | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Chautauqua Arts Ed Chautauqua, NY | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Ne Ohio Akron, OH | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Chicago, IL | General Purpose | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Mardi Gras Fund?
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 | $1,672,569 | $151,083 | $102,967 | $77,000 | 13 | $93,109 | $141,225 | $93,230 |
| 2024 | $1,614,686 | $93,084 | $104,372 | $88,000 | 17 | $95,668 | $84,382 | $84,981 |
| 2023 | $1,616,692 | $82,853 | $56,670 | $42,000 | 13 | $48,842 | $75,025 | $81,599 |
| 2022 | $1,581,862 | $77,630 | $45,710 | $33,500 | 12 | $33,500 | $65,420 | $81,169 |
| 2021 | $1,549,942 | $89,236 | $47,181 | $44,500 | 12 | $44,620 | $86,678 | $79,438 |
| 2020 | $1,491,922 | $66,323 | $37,858 | $29,500 | 11 | — | $59,555 | $73,308 |
| 2019 | $1,445,586 | $85,398 | $54,616 | $45,000 | 14 | — | $39,670 | $26,427 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Mardi Gras Fund 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 funder’s filings describe its grants as being for general purposes and do not state a mission. Its 2025 grantees include organizations whose own missions describe work in youth development and mentoring, performing arts, music, visual arts, and healthy living. For example, Girls Group says it works to help middle- and high-school women achieve emotional and economic security, while University Musical Society says it connects audiences and artists through performing arts experiences. Chicago Jazz Philharmonic describes its mission as presenting music and arts programming for Chicago’s diverse cultural communities and beyond.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund awarded 13 grants totaling $77,000. Grant amounts ranged from $4,000 to $10,000, with a median of $5,000. Its largest awards included $10,000 to Girls Group; $7,500 each to The Cleveland Foundry and University Musical Society; and $6,000 each to Ann Arbor Symphony, Cleveland Public Theater, and PlayMakers Laboratory.
Other listed 2025 grants included $5,000 each to Art House, Chautauqua Arts Ed, Boys and Girls Club of NE Ohio, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Hands On Sports Foundation Inc, and Marwen. Art House says its mission is to inspire expression and exploration through visual arts. Hands On Sports Foundation says its mission is to educate the community about healthy living.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Margaret Northrup as president, Robert Northrup Jr as treasurer, and Anne Northrup as secretary.
The Mardi Gras Fund is led by Margaret L Northrup, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Margaret L Northrup
President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Anne L Northrup
Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Robert Northrup Jr.
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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 Mardi Gras Fund
How much does The Mardi Gras Fund give each year?
The Mardi Gras Fund gave $77K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $88K across 17 grants.
What is The Mardi Gras Fund's typical grant size?
The Mardi Gras Fund's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $5,923, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Mardi Gras Fund that year got $5K on average.
Where does The Mardi Gras Fund give grants?
The Mardi Gras Fund's top state is Ohio, with 37% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Michigan (31%) and Illinois (26%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (4 grants), Ann Arbor, MI (3 grants) and Cleveland, OH (3 grants).
Does The Mardi Gras Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Mardi Gras Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Mardi Gras Fund's largest grantees?
The Mardi Gras Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Girls Group ($10,000), The Cleveland Foundry ($7,500) and University Musical Society ($7,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Mardi Gras Fund?
The Mardi Gras Fund reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $93K 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 The Mardi Gras Fund fund?
The funder’s filings describe its grants as being for general purposes and do not state a mission. Its 2025 grantees include organizations whose own missions describe work in youth development and mentoring, performing arts, music, visual arts, and healthy living. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Mardi Gras Fund?
The foundation states that it 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 The Mardi Gras Fund's EIN?
The Mardi Gras Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 05-0464995. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Mardi Gras Fund 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
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 19, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 14, 2024)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 19, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Mardi Gras Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-mardi-gras-fund-morg_110afb3cc99e43a4b1c6901cc2d20a69
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_050464995_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Mardi Gras Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-mardi-gras-fund-morg_110afb3cc99e43a4b1c6901cc2d20a69},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Mardi Gras Fund'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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