The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation
The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation is a New York-based private foundation that supports organizations operating wildlife and conservation protection programs worldwide. It was established in 1996.
Key facts about The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation
In short: The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation gave $449K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $26K), top state Texas. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 33-0683174
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $448,900
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- Average grant
- $26,406
- Median grant
- $20,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (3 of 13, 2025)
- Total assets
- $1,735,792
- Primary geography
- Texas (47% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.7M
-5.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$449K
-10.9% YoY
Grant Count
17
-10.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$26K
-0.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation reported a distributable amount of $143K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 13 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $19K; repeat grants $39K. How we count
Medians: $16K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−12%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 369% 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to support organizations that operate wildlife and conservation protection programs on a worldwide basis. Its 2025 grants show support for projects focused on primate conservation, habitat protection, reintroduction, and community-based conservation.
Among its grantees, Friends of Bonobos describes its mission as saving and protecting bonobos and their rainforest home through rescue, sanctuary, rewilding, community partnerships, and rainforest protection. RE:WILD says it protects and restores the wild. The Bonobo Conservation Initiative says it works to protect endangered bonobos and rainforest habitat while partnering with Indigenous communities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 17 grants totaling $448,900. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $150,000, with a median grant of $20,000. The largest grant was $150,000 to RE:WILD for the 2025 Primate Action Fund.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation describes its support as worldwide. In 2025, 47% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 10% to Colorado, 9% to Washington, DC, 8% to Illinois, and 8% to New York. Grant purposes also identify projects in countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Vietnam, Myanmar, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $445K (2023) to $668K (2020). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $449K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Rewild ($212K across 4 grants). Together the top 10 received $418K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
94 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 88 grants of 94 (94%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rewild Austin, TX | 2025 Primate Action Fund | $150,000 |
| Friends of Bonobos Durham, NC | Third reintroduction of bonobos, pan paniscus, at ekolo ya bonobo community reserve, drc | $25,000 |
| Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Niwot, CO | Usala conservation corridor to protect grauer's gorillas (gorilla beringei graueri), north kivu, dr congo | $25,000 |
| Rewild Austin, TX | List of the world's 25 most endangered primates a meeting at the xxx congress of the international primatological society, antananarivo madagascar | $25,000 |
| Rewild Austin, TX | The use of drones to improve forest surveillance, monitoring and the conservation of cercopithecus roloway and colobus vellerosus; two critically endangered primate species in the tanoe-ehy forest, southeastern cote d'ivoire | $25,000 |
| Cloud Forest Fund Manhasset Hill, NY | Saving the critical habitat of the world's rarest monkey: the tonkin snub-nosed monkey habitat in khau ca forest, vietnam | $25,000 |
| Fauna & Flora International Washington, DC | Community-based conservation of the myanmar snub-nosed monkey (rhinopithecus strykeri), myanmar phase iv | $20,000 |
| Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, IL | Conservation of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) and central chimpanzees (pan troglodytes troglodytes) in the congo basin | $20,000 |
| Wild Earth Allies Chevy Chase, MD | Conservation of the blue monkey (cercopithecus mitis) on idjwi island, democratic republic of the congo | $20,000 |
| Bonobo Conservation Initiative Washington, DC | Protecting endangered bonobos (pan paniscus) and a critical biodiversity corridor in the congo rainforest (lilungu, tshuapa province, democratic republic of congo) | $20,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,735,792 | $466,312 | $566,801 | $448,900 | 17 |
| 2024 | $1,836,281 | $359,015 | $613,929 | $503,700 | 19 |
| 2023 | $2,091,195 | $246,269 | $559,411 | $444,600 | 19 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,735,792 | $1,836,281 | $2,091,195 |
| Revenue | $466,312 | $359,015 | $246,269 |
| Expenses | $566,801 | $613,929 | $559,411 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $527,928 | $585,330 | $523,243 |
| Net Investment Income | $432,148 | $329,567 | $210,965 |
| Distributable Amount | $143,098 | $160,359 | $161,130 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 14, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Russell Mittermeier as president; Rick Barongi as secretary; H. Williamson Ghriskey Jr. as vice president and chief financial officer; and William Konstant, Kenneth Gladner, and Thayne Maynard as directors.
The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation is led by Russell Mittermeier, President on every filing since 2019; all 6 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Russell Mittermeier
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$10K (2019) → $10K (2025)
Kenneth Gladner
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$5K (2019) → $5K (2025)
Thayne Maynard
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$5K (2019) → $5K (2025)
William Konstant
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
$35K (2019) → $40K (2025)
H. Williamson Ghriskey Jr.
Vice President & Cfp
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$10K (2019) → $10K (2025)
Rick Barongi
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$10K (2019) → $10K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $40K, to William Konstant (Director). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 1 Rockefeller Plaza 7Th Floor, New York, NY 10020
Phone: (212) 269-7818
Website: https://www.guidestar.org
Frequently asked questions about The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation
How much does The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation give each year?
The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation gave $449K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $504K across 19 grants.
What is The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation's typical grant size?
The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $26,406, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation that year got $19K on average.
Where does The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation give grants?
The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation's top state is Texas, with 47% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Colorado (10%) and District of Columbia (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Austin, TX (4 grants), Niwot, CO (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation's largest grantees?
The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Rewild ($212,000 across 4 grants), Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education ($45,000 across 2 grants) and Friends of Bonobos ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation?
The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $528K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $143K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to support organizations that operate wildlife and conservation protection programs on a worldwide basis. Its 2025 grants show support for projects focused on primate conservation, habitat protection, reintroduction, and community-based conservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation's EIN?
The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 33-0683174. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation 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.
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