The Mark W Blackman & Deborah
The Mark W Blackman & Deborah is a private foundation based in Darien, Connecticut. It reported 16 grants totaling $255,250 in 2025, supporting charitable organizations in Connecticut and other states.
The Mark W Blackman & Deborah at a glance
In short: The Mark W Blackman & Deborah gave $255K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $16K), top state Connecticut. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $255,250
- +2.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- -11.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,953
- +14.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $11,250
- Total assets
- $2,124,988
- +10.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (3 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (42% 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 Mark W Blackman & Deborah
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 99 Long Neck Point Rd, Darien, CT 06820
Phone: (203) 655-5108
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Mark W Blackman & Deborah funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Brennan Center for Justice ($50K). Together the top 10 received $205K.
Grant Size Distribution
62 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 62 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in Connecticut (42%), New York (27%), Virginia (10%), the District of Columbia (8%), and Maryland (5%). The listed grants also included recipients in Alabama and Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Mark W Blackman & Deborah open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 16 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $18K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 81% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 86% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 175% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 $50K (2020) to $255K (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $255K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Brennan Center for Justice New York, NY | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $50,000 |
| ACLU Foundation of Connecticut Hartford, CT | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $35,000 |
| Nature Conservancy Arlington, VA | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $25,000 |
| Person to Person Darien, CT | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $25,000 |
| Doctors Without Bordersusa Hagerstown, MD | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $12,500 |
| Equal Justice Initiative Montgomery, AL | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $12,500 |
| Planned Parenthood Hartford, CT | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $12,500 |
| NAACP Legal Defense Fund New York, NY | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $12,500 |
| Connecticut Foodshare Wallingford, CT | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $10,000 |
| Norwalk Community College Foundatio Norwalk, CT | Fulfillment of Charitable Purpose | $10,000 |
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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 | $2,124,988 | $674,051 | $256,987 | $255,250 | 16 | $255,250 | $69,583 | $145,748 |
| 2024 | $1,915,612 | $244,003 | $252,900 | $250,000 | 18 | $250,000 | $59,250 | $123,681 |
| 2023 | $1,979,029 | $65,183 | $234,955 | $232,500 | 17 | $232,500 | $63,442 | $111,348 |
| 2022 | $2,148,801 | $1,652,453 | $139,450 | $137,500 | 6 | $137,500 | $41,154 | $112,861 |
| 2021 | $1,083,382 | $712,082 | $89,616 | $87,500 | 5 | $87,500 | $20,351 | $73,541 |
| 2020 | $851,842 | $354,623 | $51,431 | $50,000 | 5 | — | $14,173 | $46,835 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Mark W Blackman & Deborah reported a distributable amount of $146K 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 grantees included organizations working in areas such as access to food and basic needs, environmental protection, criminal justice, and legal advocacy. These descriptions are based on the grantees’ own statements: Person to Person says it supports families and individuals moving toward stability with food, clothing, housing, and economic opportunity; Connecticut Foodshare describes its mission as responding equitably to hunger; Save the Sound says it works to protect and improve the Long Island Sound region’s land, air, and water; and Prison Policy Initiative says it challenges over-criminalization and mass incarceration through research, advocacy, and organizing.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $255,250. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $50,000, with a median grant of $11,250.
Among its 2025 grants were $50,000 to the Brennan Center for Justice, $35,000 to the ACLU Foundation of Connecticut, $25,000 each to the Nature Conservancy and Person to Person, and $12,500 each to Doctors Without Borders USA, Equal Justice Initiative, Planned Parenthood, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Other reported grants included $10,000 each to Connecticut Foodshare, Norwalk Community College Foundation, Prison Policy Initiative, and Save the Sound. Sustainable Markets Foundation received $5,250.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mark W Blackman as trustee.
The Mark W Blackman & Deborah is led by Mark W. Blackman, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mark W. Blackman
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 The Mark W Blackman & Deborah
How much does The Mark W Blackman & Deborah give each year?
The Mark W Blackman & Deborah gave $255K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $250K across 18 grants.
What is The Mark W Blackman & Deborah's typical grant size?
The Mark W Blackman & Deborah's median grant in 2025 was $11,250, and its average grant was $15,953, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Mark W Blackman & Deborah that year got $7K on average.
Where does The Mark W Blackman & Deborah give grants?
The Mark W Blackman & Deborah's top state is Connecticut, with 42% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (27%) and Virginia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants), Hartford, CT (2 grants), Darien, CT (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Who are The Mark W Blackman & Deborah's largest grantees?
The Mark W Blackman & Deborah's largest 2025 grantees include Brennan Center for Justice ($50,000), ACLU Foundation of Connecticut ($35,000) and Nature Conservancy ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Mark W Blackman & Deborah?
The Mark W Blackman & Deborah reported $2.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $255K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $146K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Mark W Blackman & Deborah fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees included organizations working in areas such as access to food and basic needs, environmental protection, criminal justice, and legal advocacy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Mark W Blackman & Deborah?
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 Mark W Blackman & Deborah's EIN?
The Mark W Blackman & Deborah's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-4393686. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Mark W Blackman & Deborah 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 November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
Live grants for the work The Mark W Blackman & Deborah funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Mark W Blackman & Deborah funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-mark-w-blackman-and-deborah-morg_6d4999af4f4b446d831bd1cd0cc02be0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_824393686_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Mark W Blackman \& Deborah funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-mark-w-blackman-and-deborah-morg_6d4999af4f4b446d831bd1cd0cc02be0},
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 Mark W Blackman & Deborah'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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