The Melly Foundation
The Melly Foundation is a private foundation based in Sarasota, Florida. It supports other organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3) through contributions and does not conduct direct charitable activities.
The Melly Foundation at a glance
In short: The Melly Foundation gave $1.1M across 49 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), top state Florida. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,053,241
- -18.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 49
- +4.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $21,495
- -21.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $23,655,550
- +454.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Florida (28% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to The Melly Foundation
- 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: 4523 Windsor Park, Sarasota, FL 34235
Phone: (646) 213-5100
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Melly Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was First Presbyterian Church ($200K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $921K.
Grant Size Distribution
202 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 176 grants of 202 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, recipients in Florida received 28% of grant dollars, those in New York 24%, Connecticut 17%, Massachusetts 10%, and Virginia 9%. The listed recipients also included organizations in Pennsylvania, British Columbia, and Kentucky.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 49 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Melly Foundation gives
- 92% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 27% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 119% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $248K (2021) to $1.3M (2024). In 2025 it made 49 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Trinity College Hartford, CT | General/Unrestricted | $123,563 |
| All Faiths Food Bank Sarasota, FL | General/Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| First Presbyterian Church New York, NY | General/Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| First Presbyterian Church New York, NY | General/Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Mote Marine Laboratory Sarasota, FL | General/Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation Sarasota, FL | General/Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| The Salvation Army Alexandria, VA | General/Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Smith College Northampton, MA | General/Unrestricted | $99,167 |
| Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY | General/Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| The Hill School Pottstown, PA | General/Unrestricted | $25,000 |
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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 | $23,655,550 | $20,234,014 | $1,090,602 | $1,053,241 | 49 | $1,060,426 | $20,215,041 | $890,237 |
| 2024 | $4,266,059 | $448,592 | $1,422,834 | $1,288,513 | 47 | $1,297,376 | $398,592 | $1,060,575 |
| 2023 | $4,743,799 | $925,801 | $1,249,302 | $1,144,519 | 44 | $1,147,678 | $925,801 | $972,212 |
| 2022 | $5,036,027 | $2,064,254 | $936,559 | $828,000 | 61 | $843,209 | $1,344,249 | $1,113,186 |
| 2021 | $4,594,758 | $1,386,608 | $271,663 | $248,190 | 1 | — | $1,231,179 | $951,131 |
| 2020 | $3,602,343 | $2,070,768 | $532,399 | $499,270 | 3 | — | $1,110,696 | $685,970 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Melly Foundation reported a distributable amount of $890K 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 foundation states that its primary purpose is to support organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3) through contributions. Its grants have supported organizations with varied missions. For example, Trinity College describes its mission as providing an outstanding liberal arts education, while All Faiths Food Bank says it works with partners to provide healthy solutions to end hunger in its community. Mote Marine Laboratory describes its work as advancing marine and environmental sciences through research, education, and public outreach. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not stated focus areas of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 49 grants totaling $1,053,241. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $123,563, with a median of $2,500. Among the largest awards were $123,563 to Trinity College; $100,000 each to All Faiths Food Bank, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation, The Salvation Army, and First Presbyterian Church in New York; and $99,167 to Smith College. The listed grants were designated general/unrestricted.
The foundation also awarded 47 grants totaling $1,288,513 in 2024 and 44 grants totaling $1,144,519 in 2023.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lee Scott Melly, Judith H Melly, and Thomas B Melly as trustees.
The Melly Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lee Scott Melly
Trustee
Trustee & Parttime → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$25K (2024) → $25K (2025)
Judith H. Melly
Trustee
Trustee & Parttime → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas B. Melly
Trustee
Trustee & Parttime → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: L. Thomas Melly (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: David Randolph Melly (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Laura A. Melly (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Alice P. Melly (2020–2021) — Trustee
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $25K, to Lee Scott Melly (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about The Melly Foundation
How much does The Melly Foundation give each year?
The Melly Foundation gave $1.1M across 49 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.3M across 47 grants.
What is The Melly Foundation's typical grant size?
The Melly Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $21,495, across 49 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Melly Foundation give grants?
The Melly Foundation's top state is Florida, with 28% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (24%) and Connecticut (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants), Greenwich, CT (6 grants), Sarasota, FL (4 grants) and Hartford, CT (4 grants).
Does The Melly Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Melly Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (49 of 49) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Melly Foundation's largest grantees?
The Melly Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include First Presbyterian Church ($200,000 across 2 grants), Trinity College ($136,106 across 3 grants) and All Faiths Food Bank ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Melly Foundation?
The Melly Foundation reported $23.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $890K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Melly Foundation fund?
The foundation states that its primary purpose is to support organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3) through contributions. Its grants have supported organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Melly Foundation?
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 Melly Foundation's EIN?
The Melly Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7059703. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Melly 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.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 9, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 20, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Melly Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Melly Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-melly-foundation-morg_050183c270c143258409349ca2d9287a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237059703_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Melly Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-melly-foundation-morg_050183c270c143258409349ca2d9287a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Melly Foundation'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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