The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Miami Beach, FL EIN: 82-3462210

The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc is a private foundation based in Miami Beach, Florida. It supports charitable organizations through grants; its 2025 filing says it contributes only to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Key facts about The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc

In short: The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc gave $172K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $16K), top state Virginia. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
82-3462210
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$171,622
Grants made (2025)
11
Average grant
$15,602
Median grant
$20,000
New grantees (estimate)
36% first-time grantees (4 of 11, 2025)
Total assets
$1,861,295
Primary geography
Virginia (39% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it 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

$1.9M

+2.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$172K

+271.0% YoY

Grant Count

11

+83.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$16K

+102.4% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc reported a distributable amount of $126K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc open to new grantees?

36%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 4 of 11 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $17K. How we count

Medians: $15K first-time, $21K repeat.

  • 36% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+13%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 136% 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations serving people experiencing homelessness and poverty, supporting recovery and sobriety, and providing education or services for people with disabilities.

Among its grantees, FACETS Cares describes its mission as stabilizing and empowering individuals and families facing poverty, housing instability, hunger, and financial insecurity. The Lamb Center says it serves neighbors experiencing homelessness. Cloverleaf Equine Center says it provides equine-assisted services to people with disabilities, youth from marginalized communities, recovering military personnel, and others in need.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the fund made 11 grants totaling $171,622. Grants ranged from $5,053 to $25,000, with a median grant of $20,000.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The fund is based in Miami Beach, Florida. Its 2025 grants went to organizations in multiple states and Washington, DC. By share of grant dollars, Virginia received 39%, DC 18%, New York 15%, Florida 12%, and Maryland 6%.

Grant Distribution by State

11states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkFairfaxWashingtonMiamiCharlotteWest Palm BeachCliftonNew LondonHamptonSilver SpringBooneBrookhavenChicagoFalls ChurchPembroke ParkPhoenixPortlandStuart

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$50K$100K$150K$200K13 grants2019 17 grants2020 14 grants2021 12 grants2022 11 grants2023 6 grants2024 11 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $46K (2024) to $173K (2020). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $172K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Miriam S Kitchen Washington: $25KMiriam S Kitchen Washington$25KThrive for Life Prison Project Inc: $25KThrive for Life Prison ProjectInc$25KFacets Cares Inc: $21KFacets Cares Inc$21KThe Lamb Center: $21KThe Lamb Center$21KHome Stretch VA: $20KHome Stretch VA$20KMark Garwood Scholarship Fund: $20KMark Garwood Scholarship Fund$20KOxford House Inc: $10KOxford House Inc$10KLuther Jackson Middle: $10KLuther Jackson Middle$10KSalvation Army South: $10KSalvation Army South$10KCloverleaf Equine Center: $5KCloverleaf Equine Center$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was Miriam S Kitchen Washington ($25K). Together the top 10 received $167K.

Grant Size Distribution

54 grants across all recorded years

53<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 53 grants of 54 (98%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Miriam S Kitchen Washington Washington, DCTo Feed the Homeless in DC$25,000
Thrive for Life Prison Project Inc New York, NYTo Create Opportunities for Incarcerated$25,000
Facets Cares Inc Fairfax, VATo Help Those in Poverty in Fairfax VA$20,600
The Lamb Center Fairfax, VAHomeless Service in Fairfax, Virginia$20,580
Home Stretch VA Falls Church, VAEmpowering Families Experiencing Homelessness to Rebuild Lives$20,020
Mark Garwood Scholarship Fund Stuart, FLProvides educational scholarships and support for individuals in long-term sobriety$20,000
Oxford House Inc Silver Spring, MDTo provide, through a network of affiliated houses, sober, safe, and affordable housing for recovering addicts and alcoholics.$10,220
Luther Jackson Middle Charlotte, NCTo Support Educational Institution$10,000
Salvation Army South Brookhaven, GAPrograms Address Hunger, Homelessness, and Addiction.$10,000
Cloverleaf Equine Center Clifton, VAProvides equine-assisted activities for children and adults with disabilities in an an inclusive, community setting.$5,149

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2025 $1,861,295 $245,497 $194,836 $171,622
2024 $1,810,634 $183,275 $66,862 $46,254
2023 $1,694,221 $163,823 $122,397 $107,411
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$100K$200K$300K2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$1,861,295$1,810,634$1,694,221
Revenue$245,497$183,275$163,823
Expenses$194,836$66,862$122,397
Qualifying Distributions$171,622$46,254$107,411
Net Investment Income$222,283$162,667$148,837
Distributable Amount$125,757$106,377$88,083

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 9, 2020)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Teresa Schaal as president, Christin Soly as vice president, David M Klaassen as treasurer, Lindsey Klaassen as secretary, and Martha Haverkamp and Barbara Jane Merritt as board members.

The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc is led by Teresa Schaal, President on every filing since 2023; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Teresa Schaal

    President

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Christin Soly

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • David M. Klaassen

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lindsey Klaassen

    Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Martha Haverkamp

    Board Member

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Barbara Jane Merritt

    Board Member

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Teresa Merritt (2019–2022) — President

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.

Contact

Mailing address: 400 Alton Road 3303, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Phone: (703) 342-9037

Frequently asked questions about The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc

How much does The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc give each year?

The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc gave $172K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $46K across 6 grants.

What is The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc's typical grant size?

The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $15,602, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc that year got $14K on average.

Where does The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc give grants?

The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc's top state is Virginia, with 39% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (18%) and New York (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Fairfax, VA (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).

Does The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

Who are The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc's largest grantees?

The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Miriam S Kitchen Washington ($25,000), Thrive for Life Prison Project Inc ($25,000) and Facets Cares Inc ($20,600), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc?

The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $172K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $126K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc fund?

No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations serving people experiencing homelessness and poverty, supporting recovery and sobriety, and providing education or services for people with disabilities. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it 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 Merritt Charitable Fund Inc's EIN?

The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-3462210. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Merritt Charitable Fund Inc 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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