The Meryl & Charles Witmer
The Meryl & Charles Witmer is a private foundation based in New York, NY. In filing year 2025, it reported 39 grants totaling $1,445,040 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in cancer-related services, education, conservation, and sports history.
The Meryl & Charles Witmer at a glance
In short: The Meryl & Charles Witmer gave $1.4M across 39 grants in 2025 (avg $37K), mostly in Florida. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,445,040
- +44.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 39
- -15.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $37,052
- +70.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $6,422,762
- +26.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (9 of 39, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Florida (71% 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 Meryl & Charles Witmer
- 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: 280 Madison Avenue Suite 1007, New York, NY 10016-0820
Phone: (212) 812-3089
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Meryl & Charles Witmer funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Beat Childhood Cancer ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
211 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 195 grants of 211 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were Florida (71%), New York (14%), Massachusetts (8%), Virginia (4%), and Washington, D.C. (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Meryl & Charles Witmer open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 39 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $45K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 72% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 133% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 548% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $301K (2019) to $1.4M (2025). In 2025 it made 39 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Beat Childhood Cancer Land O Lakes, FL | General Use | $1,000,000 |
| Golf Fights Cancer Norton, MA | General Use | $100,000 |
| Children's Brain Tumor Project Foundation New York, NY | General Use | $55,000 |
| Philips Institute Richmond, VA | General Use | $50,000 |
| Children's Brain Tumor Family Foundation New York, NY | General Use | $25,000 |
| Inner-City Scholarship Fund New York, NY | General Use | $25,000 |
| Harlem Children's Zone New York, NY | General Use | $20,000 |
| James B Lee Jr Scholarship Fund Westhampton Beach, NY | General Use | $14,000 |
| The Benjamin School North Palm Beach, FL | General Use | $14,000 |
| Georgetown University Washington, DC | General Use | $13,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Meryl & Charles Witmer?
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 | $6,422,762 | $2,589,955 | $1,467,238 | $1,445,040 | 39 | $1,445,290 | $1,794,322 | $263,795 |
| 2024 | $5,098,309 | $809,262 | $1,005,835 | $1,001,070 | 46 | $1,001,345 | $750,886 | $253,724 |
| 2023 | $5,396,813 | $-53,779 | $384,619 | $378,700 | 42 | $378,950 | $176,422 | $253,692 |
| 2022 | $5,208,106 | $994,049 | $669,486 | $620,900 | 39 | $621,150 | $1,078,048 | $255,234 |
| 2021 | $5,687,436 | $2,558,116 | $429,139 | $409,080 | 45 | $409,330 | $2,004,520 | $221,355 |
| 2020 | $3,969,460 | $-64,446 | $512,429 | $497,560 | 39 | — | $14,255 | $166,982 |
| 2019 | $3,839,102 | $1,483,684 | $310,127 | $300,980 | 44 | — | $808,774 | $127,103 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Meryl & Charles Witmer reported a distributable amount of $264K 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 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Golf Fights Cancer says it raises funds for cancer-related organizations and families affected by the disease, while Lake Agawam Conservancy says it works to preserve Lake Agawam and its surrounding ecosystem. Georgetown University describes a commitment to intellectual, ethical, and spiritual understanding, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame describes work preserving tennis history and inspiring excellence across generations. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not statements of the foundation’s own mission.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 39 grants totaling $1,445,040. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $1,000,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest grant was $1,000,000 to BEAT CHILDHOOD CANCER in Land O Lakes, Florida, for general use. Other notable grants included $100,000 to GOLF FIGHTS CANCER in Norton, Massachusetts, and $55,000 to CHILDREN'S BRAIN TUMOR PROJECT FOUNDATION in New York, New York, both for general use. The filing also lists $50,000 to PHILIPS INSTITUTE and $25,000 to CHILDREN'S BRAIN TUMOR FAMILY FOUNDATION, each for general use.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists CHARLES H WITMER as president and trustee, and MERYL B WITMER as treasurer and trustee.
The Meryl & Charles Witmer is led by Charles H. Witmer, President & Trustee on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Charles H. Witmer
President & Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Meryl B. Witmer
Treasurer & Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
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 Meryl & Charles Witmer
How much does The Meryl & Charles Witmer give each year?
The Meryl & Charles Witmer gave $1.4M across 39 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.0M across 46 grants.
What is The Meryl & Charles Witmer's typical grant size?
The Meryl & Charles Witmer's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $37,052, across 39 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Meryl & Charles Witmer that year got $12K on average.
Where does The Meryl & Charles Witmer give grants?
The Meryl & Charles Witmer gives mostly in Florida: 71% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (14%) and Massachusetts (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (12 grants), Southampton, NY (3 grants), North Palm Beach, FL (3 grants) and Princeton, NJ (3 grants).
Does The Meryl & Charles Witmer give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Meryl & Charles Witmer's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (39 of 39) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Meryl & Charles Witmer's largest grantees?
The Meryl & Charles Witmer's largest 2025 grantees include Beat Childhood Cancer ($1,000,000), Golf Fights Cancer ($100,000) and Children's Brain Tumor Project Foundation ($55,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 80% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Meryl & Charles Witmer?
The Meryl & Charles Witmer reported $6.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $264K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Meryl & Charles Witmer fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Meryl & Charles Witmer?
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 Meryl & Charles Witmer's EIN?
The Meryl & Charles Witmer's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-4129627. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Meryl & Charles Witmer 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 10, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Meryl & Charles Witmer funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Meryl & Charles Witmer funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-meryl-and-charles-witmer-morg_78dd49e841074b339b9921a735d07442
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_134129627_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Meryl \& Charles Witmer funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-meryl-and-charles-witmer-morg_78dd49e841074b339b9921a735d07442},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-25. 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 Meryl & Charles Witmer'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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