The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Westport Island, ME EIN: 46-1787457

THE MORTON MENDES CHARITABLE is a private foundation based in Westport Island, Maine. It made 17 grants totaling $21,870 in 2024, including grants to organizations working with farmed animals, horses and dogs, wildlife, and housing.

Key facts about The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation

In short: The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation gave $22K across 17 grants in 2024 (avg $1K), mostly in Maine. 47% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
46-1787457
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$21,870
Grants made (2024)
17
Average grant
$1,286
Median grant
$375
New grantees (estimate)
47% first-time grantees (8 of 17, 2024)
Total assets
$258,226
Primary geography
Maine (55% of itemized 2024 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, 2024; updated October 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 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$258K

-16.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$22K

+23.3% YoY

Grant Count

17

-15.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$1K

+45.1% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $15K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?

47%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 8 of 17 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $987; repeat grants $2K. How we count

Medians: $288 first-time, $500 repeat.

  • 47% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+10%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 144% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2024). 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 foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to charitable organizations including farm-animal sanctuaries and horse and dog rescue organizations. Darrowby Farm Sanctuary describes its mission as providing a safe, lifelong home for farmed animals and educating people about ways of living with animals without using them for food or forced labor. The Cloud Foundation says it works to prevent the extinction of Cloud’s herd and protect other wild horse herds on public lands. Defenders of Wildlife describes its mission as protecting native animals and plants in their natural communities. Habitat for Humanity says it seeks to eliminate poverty housing and make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.

Grantmaking

The foundation made 17 grants totaling $21,870 in 2024. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $6,850, with a median of $375. The largest grants were $6,850 to Natural Horsemanship Center and $5,000 to Darrowby Farm Sanctuary, both for general operation. Other notable grants included $4,420 to Gentle Giant Draft Horse Rescue, $1,000 each to Little Long Ears Donkey Rescue, Iron Dog Foundation, and Friends of Paul Bunyan Foundation, and $650 to Project K-9 Dog Heroes.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 55% of grant dollars went to recipients in Maine, 23% to Maryland, 5% each to Georgia, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, and the remainder to recipients in other states.

Grant Distribution by State

19states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.

Cities

WashingtonAuburnMount AiryPortlandTampaColorado SpringsNew OxfordNew YorkOaklandAlvinWestportWiscassetBiddefordFrederickLiberty TWPMemphisRaymondAlexandriaAlnaAmericus

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$10K$20K$30K17 grants2019 11 grants2020 13 grants2021 16 grants2022 20 grants2023 17 grants2024

From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $16K (2020) to $22K (2024). In 2024 it made 17 grants totaling $22K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Natural Horsemanship Center: $7KNatural Horsemanship Center$7KDarrowby Farm Sanctuary: $5KDarrowby Farm Sanctuary$5KGentle Giant Draft Horse Rescue: $4KGentle Giant Draft HorseRescue$4KLittle Long Ears Donkey Rescue: $1KLittle Long Ears Donkey Rescue$1KIron Dog Foundation: $1KIron Dog Foundation$1KFriends of Paul Bunyan Foundation: $1KFriends of Paul BunyanFoundation$1KProject K-9 Dog Heroes: $650Project K-9 Dog Heroes$650The Cloud Foundation: $500The Cloud Foundation$500Saint Joseph Indian School: $375Saint Joseph Indian School$375ASPCA: $200ASPCA$200

The largest 2024 recipient was Natural Horsemanship Center ($7K). Together the top 10 received $21K.

Grant Size Distribution

77 grants across all recorded years

77<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 77 grants of 77 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Natural Horsemanship Center Portland, MEGeneral Operation$6,850
Darrowby Farm Sanctuary Jefferson, MEGeneral Operation$5,000
Gentle Giant Draft Horse Rescue Mount Airy, MDGeneral Operation$4,420
Little Long Ears Donkey Rescue New Oxford, PAGeneral Operation$1,000
Iron Dog Foundation McDonough, GAGeneral Operation$1,000
Friends of Paul Bunyan Foundation Salem, ORGeneral Operation$1,000
Project K-9 Dog Heroes Frederick, MDGeneral Operation$650
The Cloud Foundation Colorado Springs, COGeneral Operation$500
Saint Joseph Indian School Chamberlain, SDGeneral Operation$375
ASPCA New York, NYGeneral Operation$200

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Grant total Number of grants
2024 $21,870 17
2023 $17,735 20
2022 $21,658 16
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$10K$20K$30K2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$258,226$307,355$308,767
Revenue$18,559$21,728$21,505
Expenses$24,069$19,789$23,386
Qualifying Distributions$21,870$17,735$21,658
Net Investment Income$16,394$15,254$19,777
Distributable Amount$15,135$14,094$14,866

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 10, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 3, 2021)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 15, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 2, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 23, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Morton R Mendes as president, Peggy Stern as secretary, Scott Mendes as treasurer, and Patricia M Mendes as vice president.

The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation is led by Morton R. Mendes, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Morton R. Mendes

    President

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Patricia M. Mendes

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Peggy Stern

    Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Scott Mendes

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 188 Main Road, Westport Island, ME 04578
Phone: (440) 376-5358

Frequently asked questions about The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation

How much does The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation give each year?

The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation gave $22K across 17 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $18K across 20 grants.

What is The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?

The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $375, and its average grant was $1,286, across 17 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation that year got $987 on average.

Where does The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation give grants?

The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Maine: 55% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Maryland (23%) and Georgia (5%).

Does The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?

The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Natural Horsemanship Center ($6,850), Darrowby Farm Sanctuary ($5,000) and Gentle Giant Draft Horse Rescue ($4,420), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation?

The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation reported $258K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $22K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $15K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to charitable organizations including farm-animal sanctuaries and horse and dog rescue organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation?

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 Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation's EIN?

The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-1787457. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.

Does The Morton Mendes Charitable Foundation 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.

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