George W. Mergens Foundation Grant

George W. Mergens Foundation Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: George W. Mergens Foundation
Last Updated: December 12, 2025

Summary

The George W. Mergens Foundation Grant supports educational and experiential opportunities for youth, continuing a legacy of over $12 million in funding. Established in 1994 to honor George Mergens, the foundation focuses on enriching the lives of children and adolescents through health, education, and leadership programs. Eligible organizations must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits based in Vermont, primarily serving youth. The foundation aims to partner with groups addressing significant community needs.

Overview

NOTE: Our board meets monthly to review requests. Generally, a request will be issued an award/denial within 6-8 weeks of submission depending on the nature and scope of the project. If your request is time sensitive, please let us know in your proposal. Our History George Mergens, a resident of Palm Beach, Florida was a mechanical engineer, inventor and business entrepreneur. Mr. Mergens, a graduate from the Brooklyn New York Poly Technical Institute, made significant contributions in the field of color film analysis and processing during his career. The holder of numerous domestic and foreign patents, Mr. Mergens co-founded Photo Electronics Corporation in 1963 to offer advanced color analysis technology to the photographic and motion picture industries. The Video Color Negative Analyzer, which became the standard of the Professional Photography Industry, was designed by Mr. Mergens and sold world wide by the Eastman Kodak Company. Equipment and innovations developed at PEC earned a technology award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1971 and a place in the "Information Age: People, Information and Technology" collection of the Smithsonian Institute. In 1977 Mr. Mergens was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, being named Engineer of the Year by his local Florida chapter. In 1986, the year he passed away, Mr. Mergens was awarded the title of "Fellow" by the ASME. In 1994, George's wife Ann, along with their two children, started the George W. Mergens Foundation as a tribute to his substantial legacy. A life long board member of the Boys Club and Science Museum in Palm Beach, Florida, Mr. Mergens demonstrated a sincere commitment to youth during his life. It seemed natural that the Foundation would honor his interests by focusing its efforts on supporting educational and experiential opportunities for youth. Since our founding, we have awarded over $12 million in support of area non-profits serving our youth. We are committed to continuing this effort into the future. Our Mission It is our guiding principal that we can affect the greatest impact on the future by supporting programs that seek to enrich the lives of youth. We use our resources to undergird the efforts of organizations that offer a wide variety of services and opportunities to children and adolescents. In doing so, we hope to promote knowledge, creativity, leadership and good health in the next generation of Vermonters. Areas of Support We seek to support organizations that offer opportunities for; improved health and welfare, education, job and skills training, creative instruction and experiences, leadership roles, exposure to the natural world and unique experiences that broaden perspectives. We prefer to partner with groups that have identified consequential needs or enrichment opportunities and have articulated a thoughtful and effective approach toward addressing them. Below are the four general categories that we fund along with some specific program types that fall within each category. Education & Training STEM ProgramsJob Skills/Career TrainingLiteracy Programs Enrichment Activities Art/Theater/Music ProgramsAfter School ProgramsCamps Recreation Sports ProgramsOutdoor ActivitiesWilderness Training Health & Wellness Programs addressing food insecurityPrograms promoting physical & emotional wellbeing

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. To determine whether or not your organization is eligible to receive a grant from the George W. Mergens Foundation, please review the following questions:Is your organization a federally tax exempt 501(c)(3)?Is your organization based in, or providing services in the state of Vermont?Are youth (ranging from birth to adolescence) the primary recipients of your services? (This includes organizations serving families to enhance the welfare of their children.)If you answered YES to all three questions, congratulations, your organization is eligible to submit a grant request to the foundation.We award grants for general operating expenses, project expenses, and capital projects.