Merck Family Fund
Merck Family Fund is a Boston-based private foundation supporting place-based work in Massachusetts and New York with a focus on climate, environmental justice, housing, transportation, and civic engagement. The site lists staff and trustees, contact emails, an address in Boston, program pages, investment guidelines, and a timeline of assets and grant disbursements.
Source: Website · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
A tax-exempt nonprofit working on climate, environmental justice, urban agriculture/food justice, housing, transportation, or civic engagement with presence or projects in Massachusetts, New York, or the broader Northeast/Southeast region.
Good Fit
- • Programmatic alignment with climate, environmental justice, urban agriculture/food justice, housing, transit, or civic engagement.
- • Organizational presence or demonstrable impact in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, or other states the funder commonly supports.
- • A budget and project scale consistent with the foundation’s typical grants (many awards in the $25K–$100K range and a median around $35K).
- • 501(c)(3) status and readiness to submit a letter of inquiry through the foundation’s online system by published deadlines.
Geography
Observed grantmaking spans roughly 15 states with substantial out-of-state giving; Massachusetts is a focal point but about three quarters of dollars go outside the foundation state.
Recipient Variety
The latest year shows 77 distinct recipients (87 grants) and similar counts in prior years, with low dollar concentration (largest grantee ~4%, top five ~13%), indicating a broad and diverse recipient set.
New Applicants
A public two-step online application process and annual evidence of new grantees (about 15 new recipients in 2024 and 20 in 2023) make it plausible that unfamiliar applicants can gain entry.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
