The Matthew T Mellon Foundation-IMA makes a small number of relatively large, unrestricted grants focused on direct service organizations. Their giving is split between local human services — notably homelessness response — and international child-focused work, indicating flexibility to fund both domestic emergency/social services and overseas child welfare programs.
Concentrated giving: few (2) mid-sized grants that provide general operating support. Funding is split between domestic human services and international child-focused work rather than broad diversification or many small awards.
Notable grantees: Knox County Homeless Coalition, Tanzanian Children's Fund
Matthew T Mellon Foundation-ima gives a small number of relatively large unrestricted grants, with the largest recent award at $40,000 to Knox County Homeless Coalition for general operating support. That pattern points to flexible support for direct-service organizations rather than tightly restricted project funding. The foundation’s recent awards also show a split between domestic human services and child-focused work overseas through its grant to Tanzanian Children’s Fund. General operating support is a consistent feature of the portfolio. City Harvest, Housing Works Inc, United Way Worldwide, and Doctors Without Borders each received $20,000 for general operating support in the latest grants list, alongside grants to animal welfare, housing, and health-related organizations. The foundation’s giving also reaches community-based groups such as Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Refuge and Island Harvest Ltd, suggesting a preference for organizations with active service delivery rather than advocacy-only work. Across the recent record, the foundation appears to favor core capacity funding for frontline organizations. Its grants are generally in the $10,000 to $20,000 range, with a larger award reserved for homelessness response.
Human services are a visible part of the foundation’s portfolio. It gave $40,000 to Knox County Homeless Coalition for general operating support, and $20,000 to Housing Works Inc for the same purpose. Food access also appears in the recent grants list. City Harvest received $20,000 for general operating support, and Island Harvest Ltd received $20,000, also unrestricted. The foundation supports child-focused work outside the U.S. as well. Tanzanian Children’s Fund received $25,000 for general operating support, tying its giving to child welfare and development programs. Other recent awards show broad support for mission-based organizations, including $20,000 to Doctors Without Borders and $20,000 to United Way Worldwide, both for general operating support.
Typical grant size centers on a narrow band: p25 $10,000, median $20,000, and p75 $20,000. That distribution matches a portfolio built around modest-to-mid-sized unrestricted awards, with one larger outlier at $40,000. The recent list shows repeat support for Peconic Land Trust in both 2023 and 2024, which suggests some multi-year continuity rather than purely one-off giving. The foundation is a regular funder and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. No application process is provided in the data.
$575K
$2.3M
$160K
$611K
Most grants fall between $10K and $20K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$20K
About 12% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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All recent grants in the sample went to U.S. recipients. New York appears most often in the grant record, with recipients in New York City, Brooklyn, Melville, Hampton Bays, and Southampton. Pennsylvania recipients include Magee Womens in Pittsburgh and Cape Eleuthera Foundation Inc in Philadelphia, and Maine appears through Knox County Homeless Coalition in Rockland. The foundation’s HQ is in Pittsburgh, and 12% of grants were to recipients in Pennsylvania.
The recent grants list points to direct-service organizations and core operating support. Recipients include Knox County Homeless Coalition for homelessness response, City Harvest and Island Harvest Ltd for food-related work, Housing Works Inc for housing and service delivery, and Tanzanian Children’s Fund for child-focused work.
Its typical grant size is tightly clustered: p25 is $10,000, median is $20,000, and p75 is $20,000. In the recent grants list, most awards fall at $10,000 or $20,000, with a larger $40,000 grant standing out above that range.
Yes. The recent grants list is dominated by general operating support. Examples include grants to Knox County Homeless Coalition, Tanzanian Children’s Fund, City Harvest, United Way Worldwide, and Doctors Without Borders, all labeled general operating support.
Yes. Peconic Land Trust appears in both 2023 and 2024, with grants of $10,000 in each year. That indicates at least one grantee has received support across multiple years rather than only once.
New York is the top state by grant count in the data. The recipient list includes organizations in New York City, Brooklyn, Melville, Hampton Bays, and Southampton, while 12% of grants went to recipients in Pennsylvania.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TANZANIAN CHILDREN'S FUND | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $80,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $65,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CITY HARVEST | NEW YORK, NY | $55,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ISLAND HARVEST | MELVILLE, NY | $55,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| HOUSING WORKS INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $55,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ANIMALS ASIA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| EVELYN ALEXANDER WILDLIFE REFUGE | HAMPTON BAYS, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| SOCIETY OF JESUS | CHICAGO, IL | $35,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PECONIC LAND TRUST | SOUTHAMPTON, NY | $30,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FRIENDS OF THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY | DELRAY BEACH, FL | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| NEEDLEPOINT SANCTUARY OF MAINE | BANGOR, ME | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MAINE RECOEVERY ACCESS PROJECT | AUGUSTA, ME | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ST PAUL'S SCHOOL ALUMNI FOUNDATION | CONCORD, NH | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| THE KINGS TRUST USA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| TANZANIAN CHILDREN'S FUND | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| NEW YORK TIMES NEEDIEST CASES FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| EVELYN ALEXANDER WILDLIFE REFUGE | HAMPTON BAYS, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ANIMALS ASIA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CITY HARVEST | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| HOUSING WORKS INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ISALND HARVEST | MELVILLE, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FRIENDS OF THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY | DELRAY BEACH, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PECONIC LAND TRUST | SOUTHAMPTON, NE | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION | ROCKLAND, ME | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| TANZANIAN CHILDREN'S FUND | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| EVELYN ALEXANDER WILDLIFE REFUGE | HAMPTON BAYS, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| HOUSING WORKS INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ANIMALS ASIA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| NEW YORK TIMES NEEDIEST CASES FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ISLAND HARVEST LTD | MELVILLE, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CITY HARVEST | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| UNITED WAY WORLDWIDE | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MAGEE WOMENS | PITTSBURGH, PA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| IDYLL DANDY ARTS | DOWELLTOWN, TN | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION INC | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PECONIC LAND TRUST | SOUTHAMPTON, NE | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MESHOTHELIOMA RESEARCH | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PECONIC LAND TRUST | SOUTHAMPTON, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ST PAUL'S SCHOOL ALUMNI FOUNDATION | CONCORD, NH | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$65,000GENERAL OPERATING
ANIMALS ASIA
GENERAL OPERATING
SOCIETY OF JESUS
$35,000GENERAL OPERATING
FRIENDS OF THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
NEEDLEPOINT SANCTUARY OF MAINE
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
MAINE RECOEVERY ACCESS PROJECT
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
ANIMALS ASIA
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
ISALND HARVEST
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
FRIENDS OF THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING
CAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING
KNOX COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION
$40,000GENERAL OPERATING
ANIMALS ASIA
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
MAGEE WOMENS
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING
IDYLL DANDY ARTS
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING
MESHOTHELIOMA RESEARCH
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING