Mercator Charitable Trust makes a small number of very large, unrestricted grants to other grantmakers and intermediaries, favoring general operating support over project-specific funding. Their giving appears oriented toward supporting philanthropic infrastructure and social-innovation intermediaries rather than direct service providers. Grants are high-dollar and strategic, likely intended to bolster the capacity of partner foundations and initiatives.
Highly concentrated: very few, large unrestricted grants to institutional grantees (foundations and intermediaries), no evidence of many small or direct-service grants; appears to prefer one-off or occasional major commitments rather than broad diversified giving.
Mercator Charitable Trust makes a small number of very large, unrestricted grants, and the biggest recent award in the record is $4,600,470 to Schoepflin Stiftung for general operating support. That scale, paired with repeated general operating support, points to a funder that backs the capacity of other grantmakers and intermediaries rather than issuing many smaller project grants. The trust’s recent giving also includes $1,450,000 to Marin Community Foundation and $1,221,624 to Spore Initiative, both for general operating support, showing a preference for institutional support at significant dollar levels. In addition to those larger grants, the trust has also made smaller operating awards to organizations such as ImpactAssets and Ragtag Film Society. The pattern suggests a strategy centered on organizational sustainability, with funding directed to foundations, community foundations, and philanthropic intermediaries. Its grantmaking is regional, but the recipient mix includes both US-based and German organizations, indicating that the trust’s network of supported institutions reaches beyond a single local market.
A clear theme in Mercator Charitable Trust’s giving is support for foundations and grantmaking organizations. In 2025, it gave $1,450,000 to Marin Community Foundation for general operating support, a large unrestricted award that fits that pattern. The trust also backed philanthropic infrastructure outside the US with $4,600,470 to Schoepflin Stiftung for general operating support. Another strand is support for intermediaries and innovation-oriented organizations: Spore Initiative received $1,221,624 for general operating support, placing it among the trust’s larger recent grants. Smaller operating support grants also went to ImpactAssets, which appears twice in the recent record, reinforcing the trust’s interest in organizations that sit within the nonprofit and grantmaking ecosystem.
Mercator Charitable Trust’s grant sizes are heavily weighted toward large awards: the 25th percentile is $618,312, the median is $1,221,624, and the 75th percentile is $2,911,047. That distribution shows a compact portfolio with substantial checks rather than a broad small-grant program. The recent record also shows repeat support to the same recipient: ImpactAssets appears in both 2024 and 2025 with $15,000 general operating grants. The trust is not described as accepting individual applications, and the available records point to a grantmaker using unrestricted, general operating support as its main funding mode.
$1.5M
$72.5M
$1.9M
$1.8M
Most grants fall between $618K and $2.9M, with a median of $1.2M.
25th Percentile
$618K
Median
$1.2M
75th Percentile
$2.9M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in MD.
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Mercator Charitable Trust.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 5 | $12.9M | 55.6% |
| 2 | United StatesDomestic |
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Notable grantees: Schoepflin Stiftung, Marin Community Foundation, Spore Initiative
Mercator Charitable Trust gives across a regional footprint, with the highest grant count in Maryland and 0% of grants going to recipients in its Wyoming headquarters state. Recent recipients include Novato, CA; Bethesda, MD; and Columbia, MO, showing that its US awards are spread across multiple states rather than concentrated only near Jackson. The recipient-country distribution is evenly split between the US and Germany, with 4 grants in each country.
The recent record points to foundations, grantmaking organizations, and philanthropic intermediaries. Marin Community Foundation received $1,450,000 for general operating support, Schoepflin Stiftung received $4,600,470 for general operating support, and Spore Initiative received $1,221,624 for general operating support.
The trust writes large grants. The typical size sits at a median of $1,221,624, with the 25th percentile at $618,312 and the 75th percentile at $2,911,047.
Yes. ImpactAssets appears in the recent grants record in both 2024 and 2025, and each grant was for $15,000 in general operating support.
The highest grant count is in Maryland. Recent US recipients include Bethesda, MD; Novato, CA; and Columbia, MO, while the country distribution also includes Germany.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 4 |
| $1.5M |
44.4% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | NOVATO, CA | $1,450,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT. |
| IMPACTASSETS | BETHESDA, MD | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT. |
| RAGTAG FILM SOCIETY | COLUMBIA, MO | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT. |
| SCHOEPFLIN STIFTUNG | LO | $4,600,470 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT. |
| IMPACTASSETS | BETHESDA, MD | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT. |
| Spore Initiative | Lr | $1,221,624 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
RAGTAG FILM SOCIETY
$7,500GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT.
SCHOEPFLIN STIFTUNG
$4,600,470GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT.
Spore Initiative
$1,221,624General Operating Support