The Mercury Foundation concentrates its giving on a small set of large, strategic grants, primarily funding philanthropic intermediaries and reproductive health organizations. Most dollars flow to repeat, multi-million-dollar commitments—notably a major pass-through/partner arrangement via Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors—alongside substantial support for national and local Planned Parenthood affiliates and select environmental advocacy. The foundation appears focused on enabling broad programmatic impact through partners rather than many small direct-service grants.
Mercury Foundation’s recent grantmaking is defined by very large, repeated commitments to a small set of partners. The clearest example is its three-year series of $15,000,000 grants to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, showing a strong preference for channeling capital through a philanthropic intermediary rather than through many small awards. That pattern sits alongside substantial support for reproductive health organizations, including multi-year funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. The foundation also backs legal, advocacy, and conservation groups, with grants to Center for Reproductive Rights, NAACP Legal Defense and Education, NRDC, Panthera, Union of Concerned Scientists, and local Los Angeles nonprofits. Across the list, the emphasis is on sustained, strategic support for organizations positioned to move policy, services, and systems at scale. The grant record suggests a funder that favors established institutions, recurring relationships, and large programmatic commitments over broad, dispersed grantmaking.
In philanthropic infrastructure, Mercury Foundation gave $15,000,000 in 2025 to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors for general support, and that same recipient also appears with the same amount in 2024 and 2023. In reproductive and sexual health, the foundation supported Planned Parenthood Federation of America with $3,000,000 in both 2024 and 2025, signaling a continued relationship at the national level. Local service delivery also appears in Los Angeles, where Planned Parenthood Los Angeles received $2,000,000 in 2024 and again in 2025. Beyond reproductive health, the foundation has funded conservation and science advocacy, including $2,000,000 to NRDC in 2025 and $500,000 to Union of Concerned Scientists in 2025.
Mercury Foundation’s typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $875,000, the median is $1,750,000, and the 75th percentile is $3,000,000. The pattern is highly repeat-oriented, with several recipients appearing across multiple years, including Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, Center for Reproductive Rights, and Panthera. It is a regular funder rather than a DAF vehicle, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grant list is dominated by multi-million-dollar general support awards.
$28M
$249.5M
$15.1M
$32.4M
Most grants fall between $875K and $3M, with a median of $1.8M.
25th Percentile
$875K
Median
$1.8M
75th Percentile
$3M
About 23% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Highly concentrated: very few, large grants with repeat payments to the same organizations (three grants to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and multiple grants to Planned Parenthood affiliates). Predominantly national-level funding with one notable local investment in Los Angeles; uses intermediaries for flexible or advisory grantmaking.
Notable grantees: Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Mercury Foundation gives most often in New York, and 25% of its grants go to recipients in California. New York City appears repeatedly through recipients such as Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Center for Reproductive Rights, NAACP Legal Defense and Education, and Panthera. Los Angeles is another recurring recipient city, through Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, La Lgbt Center, and Kitten Rescue. Outside those hubs, the list also includes Cambridge, Massachusetts, and The Woodlands, Texas. All recent grants in the provided data went to U.S. recipients.
Its typical grants are large: the 25th percentile is $875,000, the median is $1,750,000, and the 75th percentile is $3,000,000. The recent record also includes several $15,000,000 and $3,000,000 awards, which fits a strategy centered on major commitments.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, Center for Reproductive Rights, and Panthera. The repeat pattern is one of the clearest features of its grantmaking.
It supports philanthropic intermediaries, reproductive and sexual health organizations, legal advocacy groups, and environmental or conservation organizations. Examples in the recent record include Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Center for Reproductive Rights, NAACP Legal Defense and Education, NRDC, Panthera, and Union of Concerned Scientists.
Its top state by grant count is New York. California also receives a substantial share, with 25% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipient cities include New York City and Los Angeles, with additional grants in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and The Woodlands, Texas.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals. Its recent record is entirely made up of organizational grants, many of them general support awards to established nonprofits and intermediaries.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| VANGUARD CHARITABLE FUND - DAF | WARWICK, RI | $3,000,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| PANTHERA | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $2,000,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NRDC | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $2,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NRDC | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PANTHERA | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS | cambridge, MA | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LA LGBT CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FFLV USA | THE WOODLANDS, TX | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| KITTEN RESCUE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $2,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| PANTHERA | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $2,000,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| PANTHERA | NEW YORK, NY | $500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
VANGUARD CHARITABLE FUND - DAF
$3,000,000GENERAL
PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA
$3,000,000GENERAL
GENERAL
NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION
$1,500,000GENERAL
FFLV USA
$15,000GENERAL
KITTEN RESCUE
$10,000GENERAL