The Morris Charitable Trust concentrates its giving on Catholic-affiliated institutions in the Greater Philadelphia area, mainly supporting parish-based and independent Catholic schools, tuition assistance, and health-related services. Recipients include religious congregations, parish schools and local healthcare/research organizations, indicating a faith-driven focus on education access and community health. Grants are often repeated to the same organizations, suggesting long-term relationships with core local partners.
Repeated support for Sisters of Mercy of Merion sits at the center of Morris Charitable Trust’s recent grant history, with multiple awards in both health services and tuition assistance. That pattern points to a funder that backs Catholic institutions not just once, but across more than one purpose. The trust’s giving is closely tied to parish and school networks in the Greater Philadelphia area, including Independence Mission Schools St. Ros and Mercy Career and Technical School, both of which received repeated education-related support. The trust also extends beyond classroom support into Catholic community services and health-related institutions. Recent grants include Catholic Charities Appeal for community activity and community charities, and Lankenau Medical Research for hospital research. Smaller awards show the same mix of faith-based education, parish support, and care for vulnerable populations, with grants to St. Margaret’s Church School, Holy Family Home, and St. Ignatius Nursing Center. The overall picture is of a Catholic-oriented foundation that uses recurring grants to sustain schools, church-linked services, and local health and elder-care organizations.
Catholic education is a major throughline in Morris Charitable Trust’s grantmaking. Independence Mission Schools St. Ros received $30,000 in 2024 and $25,000 in 2025 for education, while Mercy Career and Technical School received $30,000 in 2024 and $25,000 in 2025 for tuition assistance. St. Margaret’s Church School in Narberth also received multiple tuition-assistance grants across 2023 and 2024. The trust also supports parish and diocesan activity. Catholic Charities Appeal in Philadelphia received $25,000 in 2023 and again in 2024, with purposes listed as community charities and community activity. In health and research, Lankenau Medical Research in Wynnewood received $25,000 in 2024 and $10,000 in 2025 for hospital research. The trust has also backed health services through Sisters of Mercy of Merion.
Typical awards are modest: the 25th percentile is $500, the median is $2,000, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. Recent grants show a much higher upper tier for select institutional awards, including $51,560 and $30,000 commitments. The pattern is repeat funding rather than one-off gifts; several recipients appear in multiple years, including Sisters of Mercy of Merion, Mercy Career and Technical School, Catholic Charities Appeal, Lankenau Medical Research, and St. Margaret’s Church School. Morris Charitable Trust is a private charitable trust, not a program-related-investment funder, and it also funds individuals.
$161K
$3.3M
$492K
$163K
Most grants fall between $500 and $5K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$500
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Concentrated support to a small set of repeat, local grantees with relatively large individual grants; mix of multi-grant relationships and multi-year commitments rather than many one-off small gifts.
Notable grantees: Sisters of Mercy of Merion, Mercy Career and Technical School, Independence Mission Schools (St. Ros), Catholic Charities Appeal, Lankenau Medical Research
Morris Charitable Trust gives nationally, but its grants are heavily concentrated in Pennsylvania, which accounts for 64% of grants. Philadelphia is a major recipient city, alongside Merion, Narberth, Darby, and Wynnewood. Outside Pennsylvania, recent grants reached Williamsburg, Virginia; Belmont, Massachusetts; and New York, New York. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 176 grants in the United States.
The trust most often supports Catholic-affiliated institutions, especially parish schools, Catholic education providers, and church-linked community services in the Greater Philadelphia area. Recent grants include Independence Mission Schools St. Ros, Mercy Career and Technical School, Catholic Charities Appeal, and St. Margaret’s Church School.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Sisters of Mercy of Merion, Mercy Career and Technical School, Catholic Charities Appeal, Lankenau Medical Research, and St. Margaret’s Church School. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships with core partners.
The grant-size distribution is relatively small: the 25th percentile is $500, the median is $2,000, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. Some institutional grants are larger, reaching $51,560 in the recent grant list.
Pennsylvania is the top state by grant count, with 64% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipient cities include Philadelphia, Merion, Narberth, Darby, and Wynnewood.
Yes. The funder’s profile indicates that Morris Charitable Trust does fund individuals, alongside schools, churches, health organizations, and other nonprofit institutions.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| saint margatets church | narberth, PA | $31,925 | 2026 | tuition assistance |
| franciscan miss sisters for africa | belmont, MA | $30,000 | 2026 | africa education |
| little sisters of the poor | philadelphia, PA | $30,000 | 2026 | holy family home for elderly |
| independence mission schools st ros | phila, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | education |
| archdiocese of phila | philadelphia, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | catholic charties |
| spanish students foundation | darby, PA | $5,000 | 2026 | tuition assistance |
| hope partnership for education | philadelphia, PA | $5,000 | 2026 | education teaching |
| Gianna of Philadelphia | East Noriton, PA | $3,700 | 2026 | hope for infertility |
| new horizons | narberth, PA | $2,500 | 2026 | senior center |
| hedwig house | lansdale, PA | $2,500 | 2026 | maetal health |
| servants of mary | omaha, NE | $2,500 | 2026 | religious activity |
| sisters of St Benedict | ferdinand, IN | $2,500 | 2026 | parish ministers and teachers |
| chestnut foundation | merion station, PA | $2,500 | 2026 | cerebral palsy |
| lankenau medicial research | wynnewood, PA | $2,250 | 2026 | hospital research |
| sisters of the blessed sacrament | bensalem, PA | $1,500 | 2026 | indian missions |
| oblate sisters of St Franis | frederick, MD | $1,500 | 2026 | community charities |
| st josephs school | Chamberlain, SD | $1,500 | 2026 | indian missions |
| franciscan missions | waterford, WI | $1,500 | 2026 | ministry |
| sisters of mercy of merion | merion, PA | $1,500 | 2026 | health services |
| mahpiyaluta red cloud | sioux falls, SD | $1,500 | 2026 | teaching |
| benedietine monks | benet lake, WI | $1,500 | 2026 | hospice work |
| st bonaventure indian mission | thoreau, NM | $1,500 | 2026 | primary education |
| ursinus college | collegeville, PA | $1,200 | 2026 | sports for students |
| church of the sacred heart | camden, NJ | $1,000 | 2026 | tuition assistance |
| docters without borders | new york, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | health abroad |
| SS John Neumann Maria Goretti | Philadelphia, PA | $1,000 | 2026 | tuition assistance |
| gesu school | phila, PA | $1,000 | 2026 | elementary school |
| knights of columbus 17262 council | narberth, PA | $500 | 2026 | clothing poor |
| elder net | bryn mawr, PA | $500 | 2026 | community care |
| narberth girls league | narberth, PA | $400 | 2026 | twp. recreation |
| narberth brough fire co | narberth, PA | $300 | 2026 | community service |
| lower merion conservancy | gladwyne, PA | $250 | 2026 | tree conservancy and stream . |
| friends of cynwyd trail | bala cynwyd, PA | $250 | 2026 | walking trail |
| temple univ | philadelphia, PA | $250 | 2026 | womans rowing |
| amen fpundation | ne washington d c, WA | $200 | 2026 | catholic ministries |
| St Thomas More | Drexel Hill, PA | $175 | 2026 | student charity |
| capital historical society | washington dc, WA | $100 | 2026 | historyresearch |
| mercycareer and technical school | philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | tuition assistance |
| independence mission schools st ros | phila, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | education |
| saint margatets church | narberth, PA | $20,370 | 2025 | tuition assistance |
| spanish students foundation | darby, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | tuition assistance |
| Walsingham Academy | Williamsburg, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | tuition assistance |
| lankenau medicial research | wynnewood, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | hospital research |
| biking for babies | saint charles, MO | $7,500 | 2025 | human life undertaking |
| Jesuits USA East | New York, NY | $7,000 | 2025 | assistance to poor |
| sisters of mercy of merion | merion, PA | $6,050 | 2025 | health services |
| inglis house | philadelphia, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | housing handicapped |
| hope partnership for education | philadelphia, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | education teaching |
| Project Home | Philadelphia, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | housing Opportunties |
| dominican friars | new york, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | seminary training |
saint margatets church
$31,925tuition assistance
franciscan miss sisters for africa
$30,000africa education
little sisters of the poor
$30,000holy family home for elderly
independence mission schools st ros
$10,000education
archdiocese of phila
$10,000catholic charties
spanish students foundation
$5,000tuition assistance
education teaching
Gianna of Philadelphia
$3,700hope for infertility
new horizons
$2,500senior center
hedwig house
$2,500maetal health
servants of mary
$2,500religious activity
sisters of St Benedict
$2,500parish ministers and teachers
chestnut foundation
$2,500cerebral palsy
sisters of the blessed sacrament
$1,500indian missions
oblate sisters of St Franis
$1,500community charities
st josephs school
$1,500indian missions
franciscan missions
$1,500ministry
sisters of mercy of merion
$1,500health services
mahpiyaluta red cloud
$1,500teaching
benedietine monks
$1,500hospice work
st bonaventure indian mission
$1,500primary education
ursinus college
$1,200sports for students
church of the sacred heart
$1,000tuition assistance
docters without borders
$1,000health abroad
SS John Neumann Maria Goretti
$1,000tuition assistance
knights of columbus 17262 council
$500clothing poor
elder net
$500community care
narberth girls league
$400twp. recreation
narberth brough fire co
$300community service
lower merion conservancy
$250tree conservancy and stream .
friends of cynwyd trail
$250walking trail
amen fpundation
$200catholic ministries
St Thomas More
$175student charity
capital historical society
$100historyresearch
mercycareer and technical school
$25,000tuition assistance
independence mission schools st ros
$25,000education
saint margatets church
$20,370tuition assistance
spanish students foundation
$10,000tuition assistance
Walsingham Academy
$10,000tuition assistance
biking for babies
$7,500human life undertaking
Jesuits USA East
$7,000assistance to poor
sisters of mercy of merion
$6,050health services
dominican friars
$2,500seminary training