The John P. Murtha Foundation focuses primarily on creating and capitalizing donor-directed funds and memorial endowments tied to public service and political education, while making a small number of targeted local investments (notably in higher education and civic fellowships). Most dollars flow to internal or named funds that perpetuate the Murtha legacy and support public service programming, with occasional external support to regional partners in Johnstown/Pennsylvania.
The John P Murtha Foundation’s largest recent grant went to the Murtha Family Fund, a $614,367 contribution in 2023. That single grant captures a central feature of the foundation’s work: much of its giving is directed toward creating and capitalizing named funds that carry the Murtha legacy forward. In the same year, it also made a $373,221 grant to the JPM Center for Public Service Fund, showing a parallel commitment to public service programming. The foundation’s 2023 grants also show a smaller but still visible set of external awards in Johnstown, including support for the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, the Emma Thomson Political Science Fund, and Vision Together 2025. These grants point to a pattern that mixes fund-building, civic education, and local institutional support. The recipient list is concentrated in Johnstown, and the purposes attached to the grants emphasize memorial funds, public service, political science, and fellowship programming. Taken together, the foundation gives in ways that reinforce donor-directed funds and community-oriented projects in its local Pennsylvania setting.
A major theme in the foundation’s giving is fund creation. In 2023, it awarded $614,367 to the Murtha Family Fund for fund creation and $50,000 to the JPM Memorial Statue Fund for fund creation. That same pattern appears in support for the JPM Center for Public Service Fund, which received $373,221. Public service and civic education are another clear strand. The JPM Center for Public Service Fund reflects programming tied to public service, while the Emma Thomson Political Science Fund received $50,000 through donor request distribution, linking the foundation to political science education. The foundation also backs local educational and fellowship activity. It gave $100,000 to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown for facility updates and $35,000 to Vision Together 2025 for the 2022 JPMF fellows. Those grants show a mix of campus support and cohort-based community leadership work.
Typical grant size sits at $50,000 at the 25th percentile, $75,000 at the median, and $304,916 at the 75th percentile. The 2023 record is dominated by a few large awards and several $50,000 grants, with one $35,000 grant rounding out the recent list. The foundation is a Public Charity and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The recent grants show repeated support for named funds rather than one-off external grants, especially fund-creation and donor-directed distributions. All listed grants went to recipients in Pennsylvania, and the pattern suggests a locally focused grantmaker with a strong internal or legacy-fund orientation.
$1.2M
$0
$20K
$1.2M
Most grants fall between $50K and $305K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$305K
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Highly concentrated, few large grants dominated by internal fund creation and endowed/ named funds; limited number of smaller external awards focused on local university support and civic fellowships. Emphasis is on legacy-building and sustaining public service/political education rather than broad grantmaking across many organizations.
Notable grantees: Murtha Family Fund, JPM Center for Public Service Fund, Univ. of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Emma Thomson Political Science Fund, Vision Together 2025
Grantmaking is entirely in the United States in the recent record, and every listed recipient is in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. That includes the Murtha Family Fund, the JPM Center for Public Service Fund, the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, the Emma Thomson Political Science Fund, the JPM Memorial Statue Fund, and Vision Together 2025. The foundation’s top state by grant count is Pennsylvania, and 100% of grants in the provided data go to recipients in the HQ state. The geography is therefore highly concentrated, with no visible spread beyond Johnstown.
Its recent grants emphasize fund creation, public service programming, political science education, local higher-education support, and fellowship activity. In 2023 those purposes included fund creation, donor request distribution, facility updates, and support for the 2022 JPMF fellows.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is $50,000 at the 25th percentile, $75,000 at the median, and $304,916 at the 75th percentile. Its recent list includes both major six-figure grants and several $50,000 awards.
The recent grant record is fully concentrated in Pennsylvania. All 6 grants in the provided data went to recipients in Johnstown, PA, and the recipient country distribution is 100% US.
No. The foundation is marked as not funding individuals. The listed awards instead go to funds, institutions, and community organizations.
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MURTHA FAMILY FUND | JOHNSTOWN, PA | $614,367 | 2023 | FUND CREATION |
| JPM CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE FUND | JOHNSTOWN, PA | $373,221 | 2023 | FUND CREATION |
| UNIV OF PITTSBURGH AT JOHNSTOWN | JOHNSTOWN, PA | $100,000 | 2023 | FACILITY UPDATES |
| EMMA THOMSON POLITICAL SCIENCE FUND | JOHNSTOWN, PA | $50,000 | 2023 | DONOR REQUEST DISTR. |
| JPM MEMORIAL STATUE FUND | JOHNSTOWN, PA | $50,000 | 2023 | FUND CREATION |
| VISION TOGETHER 2025 | JOHNSTOWN, PA | $35,000 | 2023 | 2022 JPMF FELLOWS |
FUND CREATION
VISION TOGETHER 2025
$35,0002022 JPMF FELLOWS