The Merlin Foundation concentrates on large, strategic investments in environmental protection and biodiversity preservation, along with a smaller but notable commitment to international scholarship and higher education. It funds major national and international conservation NGOs and legal advocacy groups that work on wilderness protection, species conservation, and environmental litigation. Its support is directed toward organizational general operating needs rather than narrowly restricted projects.
The Merlin Foundation’s recent giving shows a strong tilt toward environmental protection, with especially large general-purpose grants to Wildlife Conservation Society, The Wilderness Society, and Earthjustice League Defense Fund. Those awards place wildlife conservation, wilderness protection, and environmental litigation at the center of its work, while smaller but recurring support also reaches scholarship and higher-education organizations such as Americans for Oxford and The Rhodes Trust. The pattern suggests a funder that backs established institutions rather than short-term project pilots. The foundation’s environmental portfolio includes both conservation groups and legal advocacy organizations, indicating interest in preserving species, landscapes, and the policies that protect them. At the same time, its scholarship-related grants show that its giving is not limited to conservation alone. Across the recent grants list, support is typically unrestricted, which gives recipients flexibility in how they use the funding. The Merlin Foundation’s largest recent awards are in the seven-figure range, and its recipient list includes organizations operating nationally and internationally.
In environmental legal advocacy, The Merlin Foundation gave $1,000,000 to Earthjustice League Defense Fund in 2025, $1,000,000 in 2024, and $1,000,000 in 2023, all as general-purpose support. That repeated backing points to sustained support for environmental litigation. Wildlife and biodiversity protection is another clear thread. The foundation awarded $2,600,000 to Wildlife Conservation Society in 2023 and continued with $100,000 grants in both 2024 and 2025. It also gave $1,100,000 to World Wildlife Fund in 2023 and $1,000,000 in 2025. For wilderness and land conservation, it supported The Wilderness Society with $1,550,000 in 2024 and $800,000 in 2025. Smaller grants also reached Oceana, Jane Goodall Institute, National Park Foundation, Outdoor Afro, and Re Wild.
Typical grant size sits at $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile, even though the foundation also makes much larger strategic awards in the seven-figure range. The recent record shows repeat support to multiple recipients across more than one year, including Earthjustice League Defense Fund, The Wilderness Society, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, Oceana, Jane Goodall Institute, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, and Vermont College of Fine Arts. The Merlin Foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Grants in the recent list are consistently marked general purpose, suggesting flexible support rather than tightly restricted project funding.
$5.1M
$12.3M
$1.9M
$5.2M
Most grants fall between $25K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
About 21% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Merlin Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 66 | $15.9M | 98.5% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 1 |
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Concentrated, high-value grants to a small number of national and international organizations; several repeat multi-million dollar commitments to core environmental grantees; general operating / unrestricted support rather than many small or highly restricted awards.
Notable grantees: Earthjustice (environmental legal advocacy), Wildlife Conservation Society (global wildlife conservation), The Wilderness Society (public lands and wilderness protection), World Wildlife Fund (international biodiversity conservation), Americans for Oxford / The Rhodes Trust (international scholarship and higher education)
The Merlin Foundation gives nationally, with 98.5% of grants going to U.S. recipients and one grant to the UK. Vermont appears often in the recipient mix, consistent with the top-state-by-count pattern, and Montpelier-based Vermont College of Fine Arts appears twice in the recent list. Other frequent recipient locations include Washington, DC; Bronx, NY; San Francisco, CA; and Aspen, CO. The recent grants also include Boston-area, New York City-area, and Oxford-based organizations, showing a spread across major U.S. hubs and one international education recipient.
Its recent grants center on environmental protection, biodiversity preservation, wilderness advocacy, and environmental legal work. The list also includes scholarship and higher-education support. Most awards are general-purpose grants to established organizations rather than narrow project-only funding.
The distribution is $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include much larger grants, including multiple seven-figure commitments.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Earthjustice League Defense Fund, The Wilderness Society, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, Oceana, Jane Goodall Institute, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, and Vermont College of Fine Arts. That pattern suggests recurring support rather than one-time-only gifts.
Its giving is national, but Vermont is the top state by grant count. In the recent list, Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier is a visible recipient, and the broader portfolio still includes many organizations in Washington, DC, New York, California, and Virginia.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| $500K |
1.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EARTHJUSTICE LEAGUE DEFENSE FUND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WORLD WILDLIFE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY | WASHINGTON, DC | $800,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE RHODES TRUST | OXFORD | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OCEANA | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE | VIENNA, VA | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HEROES PROJECT | WASHINGTON, DC | $175,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $130,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OUTDOOR AFRO | OAKLAND, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES | ASPEN, CO | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY | BRONX, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| VERMONT COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS | MONTPELIER, VT | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| RE WILD | AUSTIN, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILDERNESS LAND TRUST | BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| AMERICAN RIVERS | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ALASKA WILDERNESS LEAGUE | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THORNE NATURE EXPERIENCE | BOULDER, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MONTEREY BAY ACQUARIUM | MONTEREY, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PALMER LAND TRUST | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| EO WILSON BIODIVERSITY FOUNDATION | DURHAM, NC | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILDERNESS WORKSHOP | CARBONDALE, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE OXFORD PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ONE PERCENT OF THE PLANET | BURLINGTON, VT | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COLORADO OPEN LANDS | LAKEWOOD, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI | HATTIESBURG, MS | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,550,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| EARTHJUSTICE LEAGUE DEFENSE FUND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HEROES PROJECT | WASHINGTON, DC | $195,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES | ASPEN, CO | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE | VIENNA, VA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OCEANA | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE UC SANTA BARBARA FOUNDATION | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY | BRONX, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| AMERICAN RIVERS | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILDERNESS WORKSHOP | CARBONDALE, CO | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MONTEREY BAY ACQUARIUM | MONTEREY, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PALMER LAND TRUST | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THORNE NATURE EXPERIENCE | BOULDER, CO | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ONE PERCENT OF THE PLANET | BURLINGTON, VT | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILDERNESS LAND TRUST | BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY | BRONX, NY | $2,600,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| AMERICANS FOR OXFORD | NEW YORK, NY | $2,005,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WORLD WILDLIFE FUND | MERRIFIELD, VA | $1,100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| EARTHJUSTICE LEAGUE DEFENSE FUND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HEROES PROJECT | WASHINGTON, DC | $180,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
EARTHJUSTICE LEAGUE DEFENSE FUND
$1,000,000GENERAL PURPOSE
THE RHODES TRUST
$500,000GENERAL PURPOSE
JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE
$200,000GENERAL PURPOSE
HEROES PROJECT
$175,000GENERAL PURPOSE
WILDERNESS LAND TRUST
$75,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MONTEREY BAY ACQUARIUM
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PALMER LAND TRUST
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE OXFORD PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ONE PERCENT OF THE PLANET
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
HEROES PROJECT
$195,000GENERAL PURPOSE
JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE
$100,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MONTEREY BAY ACQUARIUM
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ONE PERCENT OF THE PLANET
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
$1,100,000GENERAL PURPOSE
HEROES PROJECT
$180,000GENERAL PURPOSE