The Elks Park Scholarship & Charity Fund operates as a small, locally focused charitable fund in Merced County, directing most of its resources to community health and youth services. Its largest single grant supports Valley Children’s Hospital, while remaining giving goes to the local Elks lodge and youth agricultural education, indicating a priority on local health, community fraternal activities, and youth development. Grants are modest in number but meaningful in size relative to the foundation’s total assets, and recipients are primarily local organizations serving Merced/Atwater area residents.
A $25,000 grant to Valley Children’s Hospital anchors Elks Park Scholarship & Charity Fund’s recent giving and shows how the fund combines larger gifts with a narrow local footprint. The fund’s support is concentrated in Merced County and nearby Central Valley communities, with grants recorded to organizations in Merced, Atwater, Madera, Livingston, Modesto, Fresno, Pleasant Hill, and Turlock. Most awards are modest, but the pattern points to recurring support for health, youth development, and local civic groups. The recent record includes repeated support for the Merced Elks Bpo 1240, along with grants to local youth-serving groups such as Atwater Ffa, Merced Ffa Chapter, and 4-H and scouting organizations. Community service and family-support nonprofits also appear, including Casa of Merced County, Challenged Family Resource Center, and Love Inc. The fund also gave to the Merced County Office of Education and Tenaya Middle School, reinforcing its role in place-based charitable support. Across these grants, the foundation’s giving reflects a small, community-oriented fund that directs most of its resources to organizations serving children, students, families, and local civic life in and around Merced.
Health-related giving is a visible part of the fund’s profile. The largest recent grant went to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera for donation support, placing pediatric healthcare at the center of its higher-dollar awards. Youth development is another clear focus. The fund gave $5,700 to Atwater Ffa and $4,250 to Merced Ffa Chapter, both tied to agricultural education. It also supported youth sports and youth groups with gifts to Atwatermerced Little League, Mcswain Soccer League, Sea Scouts Ship 99 Lysa, Boy Scout Troop 88, Greater Yosemite Council, and Turlock Youth Sports Foundation. Local community services appear as well. Grants to Casa of Merced County, Challenged Family Resource Center, Love Inc, and Merced County Human Services Agency show support for families and community assistance programs. Educational support also shows up through the Merced County Office of Education and Tenaya Middle School.
Typical grant size is small: p25 is $1,000, median is $1,000, and p75 is $1,500. That places most awards in a tight band, even though annual grants total $134,547 against $806,614 in assets. The record also shows a few larger one-off awards, including $25,000 and $10,327, alongside many $1,000 to $2,000 gifts. Repeated recipients appear across multiple years, including Merced Elks Bpo 1240, Casa of Merced County, Sea Scouts Ship 99 Lysa, Mcswain Soccer League, and Tenya Middle School. The foundation funds individuals and also gives to organizations; the recent grants list is mainly organizational donation support.
$135K
$807K
$197K
$175K
Most grants fall between $1K and $2K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$2K
About 94% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Concentrated, small-scale local philanthropy: a handful of annual donations with one large health-sector gift and smaller awards to community and youth organizations; funds are targeted to local, place-based grantees rather than wide geographic distribution.
Notable grantees: Valley Children's Hospital, Merced Elks BPO 1240, Atwater FFA
Giving is overwhelmingly California-based: 94% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and the top state by grant count is CA. Merced is the main recipient city, with grants also landing in Atwater, Madera, Livingston, Modesto, Fresno, Pleasant Hill, and Turlock. Recent awards reached Madera County through Valley Children’s Hospital and included a smaller number of grants outside Merced County but still within California. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
The recent grants show a focus on pediatric healthcare, local fraternal activity, and youth development. Examples include Valley Children’s Hospital, Merced Elks Bpo 1240, Atwater Ffa, Merced Ffa Chapter, and youth groups such as Sea Scouts Ship 99 Lysa and Boy Scout Troop 88.
Typical awards are small and tightly clustered: p25 is $1,000, median is $1,000, and p75 is $1,500. Most recent grants fall in that range, with occasional larger gifts above it.
The recent record shows recurring support to several recipients. Merced Elks Bpo 1240 appears in multiple years, and so do Casa of Merced County, Sea Scouts Ship 99 Lysa, Mcswain Soccer League, and Tenya Middle School.
Its giving is local and heavily concentrated in California. 94% of grants go to recipients in CA, with recent recipients in Merced, Atwater, Madera, Livingston, Modesto, Fresno, Pleasant Hill, and Turlock.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATWATER FFA | ATWATER, CA | $5,700 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MERCED SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF NORTHERN CA | PLEASANT HILL, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| CHALLENGED FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER | MERCED, CA | $4,502 | 2025 | DONATION |
| LANCER 4-H | MERCED, CA | $2,800 | 2025 | DONATION |
| LOVE INC | MERCED, CA | $2,500 | 2025 | DONATION |
| BOXING ACADEMY CORPORATION | ATWATER, CA | $2,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| GREATER YOSEMITE COUNCIL | MODESTO, CA | $1,500 | 2025 | DONATION |
| TENAYA MIDDLE SCHOOL | MERCED, CA | $1,500 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MCSWAIN SOCCER LEAGUE | ATWATER, CA | $1,350 | 2025 | DONATION |
| AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY | MERCED, CA | $1,100 | 2025 | DONATION |
| EL CAPITAN GAUCHOS FFA | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| TURLOCK YOUTH SPORTS FOUNDATION | TURLOCK, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MERCED COUNTY CLEO | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| TRAVIS D KRUSE | CEDAR PARK, TX | $1,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| EL CAPITAN HIGH SCHOOL | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MERCED FFA CHAPTER | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MERCED COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| TURLOCK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT | TURLOCK, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| BOY SCOUT TROOP 88 | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MCSWAIN SCHOOL | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MERCED COUNTY ACADEMIC DECATHALON | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| ALISHA ANN RUCH BURN FOUNDATION | FRESNO, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MERCED ELKS BPO 1240 - VARIOUS | MERCED, CA | $980 | 2025 | DONATION |
| CASA OF MERCED COUNTY | MERCED, CA | $600 | 2025 | DONATION |
| HUNT OF A LIFETIME FOUNDATION INC | HARBORCREEK, PA | $500 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MERCED COLLEGE WOMEN'S WATER POLO | MERCED, CA | $500 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MERCED COLLEGE FOUNDATION | MERCED, CA | $500 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MERCED FFA CHAPTER | MERCED, CA | $4,250 | 2024 | DONATION |
| ATWATERMERCED LITTLE LEAGUE | ATWATER, CA | $3,750 | 2024 | DONATION |
| MERCED ELKS BPO 1240 - VARIOUS | MERCED, CA | $3,247 | 2024 | DONATION |
| MCSWAIN SOCCER LEAGUE | ATWATER, CA | $2,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| BOY SCOUT TROOP 88 | MERCED, CA | $1,500 | 2024 | DONATION |
| SEA SCOUTS SHIP 99 LYSA | MERCED, CA | $1,500 | 2024 | DONATION |
| KIWANIS CLUB OF GREATER MERCED FOUNDATION INC | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| ST JUDES HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| ALISHA ANN RUCH BURN FOUNDATION | FRESNO, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| MERCED RIVER 4-H | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| BALLICO CRESSEY 4-H | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| EVERY 15 MINUTESLIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL | LIVINGSTON, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CASA OF MERCED COUNTY | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| WEAVER MUSIC BOOSTERS | ATWATER, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| GUSTINE REDSKINS YOUTH FOOTBALL & CHEER | GUSTINE, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| BUHACH COLONY HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAM | ATWATER, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| ATWATER HIGH SCHOOL BAND | ATWATER, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| LOVE INC | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| MERCED COUNTY OPERATION CHRISTMAS STAR | MERCED, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY | MERCED, CA | $900 | 2024 | DONATION |
| MHS QUARTERBACK CLUB | MERCED, CA | $600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CITY OF MERCED | MERCED, CA | $591 | 2024 | DONATION |
| MERCED COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY | MERCED, CA | $500 | 2024 | DONATION |
ATWATER FFA
$5,700DONATION
MERCED SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF NORTHERN CA
$5,000DONATION
CHALLENGED FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER
$4,502DONATION
LANCER 4-H
$2,800DONATION
LOVE INC
$2,500DONATION
BOXING ACADEMY CORPORATION
$2,000DONATION
GREATER YOSEMITE COUNCIL
DONATION
TENAYA MIDDLE SCHOOL
$1,500DONATION
MCSWAIN SOCCER LEAGUE
$1,350DONATION
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
$1,100DONATION
EL CAPITAN GAUCHOS FFA
$1,000DONATION
TURLOCK YOUTH SPORTS FOUNDATION
$1,000DONATION
MERCED COUNTY CLEO
$1,000DONATION
TRAVIS D KRUSE
$1,000SCHOLARSHIP
EL CAPITAN HIGH SCHOOL
$1,000DONATION
MERCED FFA CHAPTER
$1,000DONATION
MERCED COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY
$1,000DONATION
TURLOCK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
$1,000DONATION
BOY SCOUT TROOP 88
$1,000DONATION
MCSWAIN SCHOOL
$1,000DONATION
MERCED COUNTY ACADEMIC DECATHALON
$1,000DONATION
ALISHA ANN RUCH BURN FOUNDATION
$1,000DONATION
MERCED ELKS BPO 1240 - VARIOUS
$980DONATION
CASA OF MERCED COUNTY
$600DONATION
HUNT OF A LIFETIME FOUNDATION INC
$500DONATION
MERCED COLLEGE WOMEN'S WATER POLO
$500DONATION
MERCED COLLEGE FOUNDATION
$500DONATION
MERCED FFA CHAPTER
$4,250DONATION
ATWATERMERCED LITTLE LEAGUE
$3,750DONATION
MERCED ELKS BPO 1240 - VARIOUS
$3,247DONATION
MCSWAIN SOCCER LEAGUE
$2,000DONATION
BOY SCOUT TROOP 88
$1,500DONATION
SEA SCOUTS SHIP 99 LYSA
$1,500DONATION
KIWANIS CLUB OF GREATER MERCED FOUNDATION INC
$1,000DONATION
ST JUDES HOSPITAL
$1,000DONATION
ALISHA ANN RUCH BURN FOUNDATION
$1,000DONATION
MERCED RIVER 4-H
$1,000DONATION
BALLICO CRESSEY 4-H
$1,000DONATION
EVERY 15 MINUTESLIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL
$1,000DONATION
CASA OF MERCED COUNTY
$1,000DONATION
WEAVER MUSIC BOOSTERS
$1,000DONATION
GUSTINE REDSKINS YOUTH FOOTBALL & CHEER
$1,000DONATION
BUHACH COLONY HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAM
$1,000DONATION
ATWATER HIGH SCHOOL BAND
$1,000DONATION
LOVE INC
$1,000DONATION
MERCED COUNTY OPERATION CHRISTMAS STAR
$1,000DONATION
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
$900DONATION
MHS QUARTERBACK CLUB
$600DONATION
CITY OF MERCED
$591DONATION
MERCED COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY
$500DONATION