The M D Close Foundation makes a very small number of relatively large, targeted gifts rather than many small grants. Its giving in the available data concentrates on a local LDS congregation in Las Vegas and a university foundation (UCI), suggesting priorities in faith-based community support and higher-education philanthropy, with a regional tilt toward Nevada and nearby California.
Highly concentrated: only two grants totaling $182k, each substantial in size. Appears to favor one-off or infrequent large gifts to a small number of recipients rather than broad or recurring grantmaking.
Notable grantees: LDS - Desert Road Ward, UCI Foundation
The M D Close Foundation aka Melvin D Close Foundation stands out for a small number of large, targeted unrestricted gifts, including a $101,375 grant to LDS - Desert Road Ward and an $81,000 grant to UCI Foundation in 2025. That pattern points to a funder that concentrates resources rather than spreading them widely. The recent record shows repeated support for LDS wards in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and California, alongside gifts to education, health, and community organizations. In Las Vegas, the foundation backed the American Heart Association and St Judes Children Research at $35,500 each in 2025, while also supporting local faith communities through LDS - Sun Valley Ward and other wards across the region. The mix of gifts suggests a foundation that uses unrestricted support for both congregational and institutional purposes. A notable feature is the repetition of certain recipients across years, especially LDS - Sun Valley Ward, which received grants in both 2023 and 2025, and LDS - Lakeview 7th Ward, which appeared in 2023 and 2025 as well. Overall, the foundation’s grantmaking is compact, regional, and highly selective.
Faith-based support is the clearest throughline in the recent grants. The foundation gave $101,375 to LDS - Desert Road Ward for unrestricted support, and it also funded LDS - Lakeside Ward, LDS - Porter Park Ward, LDS - Lakeview 7th Ward, LDS - Brimhall Ward, LDS - McDowell Ward, and LDS - Sun Valley Ward across multiple years. Education appears through an $81,000 unrestricted grant to UCI Foundation in Irvine, California, and a $1,500 gift to Results Education Fund in Washington, DC. Health-related giving includes $35,500 to American Heart Association in Las Vegas and $35,500 to St Judes Children Research in Boulder City, plus smaller unrestricted gifts to American Cancer Society and NAMI National Alliance. The foundation also supported local civic and community needs with grants to Vegas PBS, Bilbray Elementary School, Family to Family Connection, and Bread of the world.
Typical grant size is $200 at the 25th percentile, $2,000 at the median, and $9,530 at the 75th percentile, but the actual pattern includes several much larger outliers. The foundation’s recent record shows repeated recipients across years, especially LDS - Sun Valley Ward, LDS - Lakeview 7th Ward, Vegas PBS, St Judes Children Research, and Results Education Fund. Grants are consistently unrestricted. The available data does not show an application process, and the foundation does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Its giving is best described as concentrated and selective, with a mix of very large grants and a long tail of smaller awards.
$392K
$0
$31K
$361K
Most grants fall between $200 and $10K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$200
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 46% of grants go to recipients in DC.
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Most grants go to recipients in the United States, with a strong Nevada presence: 46% of grants are to recipients in the HQ state of Nevada. Las Vegas appears repeatedly, alongside Boulder City and other nearby Nevada locations. Outside Nevada, the foundation gives often in Mesa, Arizona; Irvine, California; Orem, Utah; and Washington, DC. The data also includes Baltimore, Maryland and Salt Lake City, Utah as recipient locations. The top state by grant count is DC, even though that is not the headquarters state.
Recent grants center on LDS wards and congregations, along with higher-education, health, and local community organizations. Examples in the record include LDS - Desert Road Ward, UCI Foundation, American Heart Association, St Judes Children Research, Vegas PBS, and Results Education Fund.
The grants shown are overwhelmingly unrestricted. Recent examples include unrestricted support to LDS - Desert Road Ward, UCI Foundation, American Heart Association, St Judes Children Research, and Vegas PBS.
Yes. Several recipients appear in more than one year, including LDS - Sun Valley Ward in 2023 and 2025, LDS - Lakeview 7th Ward in 2023 and 2025, Vegas PBS in 2023 and 2024, St Judes Children Research in 2023 and 2025, and Results Education Fund in 2023 and 2024.
The grant-size distribution is p25 $200, median $2,000, and p75 $9,530. The recent record also includes much larger grants, such as $101,375 to LDS - Desert Road Ward and $81,000 to UCI Foundation.
The top state by grant count is DC. Nevada still receives a large share of grants, with 46% of gifts going to recipients in the HQ state, and other frequent recipient locations include Las Vegas, Mesa, Irvine, and Orem.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDS - Desert Road Ward | Mesa, AZ | $101,375 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| UCI Foundation | Irvine, CA | $81,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| American Heart Association | Las Vegas, NV | $35,500 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| St Judes Children Research | Boulder City, NV | $35,500 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Porter Park Ward | Mesa, AZ | $20,375 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Lakeview 7th Ward | Orem, UT | $20,375 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Lakeside Ward | Lakeside, CA | $20,375 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Sun Valley Ward | Las Vegas, NV | $11,293 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Brimhall Ward | Mesa, AZ | $7,200 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Redfiled Ward | Gilbert, AZ | $3,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - McDowell Ward | Mesa, AZ | $2,400 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - McDowell Ward | Mesa, AZ | $4,800 | 2024 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Redfield Ward | Gilvert, AZ | $3,000 | 2024 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Brimhall Ward | Mesa, AZ | $2,400 | 2024 | Unrestricted |
| Vegas PBS | Las Vegas, NV | $2,100 | 2024 | Unrestricted |
| Results Education Fund | Washington, DC | $1,500 | 2024 | Unrestricted |
| Family to Family Connection | Las Vegas, NV | $200 | 2024 | Unrestricted |
| UNLV Foundation | Las Vegas, NV | $100 | 2024 | Unrestricted |
| Nevada Public Radio | Las Vegas, NV | $100 | 2024 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Lakeview 7th Ward | Orem, UT | $14,000 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Sun Valley Ward | Las Vegas, NV | $9,530 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| LDS - Summerlin Ward | Las Vegas, NV | $7,500 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| St Judes Children Research | Boulder City, NV | $2,000 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| American Cancer Society | Las Vegas, NV | $2,000 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| Vegas PBS | Las Vegas, NV | $1,200 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| Results Education Fund | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| Boone Hospital | Las Vegas, NV | $500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Bilbray Elementary School | Las Vegas, NV | $500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Saint Baldricks | Las Vegas, NV | $500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NAMI National Alliance | Baltimore, MD | $200 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| Bread of the world | Salt Lake City, UT | $200 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| Grameen Foundation | Washington, DC | $100 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| Nevada Public Radio | Las Vegas, NV | $100 | 2023 | Unrestricted |
| Feeding America | Chicago, IL | $100 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CARE | Atlanta, GA | $100 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Womans Research Institute | Las Vegas, NV | $100 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Solar Cooker Intl | Sacramento, CA | $100 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
LDS - Desert Road Ward
$101,375Unrestricted
UCI Foundation
$81,000Unrestricted
American Heart Association
$35,500Unrestricted
St Judes Children Research
$35,500Unrestricted
LDS - Porter Park Ward
$20,375Unrestricted
LDS - Lakeview 7th Ward
$20,375Unrestricted
LDS - Lakeside Ward
Unrestricted
LDS - Sun Valley Ward
$11,293Unrestricted
LDS - Brimhall Ward
$7,200Unrestricted
LDS - Redfiled Ward
$3,000Unrestricted
LDS - McDowell Ward
$2,400Unrestricted
LDS - McDowell Ward
$4,800Unrestricted
LDS - Redfield Ward
$3,000Unrestricted
LDS - Brimhall Ward
$2,400Unrestricted
Vegas PBS
$2,100Unrestricted
Results Education Fund
$1,500Unrestricted
Family to Family Connection
$200Unrestricted
UNLV Foundation
$100Unrestricted
Nevada Public Radio
$100Unrestricted
LDS - Lakeview 7th Ward
$14,000Unrestricted
LDS - Sun Valley Ward
$9,530Unrestricted
LDS - Summerlin Ward
$7,500Unrestricted
St Judes Children Research
$2,000Unrestricted
American Cancer Society
$2,000Unrestricted
Vegas PBS
$1,200Unrestricted
Results Education Fund
$1,000Unrestricted
Boone Hospital
$500UNRESTRICTED
Bilbray Elementary School
$500UNRESTRICTED
Saint Baldricks
$500UNRESTRICTED
NAMI National Alliance
$200Unrestricted
Bread of the world
$200Unrestricted
Grameen Foundation
$100Unrestricted
Nevada Public Radio
$100Unrestricted
Feeding America
$100UNRESTRICTED
CARE
$100UNRESTRICTED
Womans Research Institute
$100UNRESTRICTED
Solar Cooker Intl
$100UNRESTRICTED