The Morton Foundation concentrates its philanthropy through a small number of very large grants, often moving assets into donor-advised accounts, while also making targeted gifts to establish scholarships and support local cultural and health-related causes in Maine. Its giving suggests estate- or donor-advised planning alongside interest in higher-education scholarships, regional arts, and charitable health fundraising.
The Morton Foundation Inc. stands out for moving large sums through donor-advised vehicles while also making selective direct grants for scholarships, arts, and children’s health. In 2025, its three biggest transfers went to donor-advised funds: Fidelity Charitable Hedgie Fund, Schwab Dafgiving360 Khastings Daf, and Schwab Dafgiving360 Carolyn Morton Sayward Fund Daf. Alongside those transfers, the foundation has made direct grants that point to a smaller set of priorities rather than a broad open-ended portfolio. Its direct giving includes a $400,000 commitment to Smith College to establish a scholarship fund and a $200,000 gift to Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund for the same purpose. The foundation also supported the Museum of Art of Ogunquit with general operating support, and it gave to Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl in support of Shriners Hospitals for Children. These grants show a pattern of combining planned or directed philanthropy with targeted support for education, cultural institutions, and pediatric health-related causes. The recipient list is entirely U.S.-based, with gifts reaching Massachusetts, Maine, Ohio, Colorado, and New Hampshire. Grant sizes are uneven, with a handful of very large transfers and a smaller set of program grants.
Scholarship funding appears as a recurring direct theme. The foundation gave $400,000 to Smith College to establish a scholarship fund, then followed with a $200,000 gift to Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund for the same purpose. Those two grants show a preference for restricted scholarship support rather than open-ended student aid. Arts support shows up in coastal Maine through a $54,450 general-support grant to the Museum of Art of Ogunquit. That gift points to operating support for a regional visual arts institution. Children’s health is present through event-linked giving as well. In 2024, The Morton Foundation Inc. gave $1,500 to the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl to support Shriners Hospitals for Children. The foundation also made a $20,000 general contribution to Wise Counsel Research, indicating room for smaller research-oriented grants alongside larger commitments.
Typical grant size is large and uneven: the 25th percentile is $15,375, the median is $110,000, and the 75th percentile is $250,000. That spread reflects a mix of smaller operating gifts and several much larger transfers. The recent record also shows repeated donor-advised fund activity in 2025, including multiple transfers to Fidelity Charitable and Schwab Dafgiving360 accounts. The foundation’s total assets are modest relative to annual grants, which fits a pattern of planned asset movement and directed philanthropy rather than a steady stream of many small awards. The foundation also funds individuals, and the scholarship grants show restricted, purpose-specific support.
$3.8M
$87K
$1.7M
$3.8M
Most grants fall between $15K and $250K, with a median of $110K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$110K
75th Percentile
$250K
About 25% of grants go to recipients in MA.
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Highly concentrated: very few, large grants with multiple multi-hundred-thousand transfers into donor-advised funds; occasional direct grants for endowed scholarships and modest local arts/health support. Mix of repeat channeling to national DAF providers and one-off institutional gifts.
Notable grantees: Schwab DAF (several donor-advised fund recipients such as Carolyn Morton Sayward Fund, Khastings DAF, CCMF Fund), Fidelity Charitable (Hedgie Fund and Gift Fund), Smith College, Museum of Art of Ogunquit
Giving is regional and entirely U.S.-based in the recent grants list. Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, with grants to Northampton and Milton. Maine is also prominent, including recipients in Ogunquit and Lewiston, and the foundation’s HQ is in Cape Neddick, Maine. Other recipient locations include Cincinnati, Ohio, and Lone Tree, Colorado. Twenty-five percent of grants go to recipients in Maine, while the rest are spread across a small set of other U.S. states.
The recent record shows scholarship funding, arts support, children’s health-related giving, and transfers to donor-advised funds. Direct grants include scholarship establishment at Smith College and Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, general support for the Museum of Art of Ogunquit, and support for Shriners Hospitals for Children through Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl.
The foundation’s grant-size profile is skewed toward larger awards. The 25th percentile is $15,375, the median is $110,000, and the 75th percentile is $250,000. Several 2025 transfers are far above that range, showing a small number of very large grants alongside a few smaller direct gifts.
The recent data points to mostly one-off grants, with some repeated use of donor-advised fund transfers. The foundation made separate scholarship grants in 2023 and 2024, but the named operating and event-linked grantees each appear once in the recent list. The 2025 record is dominated by multiple transfers to donor-advised accounts.
It makes direct grants for restricted scholarships, general operating support, and support tied to pediatric health fundraising. The recent list also includes multiple transfers of securities to donor-advised funds, which is a major part of its giving pattern.
Massachusetts is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient cities in Massachusetts include Northampton and Milton, while Maine recipients include Ogunquit and Lewiston. The list also includes Cincinnati, Ohio, and Lone Tree, Colorado.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIDELITY CHARITABLE HEDGIE FUND | CINCINNATI, OH | $949,105 | 2025 | TRANSFER OF SECURITIES FROM MORTON FOUNDATION TO FIDELITY DONOR ADVISED FUND |
| SCHWAB DAFGIVING360 KHASTINGS DAF | LONE TREE, CO | $931,160 | 2025 | TRANSFER OF SECURITIES FROM MORTON FOUNDATION TO SCHWAB 360 DONOR ADVISED FUND |
| SCHWAB DAFGIVING360 CAROLYN MORTON SAYWARD FUND DAF | LONE TREE, CO | $931,160 | 2025 | TRANSFER OF SECURITIES FROM MORTON FOUNDATION TO SCHWAB 360 DONOR ADVISED FUND |
| SCHWAB DAFGIVING360 THE CCMF FUND DAF | LONE TREE, CO | $930,499 | 2025 | TRANSFER OF SECURITIES FROM MORTON FOUNDATION TO SCHWAB 360 DONOR ADVISED FUND |
| MUSEUM OF ART OF OGUNQUIT | OGUNQUIT, ME | $54,450 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT OF MUSEUM |
| FIDELITY CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | CINCINNATI, OH | $200,000 | 2024 | TO ESTABLISH SCHOLARSHIP FUND |
| MAINE SHRINE LOBSTER BOWL | LEWISTON, ME | $1,500 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN |
| SMITH COLLEGE - SEE STATEMENT 10 FOR DETAILS OF CONTRIBUTION | NORTHAMPTON, MA | $400,000 | 2023 | TO ESTABLISH SCHOLARSHIP FUND |
| WISE COUNSEL RESEARCH | MILTON, MA | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION TO ORGANIZATION |
FIDELITY CHARITABLE HEDGIE FUND
$949,105TRANSFER OF SECURITIES FROM MORTON FOUNDATION TO FIDELITY DONOR ADVISED FUND
SCHWAB DAFGIVING360 KHASTINGS DAF
$931,160TRANSFER OF SECURITIES FROM MORTON FOUNDATION TO SCHWAB 360 DONOR ADVISED FUND
SCHWAB DAFGIVING360 CAROLYN MORTON SAYWARD FUND DAF
$931,160TRANSFER OF SECURITIES FROM MORTON FOUNDATION TO SCHWAB 360 DONOR ADVISED FUND
SCHWAB DAFGIVING360 THE CCMF FUND DAF
$930,499TRANSFER OF SECURITIES FROM MORTON FOUNDATION TO SCHWAB 360 DONOR ADVISED FUND
MUSEUM OF ART OF OGUNQUIT
$54,450GENERAL SUPPORT OF MUSEUM
FIDELITY CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$200,000TO ESTABLISH SCHOLARSHIP FUND
MAINE SHRINE LOBSTER BOWL
$1,500TO SUPPORT SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN
SMITH COLLEGE - SEE STATEMENT 10 FOR DETAILS OF CONTRIBUTION
$400,000TO ESTABLISH SCHOLARSHIP FUND
WISE COUNSEL RESEARCH
$20,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION TO ORGANIZATION