MERLE CHAMBERS FUND
Annual Giving
$50.1M+385% YoY
Grants
193
Median Grant
$50K
Organizations Funded
110
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Foundation Overview
Mission
Merle Chambers Fund strengthens justice, equality and opportunity; helps women become economically self-sufficient; and promotes early care and education. For 40 years, Chambers Fund identified barriers and invested in policy and systems change to create fair opportunities for people to reach their full potential, particularly those who are unfairly disadvantaged or vulnerable to life circumstances.
Focus Areas
Grant Types
Funded Initiatives
Over 40 years and more than $140M in grantmaking focused on Equity and Democracy, and Women's Economic Security. In 2020, the Chambers Fund Board voted to spend-down and significantly increased investment in equity, democracy, and women's economic security.
How to Apply
Merle Chambers Fund has sunset and is closed as of December 2024. The foundation completed a spend-down of its endowment and is no longer accepting applications.
Based on publicly available information from the foundation's 990 filings and website.
Giving History
$50.1M
Grants
193
Median
$50K
States
17
$10.3M
Grants
117
Median
$50K
States
18
$10.0M
Grants
175
Median
$25K
States
24
Grant Size Distribution
$50K
Typical Grant (Median)
$60
Smallest
$20K
25th Pctile
$100K
75th Pctile
$28.5M
Largest
Excludes grants ≤ $5K. Half fall between $20K and $100K.
Largest Recent Grants
$28.5M
2024
DENVER ART MUSEUM
CO · KIRKLAND INSTITUTE ENDOWMENT
$3.0M
2024
DENVER ART MUSEUM
CO · KIRKLAND INSTITUTE CURATOR ENDOWMENT
$750K
2024
STATE LEADERSHIP PROJECT
NC · GENERAL SUPPORT
$600K
2024
CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY AND CIVIC LIF
IL · GENERAL SUPPORT
$502K
2024
THE DENVER FOUNDATION
CO · ADVISED FUND
Geographic Focus
Top states by total grant dollars. Based on IRS filing data.
Financial Overview
Grants paid shown as percentage of total assets
Data sourced from IRS 990 and 990-PF filings and publicly available foundation websites. Grant data, financial figures, and organizational details reflect historical filings and may not represent current operations or funding priorities. Verify directly with the foundation before applying. See an issue? Let us know.