M.J Murdock Charitable Trust makes grants that help improve the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest, and we partner with nonprofits that share our commitment to thinking innovatively, seeking solutions to problems, and helping our communities flourish.

The Trust focuses its funding on two main areas: Strategic Projects and Initiatives. Strategic Projects are the most common grants, with Trust support spanning capital, equipment & technology, and program & staff projects. Awards made in these areas reflect the strategic priorities of an organization’s leadership, and funded projects usually come out of a strategic plan, annual strategic priorities, or unplanned strategic opportunities. Initiatives are highly focused projects in scientific research, education, and calling.

We presently award grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health, human services, and scientific research.

Strategic Projects Funding Guidelines:

Capital Project Grants support construction, renovation, land purchase and other capital projects. In most cases, we prefer to receive requests for these types of projects once your organization has raised a portion of the needed funds.

Equipment & Technology Grants support maintaining healthy equipment and growing technology infrastructure. Please note that with these grants, recipient organizations are responsible for 50% or greater of the purchase cost.

Program & Staff Grants help fund both new programs and the expansion of existing programs and may be used to cover start-up costs and/or related staff member additions. Typically, we fund program and staff grants on a declining basis over three years (100/67/33%). Staff hires or programs initiated before Trustee action will not be eligible for funding.

Dollar amounts vary by organization and project, with past practices generally informing future decisions. Because the grant application and evaluation process is rigorous and time-intensive, we generally discourage Strategic Project requests for less than $50,000.