M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Updated February 8, 2024: At the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, we are focused on making improvements to our systems, updating our application process, and expanding our staff capacity, all to better serve our grantees and the communities we support.   

We have selected a new grants management system and we are pleased to share that we are in the final steps of the transition from our current system, Fluxx, to our new system, Submittable.  Because we are now in our data migration period, Fluxx will not be accessible to prospective applicants, applicants, or grantees starting February 16, 2024. Once the data migration is complete, documents that were completed (not drafts) will remain temporarily available in Fluxx on a read-only basis until July 2024 when the platform will be fully decommissioned by the Murdock Trust.   

  • We expect Submittable to go live in March 2024, and we will continue to update this site if there are changes to this timeline.
  • Organizations with an approved LOI, an active grant application, or an active grant with the Trust will be contacted directly when Submittable is live and available for their access. 
  • Applicants who wish to submit a new LOI may do so in Submittable when the system goes live in March 2024.  

We are grateful for the patience and support of the organizations we serve during this transition period.  We are excited to be nearing the conclusion of this significant change and eager to share the process improvements and updates with organizations like yours.  

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Initiative Grants

A variety of grant programs focused on scientific research, education and calling

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Capital Grants

Is capital growth or expansion important to your nonprofit’s vision for long-term growth and success? The Murdock Trust regularly makes grants that 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.



Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization expanded to a bigger community center to serve African immigrants and refugees.

A new clinic in rural Washington allows Unity Care Northwest to bring quality healthcare to more people.

Capital improvements make Sitka Fine Arts Camp a safe place for students to learn the arts.

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Equipment & Technology Grants

Best practices suggest that a healthy equipment and supporting technology infrastructure is essential. Please note that with these grants, recipient organizations are responsible for 50% or greater of the purchase cost.



A new lighting system allows Magenta Theater’s community-run shows to operate with the touch of a button.

New vans allow Neighbors for Kids to transport youth with disabilities to its afterschool programs.

A new confocal raman microscope gives Montana State University researchers the ability to explore the Yellowstone hot springs.

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Program & Staff

Expanding programs and adding staff are important markers of nonprofit success. Murdock Trust 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 are not eligible for funding.



A new program manager allows the Brian Grant Foundation to serve more people with Parkinson’s.

The addition of development staff provides more resources for Bridge Meadows to support children in foster care.

The addition of a spatial ecologist allows Peregrine Fund to research and support the conservation of raptors around the world.

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Initiative Grants

A variety of grant programs focused on scientific research, education and calling

Undergraduate Colleges & Universities

In addition to Strategic Projects grants in scientific research, the Murdock Trust supports five initiatives for science research at four-year undergraduate institutions across the Pacific Northwest: Research Start-Up Grants for New Science Faculty, Murdock College Research Program for Natural Sciences, Murdock College Science Research Program, RAISE (Research Across Institutions for Scientific Empowerment)—a program of the Collaborative Research Alliance and Murdock College Science Research Program, as well as the Lynwood W. Swanson Scientific Research Award and the Lynwood W. Swanson Promise for Scientific Research Award.



Research Universities & Biomedical Institutes

The Murdock Trust supports groundbreaking research by helping to facilitate lab discoveries and bring innovation to where it’s needed most. Grants support the purchase of scientific research instrumentation and the commercialization of bench discoveries at select major research universities, and biomedical institutes.



Partners in Science

When high school science faculty can grow their skills and experience by participating in advanced research, their students and schools will benefit. The Murdock Trust supports the Partners in Science Program to give these teachers this valuable learning opportunity.



Vision & Call Internships

The Vision & Call Internship program gives interns the opportunity to consider their vocational direction while gaining meaningful work experience in a nonprofit setting. Grants help faith-based organizations across the Pacific Northwest develop ministry internship programs for young adults, typically traditional-aged college students and recent graduates.



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The Trust guides nonprofit organizations through every level of their development through grants and other resources.

The Trust has a wealth of knowledge and experience that can make all the difference to you and your organization.