Grant Opportunities
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 $1.3 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.
Update June 1, 2023: The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has received and requested proposals that will carry us into 2024 with our current staff capacity for review. We are making improvements to our systems, updating our application process, and expanding our staff capacity, all to better serve our grantees and the communities we serve.
To allow us the opportunity to complete this work, we will temporarily pause the review of all new Letters of Inquiry (LOI) for the remainder of 2023 except for those related to our Scientific Research initiatives. We will provide updates on this process as we move forward, but we anticipate resuming the review of LOIs in Q4 of 2023 or Q1 of 2024 and requesting proposals for processing in the last two quarters of 2024. If your project timeline works with our anticipated timeline, please feel free to submit your LOI, and we will look forward to reviewing it in late 2023 or early 2024.
We are listening to and partnering with grantees, staff, and external partners to inform these changes and to position the Trust to serve most effectively in the future.
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.
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.
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.
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 Reach 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.
