Marco Foundation

The Marco Foundation is a private family foundation established in January 2000, led by Michael Sklar as Director and President with no officer compensation across all available filings. Despite its Portland, Oregon mailing address (2960 NW Quimby St, 97210), the foundation operates a Phoenix, Arizona phone number ((602) 625-2736) and directs approximately 71% of its grants by count — and an even higher share by dollar — to Arizona-based organizations in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Contact for the foundation runs through Mark N. Sklar, signaling a multi-generational family involvement typical of closely held private philanthropies.

The foundation maintains no functional public website. The URL listed in several grant databases (marco.org) leads to a personal technology blog run by a different individual and should be disregarded entirely. GrantStation's verified research classifies Marco as a funder that does not accept unsolicited requests, while noting it "may be open to introductory materials." This is not a technicality — it reflects the structural reality of how the Sklars operate: they fund institutions they know personally, not strangers with well-crafted proposals.

Every documented grant across 42 transactions totaling $3.7 million carries the purpose "General Operational Support." The foundation has never issued a restricted grant, project grant, or capital campaign contribution in any year represented in the IRS record. This is the single most defining characteristic of Marco's giving philosophy: the Sklars invest in organizations, not activities. Winning a grant means earning the family's institutional trust.

The typical relationship progression is therefore inverted from most grantmakers: relationship first, written letter second. Once a genuine personal connection exists — ideally through an introduction from an existing grantee or a shared board member — the formal application process requires only a concise written letter on organizational letterhead stating the request and purpose. There is no multi-stage LOI process, no online portal, and no public deadline cycle.

First-time applicants must demonstrate tight alignment with one of three core lanes: Phoenix-area Jewish community institutions (synagogues, day schools, federations, youth programs), Banner Health-adjacent healthcare initiatives, or Oregon/Arizona education organizations with a demonstrable Sklar family connection. Approaching outside these lanes — even with a strong mission — faces a structural barrier the foundation has maintained consistently for 25 years.

The Marco Foundation's annual giving has ranged from $537,000 (FY2022) to $1,543,285 (FY2021) over the documented period, with the FY2021 spike likely representing extraordinary COVID-era or one-time disbursements. Excluding that outlier, the normalized giving band runs $537,000–$920,000, with FY2023 at $700,000 and FY2024 at $682,500 across 12 grants — suggesting stabilization in the $650,000–$750,000 annual range. Total assets have held between $11.4M and $14.2M, with the FY2024 figure of $13,924,091 representing modest appreciation from the post-2021 trough.

Across the 42 grants in the public record, documented giving totals $3.7 million at an average of $88,102 per grant. The foundation's own Form 990-reported typical grant data shows a median of $100,000 and an average of $140,299 — the higher average is driven by a handful of large outlier grants. The single largest recipient, Pardes Jewish Day School, received $923,285 across two grants, accounting for 25% of total documented giving. Banner Health Foundation ($425,000) and Banner Health Alzheimer's Foundation ($400,000) together represent another $825,000 — roughly 22%. At the opposite end, grants as small as $5,000 (Fighting Pretty, Youth Charity League) appear, making the full range approximately $5,000 to $923,285 cumulative, or $15,000–$673,285 for single-grant awards.

Sector breakdown of documented $3.7 million in giving: - Jewish community organizations (~60%): Synagogues (Temple Kol Ami $100K), day schools (Pardes $923K), federations (Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix $150K), community centers (Valley of the Sun JCC $250K, JCC $250K), youth groups (BBYO Mountain Region $92K, Hillel at ASU $100K), social services (Jewish Free Loan $80K, Jewish Family Children's Service $60K), and library programming (PJ Library $20K combined). - Healthcare and medical (~28%): Banner Health Foundation and Alzheimer's Foundation dominate at $825K combined; Joy Bus ($100K), SW Autism Research Resource Center ($75K), and Every Body Athletics ($40K) round out the portfolio. - Education and youth development (~9%): Catlin Gabel School in Portland ($125K), The Oasis School ($50K), First Place AZ ($25K), Rosie's House music education ($100K). - Human services and other (~3%): St. Vincent de Paul ($15K), Boys & Girls Clubs ($15K), Urban Gleaners ($10K), Fighting Pretty ($5K).

Revenue is entirely investment-driven: FY2024 shows $278,378 in dividends and $419,207 in asset sales with zero contributions received — a pure endowment model that ties annual giving directly to portfolio performance.

The Marco Foundation's five closest database peers share nearly identical asset levels near $13.9 million under NTEE code T22 (Private Grantmaking Foundations). None of the peer foundations maintains a public website, consistent with the small private family foundation category where grantmaking is relationship-driven rather than publicly solicited.

Among this asset-comparable peer cohort, Marco Foundation is distinguished in two meaningful ways. First, its grantmaking is unusually concentrated: approximately 60% flows to a specific ethnic and religious community (Phoenix-area Jewish institutions), a focus depth that most similarly-sized family foundations do not replicate. Second, Marco maintains documented, multi-year repeat relationships with core grantees — Banner Health, Pardes Jewish Day School, Valley Beit Midrash, and BBYO Mountain Region all appear across multiple grant cycles — signaling that the foundation values long-term institutional partnerships over broad portfolio diversity. For applicants, this reinforces the practical reality that breaking into the grantee roster requires displacing an existing relationship or demonstrating a compelling new lane, not simply submitting a strong application. At $682,500/year across roughly 12 grants, Marco's capacity is that of a focused family fund, not a regional community foundation.

The most recently filed IRS Form 990 (FY2024, fiscal year ending December 31, 2024) documents $682,500 in charitable disbursements across 12 grants — representing a modest decline from the $700,000 across 15 grants in FY2023. The reduction in grant count from 15 to 12, while maintaining comparable total giving, indicates the foundation is concentrating larger awards among fewer established recipients rather than trimming overall generosity.

Confirmed FY2024 grant recipients include Arizona Jewish Historical Society ($100,000) — a new entrant to the documented roster — Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon ($32,500), and the Association of American Red Cross Retirees ($10,000). The Arizona Jewish Historical Society grant is notable as it introduces a cultural heritage dimension alongside the foundation's traditional support for active religious, educational, and healthcare institutions. The remaining $540,000 across nine additional grants was not publicly itemized in available database records.

No leadership transitions have been publicly announced. Michael Sklar has served as Director and President continuously through all available filings, and Mark N. Sklar remains the listed contact person — consistent with an unchanged, multi-generational family governance structure. All officers receive zero compensation.

No press releases, public announcements, or media coverage of the Marco Foundation appeared in searches covering 2025 and 2026. The foundation has maintained a deliberately minimal public profile across its entire 25-year history: no annual report, no press activity, no event sponsorships are documented. Any shifts in giving strategy must be inferred from successive Form 990 filings rather than public communications. The most notable structural trend from FY2022–2024 is the normalization of giving in the $650,000–$700,000 range following the anomalous $1,543,285 disbursed in FY2021.

Applying to the Marco Foundation requires accepting that this is not a conventional open-application grant process. There is no RFP cycle, no online portal, no public deadline, and no application form. The following guidance is drawn entirely from 25 years of documented grantmaking patterns and verified database research — not generic grant-writing advice.

Lead with relationship, not paperwork. GrantStation's verified funder profile explicitly flags Marco as not accepting unsolicited requests. The single most effective action any prospective grantee can take is to identify a warm introduction pathway through an existing grantee. Banner Health Foundation, Valley Beit Midrash, Pardes Jewish Day School, Hillel at Arizona State University, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix all maintain documented multi-cycle relationships with the Sklars. A board member, CEO, or senior development officer at any of these organizations who personally knows Michael or Mark Sklar is worth far more than any written proposal.

Use alignment language that mirrors their portfolio. When communicating with the Sklar family, use terms that resonate with their documented priorities: Jewish community infrastructure, general operating sustainability, health equity in the Phoenix region, and educational access. Avoid framing around innovation, technology, or national impact — the foundation funds local institutions with deep community roots.

Request general operating support exclusively. Do not present a project, initiative, or restricted program. Every documented Marco grant — all 42 in the public record — is designated "General Operational Support." A request framed as operating support signals organizational stability and institutional trust; any other framing misaligns with the funder's model.

Keep the written letter concise and plain. The IRS-filed application instruction is simply: submit a written request as a 501(c)(3) stating the request and purpose. Aim for one to two pages on organizational letterhead. Include your EIN, 501(c)(3) determination letter, the specific dollar amount requested, a one-paragraph mission description, and a brief budget context. Address correspondence to Mark N. Sklar, 2960 NW Quimby St, Portland, OR 97210.

Target Arizona and Oregon organizations only. Of 42 documented grants, five went outside Arizona and Oregon. National, international, or out-of-region organizations face a structural disadvantage without a compelling personal connection to the Sklar family.

Timing: No deadline is stated. With a December fiscal year-end and an investment-driven budget, Q3 outreach (July–September) is optimal to align with year-end distribution planning.