Mcpherson Family Foundation

The McPherson Family Foundation is a Denver, Colorado-based private family foundation operating without a public grants portal, published deadlines, or downloadable application forms. This is not a gap in infrastructure — it reflects a deliberate philosophy of relationship-driven, invitation-based grantmaking. President J. Mark McPherson and Secretary/Treasurer Kim L. McPherson govern the foundation alongside Director Brad Brady, all serving without compensation as of FY2024. The lean, three-person governance model means every grant reflects personal conviction and trusted connection rather than committee scoring.

The foundation's giving philosophy divides along two complementary tracks. The first is a local Colorado/Wyoming tier featuring grants of $1,050–$40,000 to grassroots human services organizations: The Gathering Place (poverty alleviation), Hope Communities (affordable housing), Almost Home (housing assistance), There With Care (medical services), and Catholic Charities of Central Colorado. Every tracked local grantee received two or more grants, confirming the foundation's strong preference for sustained multi-year relationships over competitive one-time awards. These organizations share roots in Denver's Catholic and faith-adjacent philanthropic ecosystem — a community the McPhersons appear deeply embedded in.

The second track is a high-conviction international development tier with awards ranging from $200,000 to $1,237,789, directed to organizations in Uganda, Rwanda, and Haiti. Grantees — AsOne Ministries, Second Mile Haiti, Hope Haven Rwanda, The Children of the Nile — share a faith-adjacent, community-transformation orientation. International development has become the foundation's dominant funding category, representing approximately 69% of FY2024 giving ($2.34M of $3.4M).

For first-time applicants, the strategic imperative is clear: do not cold-apply. The absence of any public application pathway is itself the guidance. The optimal entry strategy involves mapping your organization's relationships to current grantees — any of the eleven known grantees could serve as a credible introduction bridge — and pursuing personal outreach to J. Mark McPherson at the foundation's Denver address (4825 E Vassar Ln, Denver, CO 80222, phone (303) 792-5550).

The foundation's asset base grew from near-zero in 2021 to $33M by FY2024, driven by $16.6M in FY2024 contributions alone. This active wealth-deployment phase suggests the McPhersons are seeking trusted organizations to deepen philanthropic impact — a genuine window of opportunity for aligned prospects that can credibly demonstrate shared values.

The McPherson Family Foundation's financial history divides into two eras separated by a near-dormancy period, making it an unusual case study in foundation lifecycle.

In the early era (FY2012–FY2015), the foundation distributed $404,000–$1.1M annually while maintaining near-zero assets, operating essentially as a pass-through vehicle: $404,000 (FY2012), $409,500 (FY2013), $686,000 (FY2014), and $1,102,375 (FY2015). Total assets never exceeded $10,000 and no investment income was generated. Following near-complete dormancy from 2019 to 2021 — annual giving fell to $18,756 (FY2019), $1,117 (FY2020), and $7,500 (FY2021) — the foundation entered a dramatic rebuilding phase driven by massive personal contributions: $15.1M (FY2022), $7.1M (FY2023), $16.6M (FY2024). This rebuilt assets to $33M and powered escalating grant volumes:

• FY2022: $160,003 distributed (9 grants; rebuilding/transition year)
• FY2023: $2,507,395 distributed (9 grants; average $278,600)
• FY2024: $3,399,679 distributed (11 grants; average $309,000; range $525–$1,237,789)

Grant size distribution is highly concentrated. In FY2024, the top three grantees — The Children of the Nile ($1,237,789), Second Mile Haiti ($735,000), and AsOne Ministries ($363,332) — absorbed approximately 69% of total giving ($2.34M of $3.4M). The remaining 8 grants shared roughly $1.06M, averaging $132,000 each. The local Colorado grantee tier operates at far more modest levels: 19 tracked grants averaging $17,237 (range: $1,050 to $200,000).

By program area (FY2024 estimated allocation): - International development / poverty alleviation (Africa, Haiti): ~69% - Domestic human services (Colorado): ~15% - Education (international and domestic): ~8% - Civic values / affordable housing: ~8%

Payout ratio is notably generous: FY2024's $3.4M distribution against $33M in assets represents approximately 10.3%, more than double the IRS-mandated 5% minimum for private foundations.

Investment income has grown from $0 (FY2022) to $395,042 (FY2023) to $743,769 (FY2024) as the endowment compounds. If contributions hold at the $7M–$17M range seen in FY2022–FY2024 and the asset base sustains at $33M+, annual giving at the $3.4M level or higher appears structurally sustainable.

The five foundations below share nearly identical asset profiles (~$33M) and NTEE Philanthropy & Grantmaking classification — a cohort defined by balance-sheet proximity rather than programmatic alignment.

McPherson stands out from this peer cohort in three meaningful ways. First, it is the most transparent about giving volume — public 990 filings clearly document a $3.4M annual distribution rate and a 10.3% payout ratio, significantly exceeding the IRS 5% minimum, which is unusual for similarly-sized private family foundations. Second, its growth trajectory is exceptional: moving from sub-$100K assets in 2021 to $33M by FY2024 through personal contributions signals an unusually active, high-conviction philanthropic phase with real capacity for new grantee relationships. Third, its international development emphasis — deploying approximately 69% of funding to organizations in Uganda and Haiti — is uncommon among comparably-sized Mountain West and Midwest family foundations, which typically concentrate on domestic community needs.

For grant seekers benchmarking ask amounts: McPherson's FY2024 average was $309,000 for the full portfolio and $17,237 for the local Colorado community grants tier. Matching your ask to the appropriate tier — international development vs. local human services — is essential for credibility.

Web searches conducted in June 2026 returned no direct press releases, news articles, or public announcements from the McPherson Family Foundation (Denver, CO) for 2025–2026. The foundation maintains no apparent public blog, social media presence, or news feed. Web searches consistently surfaced results for the unrelated McPherson County Community Foundation in Kansas. The foundation's website (mcphersonfamily.org) was inaccessible for direct content review during this research due to an SSL certificate error.

The most recent confirmed activity derives from FY2024 Form 990 filings, documenting continued portfolio expansion:

• 11 grants totaling $3,399,679 — a 36% increase over FY2023's $2,507,395 (9 grants).
• Largest single grant: $1,237,789 to The Children of the Nile for Uganda poverty alleviation.
• Second-largest: $735,000 to Second Mile Haiti for healthcare, education, and community development.
• Third-largest: $363,332 to AsOne Ministries for rural Uganda community empowerment.
• Total assets grew from $19.7M to $33.0M — a 67% single-year increase fueled by $16.6M in new contributions.
• Officer compensation dropped to $0 in FY2024 from $60,000 in both FY2022 and FY2023 — a governance or accounting shift worth monitoring.

Leadership remains stable: J. Mark McPherson (President), Kim L. McPherson (Secretary/Treasurer), and Brad Brady (Director) have held their roles throughout the foundation's recent growth phase. No board expansions or leadership changes were found in any public record as of the FY2024 filing. The consistent annual grant count of 9–11 per year since FY2023 suggests a structured internal review cycle even without a published calendar.

Accept the invitation-only reality first. The McPherson Family Foundation has no public grants portal, no published deadline, no downloadable application form, and no listed grants page URL. Its application instructions in public grant databases read as none. This is not an administrative oversight — it reflects a genuine preference for trusted, relationship-based grantmaking. Any strategy that bypasses relationship-building and goes straight to asking will not succeed.

Map the grantee network before anything else. Every tracked grantee is a potential access node: The Children of the Nile, Second Mile Haiti, AsOne Ministries, Hope Haven Rwanda, Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, The Gathering Place, There With Care, Hope Communities, Vivoblu Water For All, Fosters Outriders Foundation, and Almost Home. A credible introduction from any of these organizations carries more weight than any polished proposal.

Lead with international development credentials if you have them. The McPhersons' highest-conviction giving — ranging from $363,332 to $1,237,789 — goes exclusively to international development work in Uganda, Rwanda, and Haiti. If your organization does comparable work in Sub-Saharan Africa or the Caribbean, position that work prominently in any outreach. International development has grown from zero to 69% of the portfolio in two years, signaling active appetite in this category.

Frame your work in values-resonant language. The grantee portfolio consistently reflects a faith-adjacent, dignity-centered giving philosophy. Language that aligns with this worldview: community transformation, local leadership and ownership, long-term sustainability over short-term relief, and dignity-centered development. Purely secular, outcomes-metrics-only framing is likely to feel misaligned.

For Colorado-based human services organizations: frame your ask as the beginning of a multi-year partnership. Every tracked local grantee received repeat grants — the foundation does not fund one-and-done projects. Position your first grant as a relationship entry point, not a standalone project grant. Local grants cluster between $5,000 and $22,500 for most organizations, with the rare outlier at $40,000.

Optimal timing: no formal cycle is published, but the pattern of 9–11 annual grants and large mid-year contribution receipts suggests decisions likely cluster in Q2–Q3. Submit introductory letters in January–March.

Direct contact: J. Mark McPherson, President, McPherson Family Foundation, 4825 E Vassar Ln, Denver, CO 80222. Phone: (303) 792-5550. No public email address has been identified.