Mrhm Inc.

MRHM Inc. is a tightly-held private grantmaking foundation managed exclusively by Susan R. Wexner, who holds the titles of President, Secretary, and Treasurer simultaneously — a structural signal that this is a closely-held philanthropic vehicle rather than an institutionalized foundation with professional staff and open programs. The foundation was incorporated in New York and has been tax-exempt since June 2000, operating from the 34th floor of 575 Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan with a 10-person volunteer board receiving $0 in compensation.

The single most important thing to know about approaching MRHM: it does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation's IRS 990-PF filing lists application instructions as "none," its website returns blank content, and it carries a preselected-only designation in foundation databases. Grant relationships are built entirely through personal connections and pre-existing ties to the Legacy Heritage Fund / JLRJ Inc. ecosystem — the programmatic vehicle through which MRHM channels the vast majority of its philanthropic activity.

The foundation's giving is overwhelmingly concentrated in one flagship initiative: the Nachshon Project, an educational pipeline for young Jewish leaders funded through JLRJ, Inc. (doing business as Legacy Heritage Fund). Across four gap-year fellowship grants totaling $2,314,292 and two graduate fellowship grants totaling $1,805,000, the Nachshon Project alone accounts for approximately 68% of all captured grantmaking. This depth signals that MRHM functions less as a broad grant distributor and more as the dedicated endowment backer for a specific philanthropic vision: cultivating professional leadership for the Jewish community.

Secondary grantees — the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Yeshiva University Stern College for Women, Zamir Choral Foundation, Hebrew College, Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, and Camp Ramah in California — reveal a coherent worldview: strengthening broadly traditional and Orthodox Jewish institutional infrastructure through educational, religious, and cultural programming.

For organizations seeking a relationship with MRHM, the realistic entry point is the Jewish communal network — specifically institutions already in MRHM's orbit. There is no evidence of a formal LOI-to-proposal pipeline. First-time prospective grantees should invest in building board-level relationships through mutual institutional affiliations with established MRHM grantees before making any direct approach. This is a long-term relationship development process, not a competitive grant cycle.

MRHM Inc. deploys its grantmaking from an endowment of approximately $35.1M (as of fiscal year 2024), funded entirely through investment returns. The foundation has never reported contributions received — all revenue flows from dividends (29% of FY2024 revenue), asset sales (69%), and interest income (2%), with total FY2024 revenue of $3,331,716.

Annual grantmaking has varied considerably across the available 990-PF history: - FY2019: $1,716,143 - FY2020: $948,156 (COVID-era contraction) - FY2021: $2,119,190 (full recovery) - FY2022: $1,488,793 - FY2023: $1,831,253

The five-year average (2019-2023) is approximately $1.62M annually, representing a payout rate of roughly 4.6-4.8% on the endowment — near the legal minimum, consistent with an endowment-preservation philosophy.

Within the grantee history captured across 990 filings, 36 individual grants totaling $6,044,932 are recorded. The average grant is $167,915 and the median is $50,000. Grant sizes range from a nominal $1 (pass-through accounting entries) to a high of approximately $952,500. The largest grants go exclusively to the Nachshon Project: - Nachshon Project Gap Year Fellowship: $2,314,292 across 4 grants (avg $578,573 per grant) - Nachshon Project Graduate School Fellowship: $1,805,000 across 2 grants (avg $902,500 per grant)

For all other grantees, typical grants fall in the $25,000-$100,000 range, with repeat grants over 2-4 years signaling a preference for sustained relationships over one-time gifts. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations received $356,065 across 4 grants; Yeshiva University Stern College received $296,838 across 3 grants; Hebrew College received $75,000 across 3 grants (averaging $25,000 each).

Geographic concentration skews heavily toward New York (30 of 36 grants), with isolated funding in Massachusetts (3 grants), Wisconsin (2 grants, both Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC and Camp Ohel), and California (1 grant, Camp Ramah). Program area breakdown places roughly 68% of giving in the Nachshon Project leadership pipeline, 19% in Orthodox religious/educational institutional support, 7% in Jewish choral and cultural programming, and 6% in health/poverty/special needs services.

The following table compares MRHM Inc. to its five closest asset-size peers, all operating in the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category with assets in the $35.1-35.2M range:

MRHM's peer set is composed of similarly-sized private grantmaking foundations with assets clustered tightly around $35.1-35.2M — a cohort that operates almost entirely outside public view. Among these peers, MRHM stands out for the specificity and depth of its sectoral focus: virtually all giving flows to Jewish communal, educational, and religious organizations, with the Nachshon Project absorbing 68% of total captured grantmaking. This degree of concentration in a single programmatic partner is unusual even among closely-held family foundations of this size and is a defining characteristic of MRHM's strategy. The absence of public giving data from all five peer foundations reflects standard practice for this asset class — family foundations at the $35M tier rarely publish guidelines or annual reports. Prospective grantees researching funders at this tier should expect limited transparency across the board and should plan accordingly.

No press releases, news coverage, leadership changes, or new program announcements for MRHM Inc. were found in public media for 2025 or 2026. The foundation maintains an extremely low public profile consistent with its private, relationship-based operating model. There is no press office, no social media presence, and the foundation's website (https://mrhm.org/) returned no accessible content during research conducted in June 2026.

The most recent confirmed financial data — FY2024 IRS filing — shows total revenue of $3,331,716, total assets of $35,131,489, and total expenses of $2,037,537, with $1,784,455 in charitable disbursements. Revenue composition in FY2024 reflects significant asset sale activity ($2,292,685, or 69% of revenue), suggesting portfolio rebalancing rather than organic income generation alone. Dividend income of $979,662 and interest/other of $59,369 round out the revenue picture.

The endowment has grown from $31.1M in 2018 to $35.1M in 2024 — an increase of approximately $4M over six years while distributing $1-2M annually, indicating strong net investment performance. The board leadership appears stable: Susan R. Wexner has served as President, Secretary, and Treasurer across all available filing years, with the same core director names (Stern, Kanner, Levy, Agus, Weissman, Feinstein, Feit, Graff, Lopata) appearing consistently. No board turnover has been identified. The full grant schedule for FY2024 was not yet publicly available at time of this research — the most recent complete grant data dates to the FY2023 filing cycle.

The foundational reality of applying to MRHM Inc. is that there is no open application process. No grants portal, no RFP, no letter of inquiry template, no published deadlines, no eligibility guidelines — none of these exist. The IRS 990-PF filing explicitly records application instructions as "none." The foundation's website (mrhm.org) is inaccessible to the public. Cold outreach through a standard grant letter will not yield results.

Who is a realistic candidate? Organizations embedded in the Orthodox or traditionally observant Jewish communal ecosystem that operate educational, religious, or cultural programming serving Jewish students, young professionals, or Jewish communal institutions. Specific program types that have attracted MRHM funding include: undergraduate and graduate Jewish leadership fellowships, Orthodox student organization support, Jewish education degree programs, Jewish choral and music programming, special needs Jewish summer camps, and Jewish poverty relief in New York.

Relationship-building is the only path. Identify board-level connections between your leadership and MRHM's directors: S. Wexner, W. Stern, R. Kanner, G. Levy, R. Agus, D. Weissman, W. Feinstein, R. Feit, G. Graff, B. Lopata. Attend sector convenings of the Orthodox Jewish education world — OU conferences, Pardes alumni events, Hebrew College programming. Cultivate relationships with Legacy Heritage Fund leadership, as MRHM's programmatic footprint is closely tied to the Legacy Heritage / JLRJ Inc. ecosystem.

Framing language that aligns with MRHM's philosophy: Proposals that speak to "training and mentoring student leaders" (language used in MRHM's own 990 grant descriptions), "professional careers in the Jewish community," "religious and educational programming," and "summertime special needs programming" directly mirror what MRHM has funded. Avoid secular framing or broad community benefit language — MRHM's universe is explicitly Jewish communal.

Timing and grant size: There are no published deadlines. Based on 990 filing patterns, grant decisions appear to be made on an ongoing or annual basis aligned with the foundation's fiscal year. For new relationships, target $25,000-$75,000 as an initial ask — consistent with grants to Hebrew College ($25,000 average), Pardes ($26,400 average), and Camp Ohel ($28,497). Do not pitch six-figure grants in an initial relationship; the Nachshon Project's large grants reflect a decade-long structural partnership, not a typical first-time award.