Direct Impact: 2,087,261 lives
Annual report season is one of our favorite times of the year.
Our mailboxes and inboxes are filled with the good and important news of what nonprofits have been doing, and the impact they are having on their sectors and their communities. Lives are improved. The world is better. An annual report is no place to be shy!
Quite often, we read the financials first. When organizations are transparent with their data, they build trust. When they show where their money goes—how they leverage grants, donations and other resources—it builds confidence that they are stable. It builds hope that they may scale.
In a time where there seems to be more evil than good in the world, our nonprofits continue to bring us hope. Hope builds trust. Trust leads to commitment. Commitment—sustained over time—transforms the world.
In this, our own annual report, you can learn more about our commitments. In 2023, we discovered new partners and we continued to support those we know and love. After nearly three decades of giving, we wrote our largest single grant check in our history: $2 million to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. To be clear, we have funded much larger commitments—and that check was just the first in a multi-year commitment—but we have never written a single check that large.
Of course, we asked ourselves, Why this gift? Why now?
The answer was consistent with our history. We recognized a beautiful three-part harmony: our long-standing commitment to education and the environment, our trust in the leader who we have worked with before, and our belief in the organization. How could we resist?
We have many people to thank in 2023. From our staff who work tirelessly each and every day, to our nonprofit leaders who are creating new solutions to their communities’ toughest problems.
We are filled with gratitude to John’s parents, who continue to mentor us, and to our children who have embraced our family foundation and are funding great projects of their own.
Thank you for joining us on our journey!
Carrie and John on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon on a trip with American Rivers and Colorado Mountain College
At MFF, we track our cumulative impact over time, and also the difference we are making each year. Here’s a look at the numbers.
Grants since inception
To
Grants under $25k
Grants in 2023
In
Grants over $25k
* in 2023
Each year, we survey our partners to learn how our dollars have been used and how many lives have been impacted, directly and indirectly. We are thrilled when we see the ripple effect of our grants.
Direct Impact: 2,087,261 lives
Indirect Impact: 8,527,108 lives
Arts and Culture
230,000 2,000,000
Conservation
1,124,000 1,124,000
Education
157,263 2,015,411
Health and Wellness
153,521 2,112,025
Human Services
150,802 20,207
Public and Societal Benefit
271,475 1,234,950
Women and Girls
200 20,515
At MFF, we like to spend time outdoors with our partners. Here is Carrie (center) in Montana with members of the Rieschel Foundation.
Managing Director John Farnam leads MFF’s annual back-to-school shopping spree to benefit A Precious Child
MFF and Colorado Mountain College cut the ribbon at the Morgridge Teaching Kitchen in Aspen, Colorado
Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village Inc
California Academy Of Sciences
Center for Child Counseling Inc
Denver Center for The Performing Arts
Denver Zoological Foundation Inc
Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison Inc
Human Resource Development Council
Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research Education & Conservation
Acts Community Development Corporation
The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Charles Bender, Founding CEO,
Place of Hope
As 2024 unfolds, we are even more excited about the partners we fund and the projects we continue to refine and support in house.
As the Morgridge Acceleration Program continues to mature, our alumni have an even greater impact on the social sector as they keep building on the skills they learned in their fellowships. Our Child Welfare Initiative has expanded. We are convening people with lived experience and leaders from government, industry and philanthropy to find community-driven solutions. For more than 20 years, the Student Support Foundation has inspired and empowered the next generation of young American philanthropists. MFF Publishing will have two new books in 2024, amplifying the work of leaders who are changing the world.
It takes time and patience to disrupt and create change. As we follow our curiosity, and go deeper with our network partners and the individual nonprofits we fund, we continue to learn more about our passions, and where we can have the greatest impact.
We see promise for the future.