| Named after | Melvin Jack Murdock |
|---|---|
| Established | 1975 |
| Legal status | Charitable organization |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, Washington, U.S. |
Region | Pacific Northwest |
Executive director | Romanita Hairston[3] |
Key people | Jeff Grubb Jeff Pinneo John Castles (Trustees) |
Main organ | Board of Trustees |
| Disbursements | US$ 66.3 million (year total, 2019)[1] US$ 1 billion (cumulative total, as of 2019)[2] |
| Endowment | $80 million USD (91 million by 1975) (1971) |
| Website | www |
TheM. J. Murdock Charitable Trust is a private, non-profit foundation based inVancouver, Washington, United States.
Following the 1971 death ofTektronix co-founderMelvin Jack Murdock, $90 million from his estate was transferred to a charitable foundation which, in 1975, became the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust.[4][5] The Trust was initially overseen by TektronixGeneral Counsel James B. Castles, attorney Paul L. Boley, and Walter P. Dyke astrustees, with Sam C. Smith appointed as its firstCEO.[6]
The Trust is led by executive director Romanita Hairston and a board of three trustees: Jeff Grubb, Jeff Pinneo, and John W. Castles (son of James B. Castles).[7]
Based in Vancouver, Washington, the trust fundsgrant-making for projects in the areas of scientific research, arts and culture, education, health and human service needs for non-profits operating in the Pacific Northwest — specificallyAlaska,Idaho,Montana,Oregon,Washington andBritish Columbia.[2] In response to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the Murdock Trust expanded its grant-making to include emergency support for non-profit organizations utilizing an abridged application.[8][9] The trust organizes training and educational programs for educators, students and non-profit professionals, and works to further an expansion of opportunities for collaboration through the convening of groups to discuss various issues and challenges.[10]
The Murdock Trust's funding priorities were criticized in 2016 for its donations topolitical organizations,[11] specifically, the $975,000 given to theAlliance Defending Freedom, including $375,000 in 2016.[12] The Alliance Defending Freedom has been described as an anti-LGBTQ organization and was designated ahate group in February 2017 by theSouthern Poverty Law Center.[13] Murdock trustee Jeff Grubb responded to this criticism by stating that "the Murdock Trust does not give money to anti-gay or anti-women groups."[14] The Murdock Trust faced additional scrutiny from philanthropy oversight organizations for their $240,000 donation in 2015 to theFreedom Foundation,[15] a group based in Olympia, Washington that seeks to "bankrupt and defeat" government employees' labor unions, according to one of their fundraising letters.[16]