Mercy Works Foundation Inc.

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $2,363,285 (2023); $1,929,211 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation/preselection only)
• Decision Time: Not publicly specified; no set deadlines
• Grant Range: $1,000 - $405,000
• Average Grant Size: Approximately $34,754
• Total Assets: ~$12.4 million
• Number of Grants: 60-81 awards per year (60 in 2024, 68 in 2023, 81 in 2022)
• Geographic Focus: National (19 US states); some international giving to India

Contact Details

• Mailing Address: PO Box 7465, Germantown, WI 54912-7073
• Physical Address: 5733 Grande Market Dr, Suite H, Appleton, WI 54913
• Phone: 920-954-9861
• Website: No public website identified
• Application Contact: Contact foundation directly by phone or mail; no online portal

Overview

Mercy Works Foundation Inc. is a private grantmaking foundation established in 2002 in Wisconsin (successor to an original foundation founded in 1996), headquartered in Appleton/Germantown, Wisconsin. The foundation holds approximately $12.4 million in assets and distributes roughly $1.9-2.4 million in grants annually across 60-81 awards per year.

The foundation's giving is strongly oriented toward Catholic and religious causes, with Religion comprising approximately 36% of its grant distribution, followed by Social and Human Services (26%) and Arts and Culture (16%). It has supported prominent Catholic media, dioceses, missionary congregations, and lay apostolate organizations across 19 US states. The foundation is closely associated with the Follett family of Appleton, Wisconsin, who form the majority of its board, and is led on a day-to-day basis by Executive Director Mary Dickhut. The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications, making awards only to preselected charitable organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate named grant programs or published funding streams. Awards are made at the discretion of the trustees to preselected organizations. Grant sizes range widely:

• Major grants: $200,000 - $405,000 (to well-established Catholic organisations)
• Mid-range grants: $50,000 - $199,000 (to dioceses, missionary congregations, Catholic media)
• Smaller grants: $1,000 - $49,999 (to local and niche organisations)

Priority Areas

Based on 990PF filings and third-party database records, the foundation's giving concentrates on:

• Religion (~36%): Catholic media, dioceses, religious orders, lay apostolates, missionary congregations
• Social and Human Services (~26%): Humanitarian and poverty-relief organisations
• Arts and Culture (~16%): Catholic and values-aligned cultural organisations
• Education: Catholic education and formation
• International: Some giving to organisations with operations in India

Known recent grant recipients include:

• FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) - $200,000
• Ad Gentes Missionary Congregation - $80,000
• Wells for Life - $80,000
• Relevant Radio - $68,000 (recurring grantee; received $1 million+ in earlier years)
• Diocese (unnamed in available records) - $38,500
• Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist (named as grantee in 2023 filings)

Historical large grants (2007) showing long-term grantee relationships:

• Relevant Radio - $1,000,000
• Diocese of Austin, TX - $800,000
• Apostolate of Family Consecration - $700,000 (+ additional $300,000)
• Legionaries of Christ - $400,000
• Circle Media - $250,000
• Missionaries of the Poor - $150,000

What They Don't Fund

• Unsolicited grant applications (foundation explicitly does not accept these)
• No publicly stated exclusions by cause type beyond the implied Catholic/Christian values alignment
• No evidence of funding to secular advocacy, political, or non-faith-aligned organisations

Governance and Leadership

The foundation is a closely held family foundation with Follett family members forming the majority of board seats. Current and recent leadership includes:

Board of Directors:

• Charles Johnson - Chair (compensated; $54,213 in recent filing)
• Brian Follett - Vice Chairman
• Scott Follett - Secretary
• William Walker - Treasurer ($30,098 in recent filing)
• Joan Follett - Board Member
• Mark Follett - Board Member
• Joe Malone - Board Member

Staff:

• Mary Dickhut - Executive Director (compensated; $110,575 in recent filing)

Earlier filings also list Sally S. Follett as Director/President and Bob Follett as Director/Secretary, reflecting the family nature of governance. Leadership serves with minimal or no compensation in most board roles.

The foundation does not appear to have made public statements about its grantmaking philosophy, and no leadership quotes were found in publicly accessible sources.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The foundation's 990PF filings and third-party records explicitly state that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

However, one data source (npfunds.com) indicates that applicants may contact the foundation directly:

• Contact method: Direct contact by phone (920-954-9861) or mail (PO Box 7465, Germantown, WI 54912-7073)
• Deadlines: No set deadlines
• Portal: None

Grant decisions appear to be made entirely at the discretion of the board, drawing on pre-existing relationships with Catholic organisations and causes aligned with the Follett family's philanthropic priorities.

Getting on Their Radar

The following is specific to this funder based on available records:

• The foundation's giving is almost exclusively to Catholic organisations. Any organisation seeking a relationship should be explicitly Catholic in mission and ideally connected to national Catholic networks (dioceses, religious orders, lay apostolates, Catholic media).
• The Follett family are the central decision-makers. Connections through Catholic dioceses, particularly in Wisconsin, or through national Catholic philanthropic networks such as FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities) may be relevant.
• Recurring grantees such as Relevant Radio, FOCUS, and the Apostolate of Family Consecration suggest the foundation maintains long-term relationships with organisations it has supported for many years. Establishing an initial connection early and sustaining it is likely key.
• Direct contact by phone or mail is the only indicated route, per npfunds.com. A concise introductory letter sent to the PO Box outlining the organisation's Catholic mission and activities may be appropriate.

Decision Timeline

No published timeline. The foundation has no set deadlines, suggesting grants are awarded on a rolling or ad hoc basis throughout the year.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The foundation is highly selective by nature of its preselection model and makes 60-81 grants per year from what appears to be a closed pool of known organisations.

Reapplication Policy

Not published. However, the pattern of repeat grants to the same organisations (e.g. Relevant Radio appearing multiple times in a single year's filings, and across multiple years) indicates that repeat and ongoing funding relationships are the norm.

Application Success Factors

• Catholic mission is essential. All identifiable grantees are explicitly Catholic or faith-aligned organisations. There is no evidence of grants to secular organisations.
• National Catholic infrastructure helps. Grantees include national bodies (FOCUS, Relevant Radio, Dominican Sisters), dioceses, and missionary congregations - organisations with established credibility in the Catholic world.
• Long-term relationships dominate. Historical data shows the same organisations (e.g. Relevant Radio, Apostolate of Family Consecration) receiving multiple grants across multiple years. New entrants will need to build trust over time.
• Scale of organisation matters. Both small ($1,000) and very large ($405,000) grants have been made, suggesting the foundation funds a wide range of organisational sizes within its faith niche.
• International reach is possible. Some grants have reached India, suggesting organisations with missionary or international Catholic development work are also within scope.
• A direct, personalised approach is required. With no online portal and no published criteria, organisations must make direct contact and rely on personal relationship and referral networks rather than a competitive application process.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Mercy Works Foundation Inc. is a Follett family private foundation with a clear and strong Catholic faith orientation - only pursue this funder if your organisation is explicitly Catholic or has strong Catholic values alignment.
• The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications as a formal policy, but direct contact by phone or mail appears to be the practical route for initial outreach.
• Repeat, long-term funding relationships are characteristic of this funder; patience and sustained engagement over multiple years is likely needed before a first grant is awarded.
• Grant amounts vary enormously ($1,000 to $405,000), suggesting the foundation scales its support to the organisation's profile and relationship depth - do not be deterred by the scale of your organisation.
• Focus areas most likely to succeed: Catholic media, missionary congregations, lay apostolates, Catholic education, and social/humanitarian work with a faith dimension.
• The foundation is nationally active (19 states plus some international) - location in Wisconsin is not required, though Wisconsin-based organisations may have a natural advantage given the family's roots there.
• With no public website and no published strategy, this funder requires intelligence-led engagement through the Catholic philanthropic network rather than through conventional grant research databases.

References

1. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Mercy Works Foundation Inc. URL: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/431954871 Accessed: February 2026 Source of financial data, leadership compensation, and 990PF filing history

2. ProPublica - Mercy Works Foundation Inc. Form 990PF (2023 filing) URL: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/431954871/202320599349100207/IRS990PF Accessed: February 2026 IRS Form 990PF - most recent available filing

3. Cause IQ - Mercy Works Foundation, Appleton WI URL: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/mercy-works-foundation,431954871/ Accessed: February 2026 Financial profile including 2020 data: total assets $22.26M, grants paid $3.41M

4. Instrumentl - Mercy Works Foundation Inc. 990 Report URL: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/mercy-works-foundation-inc Accessed: February 2026 Grant award counts by year (2022-2024), total giving figures, leadership, geographic reach

5. NPFunds - Mercy Works Foundation Inc. URL: https://npfunds.com/directory/mercy-works-foundation-inc/ Accessed: February 2026 Leadership names, contact details, 2007 grant recipients and amounts, application contact information

6. Charity Navigator - Mercy Works Foundation Inc. URL: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/431954871 Accessed: February 2026 Charitable status confirmation, EIN, general organisational profile

7. Candid Foundation Directory - Mercy Works Foundation Inc. URL: https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?key=MERC061 Accessed: February 2026 Foundation classification and NTEE categorisation

8. Grantable.co - Mercy Works Foundation Profile URL: https://www.grantable.co/search/funders/profile/mercy-works-foundation-us-foundation-431954871 Accessed: February 2026 Focus area breakdown (Religion 36%, Social Services 26%, Arts 16%), recent grant recipients including FOCUS ($200,000), Ad Gentes ($80,000), Wells for Life ($80,000), Relevant Radio ($68,000)

9. GreatNonprofits - Mercy Works Foundation Inc. URL: https://greatnonprofits.org/org/mercy-works-foundation-inc Accessed: February 2026 General organisational listing