The John Merck Fund fosters innovative advocacy and problem solving in the fields of Developmental Disabilities, Environment, Reproductive Health, Human Rights, Job Opportunities, and Civic Engagement/ Defense of the Public Interest. Its objective is to act as a catalyst, supporting organizations that can effect constructive and measurable change in each of these areas. In 2008, The John Merck Fund awarded 214 grants totaling $13,204,680.
Grants Awarded by Program Area – 2008
See grants for: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003
and by Program for all previous years
The Developmental Disabilities program reflects the Fund’s longstanding commitment to improve the lives of children who have both intellectual disabilities and emotional disturbances. At the heart of this effort is the John Merck Scholars Program, which provides four-year grants of $300,000 to outstanding young researchers in the fields of neurobiology and cognitive science.
The Environment program addresses a range of issues with critical implications for natural resources and human health. Through grants in the areas of energy production and consumption, the Fund encourages policy changes that simultaneously target the problems of climate change and ongoing toxic contamination of the air, soil and water. The Fund also supports emerging efforts to boost public awareness of persistent bioaccumulative toxins, reduce public exposure to these chemicals and, ultimately, curtail their use. It promotes responsible regulation of genetically modified foods, and has provided enduring support for efforts to preserve and nurture the productive farmland of Vermont.
The Reproductive
Health program seeks to expand access to reproductive health care, prevent unintended pregnancies, and build and diversify the constituency for reproductive health by connecting the issue to broader health and rights initiatives. The Fund believes that quality reproductive-health services, including abortion, should be available to all women, regardless of income, and that school-aged children must have access to comprehensive sexuality education. The Fund also supports efforts to explore the links between reproductive health and exposures to toxic chemicals.
The Human Rights program focuses resources in Latin America and the United States. The Latin American component concentrates on the defense and promotion of human rights in Latin American, specifically in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Peru. The US component supports public outreach and advocacy aimed at building domestic support for US human rights, holding the federal government accountable for human rights violations, and advancing a vision of national security based on the rule of law and respect for human rights.
The Job Opportunities
program assists innovative efforts to expand employment and career-development opportunities so economically disadvantaged adults and youth can earn a living wage. Grants support workforce development initiatives; entrepreneurial projects that benefit low-income women and rural communities; and general strategies aimed at alleviating rural poverty. The program focuses on organizations in the northeastern United States, from New York to Maine.
The Civic Engagement/ Defense of the Public Interest program works to strengthen American democracy. Grants are focused on increasing the proportion of citizens— particularly those from historically under-represented constituencies— who participate as voters, and on ensuring the integrity of electoral systems so that they facilitate rather than inhibit participation by all citizens. The Fund also works to build the capacity of advocates to collaborate effectively to shape issue agendas and win policy victories in its areas of overall interest. The Civic Engagement/Defense of the Public Interest program is on hiatus for the 2009 grantmaking year.