Interior of the James Merrill House LLC.
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
The James Merrill House Foundation was established as a 501(c)3 organization in 2021 to hold and manage the endowment fund for the James Merrill House. Thanks to generous challenge gifts from the Hellen I Plummer Fund and the Merrill Family Foundation, matched by gifts and pledges from more than eighty other donors, the Foundation now stands at over $2 million. Since 2024 the Foundation has also owned the James Merrill House, which was the home of the distinguished 20th-century poet for more than forty years and now hosts a year-round literary residency program. The James Merrill House and programs are managed by the James Merrill House LLC, which is owned by the Foundation. The Foundation makes annual disbursements from the endowment to the James Merrill House LLC in support of the House and the literary programs.
GOVERNANCE
Incorporation, IRS Certificate of Determination, By-Laws, & Investment and Distribution Policy
The James Merrill House Foundation is incorporated in Delaware and registered as a Charity in Connecticut. The Foundation was certified as a non-profit by the IRS in 2021 and is governed by an independent seven-member board that meets four times a year. The Foundation is governed by By-Laws and makes disbursements to the James Merrill House in support of its programs in line with the Foundation's Investment and Distribution Policy.
BOARD MEMBERS
Ruth Saunders, Chair
Janet McClendon, Vice-Chair & Secretary
Bill Middleton, Treasurer
Ted Beck
Sally Wood
Penny Duckham, co-chair JMH LLC
John Groton, co-chair JMH LLC