Blue Meridian Partners

Blue Meridian Partners is a nonprofit funding collaborative headed by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF) in partnership with several other left-leaning grantmaking organizations. The organization was founded in 2016 with the intent of making large investments in organizations that promote youth anti-poverty and social assistance programs, with the goal of such donations underwriting planning to scale up such organizations. 1 In addition to the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the organization is supported by several other donor organizations including some of the largest left-leaning advocacy funding organizations in the United States such as The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. 2

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Website: www.bluemeridian.org
Formation:

2016

CEO:

Nancy Roob

Location: New York, NY View on map
Tax ID: 81-5086187
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $2,065,309,464 Revenue: $199,491,359 Expenses: $404,510,408

Contents

    Background

    In a press release dated January 2016, Nancy Roob, the CEO of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF), announced that the foundation was incubating a new funding project, Blue Meridian Partners, with the intention of making large-scale investments to support the long-term growth of nonprofit organizations. The foundation launched Blue Meridian Partners alongside nine other partners. The founding partners included six general partners giving over $50 million to the new organization: The Ballmer Group, The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Stanley and Fiona Druckenmiller, The Duke Endowment (with a focus on North Carolina and South Carolina), George Kaiser Family Foundation (with a focus on Tulsa, Oklahoma), and The Samberg Family Foundation. Four other organizations committed over $10 million to the organization including: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The JPB Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. 2

    In 2020, Blue Meridian Partners also gained prominence in 2020 for being featured in Billionaire Mackenzie Scott’s “116 Organizations Driving Change.”  Scott, the billionaire ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, rose to prominence in 2020 by announcing that she would give away most of her vast fortune to left leaning advocacy groups, many of which focused on race and gender issues. 3

    Since its founding in 2016, Blue Meridian Partners was spun off from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and established as a separate 501(c)(3) organization, with Nancy Roob, the president and CEO of the Clark Foundation also serving as CEO of Blue Meridian Partners. Roob, along with other officers at Blue Meridian Partners including Charles Harris and Ralph Stephano, are all employed full time by the Clark Foundation. Roob earned over $700,000 in compensation from the foundation in 2017. 4

    Financials

    According to its 2023 990 form, Blue Meridian Partners reported a revenue of $199,491,359, expenses of $404,510,408, and net assets of $2,052,525,054. 5

    According to its 2022 990 form, Blue Meridian Partners reported a revenue of $353,322,309, expenses of $481,659,709, and net assets of $2,254,701,370. 6

    According to its 2021 990 form, Blue Meridian Partners reported its revenue at $1,212,525,156, expenses at $412,725,187, and total assets at $2,396,650,508. 7

    In 2021, Blue Meridian Partners donated $7 million to anti-bail advocacy organization the Bail Project. Additional grants made by the organization in 2021 include $21,000,000 to child welfare group Zero to Three, $22 million to the Tulsa Community Foundation, $17,500,000 to mental health advocacy group Youth Villages, and $17 million to contraceptive advocacy group Upstream USA.  8

    Funding

    By 2024, listed partners and former donor organizations include the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the Druckenmiller Foundation, the Duke Endowment, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the JBP Foundation, MacKenzie Scott, the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, the Valhalla Foundation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF), and the ZOOM Foundation. 9 10

    As of November 2025, the collaborative claims to have raised roughly $4.5 billion since its inception. 11

    In 2025 Blue Meridian received a grant from Yield Giving, MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropic initiative started in 2022. Scott is the former wife of Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos and gave over $7.16 billion to various organizations in 2025. 12

    Donation Recipients

    Blue Meridian Partners regularly makes large contributions to a select number of organizations annually; most of the gifts range from ten to twenty million dollars. By 2020, organizations funded by Blue Meridian include the Nurse Family Partnership, Year Up, the Tulsa Community Foundation, the Center for Employment Opportunities, the Bail Project, and the Duke Endowment. 4

    Leadership

    Nancy Roob is the president and CEO of Blue Meridian Partners as of 2024. She received a compensation of roughly $1,006,419 in 2022, according to 990 forms. 13

    James Shelton is the Chief Investment and Impact Officer for the group, serving in the position since January 2020. He previously worked as President of Education for the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation from 2016-2018. He also was the COO of the US Department of Education from 2013-2015. 14

    Stanley Druckenmiller is the chair of the board for the organization, serving since its founding in 2016. He previously served as the head of Duquesne Capital Management from 1981-2010. 15

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $2,065,309,464 $199,491,359 $404,510,408 View
    2023 $2,261,435,517 $353,322,309 $481,659,709 View
    2022 $2,400,151,638 $1,212,525,156 $412,725,187 View
    2021 $1,640,549,641 $188,069,635 $413,006,128 View
    2020 $1,863,793,077 $907,776,309 $324,916,069 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 93

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Nancy RoobCEO$1,203,245
    James H Shelton PresidentCHIEF INVESTMENT AND IMPACT OFFICER$895,411
    Kay Nemoto Chief FinancialBUSINESS OFFICER & TREASURER$694,776
    Tia Breakley Chief StratDEVELOP. OFF./CHIEF GOVERN. OFF.$614,625
    Kelly L CampbellMAN. DIR., PORTFOLIO STRATEGY & MGMT$611,784
    Micah L CarrCHIEF BRANDING OFFICER$577,806
    Cecilia GutierrezMAN. DIR., PORTFOLIO STRATEGY & MGMT$557,930
    Mindy S Tarlow Man Dir PortfolioSTRATEGY & MGMT (UNTIL 12/31/23)$542,024
    Lissette RodriguezMAN. DIR., PORTFOLIO STRATEGY & MGMT$531,454
    Elizabeth PawlsonMAN. DIR., PORTFOLIO STRATEGY & MGMT$516,418
    Malgorzata LongMAN. DIR., PORTFOLIO STRATEGY & MGMT$508,020
    Spencer KymptonMAN. DIR., PORTFOLIO STRATEGY & MGMT$494,430
    Albert ChungCORPORATE SECRETARY (FROM 1/16/24)$460,912
    Geoffrey Canada See Sch ODIRECTOR$60,000

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $2,651,998,767
    • Number of Grants: 104
    • Number of Funders: 35

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $270,261,5552021 The Edna Mcconnell Clark FoundationADVANCED GRANT PAYMENTS TO BMP FOR GRANTEES
    $237,500,0002020 Ballmer GroupBlue Meridian Partners' Place Matters Initiative aims to improve economic and social mobility in communities across the U.S. Our grant provides foundational support for more significant investments in Place Based Partnerships, the needed ecosystem of supports, and to help promote effective implementation of this work nationally
    $201,538,5662022 The Edna Mcconnell Clark FoundationGRANT PAYMENTS TO BMP FOR GENERAL OPERATIONS AND DISBURSEMENTS TO GRANTEES
    $150,000,0002024 National Philanthropic TrustENVIRONMENT, ANIMALS
    $108,041,0002022 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncCOMMUNITY & HUMAN SERVICES
    $101,082,5002024 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncCOMMUNITY & HUMAN SERVICES
    $96,914,0002023 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncCOMMUNITY & HUMAN SERVICES
    $93,642,0002021 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncCOMMUNITY & HUMAN SERVICES
    $88,770,5002020 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncCOMMUNITY & HUMAN SERVICES
    $70,703,3712020 The Edna Mcconnell Clark FoundationGRANT PAYMENTS TO BMP FOR GENERAL OPERATIONS
    $58,534,4452021 The Edna Mcconnell Clark FoundationGRANT PAYMENTS TO BMP FOR GENERAL OPERATIONS
    $50,762,0002021 Druckenmiller FoundationGENERAL USE
    $50,000,0002022 National Philanthropic TrustHUMAN SERVICES
    $50,000,0002022 Druckenmiller FoundationGENERAL USE
    $49,898,0002020 Druckenmiller FoundationGeneral Use
    $41,224,0002023 Druckenmiller FoundationGENERAL USE
    $35,217,2402022 The Tepper FoundationGeneral Support
    $33,555,7662023 The Tepper FoundationGENERAL SUPPORT
    $32,977,0002022 CHARLES AND LYNN SCHUSTERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATIONBlue Meridian Program Funding Call (General Partner)
    $31,164,0002024 Druckenmiller FoundationGENERAL USE
    $28,287,5132024 The Tepper FoundationGENERAL SUPPORT
    $25,046,0002021 CHARLES AND LYNN SCHUSTERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATIONGeneral Operating Support
    $19,002,0002020 The Tepper FoundationGeneral Support
    $17,000,0002024 Pivotal Philanthropies FoundationTO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE BENEFITS OF FULL ACCESS TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
    $15,961,3502022 Freedom Together FoundationBLUE MERIDIAN PARTNERS: GENERAL PARTNERSHIP

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $2,034,188,623
    • Number of Grants: 415
    • Number of Recipients: 181

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $37,000,0002024 Youth Villages IncTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $34,170,0002021 Partnership for Education Advancement IncTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $34,077,8002023 The Duke EndowmentTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $30,000,0002021 CHIEFS FOR CHANGETO SUPPORT EDUCATION INVESTMENTS
    $29,700,0002023 UpstreamTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $29,500,0002023 Spartanburg County FoundationTO SUPPORT STRATEGIC PLANNING
    $29,500,0002020 Center for Employment Opportunities, Inc.To provide covid-19 support
    $23,830,0002021 UNCFTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $22,500,0002020 GiveDirectly, IncTo provide covid-19 support
    $22,365,6002024 Grameen AmericaTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $22,000,0002023 Tulsa Community FoundationTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $22,000,0002022 Tulsa Community FoundationTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $21,816,0002024 Oakland PromiseTO SUPPORT ECONOMIC MOBILITY
    $21,000,0002022 ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and FamiliesTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $20,000,0002021 Tulsa Community FoundationTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $19,600,0002020 The Duke EndowmentTo support scaling plan
    $19,550,2502020 Family Independence InitiativeTo support scaling plan
    $18,100,0002022 UNCFTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $18,000,0002024 Tulsa Community FoundationTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $18,000,0002023 Youth Villages IncTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $17,500,0002022 Youth Villages IncTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $17,000,0002022 UpstreamTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $17,000,0002021 Youth Villages IncTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN
    $16,100,0002020 Upstream USATo support scaling plan
    $16,000,0002022 Nurse-Family PartnershipTO SUPPORT SCALING PLAN

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Overview.” Blue Meridian Partners. Accessed December 29, 2020. https://www.bluemeridian.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Blue-Meridian-Intro-Overview-2020.pdf
    2. Roob, Nancy. “Announcing Blue Meridian Partners and More.” Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. January 29, 2016. Accessed December 29, 2020. https://www.emcf.org/news-perspectives/story/announcing-blue-meridian-partners-and-more-1/
    3. Scott, MacKenzie. “116 Organizations Driving Change.” Medium. July 28, 2020. Accessed December 29, 2020. https://medium.com/@mackenzie_scott/116-organizations-driving-change-67354c6d733d
    4. “IRS Form 990.” Blue Meridian Partners. 2018. Accessed December 29, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/815086187/07_2019_prefixes_77-82%2F815086187_201809_990_2019071216485636
    5. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Blue Meridian Partners. 2023. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/815086187/202532259349302063/full
    6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Blue Meridian Partners. 2022. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/815086187/202442289349301404/full
    7. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Blue Meridian Partners. 2021. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/815086187/202312279349302816/full
    8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Blue Meridian Partners. 2021. Schedule I, Part II. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/815086187/202312279349302816/full
    9. Roob, Nancy. “Announcing Blue Meridian Partners and More.” Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. January 29, 2016. Accessed December 29, 2020. https://www.emcf.org/news-perspectives/story/announcing-blue-meridian-partners-and-more-1/
    10. “Our Partners.” Blue Meridian Partners, Accessed February 21, 2024. https://www.bluemeridian.org/our-partners/
    11. Florino, Joanne. “Donor Intent Watch: Mission Statements and Collaborative Giving.” Philanthropy Roundtable, November 26, 2025. https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/donor-intent-watch-mission-statements-and-collaborative-giving/
    12. Scott, MacKenzie. “‘we Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for’ – Essays.” Yield Giving, December 9, 2025. https://yieldgiving.com/essays/we-are-the-ones-we-ve-been-waiting-for/.
    13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Blue Meridian Partners. 2021. Part VII. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/815086187/202312279349302816/full
    14. “James Shelton.” LinkedIn, Accessed February 21, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheltonjim
    15.  “Stanley Druckenmiller.” LinkedIn, Accessed February 21, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanley-freeman-druckenmiller-63236634