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Non-profit

Mercy Corps

Website:

www.mercycorps.org/
Location:

Portland, OR
Tax ID:

91-1148123
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $356,993,938
Expenses: $349,377,076
Assets: $201,124,731
Type:

International Aid Organization
Founded:

1979
Executive Director:

Tjada D’Oyen McKenna

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian-aid organization that prioritizes providing aid to communities that have been affected by natural or man-made disasters and crises.

The United States government granted Mercy Corps a total of $657.2 million through 155 grants from 2021 to mid-2023. Mercy Corps also receives funding from private grantmaking organizations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 1 2 3 4 5

Mercy Corps co-founder Ellsworth Culver was accused of sexual abuse by his daughter, Tania Culver Humphrey, and committing “severe sexual and physical abuse” against a nine-year-old girl. Culver Humphrey alleged that she was taken to Thailand to be abused by her father and other men while she was a child. She told investigators the girl of approximately nine years old was killed by her abusers while in Thailand. The Oregonian, a daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, published findings of a ten-month investigation into Humphrey’s claims in 2019, which found support for her claims. 6 7

After the Oregonian report, Mercy Corps’ then-CEO Neal Keny-Guyer acknowledged that the group had “failed her with our response” to Culver Humphrey’s attempts to detail her allegations to Mercy Corps. 8 Culver Humphrey later filed a lawsuit alleging “intentional infliction of emotional distress” by Mercy Corps for actions the group took related to the abuse allegations; as of 2023, the lawsuit was ongoing. 9

Background

Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian-aid organization that prioritizes providing aid to communities that have been affected by natural or man-made disasters and crises. The organization was founded in 1979 as Save the Refugees Fund, organized by Dan O’Neill in response to refugees from Cambodia fleeing the genocide caused by the Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot and the subsequent war between the regime and Vietnam that led to its overthrow. The organization expanded internationally by 1982 and O’Neill was joined by Ellsworth Culver, who initiated the renaming of the organization to Mercy Corps. 10

Mercy Corps’ focus changed from providing short-term relief to those affected by disaster to long-term solutions to poverty and hunger. The organization began its first development project in Honduras in 1982. 11

The organization claims it has a team of more than 5,400 members who provide immediate relief and aid in more than 40 countries around the world. 12

Affiliated Organizations

Mercy Corps partners with multiple foundations and corporations, which it lists on its website. The corporate partners include Starbucks, Mastercard, Cisco, AirBnB, TripAdvisor, and Microsoft. 13

People

The chief executive officer of Mercy Corps, Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, has connections with several left-of-center organizations. McKenna worked as a senior program officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from November 2006 until April 2010. 14 15 16

McKenna worked at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from April 2010 until October 2015. She established and led the agency’s Bureau for Food Security and managed its $1 billion annual budget. McKenna also oversaw strategy and development for President Barack Obama’s first development initiative, Feed the Future. 17

McKenna became chief operating officer for the Habitat for Humanity International in November 2015. She left that position in May 2019, when she became the chief operating officer for CARE International, before leaving that position in October 2020 to become the chief executive officer of Mercy Corps that same month. 18

She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an invitation-only left-of-center think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. 19 20

Controversy

Ellsworth Culver Sexual Abuse Allegations

Mercy Corps co-founder Ellsworth Culver was accused of committing “severe sexual and physical abuse” against a nine-year-old girl in Thailand, according to his daughter Tania Culver Humphrey. Culver Humphrey further alleged that she was taken to Thailand as a child to be abused by her father and other men. She told investigators that the girl of approximately nine years old was killed by her abusers while in Thailand. 21

Culver Humphrey reported her abuse to Mercy Corps in the 1990s, although she stated the abuse started in the 1970s. Mercy Corps did not act on the accusations, and instead of removing Culver from the organization, Mercy Corps demoted him and informed him about the allegations made by his daughter. 22

Culver Humphrey requested that Mercy Corps re-examine her accusations in 2018, but the organization stated there was “insufficient evidence.” The Oregonian, a daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, published findings of a ten-month investigation into Humphrey’s claims in 2019, which found support for her claims. 23 24

According to another investigation in 2021, Culver Humphrey spoke with investigators for more than 100 hours, during which she provided in-depth details of her abuse, including “trips she took, people she associated with, places she and Mr. Culver visited, 9 dates, and geographic locations.” Investigators also reviewed two child-abuse reports filed by Humphrey with the state of Oregon and hundreds of pages of personal records. Friends from Culver Humphrey’s childhood were contacted and corroborated her story to investigators. 25

The report stated that Culver gave inconsistent explanations for the allegations and “allegedly took a polygraph” test, arranged by Mercy Corps board member Robert Newell, however “no records of a polygraph were found” by investigators, including the name and credentials of the polygrapher’s identity, questions asked, and results. 26 27

Mercy Corps executive director Tjada D’Oyen McKenna stated after the report was released that the organization “unreservedly” believes Humphrey and that Mercy Corps “deeply regrets” its inaction. McKenna also stated that the organization acknowledges “this ugly piece of our history, but this will not be our legacy.” 28

Culver Humphrey later filed a lawsuit alleging “intentional infliction of emotional distress” by Mercy Corps for actions the group took related to the abuse allegations; as of 2023, the lawsuit was ongoing. 29

Financials

Mercy Corps received around $357 million in 2021, which increased to approximately $423 million in 2022. Of that amount, $420 million came in the form of contributions and grants, $2.5 million from program revenue, and just over $418,000 from investment income. 30

The organization’s total expenses amounted to around $349 million in 2021 and increased to just over $394 million in 2022, of which around $175 million was spent on contributions and grants, $141 million on salaries, $1.3 million on fundraising, and $76 million on other expenses. The organization had just over $115 million in net assets in 2022. 31

Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, the chief executive officer of Mercy Corps, received $476,473 in executive compensation in 2022. 32

Funding

Mercy Corps receives funding from private grantmaking foundations and government grants. The United States government granted Mercy Corps a total of $657.2 million via 155 grants from 2021 to mid-2023. USAID granted approximately $613.8 million to Mercy Corps in that time frame while the Department of Agriculture granted just over $25.4 million, and the Department of State granted just over $17 million to the organization. 33

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was formed in 2000 by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his then-wife, Melinda French Gates. The Gates Foundation granted Mercy Corps a total of $63,920,689 via 43 grants made as of mid-2023. 34

The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a left-of-center grantmaking organization created by industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1911. Mercy Corps has received a total of $5,051,000 from 17 grants from 2004 to 2023. 35

The Ford Foundation was, for much of its history, the largest foundation in the United States, though it has been passed in recent years. In total, the Ford Foundation has granted Mercy Corps $1,988,197 through eight grants between 2010 and 2017. 36

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a left-of-center grantmaking foundation that has awarded Mercy Corps a total of $1,050,000 in three grants between 2006 and 2016. 37

References

  1. “Mercy Corps Grants 2021-2023.” USA Spending. Accessed September 21, 2023. https://www.usaspending.gov/search/?hash=e41d987a649d448a2814120b80953916.
  2. “Mercy Corps.” USA Spending. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/17b8e14f-76d9-66aa-d797-0c2aa91c7c0d-C/latest.
  3. “Mercy Corps – Grants.” Gates Foundation. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/committed-grants?q=mercy%20corps.
  4. “Mercy Corps.” Carnegie Corporation of New York. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.carnegie.org/grants/grants-database/grantee/mercy-corps/.
  5. “Mercy Corps.” MacArthur Foundation. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/mercy-corps-34831/.
  6. Fruen, Lauren. “Mercy Corps apologizes for ‘extensive failures’ after ignoring allegations by co-founder’s daughter.” Daily Mail Online. May 20, 2021. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9600431/Mercy-Corps-apologizes-extensive-failures-ignoring-allegations-founders-daughter.html.
  7. Crombie, Noelle, Kale Williams, and Beth Nakamura. “No Mercy.” OregonLive.com, October 8, 2019. https://projects.oregonlive.com/no-mercy/.
  8. Crombie, Noelle. “‘We Failed Her’ – Mercy Corps CEO Apologizes to Abused Daughter of Co-Founder.” OregonLive, October 9, 2019. https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2019/10/we-failed-her-mercy-corps-ceo-apologizes-to-abused-daughter-of-co-founder.html.
  9. Bernstein , Maxine. “Emotional Distress Suit against Mercy Corps by Daughter of Co-Founder Can Proceed, Judge Rules.” OregonLive, February 25, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/02/emotional-distress-suit-against-mercy-corps-by-daughter-of-co-founder-can-proceed-judge-rules.html.
  10. “Mercy Corps.” Joint Learning Initiative. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://jliflc.com/organizations/mercy-corps/.
  11. “Mercy Corps.” Joint Learning Initiative. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://jliflc.com/organizations/mercy-corps/.
  12. “Tjada D’Oyen McKenna.” Mercy Corps. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.mercycorps.org/who-we-are/our-team/tjada-doyen-mckenna.
  13. “Corporate & Foundation Partners.” Mercy Corps. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.mercycorps.org/partners.
  14. “Gates Foundation 2021 Tax Return Form 990-PF.” Influence Watch. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2022/11/gates-foundation-2021-form-990.pdf.
  15. “About – The Giving Pledge.” Giving Pledge. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://givingpledge.org/about.
  16. “Tjada D’Oyen McKenna – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjada-d-oyen-mckenna-24b255/details/experience/.
  17. “Tjada D’Oyen McKenna – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjada-d-oyen-mckenna-24b255/details/experience/.
  18. “Tjada D’Oyen McKenna – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjada-d-oyen-mckenna-24b255/details/experience/.
  19. “Tjada D’Oyen McKenna – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjada-d-oyen-mckenna-24b255/details/experience/.
  20. “A Short History.” Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.cfr.org/sites/default/files/pdf/centennial-book.pdf.
  21. Fruen, Lauren. “Mercy Corps apologizes for ‘extensive failures’ after ignoring allegations by co-founder’s daughter.” Daily Mail Online. May 20, 2021. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9600431/Mercy-Corps-apologizes-extensive-failures-ignoring-allegations-founders-daughter.html.
  22. Fruen, Lauren. “Mercy Corps apologizes for ‘extensive failures’ after ignoring allegations by co-founder’s daughter.” Daily Mail Online. May 20, 2021. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9600431/Mercy-Corps-apologizes-extensive-failures-ignoring-allegations-founders-daughter.html.
  23. Fruen, Lauren. “Mercy Corps apologizes for ‘extensive failures’ after ignoring allegations by co-founder’s daughter.” Daily Mail Online. May 20, 2021. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9600431/Mercy-Corps-apologizes-extensive-failures-ignoring-allegations-founders-daughter.html.
  24. Crombie, Noelle, Kale Williams, and Beth Nakamura. “No Mercy.” OregonLive.com, October 8, 2019. https://projects.oregonlive.com/no-mercy/.
  25. Fruen, Lauren. “Mercy Corps apologizes for ‘extensive failures’ after ignoring allegations by co-founder’s daughter.” Daily Mail Online. May 20, 2021. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9600431/Mercy-Corps-apologizes-extensive-failures-ignoring-allegations-founders-daughter.html.
  26. Fruen, Lauren. “Mercy Corps apologizes for ‘extensive failures’ after ignoring allegations by co-founder’s daughter.” Daily Mail Online. May 20, 2021. Accessed September 21, 2023. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9600431/Mercy-Corps-apologizes-extensive-failures-ignoring-allegations-founders-daughter.html.
  27. “FINDINGS OF INVESTIGATION INTO THE ACTIONS OF ELLSWORTH CULVER RELATED TO SEXUAL ABUSE AND THE ACTIONS OF THE 1990S MERCY CORPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS RELATED TO THE HANDLING OF REPORTS OF SEXUAL ABUSE.” Mercy Corps. Accessed September 21, 2023. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2021-05/FGIS-Report-05192021.pdf.
  28. Fruen, Lauren. “Mercy Corps apologizes for ‘extensive failures’ after ignoring allegations by co-founder’s daughter.” Daily Mail Online. May 20, 2021. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9600431/Mercy-Corps-apologizes-extensive-failures-ignoring-allegations-founders-daughter.html.
  29. Bernstein , Maxine. “Emotional Distress Suit against Mercy Corps by Daughter of Co-Founder Can Proceed, Judge Rules.” OregonLive, February 25, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/02/emotional-distress-suit-against-mercy-corps-by-daughter-of-co-founder-can-proceed-judge-rules.html.
  30. [1] “Mercy Corps Tax Return Form 2021.” ProPublica. Accessed September 21, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/911148123/202330279349301258/full
  31. “Mercy Corps Tax Return Form 2021.” ProPublica. Accessed September 21, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/911148123/202330279349301258/full.
  32. “Mercy Corps.” ProPublica. Accessed September 21, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/911148123.
  33. “Mercy Corps Grants 2021-2023.” USA Spending. Accessed September 21, 2023. https://www.usaspending.gov/search/?hash=e41d987a649d448a2814120b80953916.
  34. “Mercy Corps – Grants.” Gates Foundation. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/committed-grants?q=mercy%20corps.
  35. “Mercy Corps.” Carnegie Corporation of New York. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.carnegie.org/grants/grants-database/grantee/mercy-corps/.
  36. “Mercy Corps.” Ford Foundation. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?search=mercy+corps.
  37. “Mercy Corps.” MacArthur Foundation. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/mercy-corps-34831/.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: June - May
  • Tax Exemption Received: September 1, 1981

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2021 Jun Form 990 $356,993,938 $349,377,076 $201,124,731 $115,026,999 Y $352,864,149 $1,734,143 $169,622 $2,137,436
    2020 Jun Form 990 $324,484,584 $320,371,293 $196,024,386 $116,607,683 Y $321,739,813 $1,849,185 $544,342 $2,826,193 PDF
    2019 Jun Form 990 $311,736,878 $321,330,733 $172,705,532 $97,060,213 Y $309,347,661 $1,475,619 $636,578 $1,919,399 PDF
    2018 Jun Form 990 $308,644,568 $313,780,808 $188,946,120 $104,333,976 Y $308,220,968 $1,101,358 $374,304 $1,785,170 PDF
    2017 Jun Form 990 $315,092,559 $311,936,065 $183,302,438 $94,178,406 N $313,388,896 $843,968 $256,334 $1,665,814
    2016 Jun Form 990 $349,665,145 $335,145,849 $158,092,120 $76,199,060 N $344,019,886 $693,768 $130,082 $2,258,467 PDF
    2015 Jun Form 990 $329,124,512 $326,148,977 $176,279,049 $108,298,547 N $328,216,518 $767,174 $104,933 $2,210,368 PDF
    2014 Jun Form 990 $275,451,652 $278,519,140 $135,921,181 $69,089,198 N $274,851,012 $320,228 $147,085 $2,004,030 PDF
    2013 Jun Form 990 $236,267,143 $240,929,617 $130,391,939 $62,184,856 N $235,483,191 $320,906 $161,817 $2,031,651 PDF
    2012 Jun Form 990 $232,959,669 $240,634,774 $126,636,366 $54,191,582 N $231,572,182 $429,601 $240,979 $863,558 PDF
    2011 Jun Form 990 $268,631,306 $267,093,403 $138,621,233 $64,680,850 Y $266,415,064 $1,337,172 $97,343 $932,729 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Mercy Corps


    Portland, OR