Organizational Values and Practices
Mertz Gilmore’s founders, LuEsther T. Mertz, Harold Mertz, and their daughter, Joyce Mertz--aided later by Joyce’s husband, Robert Gilmore, a Quaker and the foundation’s first president--intended for their philanthropy to reflect the following beliefs:
That arts and culture were essential ingredients to a full, enriched life
That peace and social activism, as well as human rights and democratic values, were inextricably linked
That the public interest demanded a just and equitable world
That the earth and its resources were finite and precious, and must be protected and preserved.
Consistent with these beliefs, grants from the early years supported work in the following program areas:
Environment
Human Rights and Democratic Values
Peace
New York City
Cultural, Education, and Humane Concerns
In selecting these broad areas of interest, the founders recognized that no one could foresee the future. As LuEsther put it, future generations “should not be led by the dead hand from the grave.” With the passing of the founding members, this sentiment freed up the organization’s leadership to respond to urgent concerns in the 1980s and 1990s, including early global warming data, the AIDS crisis, the Oslo Accords, and the gay rights and immigrant rights movements.
In 1994, the board built on the founders’ expressed beliefs with the following statement:
“ … the foundation has been fortunate to have a founding legacy, which the current board and staff understand, that change rarely comes in neat packages. While recognizing the need to be clear about desired ends, we also know that there may be unexpected problems and unanticipated consequences, as well as surprising victories. Efforts aimed at improving the human condition take time, experimentation, and a willingness to accept the unpredictable. Real work, worth doing, requires a patient and humble devotion to learning and adjusting alongside the grantees.”
In the decades since, the Foundation has sought to honor the legacy of our founders both by maintaining commitments to their values and priorities while also consistently seeking to adapt our work to address present day needs and opportunities. In all areas of our work, we seek to remain grounded in the family’s Quaker ethics of equality and integrity, believing that no individual is more deserving of rights and respect than anyone else.
Beginning in 2025, Mertz Gilmore will be developing forward-looking priorities that are grounded in our past, informed by our grantee and funder partners, and maximize impact despite the Foundation's scaled back grantmaking levels due to loss of income.