Deliberately Few. Deliberately Clear.
Meridian takes a limited number of engagements, and publishes its terms plainly. Every engagement includes the Meridian Portal — the grants, governance, and document platform your foundation runs on — because the platform is how the work is delivered, not a product sold separately.
Fixed-Scope Introductions
The Foundation Health Audit
$4,500
flat · $7,500 for foundations above $10M or corporate programs
A three-week, fixed-scope review of how your foundation actually runs: governing documents, meeting and minutes hygiene, grant files and diligence trail, filing calendar, distribution-requirement tracking, and conflict exposure.
- Written findings memo
- A prioritized 90-day remediation roadmap
- One board-presentation session
Half the audit fee credits against your first quarter of any Meridian engagement signed within 90 days.
The Giving Blueprint
$2,500
flat
For first-generation philanthropists and donor-advised fund holders: mission articulation, an educational comparison of giving vehicles, a three-year giving plan, and a grantee-diligence framework.
- Two working sessions
- A written blueprint you can put in front of your family or advisors
The Foundation Launch Path
$9,500
flat, plus government filing fees · includes the Giving Blueprint
From intention to determination letter to first grant, under one agreement: the Giving Blueprint, formation of the entity, the Form 1023 application, state charitable registration where required, and the Launch Concierge that puts your portal, governance kit, compliance calendar, and first board docket in place. The legal steps are performed by Clemenza Law Group, our affiliated law firm, inside the same agreement.
- A written giving blueprint
- Articles, bylaws, policies, and the IRS determination letter
- A live portal with the first board docket prepared
Begin a retainer within sixty days of formation and the onboarding fee is waived.
The Family Philanthropy Session
$3,500
half-day · $6,500 full-day
A facilitated family meeting on values, next-generation involvement, and a written decision charter — often hosted with your wealth manager or estate counsel.
- Structured facilitation and pre-session interviews
- A written family giving charter
The Retainer Tiers
Month-to-month, with sixty days' notice. Your records are always yours. Annual prepayment earns a five percent courtesy.
Meridian Stewardship
$1,950/month
+ $3,500 onboarding
For donor-advised fund holders, emerging funders, and foundations approaching $1M — the essential operating discipline, professionally kept.
- Giving calendar and grant administration — up to 12 grants a year
- Grant letters, payment tracking, and grantee acknowledgments
- Annual meeting support: agenda, minutes, resolutions
- Filing calendar for the 990 series, coordinated with your CPA
- The Meridian Portal: document vault, grant tracker, board room
- Email access and a standing monthly call
Meridian Signature
$4,500/month
+ $7,500 onboarding
For family foundations from $1M to $10M — the full back office of a professionally staffed foundation, without hiring one.
- Full grant lifecycle in the portal — up to 40 grants a year
- Grantee intake, due-diligence coordination, board dockets, payments, reporting
- Quarterly board cycle prepared and staffed: dockets, minutes, resolutions, conflict register
- Policy suite maintained — conflicts, gift acceptance, records, grantmaking
- Distribution-requirement tracking and filing data-room prep for your CPA
- Annual impact report and quarterly dashboards
- Direct line, same-week response, quarterly strategy session
Meridian Institutional
$9,500/month
+ $15,000 onboarding
For foundations above $10M, corporate giving programs, and multi-entity families — a complete foundation office, led by our attorney-led team. Limited seats.
- Everything in Signature — up to 100 grants a year
- Bespoke program design and RFP administration
- Site-visit coordination and multi-entity consolidation
- Monthly governance cadence and next-generation board onboarding
- Multi-jurisdiction compliance calendar and audit-support data room
- Bespoke family and board reporting
- Priority line, monthly strategy session, board-meeting attendance
The board office, priced plainly
Established nonprofits and public charities begin with the Governance Review and continue, when it fits, with the Board Office retainer below.
The Governance Review
$3,500
flat · two weeks
A fixed-scope review of how an established nonprofit actually governs itself: bylaws and policy currency, board cycle and minutes, conflict-of-interest practice, the 990-series and state-registration calendar, and funder reporting discipline.
- Written findings memo
- A prioritized 90-day remediation roadmap
- One board-presentation session
Half the review fee credits against your first quarter of the Board Office retainer when it begins within 90 days.
Meridian Board Office
$1,950/month
+ $3,500 onboarding
For established nonprofits and public charities — the board office a well-run organization keeps: dockets, minutes, policy calendar, compliance calendar, and funder reporting, professionally kept.
- Board cycle prepared and staffed: dockets, minutes, resolutions, committee charters
- Policy calendar and annual conflict-of-interest attestations
- Compliance calendar for the 990 series and state registrations, coordinated with your CPA
- Funding received tracked in the portal: awards, restrictions, and report due dates
- Quarterly strategy session; executive-transition support when needed
- The Meridian Portal: document vault, board room, funding tracker
Established nonprofits also engage Meridian for the Family Philanthropy Session format as a board retreat; ask.
Published fees are effective as of September 1, 2026 and will be honored for at least 30 days from that date.
Every engagement begins with a written services agreement defining scope, cadence, and fees — no work starts before it is signed. Meridian provides philanthropic administration, governance operations, and strategy; it does not provide legal, tax, or investment advice, and refers that work to independent professionals with written disclosure.
Where an engagement includes legal steps, those steps are performed by Clemenza Law Group, a law firm owned by Meridian’s founder, inside the same agreement; the agreement identifies which services are legal services and confirms your right to use your own counsel for them. Legal fees are set by the law firm.
Compare the Tiers
| Stewardship | Signature | Institutional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Designed for | DAF holders, emerging funders, foundations under ~$1M | Family foundations ~$1M–$10M | $10M+ foundations, corporate programs, multi-entity families |
| Grants administered | Up to 12 / year | Up to 40 / year | Up to 100 / year |
| Governance cadence | Annual meeting, prepared | Quarterly board cycle, staffed | Monthly cadence, board attendance |
| Compliance calendar | 990-series & state filings, CPA-coordinated | + distribution tracking & filing data room | + multi-jurisdiction & audit support |
| Reporting | Annual giving summary | Annual impact report + quarterly dashboards | Bespoke family & board reporting |
| The Meridian Portal | Included | Included — full grants lifecycle | Included — multi-entity |
| Access | Email + monthly call | Direct line, same-week response | Priority line, monthly strategy session |
How an Engagement Begins
Private inquiry
Tell us about your foundation or giving program. Every inquiry is read by our team and treated as confidential.
Consultation & fit
A conversation about where you are and what you need. No obligation — and if Meridian is not the right fit, we will say so and point you to who is.
Proposal & written terms
A plain-English proposal with defined scope, cadence, and fees — plus written disclosure of any referral relationships, so the terms are never ambiguous.
Thirty-day onboarding
Your portal goes live, the compliance calendar is built, the governance kit is assembled, and your grant files are brought current.
The operating cadence
Board cycles prepared, grants administered, filings tracked, and reporting delivered — quarter after quarter.