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History and Mission

The Murphy Family Foundation was established in 1986. It is funded exclusively by contributions from branches of the Murlan J. and Margaret S. Murphy family of Cleveland, Ohio, which for four generations has been engaged in the manufacture of specialty chemical products including: Murphy’s Oil Soap, through the Murphy-Phoenix Company, founded in 1890 and now a subsidiary of the Colgate-Palmolive Company; industrial lubricants, through JTM Products, Inc. Solon, Ohio, founded in 1991; and concrete coatings and sealants, through the ChemMasters Company, Madison, Ohio, founded in 1987.


Mission Statement:
The Murphy Family Foundation considers its primary mission to be the support of viable programs addressing the problems and causes of poverty in the greater Cleveland area. More specifically, the Murphy Family Foundation’s grantmaking is primarily to those organizations providing food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless and educational support services for the disadvantaged.
 
Clockwise from upper left: Jerimiah T. Murphy, Murlan J. Murphy, I and Murlan J. Murphy, II.




Above: Murphy's Oil Soap Plant in the late 1930's. Left: Bottles being labeled in the super-automated Solon plant.

The Foundation does not consider health or disability related programs or programs in support of the arts to be part of its primary mission.

Notwithstanding the above, the Murphy Family Foundation maintains a reserve fund for additional grants which may fall outside the area of the defined primary mission. Its grantmaking in those areas often will reflect the personal interests of individual family members. Red Dot


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