Foundations that fund organizations in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Ann Arbor nonprofits
1,207 private foundations gave $280M to Ann Arbor organizations in their latest filings; 29 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
2,272 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Ann Arbor around $300K. 45 of these funders are based in Michigan; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 1,207
- Accept applications
- 29
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Ann Arbor
- $280M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 2,272
- Typical median grant
- $300K
- Based in MI
- 45%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Ann Arbor organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaughan Foundation C/O Erik H Serr Miller Canfield | Ann Arbor, MI | 1 | $70M | $70M | Preselected only | Used consistent w/501(c)(3) status |
| Samuel & Jean Frankel Foundation | Troy, MI | 2 | $30M | $15M | Preselected only | Charitable without restriction |
| Charles Stewart Mott Foundation | Flint, MI | 16 | $15M | $70K | Preselected only | For the general purposes or other charitable purposes of th…; To support the leaders of a coalition of front-line and reg…; To inform the development and advancement of strategies tha… |
| The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation | Omaha, NE | 3 | $12M | $401K | Preselected only | Program support; General operating support |
| The D Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation | Troy, MI | 2 | $10M | $5.0M | Preselected only | General charitable support; Pavilion project gifts-construction me furnishing |
| Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Charitable Foundation | Dearborn, MI | 1 | $6.0M | $6.0M | Preselected only | Provide support to the organization |
| The Marsal Family Foundation C/O Alvarez & Marsal Inc | New York, NY | 2 | $5.2M | $2.6M | Preselected only | Education; Financial support |
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 11 | $5.0M | $350K | Yes | U.s. economic mobility & opportunity; K-12 education; Postsecondary education |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | 5 | $3.8M | $300K | Yes | To support a new directions fellowship; To support a pilot summer program in public engagement & th…; To support objects repatriation and a new model for curator… |
| Duffy Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 33 | $3.6M | $80K | Preselected only | Use consistent w/501(c)(3) status; Use consistent w 501(c)(3) status; Use consistent w/ 501(c)(3) status |
| Leinweber Foundation | Birmingham, MI | 3 | $3.3M | $200K | Yes | Charitable; Ch |
| Manat Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 5 | $3.2M | $100K | Preselected only | Further charitable goals |
| The Fred & Barbara Erb Family Foundation | Royal Oak, MI | 8 | $3.1M | $198K | Yes | Program support; Discretionary; Honorariums |
| The Ralph C Wilson Jr Foundation | Detroit, MI | 16 | $3.0M | $150K | Yes | Employee Matching Grant; Broadway Park West; Michigan Founders Fund Expansion & Staffing |
| Ttees Univ of Michigan Law School | Greenville, DE | 1 | $2.7M | $2.7M | Preselected only | General operating |
| Weingartz Family Foundation | Shelby Township, MI | 3 | $2.3M | $35K | Preselected only | Assistance for indigent families; Further religous ministries |
| The Alro Steel Foundation | Jackson, MI | 4 | $2.0M | $1,500 | Preselected only | General operating; Athletic department |
| Breach Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | To further program services |
| Diebolt Foundation | Clinton Township, MI | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | General operations |
| Kohn Charitable Trust | McLean, VA | 3 | $2.0M | $400K | Preselected only | To support the kohn collaborative fund - workshops, seminar…; To support the kohn scholar graduate student fellowship.; To fund the carol kakalec kohn faculty endowment for the ca… |
| Weiser Charitable Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 8 | $1.9M | $92K | Preselected only | Support for organizational activities |
| The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation | Palo Alto, CA | 2 | $1.8M | $921K | Preselected only | Support for schmidt ai in science postdocs; Support for ahs student travel to ai expo for national comp… |
| Herrick Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 17 | $1.8M | $15K | Yes | Support for cfrm 2.0 training; Support summer program-ypsilanti; Support capital campaign |
| The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Princeton, NJ | 9 | $1.8M | $150K | Yes | 80327 continuing to support the healthcare value hub to pro…; 82613 continuing to support the healthcare value hub to pro…; Matching gifts |
| J C Kennedy Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | 1 | $1.7M | $1.7M | Preselected only | Program support |
| Dow Company Foundation | Midland, MI | 1 | $1.6M | $1.6M | Yes | Community wellbeing |
| Lincoln M Knorr Resid Tr Xxxxx3009 | Chicago, IL | 1 | $1.6M | $1.6M | Preselected only | General |
| The Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $1.5M | $1.5M | Preselected only | To promote college advising and success |
| The Richard Tam Foundation | Las Vegas, NV | 1 | $1.5M | $1.5M | Preselected only | Lung cancer research/education |
| Zell Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 2 | $1.5M | $738K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Joyce & Don Massey Family Foundation C/O Clark Hill Plc | Birmingham, MI | 1 | $1.4M | $1.4M | Preselected only | Massey traumatic brain injury programs |
| Jenkins Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 16 | $1.3M | $40K | Preselected only | Support for activities |
| Northlight Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 2 | $1.3M | $663K | Preselected only | Support organization's programs & activities |
| Peyser Foundation for Population Health | Ann Arbor, MI | 6 | $1.3M | $80K | Preselected only | Program support; Mph student support; Peyser endowed scholarship |
| Alfred P Sloan Foundation | New York, NY | 9 | $1.2M | $111K | Yes | To establish quantitative relationships between the maximum…; To launch nationally the distributed teaching collaborative…; To design, develop, and implement data linkage tools that c… |
| Laura and John Arnold Foundation | Houston, TX | 9 | $1.2M | $100K | Preselected only | To develop and disseminate consumer health care experience…; To provide technical assistance and support to the state of…; To support the procurement and implementation of truleo, a… |
| J Ira and Nicki Harris Family Foundation Inc | West Palm Beach, FL | 2 | $1.1M | $563K | Preselected only | Stephen m. ross athletic campus facilities project; General |
| Builders Vision Foundation | Chicago, IL | 5 | $1.1M | $150K | Preselected only | to provide general operating support; to support a fellowship program involving climate resilienc…; to support an educational program on bull kelp |
| Sylarn Foundation | Marquette, MI | 1 | $1.1M | $1.1M | Preselected only | Education program & scholarship fds |
| Jack E and Eleanor Cannon Hill Foundation | Battle Creek, MI | 4 | $1.0M | $232K | Yes | General operations; AML Blood Cancer Research Fund Burke $175,000 Bone Marrow T…; general operations research |
| Harry a and Margaret D Towsley Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 26 | $1.0M | $20K | Yes | Program support |
| Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation | Clinton Township, MI | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Funds |
| Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Inc | Edmond, OK | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Medical research |
| The David and Meredith Kaplan Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | 3 | $950K | $250K | Preselected only | Tikkun olam fellowship training fund in pediatric pulmonolo…; Fund for public safety; Stephen m ross athletic campus facilities project |
| Charles H Gershenson Tr Ua 081077 | Bloomfield Hills, MI | 1 | $928K | $928K | Preselected only | To promote education through capital grants and/or operatio… |
| Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 6 | $913K | $134K | Preselected only | Employee or trustee recommended gift for general operationa…; To support the development of a novel experimental platform…; To study the galaxy's cosmic ray history by identifying and… |
| Arthur F Thurnau Charitable Trust Xxxxx7002 | Chicago, IL | 1 | $879K | $879K | Preselected only | General |
| The Good Part Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 2 | $876K | $438K | Preselected only | General funds |
| The Wadhams Family Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 12 | $876K | $15K | Preselected only | Mental health support; Community support; Gen fund support- homelessness |
| Monroe-Brown Foundation | Kalamazoo, MI | 4 | $875K | $175K | Preselected only | Real estate fund; Alzheimers fund; Athletics locker room fund |
| McKesson Foundation Inc | Dallas, TX | 1 | $864K | $864K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| The Joyce Foundation | Chicago, IL | 6 | $858K | $119K | Yes | Environment; Democracy; Gun violence prevention & justice reform |
| Wellcome Leap Inc | San Diego, CA | 2 | $855K | $428K | Preselected only | Global health research |
| Michael Gross Family Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $750K | $750K | Yes | Contribution |
| The Robert H and Domeena Crenshaw | Dallas, TX | 1 | $725K | $725K | Preselected only | Scholarships |
| Dte Energy Foundation | Detroit, MI | 26 | $718K | $13K | Yes | Environmental leadership; Arts & culture; Human needs |
| Wk Kellogg Foundation | Battle Creek, MI | 21 | $706K | $1,400 | Yes | Matching Grant; Jobs and Family Economic Security; Health and Health Equity |
| Debra and Kenneth Caplan Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 5 | $658K | $2,822 | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted; Michigan Athletics; General & Unrestricted (SEE ATTACHED GENERAL EXPLANATION) |
| James a and Faith Knight Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 30 | $618K | $19K | Preselected only | To help with general operating expen; To help support the general operatin; To help with the general operating e |
| The Samuel & Jean Frankel Health and Research Foundation | Bloomfield Hills, MI | 2 | $610K | $305K | Preselected only | Sexual and reproductive health; Education support |
| The Robert H and Domeena C Renshaw | Dallas, TX | 1 | $601K | $601K | Preselected only | Unrestricted general |
| October Mountain Foundation Inc | Lynbrook, NY | 1 | $600K | $600K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Gilbert Family Foundation | Detroit, MI | 4 | $583K | $118K | Preselected only | Detroit community initiatives; Arts & culture; Next generation models |
| Gumenick Family Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 3 | $578K | $231K | Preselected only | 501 c3 general purpose grant |
| The Kresge Foundation | Troy, MI | 5 | $576K | $108K | Yes | General operating support; Project support grant for the launch of the growing michiga…; Project support grant to launch the school for environment… |
| The Heising-Simons Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 4 | $570K | $136K | Preselected only | For high resolution spectroscopy and multi-dimensional atmo…; For the 51 pegasi b fellowship; To support clean energy in rural communities |
| The Jones Family Foundation | Saline, MI | 5 | $552K | $15K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Graham Foundation | York, PA | 2 | $535K | $268K | Yes | Men's ice hockey program; Graham sustainability institute operating support fund |
| Challenger Foundation | Garden City, NY | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | General |
| Pathways Foundation | Farmington Hills, MI | 2 | $500K | $250K | Preselected only | General fund; General fund, pp fundraiser |
| Freedom Together Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | Using community engagement and community science to protect… |
| The 4d Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | A. S. Tari Fund - to be used to support research into cellu… |
| Park Family Foundation | Fort Myers, FL | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | Athletics program |
| The Martin Family Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 47 | $455K | $5,000 | Preselected only | Humanitarian; Educational; Musical |
| Song Foundation | Denver, CO | 9 | $455K | $25K | Preselected only | General purpose |
| Cascade Hemophilia Consortium | Ann Arbor, MI | 2 | $454K | $227K | Preselected only | Support for medical services for persons with hemophilia an…; Fellowship Funding |
| J Ferrantino Charitable Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 9 | $440K | $50K | Preselected only | Humanitarian |
| The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust | New York, NY | 3 | $410K | $92K | Preselected only | Evaluation of a gut-specific antifibrotic therapeutic in pr…; Health economic analysis of automated insulin delivery syst… |
| Markus and Elizabeth Schmidt Charitable Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 1 | $400K | $400K | Preselected only | Scholarships |
| S & S Charitable Foundation | Sherman Oaks, CA | 1 | $400K | $400K | Preselected only | Charitable purposes - operational support of the university… |
| Dr Miriam & Sheldon G Adelson Medical Research Foundation | Needham, MA | 1 | $397K | $397K | Preselected only | Medical research |
| Bluespruce Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $397K | $397K | Preselected only | General support |
| Theophil and Amanda Aprill Family Foundation | Ann Arbor, MI | 2 | $381K | $190K | Preselected only | Humanitarian |
| Epker-Sinha Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $375K | $375K | Yes | Unrestricted |
| The Ford Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $367K | $183K | Yes | Core support to build the capacity of human rights defender…; Core support for the community partnerships initiative at t… |
| Dr Ralph & Marian Falk Medical Research Tr | Dallas, TX | 2 | $350K | $175K | Yes | Antibody cns delivery and; Neuro-cardiac mechanisms of |
| The Skillman Foundation | Detroit, MI | 7 | $349K | $25K | Yes | Special grant; 826 michigan summer programming; General operating support |
| The Henry Luce Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 4 | $345K | $70K | Yes | Support for collaboration among academic institutions and s…; Support for dissertation workships; Support for the Academic Leadership Institute residential p… |
| Ono Pharma Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $345K | $345K | Yes | The ono pharma breakthrough science intitiative awards prog… |
| John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation | Chicago, IL | 2 | $325K | $163K | Preselected only | For project coordination and technical assistance to local…; In support of its program for exiled journalists from russi… |
| Ernest Wentcher Educational Fund | Chicago, IL | 1 | $320K | $320K | Yes | Education |
| The Carls Foundation | Bloomfield Hills, MI | 2 | $316K | $158K | Yes | Farmland preservation through easement purchase; Annual merit & financial needs for carls scholarship studen… |
| Clif Family Foundation | St Helena, CA | 1 | $310K | $310K | Yes | Transform Food Systems |
| Cook Family Foundation | Owosso, MI | 2 | $308K | $154K | Yes | Scholarships and related-special; Scholarships and related-dc |
| McGregor Fund | Detroit, MI | 3 | $301K | $50K | Yes | Matching Gift; General Operations; Program Support |
| Stolte Family Foundation | Seattle, WA | 3 | $300K | $50K | Preselected only | Funding for general charitable operations |
| John Mohme Foundation | Culver City, CA | 1 | $300K | $300K | Preselected only | General support |
| Jobst Foundation Pfdn | Brooklyn, OH | 1 | $300K | $300K | Yes | General operating |
| Asmund Slaedral Foundation Inc | Wappingers Falls, NY | 1 | $300K | $300K | Preselected only | Transcontinental cardiac arrest experimental network for di… |
| Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation | Scottsdale, AZ | 2 | $295K | $147K | Preselected only | Refund of unused funds.; Dr. wahl - translational adult giloma award (1st payment) |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Ann Arbor, Michigan?
Vaughan Foundation C/O Erik H Serr Miller Canfield, Samuel & Jean Frankel Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, The D Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation and 95 others reported grants to Ann Arbor organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Ann Arbor. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.