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Dick and Betsy Devos Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Dick and Betsy Devos Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$7.1M
Granted FY2024still arriving
91
Grants FY2024still arriving
17
States reached
$1.0M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Education$15MCommunity Improvement$7.3MArts & Culture$2.9MHuman Services$2.5MPublic Benefit$2.4MSocial Science$2.4MReligion$2.4MPhilanthropy$1.1MOther$0
02FY2024 · 91 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k23 grants · $72k
  • $10k–50k39 grants · $661k
  • $50k–250k20 grants · $2.3M
  • $250k+9 grants · $4.0M
$20,000
Median grant
17
States reached
$48M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
GRAND ACTION FOUNDATION 20$1,000,000
FISCAL SPONSORSHIP ALLIES$750,000
FISCAL SPONSORSHIP ALLIES$500,000
ADA TOWNSHIP$500,000
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP NETWORK$300,000
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE$250,000
PUBLIC MUSEUM OF GRAND RAPIDS$250,000
PALMETTO PROMISE INSTITUTE$250,000
THEODORE ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY FOUNDATION$250,000
WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION$247,385
POTTER'S HOUSE$200,000
HURON WATERLOO PATHWAYS INITIATIVE$200,000
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP NETWORK$200,000
MARS HILL BIBLE CHURCH$162,000
MACKINAC CENTER$125,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY20–24, $2.1M) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 31% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%FII - NATIONAL: $1.2M → 10%HOMELESS CHILDRENS FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $10k → 12%ALIVE HOSPICE: $500 → 14%HOMELESS CHILDRENS FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $10k → 12%HONOR FLIGHT INC: $20k → 7%HOMELESS CHILDRENS FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $10k → 12%CHARITY GLOBAL INC: $120k → 17%COVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN: $20k → 21%YMCA OF THE EAST VALLEY: $250 → 14%EVERGREEN COMMONS INC: $103k → 10%HOMELESS CHILDRENS FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $5k → 12%HOMELESS CHILDRENS FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $5k → 12%EVERGREEN COMMONS: $53k → 10%EVERGREEN COMMONS: $28k → 10%EVERGREEN COMMONS: $20k → 10%HOSPICE OF HOLLAND INC: $1k → 10%STREAMS OF HOPE: $10k → 11%STREAMS OF HOPE: $3k → 11%BAXTER COMMUNITY CENTER: $5k → 11%BAXTER COMMUNITY CENTER: $5k → 11%BAXTER COMMUNITY CENTER: $5k → 11%FASHION HAS HEART: $50k → 11%WEDGWOOD CHRISTIAN SERVICES: $255k → 11%WEDGWOOD CHRISTIAN SERVICES: $5k → 11%WEDGWOOD CHRISTIAN SERVICES: $5k → 11%WEDGWOOD CHRISTIAN SERVICES: $5k → 11%DEGAGE MINISTRIES: $105k → 11%DEGAGE MINISTRIES: $5k → 11%DEGAGE MINISTRIES: $5k → 11%DEGAGE MINISTRIES: $5k → 11%DEGAGE MINISTRIES: $5k → 11%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
MT
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
OH
PA
CT
CA
UT
CO
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
TN
NC
SC
DC
OK
AL
GA
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

79%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$34M · 134 repeat orgs$8.9M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +29% since the first grant, against +22% for those funded once.

134 repeat relationships: 59 still active in FY2024, 75 since wound down; 26 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

134
106

Total granted

$34M
$6.0M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+29%
+22%

Still filing today

88%
81%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 59% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2.9M went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesHealthPhilanthropyReligionOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • GA
    GRAND ACTION FOUNDATION 20
    4× · 2020–2024 · $2.1M · revenue ×35 · 40% of their budget
  • AF
    AMERICAN FEDERATION FOR CHILDREN GROWTH FUND INC
    3× · 2020–2023 · $2.0M · revenue +190%
  • AE
    AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH
    5× · 2020–2024 · $1.9M · revenue +57%

Funded once

  • FII - NATIONAL
    one grant, 2020 · $1.2M · revenue -92%
  • DR HOWARD FULLER COLLEGIATE ACADEMY INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $1.0M · revenue +66%
  • CH
    COREWELL HEALTH FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2022 · $333k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Detroit Historical Society

The Detroit Historical Society tells Detroit's stories and why they matter through its exhibits, programs, outreach, and the preservation and dissemination of its artifacts and collections.

Arts & Culture
2
The Northern Michigan University Foundation

The nmu foundation will establish and foster relationships to generate resources that benefit the strategic goals of northern michigan university.

Education
3
Business Leaders for Michigan Foundation

Business leaders for michigan is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization driven by ceos from the state's leading employers, all working toward a shared goal: making michigan a top 10 state for jobs, talent and a thriving economy.…

Community Improvement
4
Great Mn Schools

We believe that great schools are the cornerstone of a just and thriving community. ensuring that every child is able to attend a school that works is our moral and social imperative - our children deserve no less.

Education
5
Michigan Science Center

The mission of the michigan science center is to inspire curious minds of all ages to discover, explore and appreciate science, technology, engineering and math in a creative, dynamic learning environment.

Education
6
Business Leaders for Michigan

Business leaders for michigan is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization driven by ceos from the state's leading employers, all working toward a shared goal: making michigan a top 10 state for jobs, talent and a thriving economy.…

—
7
Maryland Institute

Degree granting college-maryland institute college of art is a private college dedicated to the education of professional artists and the further advancement of art in the community.

Education
8
Dallas International University

As a christian university, we provide education and research opportunities preparing global leaders to partner with local communities.

Education
9
Common Good Iowa

Common good iowa engages iowans to create and advocate for research-based public policy that makes life better and more equitable for all who make iowa home.

—
10
Museum of American Finance

Finance impacts everyone. as a socially relevant organization, the museum of american finance seeks to improve understanding of the influence of financial institutions and capital markets on the u.s. and global economies, and on…

—
11
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
12
Land Conservancy of West Michigan

Our mission is conserving West Michigans ecologically critical land. We protect land by creating public nature preserves, providing support to communities and local governments in creating natural areas, and helping private landowners…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Gilda's Club Grand Rapids; the most unlike its peers is Ancicent Paths Study Tours. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

236 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 236 of the 272 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

5
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
49
Early backer (in before they grew)
229/236
Grantees still filing
160/236
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP NETWORK: $2,560,000 · OtherGLOBAL LEADERSHIP NETWORKUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: $2,095,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF MARYLANDFISCAL SPONSORSHIP ALLIES: $1,250,000 · OtherFISCAL SPONSORSHIP ALLIESMARS HILL BIBLE CHURCH: $1,200,000 · OtherMARS HILL BIBLE CHURCHTHE CLAREMONT INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF STATESMANSHIP & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: $910,000 · Other+104 more: $10,822,500 · Other+104 moreAMERICAN FEDERATION FOR CHILDREN GROWTH FUND INC: $2,000,000 · EducationAMERICAN FEDERATION FOR CHILDREN …WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $1,822,435 · EducationWEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FO…UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK FOUNDATION INC: $1,500,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PA…The Potters House: $1,301,000 · EducationThe Potters HouseSTUDENT FREEDOM INITIATIVE INC: $1,000,000 · EducationSTUDENT FREEDOM INITIATIVE INCDR HOWARD FULLER COLLEGIATE ACADEMY INC: $1,000,000 · EducationDR HOWARD FULLER COLLEGIATE ACADE…DEFENSE OF FREEDOM INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES INC: $900,000 · EducationDEFENSE OF FREEDOM INSTITUTE FOR …Northwood University: $753,000 · EducationNorthwood UniversityTHEODORE ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $500,000 · Education+23 more: $1,872,500 · Education+23 moreGRAND ACTION FOUNDATION 20: $2,150,000 · PhilanthropyHEART OF WEST MICHIGAN UNITED WAY: $425,000 · PhilanthropyTHE PHILANTHROPY ROUNDTABLE: $250,000 · PhilanthropyTHE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE HOLLAND/ZEELAND AREA INC: $160,000 · PhilanthropyCAPITOL MINISTRIES: $115,000 · Philanthropy+6 more: $194,700 · PhilanthropyARTPRIZE GRAND RAPIDS: $450,000 · Arts & CultureSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $400,000 · Arts & CultureJOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: $325,000 · Arts & CultureGRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM: $285,000 · Arts & CultureHolland Community Aquatic Center Foundation: $250,000 · Arts & CultureORLANDO SCIENCE CENTERINC: $210,000 · Arts & CultureCENTER FOR LAW AND POLICY: $125,000 · Arts & CultureMICHIGAN MARITIME MUSEUM INC: $125,000 · Arts & CultureGRAND RAPIDS CIVIC THEATRE INC: $115,000 · Arts & CultureEcliptic At Rosa Parks Circle Conservancy: $100,000 · Arts & Culture+16 more: $457,000 · Arts & CultureAMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $1,950,000 · Social ScienceTHE INSTITUTE FOR CULTURAL EVOLUTION: $115,000 · Social ScienceTHE POLICY CIRCLE CO: $75,000 · Social ScienceFII - NATIONAL: $1,225,000 · Human ServicesWEDGWOOD CHRISTIAN SERVICES: $270,000 · Human ServicesEVERGREEN COMMONS: $202,500 · Human ServicesDEGAGE MINISTRIES: $125,000 · Human ServicesCHARITY GLOBAL INC: $120,000 · Human Services+7 more: $167,500 · Human ServicesActon Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty: $587,500 · Civil RightsFOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EXPRESSION INC: $110,000 · Civil RightsIndependent Women's Forum: $100,000 · Civil RightsRIGHT TO LIFE OF MICHIGAN EDUC FUND: $85,000 · Civil RightsFIRST LIBERTY INSTITUTE: $50,000 · Civil RightsINSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE: $50,000 · Civil Rights+1 more: $20,000 · Civil Rights
Other$18,837,500Education$12,648,935Philanthropy$3,294,700Arts & Culture$2,842,000Social Science$2,140,000Human Services$2,110,000Civil Rights$1,002,500

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetGRAND ACTION FOUNDATION 20: $2,150,000 over 4y, 40% of budgetAMERICAN FEDERATION FOR CHILDREN GROWTH FUND INC: $2,000,000 over 3y, 20% of budgetAMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $1,950,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetWEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $1,822,435 over 5y, 30% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK FOUNDATION INC: $1,500,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetThe Potters House: $1,301,000 over 5y, 3.8% of budgetFII - NATIONAL: $1,225,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSTUDENT FREEDOM INITIATIVE INC: $1,000,000 over 2y, 3.3% of budgetDR HOWARD FULLER COLLEGIATE ACADEMY INC: $1,000,000 over 1y, 9.5% of budgetTHE CLAREMONT INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF STATESMANSHIP & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: $910,000 over 5y, 3.9% of budgetDEFENSE OF FREEDOM INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES INC: $900,000 over 2y, 39% of budgetNorthwood University: $753,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetMACKINAC CENTER: $600,000 over 5y, 2.2% of budgetWEST MICHIGAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY INC DBA FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS: $596,500 over 5y, 1.3% of budgetActon Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty: $587,500 over 5y, 1.9% of budgetTHEODORE ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $500,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetAlpha USA: $475,000 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetARTPRIZE GRAND RAPIDS: $450,000 over 2y, 40% of budgetORLANDO MAGIC YOUTH FOUNDATION INC: $430,000 over 3y, 22% of budgetHEART OF WEST MICHIGAN UNITED WAY: $425,000 over 4y, 2.3% of budgetHOLLAND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SOCIETY: $409,500 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $400,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL REVIEW INSTITUTE: $375,000 over 4y, 2.2% of budgetODC NETWORK: $325,000 over 3y, 1.4% of budgetJOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: $325,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetJOHN BALL ZOO: $310,000 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetGRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM: $285,000 over 4y, 2.3% of budgetKids Hope USA: $285,000 over 5y, 11% of budgetWEDGWOOD CHRISTIAN SERVICES: $270,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetGRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $250,000 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetTHE PHILANTHROPY ROUNDTABLE: $250,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetHolland Community Aquatic Center Foundation: $250,000 over 2y, 12% of budgetPalmetto Promise Institute: $250,000 over 1y, 7.6% of budgetENDEAVOR DETROIT: $230,000 over 5y, 8.0% of budgetORLANDO SCIENCE CENTERINC: $210,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetEVERGREEN COMMONS: $202,500 over 4y, 2.8% of budgetDWELLING PLACE OF GRAND RAPIDS NONPROFIT: $200,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetHURON WATERLOO PATHWAYS INITIATIVE: $200,000 over 1y, 5.6% of budgetSTART GARDEN INC: $200,000 over 1y, 5.9% of budgetGreater Grand Rapids Chamber Foundation: $182,500 over 3y, 7.9% of budgetCAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION INC: $175,000 over 2y, 5.4% of budgetSOLDIER STRONG INC: $165,000 over 1y, 8.3% of budgetTHE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE HOLLAND/ZEELAND AREA INC: $160,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetMUSEUM OF THE BIBLE: $150,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetCENTER FOR LAW AND POLICY: $125,000 over 1y, 5.4% of budgetDEGAGE MINISTRIES: $125,000 over 5y, 2.9% of budgetMICHIGAN MARITIME MUSEUM INC: $125,000 over 1y, 9.0% of budgetVISION TO LEARN: $125,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Douglas & Maria Devos…Grand Rapids Communit…Cdv5 FoundationDaniel & Pamella Devo…Frey FoundationPeter C & Emajean Coo…The Meijer FoundationThe Community Foundat…The Wege FoundationHeart of West Michiga…The David and Carol V…The Mercantile Bank F…
Douglas & Maria Devos FoundationMI124× affinity60 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Douglas & Maria Devos Foundation · Grand Rapids Community Foundation · Cdv5 Foundation · Daniel & Pamella Devos Foundation · Frey Foundation · Peter C & Emajean Cook Foundation · The Meijer Foundation · The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area Inc · The Wege Foundation · Heart of West Michigan United Way · The David and Carol Van Andel Family Foundation · The Mercantile Bank Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Dick and Betsy Devos Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Dick and Betsy Devos Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 200%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • Orlando Science Centerinc: 4% of income from government
  • United Way of Indian River County Inc: 1% of income from government
  • United Arts of Central Florida Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Rollins College: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
20get no government money at all
53report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Dick and Betsy Devos Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Dick and Betsy Devos Family Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 272 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Dick and Betsy Devos Family’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home