How much does Oleson Foundation give?

Oleson Foundation reported 88 grants totaling $1,582,361 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 49 and 76 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.

What does Oleson Foundation fund?

By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Environment (16%), Human Services (14%), Education (13%).

Who are Oleson Foundation's largest grantees?

By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy ($391k), Northwestern Michigan College Foundation ($368k), Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools ($337k).

Does Oleson Foundation fund new organizations?

In FY2024, 36% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.

Does Oleson Foundation accept unsolicited applications?

Its most recent filing reports that it accepts unsolicited grant applications.

Where is Oleson Foundation based?

Oleson Foundation is based in MI.

Foundation Dossiers

Michigan · Private foundation

Oleson Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$1.6M
Granted FY2025(still arriving): 88
Grants FY2025: 70
Organizations funded FY2024: 36%
First-time grantees FY2024

Read the full brief

Median grant, FY2025: $10,000
Largest grant, FY2025: $77,000
Organizations funded a year: 49 to 76; FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025: 3
Total assets, FY2025: $23M
Applications: Takes unsolicited applications; Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 36% of the organizations Oleson Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 45% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 55% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $701k went to new ones.

RenewedFirst-time

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

Human ServicesArts & CultureEnvironmentRecreation & SportsEducationYouth DevelopmentOther

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.

The numbers by year

Fiscal year	Organizations funded	To those organizations	First-time grantees
FY2025still arriving	85	$1.6M	21%
FY2024	70	$1.6M	36%
FY2023	70	$1.4M	19%
FY2022	76	$977k	34%
FY2021	64	$1.1M	23%
FY2020	49	$607k	16%
FY2019	56	$698k	34%
FY2018	49	$587k	51%

98% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Environment$1.5MHuman Services$1.3MEducation$1.2MHousing & Shelter$825kArts & Culture$806kRecreation & Sports$610kFood & Nutrition$587kYouth Development$443kOther$0

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Grantee	Total granted	Years	Share of their budget
Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy	$391,000	9	1%
Northwestern Michigan College Foundation	$368,230	9	2%
Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools	$337,000	8	n/a
Traverse Area Recreation & Transportation Trails Inc	$320,500	8	4%
Grand Traverse Bay YMCA	$302,000	3	2%
Leelanau Conservancy	$165,000	6	3%
Conservation Resource Alliance	$158,000	9	1%
Botanical Garden Society of Northwest Michigan Inc	$134,000	5	10%
Father Fred Foundation	$125,000	9	1%
Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse Inc	$116,000	4	9%

Show all 123 grantees

All grantees of Oleson Foundation by total granted
Grantee	Total granted	Years	Share of their budget
Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy	$391,000	9	1%
Northwestern Michigan College Foundation	$368,230	9	2%
Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools	$337,000	8	n/a
Traverse Area Recreation & Transportation Trails Inc	$320,500	8	4%
Grand Traverse Bay YMCA	$302,000	3	2%
Leelanau Conservancy	$165,000	6	3%
Conservation Resource Alliance	$158,000	9	1%
Botanical Garden Society of Northwest Michigan Inc	$134,000	5	10%
Father Fred Foundation	$125,000	9	1%
Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse Inc	$116,000	4	9%
Norte Youth Cycling	$113,000	5	6%
Munson Healthcare Foundations	$111,000	5	0%
Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan Inc	$107,900	2	0%
Benzie Area Christian Neighbors Inc	$106,500	5	2%
Traverse Bay Childrens Advocacy Center	$106,000	2	6%
Seeds	$105,000	8	1%
Discovery Center Great Lakes	$100,000	2	4%
Habitat for Humanity	$95,000	4	13%
Northwest Mi Habitat for Humanity	$95,000	4	1%
Traverse Symphony Orchestra D/B/A Traverse City Philharmonic	$90,000	5	2%
Little Traverse Bay Humane Society	$90,000	7	0%
City Opera House Heritage Association Inc	$85,000	4	15%
The Rock of Kingsley Inc	$85,000	3	20%
McLaren Northern Michigan Foundation	$80,000	4	0%
Grand Traverse Conservation District	$77,500	6	n/a
Grace Episcopal Church	$75,000	3	n/a
Cherryland Humane Society	$68,000	7	0%
Good Samaritan Family Services	$67,000	6	2%
Northwest Michigan Community Action	$65,000	4	0%
Addiction Treatment Services Inc	$62,500	3	1%
Northwest Michigan Rural Housing Partnership	$60,000	2	6%
Charlevoix Area Community Pool	$52,500	6	2%
Single Momm	$51,500	3	2%
Council of Michigan Foundations	$50,650	9	0%
United We Smile	$50,000	1	16%
Grass River Natural Area Inc	$50,000	1	n/a
New Community Vision	$50,000	1	17%
Little Traverse Conservancy Inc	$50,000	3	0%
Thompsonville Area Revitalization Projec	$50,000	1	17%
Habitat for Humanity - Grand Traverse Region	$50,000	2	1%
North Central Michigan College Foundation	$50,000	2	2%
Old Town Playhouse Inc	$40,000	2	3%
Crooked Tree Arts Council Inc	$38,000	6	1%
Project Feed the Kids Inc	$37,500	5	2%
Benzie Senior Resources	$37,000	3	1%
The Festival Foundation	$36,040	1	1%
Generations Ahead	$33,500	5	2%
Zonta	$30,366	1	n/a
Honor Area Restoration Project	$30,000	2	n/a
Northwest Michigan Supportive Housing	$30,000	3	1%
Hospice of Michigan Inc	$30,000	3	0%
Friendship Community Center Inc	$30,000	2	3%
St Mary School	$29,000	4	n/a
Elk Rapids District Library	$25,000	1	n/a
Step Up Northern Michigan Inc	$25,000	3	n/a
Glen Arbor Arts Center	$25,000	3	2%
Grand Traverse Industries Inc	$25,000	1	1%
Interlochen Center for the Arts	$25,000	3	0%
Onekama Township	$25,000	1	n/a
Echo His Love Inc	$25,000	4	2%
Northmen Den Youth Pantries Inc	$22,500	2	6%
ShareCare of Leelanau Inc	$22,000	4	4%
Grand Traverse Pavilions Foundation	$22,000	2	3%
Traverse City Curling Club Inc	$20,000	1	5%
Paraklesis Inc	$20,000	7	2%
Friendship Centers of Emmet County Inc	$20,000	6	0%
For Love of Water	$20,000	4	1%
Paddle Antrim	$20,000	1	7%
Newtons Road Northwest	$18,000	2	10%
Angel Care Child Care Inc	$17,500	3	2%
Legacy Aviation Learning Center	$16,000	1	1%
Rotary Club of Charlevoix Charities Inc	$15,000	1	9%
Vasa Ski Club	$15,000	1	18%
Boyne Heritage Center	$15,000	1	n/a
Challenge Mountain of Walloon Hills Inc	$14,800	3	1%
Traverse Health Clinic and Coalition	$14,000	7	0%
Michael's Place	$13,250	5	1%
Traverse City Center of Entrepreneurship	$12,500	1	2%
Benzie Conservation District	$12,000	1	n/a
Wings of Wonder Inc	$12,000	4	3%
Long Lake Association Inc	$11,276	7	3%
Sleeping Bear Forever DBA Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear	$11,000	2	7%
Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network	$10,000	1	2%
Tc Paw Cat Rescue	$10,000	1	6%
Harbor Hall Foundation	$10,000	1	0%
Solon Township	$10,000	1	n/a
217 Recovery	$10,000	1	2%
Camp Leelanau and Kohahna Foundation Inc	$10,000	1	n/a
Traverse City Film Festival	$10,000	1	1%
The Great Lakes Childrens Museum	$10,000	3	1%
Friends of Herman Park Inc	$10,000	1	n/a
Leelanau Christian Neighbors Inc	$10,000	1	0%
Catholic Human Services Inc	$10,000	1	0%
Traverse Bay Area Isd	$10,000	1	n/a
National Alliance on Mental Illness Grand Tra	$10,000	1	5%
City of Charlevoix	$9,500	1	n/a
Hoop's Pet Food Pantry	$9,000	1	n/a
Keys to Freedom Ministries	$8,000	4	4%
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council	$8,000	1	0%
Community Resource Development Inc	$7,500	1	n/a
Northern Michigan Equine Therapy	$7,000	3	2%
Raven Hill Discovery Center	$7,000	1	3%
Community Food Pantry	$6,500	4	3%
The Nehemiah Project	$6,000	1	1%
Michigan Legacy Art Park	$5,000	1	2%
Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Asn	$5,000	1	4%
Crystal Community Ski Club	$5,000	1	3%
Mashup Rock & Roll Musical	$5,000	1	n/a
Traverse Area Community Sailing	$5,000	1	1%
Charlevoix Circle of Arts	$5,000	1	2%
Reining Liberty Ranch	$4,900	2	2%
Glen Lake Association Inc	$4,000	1	1%
Writers Series of Traverse City	$3,500	1	1%
Catholic Charities West Michigan	$3,000	1	0%
Mindimooyenh Healing Circle	$2,500	1	n/a
Long Lake Foundation Inc	$2,136	1	n/a
The Pathfinder School Inc	$2,000	1	0%
Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network	$2,000	1	2%
Danns House	$1,200	1	1%
Camp Quality USA Inc	$1,000	1	0%
Ncca	$1,000	1	n/a
Top of Michigan Trails Council	$800	1	0%
Mid Michigan Honor Flight Inc	$200	1	0%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 71 recipients with no EIN on record ($3.1M), not named here.

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Oleson Foundation supplied at peak.

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured

Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 100.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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.

Grand Traverse Regional Community FoundationMI140× affinity67 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation · The Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation · Rotary Charities of Traverse City · Les & Ann Biederman Foundation Inc · Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation · Consumers Energy Foundation · Charlevoix County Community Foundation · The Broad Family Foundation · Green Brick Foundation Inc · Frey Foundation · United Way of Northwest Michigan · DTE Energy 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.

Compare Oleson Foundation with peer funders

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How do I get to Oleson Foundation?

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

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About Oleson Foundation

How much does Oleson Foundation give?: Oleson Foundation reported 88 grants totaling $1,582,361 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 49 and 76 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does Oleson Foundation fund?: By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Environment (16%), Human Services (14%), Education (13%).
Who are Oleson Foundation's largest grantees?: By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy ($391k), Northwestern Michigan College Foundation ($368k), Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools ($337k).
Does Oleson Foundation fund new organizations?: In FY2024, 36% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Oleson Foundation accept unsolicited applications?: Its most recent filing reports that it accepts unsolicited grant applications.
Which funders back the same organizations as Oleson Foundation?: Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, The Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation, Rotary Charities of Traverse City.
Where is Oleson Foundation based?: Oleson Foundation is based in MI.