Skip to content
Robert and Sharon Grooters Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Robert and Sharon Grooters Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$25k
Granted FY2025still arriving
7
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$7k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0194% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Health$80kReligion$38kArts & Culture$36kPhilanthropy$19kHuman Services$5kRecreation & Sports$5kFood & Nutrition$3kEducation$2kOther$0
02FY2025 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$5,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$81k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH$7,000
BAY HARBOR CHURCH$5,000
MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION OF WEST MICHIGAN$5,000
GREAT LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS$5,000
BAY HARBOR CLASSIC CAR & BOAT FESTIVAL$1,570
HELPING HANDS INC$1,000
Bay Harbor Church$200
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 (FY23–25, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%KIERSTEN'S RIDE: $300 → 9%HELPING HANDS INC: $1k → 12%HELPING HANDS INC: $1k → 12%HELPING HANDS INC: $1k → 12%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.
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.

68%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$130k · 10 repeat orgs$60k to everyone else

10 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
19

Total granted

$130k
$53k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+9%
+22%

Still filing today

50%
42%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 72% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $7k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthPhilanthropyArts & CultureHuman ServicesEducationOther
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

  • MH
    MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION OF WEST MICHIGAN
    5× · 2021–2025 · $40k · revenue +9%
  • HH
    HELPING HANDS INC
    3× · 2023–2025 · $3k · revenue +99%
  • ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC
    2× · 2021–2023 · $1k · revenue +74%

Funded once

  • MS
    MAULE STEM CELL RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC
    one grant, 2024 · $39k · 64% of their budget
  • TM
    THE MUSEUM OF THE HORSELESS CARRIAGEgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $5k · revenue +225%
  • CT
    CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER
    one grant, 2024 · $3k
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
Gastro Intestinal Research Foundation Inc

The GI Research Foundation works to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases. In collaboration with the physicians and scientists at the University of Chicago Digestive Diseases Center, we fund innovative clinical and laboratory…

Health
2
North Shore Health Care Foundation

To expand equitable health care and healthy living in Cook County and champion solutions through funding, education and advocacy.

Health
3
Minnesota Hospital Foundation

The minnesota hospital foundation works on strategies that include data-led quality and safety improvement, education, research, training and leadership to improve the health of minnesotans.

—
4
Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of Michigan

Providing patient support, community connections, education and advocacy.

Health
5
Mankato Clinic Foundation Inc

To provide, promote and develop health education and healthy lifestyle awareness to members of the Mankato Clinic service area.

Health
6
Midmichigan Health Services

To provide high quality community-oriented, patient-centered health services for all.

Health
7
Cgh Health Foundation

Pursuing healthier lives for the people of the Sauk Valley.

—
8
Twin Cities Heart Foundation

Investigate ways to make remote communications and monitoring of patients cost effective and practical. this includes evaluation of both traditional and novel uses of various audio, video and data acquisition systems for communication and…

Health
9
Childrens Cancer Therapy Development Institute

To make all childhood cancers universally survivable by delivering new treatments to clinical trials through scientific discovery.

—
10
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
11
Central Mesabi Medical Foundation

Supporting the region serviced by the area hospital The foundation raises funds to purchase the most highly advanced equipment along with funding educational and operational programs that enhance the delivery of health care in Northeastern…

—
12
Glenn H Curtiss Museum of Local History Inc

The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is an educational and cultural institution that collects, preserves, and interprets transportation modes and regional history, and celebrates the innovations and accomplishments of Glenn Hammond Curtiss.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan; the most unlike its peers is Genevieve and Donald S Gilmore Fdn. 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

13 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

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 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 13 of the 30 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
7/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION OF WEST MICHIGAN: $40,000 · HealthMENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION OF WEST MICHIGANMAULE STEM CELL RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC: $38,500 · HealthMAULE STEM CELL RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC+2 more: $1,100 · HealthBAY HARBOR CHURCH: $30,700 · OtherBAY HARBOR CHURCHHEART OF W MI UNITED WAY: $16,740 · OtherHEART OF W MI UNITED WAYFIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $7,000 · OtherFIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHBAY HARBOR CLASSIC CAR & BOAT FESTIVAL: $4,570 · OtherBAY HARBOR CLASSIC CAR & BOAT FESTIVALHELPING HANDS INC HOWARD CITY: $4,000 · OtherHELPING HANDS INC HOWARD CITYCROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER: $2,500 · Other+12 more: $8,250 · Other+12 moreGreat Lakes Center for the Arts: $25,000 · Arts & CultureGreat Lakes Cente…THE MUSEUM OF THE HORSELESS CARRIAGE: $5,000 · Arts & CultureTHE MUSEUM OF THE…HELPING HANDS INC: $3,000 · Human ServicesKIERSTENS RIDE: $300 · Human ServicesBAY HARBOR FOUNDATION: $2,510 · PhilanthropyTHE JT MESTDAGH FOUNDATION: $250 · PhilanthropyUnited Way of Brazoria County: $200 · PhilanthropyConductive Learning Center of North America: $250 · Education
Health$79,600Other$73,760Arts & Culture$30,000Human Services$3,300Philanthropy$2,960Education$250

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION OF WEST MICHIGAN: $40,000 over 5y, 1.8% of budgetMAULE STEM CELL RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC: $38,500 over 1y, 64% of budgetGreat Lakes Center for the Arts: $25,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTHE MUSEUM OF THE HORSELESS CARRIAGE: $5,000 over 1y, 5.4% of budgetHELPING HANDS INC: $3,000 over 3y, 2.1% of budgetBAY HARBOR FOUNDATION: $2,510 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGENEVIEVE AND DONALD S GILMORE FDN: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKIERSTENS RIDE: $300 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE JT MESTDAGH FOUNDATION: $250 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUnited Way of Brazoria County: $200 over 1y, 0.0% 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.

  • Who funds MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION OF WEST MICHIGAN ↗
  • Who funds MAULE STEM CELL RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC ↗
  • Who funds Great Lakes Center for the Arts ↗
  • Who funds THE MUSEUM OF THE HORSELESS CARRIAGE ↗
  • Who funds HELPING HANDS INC ↗
  • Who funds BAY HARBOR FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC ↗
  • Who funds GENEVIEVE AND DONALD S GILMORE FDN ↗
  • Who funds KIERSTENS RIDE ↗
  • Who funds Conductive Learning Center of North America ↗
  • Who funds THE JT MESTDAGH FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds United Way of Brazoria County ↗
  • Who funds COREWELL HEALTH FOUNDATION WEST MICHIGAN ↗

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.

Frey FoundationDonor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Frey FoundationMI13.5× affinity4 shared granteesties to 4 of 4Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Frey Foundation · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 Robert and Sharon Grooters Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Robert and Sharon Grooters Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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.

    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 30 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Robert and Sharon Grooters’ 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