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Michigan · Private foundation

The Carls Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$6.8M
Granted FY2024(still arriving)
39
Grants FY2024
60
Organizations funded FY2023
40%
First-time grantees FY2023
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2024
$100,000
Largest grant, FY2024
$500,000
Organizations funded a year
38 to 69
FY2017 to FY2023
States reached, FY2024
1
Total assets, FY2024
$129M
Applications
Takes unsolicited applications
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2023, 40% of the organizations The Carls Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 32% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 68% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2.3M went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23
Human ServicesHealthEnvironmentFood & NutritionYouth DevelopmentCrime & LegalOther
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 yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2024still arriving38$6.3M42%
FY202360$7.1M40%
FY202257$5.9M42%
FY202169$6.5M55%
FY202065$5.2M68%
FY201954$4.9M65%
FY201854$5.1M78%
FY201738$5.3Mn/a
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Health$17MEnvironment$17MHuman Services$5.8MFood & Nutrition$2.9MHousing & Shelter$2.0MEducation$2.0MYouth Development$1.0MCrime & Legal$867kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

IL
MI
IN
PA
CA
MD
TN
DC

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2024, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 188 grantees
All grantees of The Carls Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy$3,500,00065%
Munson Healthcare Foundations$3,021,23156%
Six Rivers Land Conservancy Fka Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy$1,094,500654%
Beaumont Health Foundation$1,070,49331%
Forgotten Harvest Inc$1,000,00040%
Henry Ford Health St John Foundation$1,000,00042%
Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan$1,000,00040%
Leelanau Conservancy$750,00037%
Henry Ford Health System$720,20030%
Little Traverse Conservancy Inc$700,00052%
Legacy Land Conservancy$682,000429%
Vista Maria$650,00022%
Southwest Michigan Land Conservency Inc$575,00059%
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital$567,50020%
Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan Inc$525,00022%
Mel Trotter Ministries$450,00021%
Keweenaw Land Trust Inc$425,000321%
Children's Healing Center$400,00024%
Land Trust Alliance Inc$400,00041%
Central Michigan University$375,0002n/a
Autism Alliance of Michigan$375,00043%
Judson Center Inc$368,56121%
The New Day Foundation for Families$350,000212%
Cots$300,00013%
Avalon Healing Center$300,00016%
Whaley Children's Center Inc$295,00031%
Crossroads of Michigan$266,50058%
Child and Family Charities$250,00012%
Samaritas$250,00010%
Ozone House Inc$250,00015%
Greater Flint Mental Health Facilities Inc$250,00014%
Ducks Unlimited Inc$250,00020%
American Indian Health and Family Services of Southeastern Mi Inc$250,00015%
Thumb Land Convervancy$250,000251%
Freedom House Detroit$250,00018%
Covenant Community Care Inc$250,00012%
New Community Vision$250,000184%
Lacasa$250,00014%
National Park Trust Inc$246,42728%
Starfish Family Services Inc$240,00020%
Oakland Integrated Healthcare Network$240,00013%
Hospice of Michigan Inc$231,24420%
Vision to Learn$225,00021%
Covenant House Michigan$225,00023%
Zaman International$220,00024%
Henry Ford Health System Foundation$220,00011%
Alternatives for Girls$214,60322%
Ele's Place Inc$214,00024%
Methodist Children's Home Society$212,17611%
Health Intervention Services$200,600113%
Traverse Bay Childrens Advocacy Center$200,00028%
Northeast Michigan Family Resource Center Inc$200,000314%
Leelanau Christian Neighbors Inc$200,00025%
Chikaming Open Lands$180,000213%
Detroit Institute for Children$177,14923%
Land Conservancy of West Michigan$175,00034%
Lahc - Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities$175,00027%
Women's Resource Center Grand Traverse Area$162,50043%
Oakland University$158,8964n/a
Ronald McDonald House Charities Det$150,0001n/a
Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program$150,00014%
Haven Inc$150,00014%
Streams of Hope$150,00017%
Benzie Area Christian Neighbors Inc$150,00017%
Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency$145,92511%
Hope Network$137,0531n/a
University of Michigan$124,983419%
Hands Across the Water Inc$120,94422%
The Christ Child Society of Detroit$120,00023%
Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy$120,000135%
North Star Reach$117,626210%
Matrix Human Services$117,00020%
Gilda's Club Metro Detroit$113,21535%
Corner Health Center$103,61622%
Wellspring$100,000121%
Ruth Ellis Center$100,00012%
Great Lakes Bay Health Centers$100,00010%
Kids Kicking Cancer Inc$100,00013%
Food Bank of Eastern Michigan$100,00010%
Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest$100,00021%
South Michigan Food Bank$100,00020%
Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy$100,000220%
Oakland Family Services$97,50020%
Michigan Hands & Voices$97,340328%
Regents of the University of Michigan$96,4824n/a
Council of Michigan Foundations$94,65080%
Catholic Charities West Michigan$90,00020%
Chandler Park Conservancy$90,00034%
Our House$88,450212%
Abide Ministries Inc$86,00026%
Packard Health Inc$85,00011%
Lighthouse of Oakland County$83,00021%
Student Advocacy Center of Michigan Inc$81,28925%
Hurley Foundation$78,92821%
Higher Hopes$75,000315%
Discovery Center Great Lakes$75,00018%
Brilliant Detroit$75,00012%
Oakland Hope$75,00016%
Southwest Solutions Inc$75,00011%
Michigan State University$74,8766n/a
Wayne Children's Healthcare Access Progr Am Inc$70,28925%
Western Michigan University Foundation$70,00010%
Life Remodeled$66,00013%
Washtenaw Intermediate School District$63,9171n/a
Detroit 90 90$60,00010%
Girlstown Foundation$59,86614%
Michigan Nature Association$55,00013%
Crossover Outreach$55,00016%
Henry Ford Health Genesys Foundation$54,54224%
Abigayle Ministries$54,000110%
Common Ground$53,00010%
Wayne State University$51,2851n/a
Neighborhood Service Organization$50,00010%
Kids' Food Basket Inc$50,00011%
Safe Harbor Children's Advocacy Center$50,00016%
Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy$50,0001n/a
Racquet Up Detroit$50,00011%
ACRES Inc$50,0001n/a
Detroit Parent Network$50,0001n/a
Northmen Den Youth Pantries Inc$50,000211%
Aid in Milan$47,50036%
Catholic Charities of Jackson$45,00011%
Penrickton Center for Blind Children$44,00011%
McLaren Northern Michigan Foundation$42,98510%
The Rainbow Connection$42,70012%
Trinity Health - Michigan$41,29310%
The Furniture Resource Center$41,20013%
Henry Ford Health Providence Foundation$40,09811%
Deaf Inc$40,00013%
Inland Seas Education Association$40,00013%
Hand2hand$40,00011%
Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County$40,00011%
St Louis Center$40,0002n/a
Wedgwood Christian Services$40,00020%
The Arc of Northwest Wayne County$39,40022%
The Arc Community Advocates$38,87015%
The Davies Project for Mid Michigan Children$36,00018%
Henry Ford Health Rochester Foundation$35,31211%
Catholic Charities of Ingham Eaton & Clinton Counties$35,00011%
The Constance Brown Hearing & Speech Center$35,00012%
Growing Hope Inc$35,00022%
Ascension Borgess Foundation$32,44311%
Calvin University$32,30010%
Leelanau Children's Center$30,00022%
The Yunion$30,00012%
Lions Visually Impaired Youth Camp$30,00033%
Lifelabkids Foundation$30,00012%
Voices for Children Advocacy$30,0001n/a
Hearts Cri Michigan Inc Rhonda R Trask$30,000150%
International Aid Inc$27,60010%
Reaching Higher Inc$26,00019%
Students Care Inc$25,000137%
Cass Community Social Services Inc$25,00010%
Friends of Parkside$25,000111%
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint$25,00012%
Special Needs Vision Clinic$25,000115%
Greater Lansing Food Bank$25,00010%
Sos Community Services$25,00011%
Grand Valley State University$22,2865n/a
Three Rivers Health Foundation$21,888128%
McLaren Central Michigan$20,05010%
Mid-Michigan Land Conservancy$20,000110%
Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan$20,00011%
Lakeshore Childrens Advocacy Center$20,000114%
Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan Inc$20,00010%
Mercy Health Partners$18,24110%
Coor Intermediate School District$15,7561n/a
Seeds$15,50011%
Bay Cliff Health Camp$15,00011%
Chippewa Watershed Conservancy Inc$15,00014%
Operation Refuge$15,0001n/a
Community Housing Network Inc$15,00010%
Mecca$14,8621n/a
The Lennon Center$13,98524%
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute$10,18810%
Comprehensive Therapy Center$10,10811%
Children's Assessment Center$10,00011%
YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit$10,00010%
Challenge Mountain of Walloon Hills Inc$10,00011%
R J Scheffel Memorial Toy Project Inc$8,0001n/a
Lowell Area Schools$7,5701n/a
Northern Michigan Children's Assessment Center$7,00011%
Mercy Education Project$6,50011%
Eversight International$6,15810%
Eversight$6,15020%
World Medical Relief Incorporated$5,00010%
Headwaters Land Conservancy$5,00011%
Mercy Christian Health$2,95010%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 73 recipients with no EIN on record ($11M), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

The Carls Foundation supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 9 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 169 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetGrand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy: $3,500,000 over 6y, 5.2% of budgetMunson Healthcare Foundations: $3,021,231 over 5y, 6.2% of budgetSix Rivers Land Conservancy Fka Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy: $1,094,500 over 6y, 54% of budgetBeaumont Health Foundation: $1,070,493 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetForgotten Harvest Inc: $1,000,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetHenry Ford Health St John Foundation: $1,000,000 over 4y, 2.3% of budgetGleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan: $1,000,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetLeelanau Conservancy: $750,000 over 3y, 6.8% of budgetHenry Ford Health System: $720,200 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLittle Traverse Conservancy Inc: $700,000 over 5y, 2.0% of budgetLegacy Land Conservancy: $682,000 over 4y, 29% of budgetVista Maria: $650,000 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetSouthwest Michigan Land Conservency Inc: $575,000 over 5y, 9.5% of budgetMary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital: $567,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetGoodwill Industries of Northern Michigan Inc: $525,000 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetMel Trotter Ministries: $450,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetKeweenaw Land Trust Inc: $425,000 over 3y, 21% of budgetChildren's Healing Center: $400,000 over 2y, 3.8% of budgetLand Trust Alliance Inc: $400,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetAutism Alliance of Michigan: $375,000 over 4y, 2.7% of budgetJudson Center Inc: $368,561 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetThe New Day Foundation for Families: $350,000 over 2y, 12% of budgetCots: $300,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetAvalon Healing Center: $300,000 over 1y, 5.8% of budgetWhaley Children's Center Inc: $295,000 over 3y, 1.4% of budgetCrossroads of Michigan: $266,500 over 5y, 8.3% of budgetChild and Family Charities: $250,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetSamaritas: $250,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetOzone House Inc: $250,000 over 1y, 4.8% of budgetGreater Flint Mental Health Facilities Inc: $250,000 over 1y, 3.8% of budgetDucks Unlimited Inc: $250,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican Indian Health and Family Services of Southeastern Mi Inc: $250,000 over 1y, 4.6% of budgetThumb Land Convervancy: $250,000 over 2y, 51% of budgetFreedom House Detroit: $250,000 over 1y, 7.5% of budgetCovenant Community Care Inc: $250,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetNew Community Vision: $250,000 over 1y, 84% of budgetLacasa: $250,000 over 1y, 4.3% of budgetNational Park Trust Inc: $246,427 over 2y, 7.7% of budgetStarfish Family Services Inc: $240,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetOakland Integrated Healthcare Network: $240,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetHospice of Michigan Inc: $231,244 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetVision to Learn: $225,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetCovenant House Michigan: $225,000 over 2y, 2.8% of budgetZaman International: $220,000 over 2y, 4.3% of budgetHenry Ford Health System Foundation: $220,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetAlternatives for Girls: $214,603 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetEle's Place Inc: $214,000 over 2y, 3.7% of budgetMethodist Children's Home Society: $212,176 over 1y, 1.3% of budget

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 169.

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.

Community Foundation for Southeast MichiganMI98.7× affinity68 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan · Michigan Health Endowment Fund · United Way for Southeastern Michigan · DTE Energy Foundation · Consumers Energy Foundation · Harry a and Margaret D Towsley Foundation · Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation · Charles Stewart Mott Foundation · Comerica Charitable Foundation · Ethel and James Flinn Foundation · Ford Philanthropy · The Jewish Fund

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 The Carls Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Carls Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Carls 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.

About The Carls Foundation

How much does The Carls Foundation give?
The Carls Foundation reported 39 grants totaling $6,802,304 in its FY2024 IRS filing. It funded between 38 and 69 organizations a year over FY2017 to FY2023.
What does The Carls Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2024, its largest causes are Health (34%), Environment (32%), Human Services (11%).
Who are The Carls Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2024: Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy ($3.5M), Munson Healthcare Foundations ($3.0M), Six Rivers Land Conservancy Fka Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy ($1.1M).
Does The Carls Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2023, 40% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does The Carls Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it accepts unsolicited grant applications.
Which funders back the same organizations as The Carls Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, United Way for Southeastern Michigan.
Where is The Carls Foundation based?
The Carls Foundation is based in MI.

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 266 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

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