Skip to content
William & Lisa Ford Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

William & Lisa Ford Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$130k
Granted FY2024still arriving
6
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$40k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Science & Tech$2.2MHealth$1.8MEducation$1.4MInternational$801kHuman Services$263kPhilanthropy$226kEnvironment$187kArts & Culture$150kOther$0
02FY2024 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$25,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$7.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE CHILDREN'S CENTER$40,000
BISSELL PET FOUNDATION$25,000
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN$25,000
HURON RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL$20,000
THE HENRY FORD$10,000
HENRY FORD HEALTH$10,000
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 (FY17–21, $280k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, 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%T WALL FOUNDATION: $70k → 14%T WALL FOUNDATION: $60k → 14%T WALL FOUNDATION: $50k → 14%T WALL FOUNDATION: $50k → 14%T WALL FOUNDATION: $50k → 14%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

MN
MI
NY
NJ
CT
CA
DC
OK
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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$6.9M · 17 repeat orgs$343k to everyone else

17 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2024, 12 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
19

Total granted

$6.9M
$318k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+69%
+110%

Still filing today

71%
42%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 81% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $25k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationEnvironmentInternationalRecreation & SportsHealthHuman ServicesOther
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

  • HF
    HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM
    7× · 2017–2024 · $1.5M · revenue +69%
  • The Trustees of Princeton University
    7× · 2017–2023 · $1.1M · revenue +5%
  • GLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC
    4× · 2017–2021 · $800k · revenue +34%

Funded once

  • THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS
    one grant, 2022 · $100k · revenue +8%
  • SR
    SPIRIT ROCK MEDITATION CENTER
    one grant, 2021 · $30k
  • SM
    SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN LAND CONSERVANCY
    one grant, 2021 · $27k · revenue -37%
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
Harvard Club of Washington Dc

To inform and enrich the intellectual lives of 20,000 alumni of harvard university in the washington, dc area and to assist harvard university with respect to applicants and undergraduates from the dc area.

Education
2
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
3
DePauw University

Depauw university develops leaders the world needs through an uncommon commitment to the liberal arts. depauw's diverse and inclusive learning and living experience, distinctive in its rigorous intellectual engagement and its global and…

Education
4
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
5
University Corporate Research Park I Inc

To hold title and perform related functions in connection with a research park and innovation center in support of michigan state university research foundation.

—
6
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
7
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
8
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
9
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
10
Delaware Valley University

See schedule o.we are inspired by the ideals of our founder who, in 1896, emphasized respect for all people and ideas, who honored knowledge with practice, progress and the common good. our historical commitment to experiential learning…

—
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
University of Southern Mississippi Foundation

To build relationships with alumni and friends in order to secure private funds and other resources for the benefit of the university of southern mississippi (usm). the foundation receives, invests and distributes private gifts in support…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan; the most unlike its peers is Bissell Pet Foundation. 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

25 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. 25 of the 40 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)
11
Early backer (in before they grew)
24/25
Grantees still filing
20/25
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE HENRY FORD: $2,186,000 · OtherTHE HENRY FORDTHE CHILDREN'S CENTER: $330,000 · OtherTHE CHILDREN'S CENTERUniversity of Michigan: $140,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $120,000 · Other+20 more: $475,750 · Other+20 moreHENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM: $1,535,000 · HealthHENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTE…The Trustees of Princeton University: $1,060,000 · EducationThe Trustees of P…+6 more: $56,500 · EducationGLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC: $800,000 · InternationalGLOBALGIVING…+1 more: $500 · InternationalT WALL FOUNDATION: $280,000 · Human ServicesUNITED WAY FOR SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: $140,500 · Public Safety & DisasterHURON RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL: $80,000 · EnvironmentSOUTHEAST MICHIGAN LAND CONSERVANCY: $27,000 · EnvironmentTHE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA: $25,000 · EnvironmentMICHIGAN ENVIROMENTAL COUNCIL: $5,000 · Environment
Other$3,251,750Health$1,535,000Education$1,116,500International$800,500Human Services$280,000Public Safety & Disaster$140,500Environment$137,000

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 budgetHENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM: $1,535,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetThe Trustees of Princeton University: $1,060,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetGLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC: $800,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetT WALL FOUNDATION: $280,000 over 5y, 79% of budgetUNITED WAY FOR SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: $140,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetUniversity of Michigan: $140,000 over 8y, 7.7% of budgetTHE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetACS OF PUERTO RICO INC: $100,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetHURON RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL: $80,000 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetSOUTHEAST MICHIGAN LAND CONSERVANCY: $27,000 over 1y, 6.3% of budgetTHE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA: $25,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetBISSELL Pet Foundation: $25,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetDETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $22,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetNORTHVILLE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetMISS PORTER'S SCHOOL INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetREINING HORSE FOUNDATION INC: $5,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetMICHIGAN ENVIROMENTAL COUNCIL: $5,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetIVY 1879 FOUNDATION INC: $3,000 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetTHE HOTCHKISS SCHOOL: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HUNDRED CLUB OF DETROIT: $2,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetEast African Children's Fund: $500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCAP AND GOWN CLUB OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.1% 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 HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM ↗
  • Who funds The Trustees of Princeton University ↗
  • Who funds GLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds T WALL FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds UNITED WAY FOR SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN ↗
  • Who funds University of Michigan ↗
  • Who funds THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS ↗
  • Who funds ACS OF PUERTO RICO INC ↗
  • Who funds HURON RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL ↗
  • Who funds COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN ↗
  • Who funds SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN LAND CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds THE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA ↗
  • Who funds BISSELL Pet Foundation ↗
  • Who funds DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE MICHIGAN FOLK SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds NORTHVILLE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MISS PORTER'S SCHOOL INC ↗
  • Who funds REINING HORSE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds MICHIGAN ENVIROMENTAL COUNCIL ↗
  • Who funds IVY 1879 FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds THE HOTCHKISS SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds THE HUNDRED CLUB OF DETROIT ↗
  • Who funds East African Children's Fund ↗
  • Who funds CAP AND GOWN CLUB OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY INC ↗

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 …Gs Donor Advised Phil…Morgan Stanley Global…Network for GoodVanguard Charitable E…National Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Community Foundation for Southeast MichiganMI21× affinity8 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Network for Good · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust · 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 William & Lisa Ford Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from William & Lisa Ford Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 11%
  • The Trustees of Princeton University: 11% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
4report 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 William & Lisa Ford Foundation?

Find your warmest path to William & Lisa Ford 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 40 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 William & Lisa Ford’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