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Wolverine World Wide Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Wolverine World Wide Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$509k
Granted FY2024still arriving
19
Grants FY2024still arriving
6
States reached
$200k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Community Improvement$872kEnvironment$734kArts & Culture$615kEmployment$603kEducation$523kPhilanthropy$480kRecreation & Sports$405kInternational$200kOther$0
02FY2024 · 19 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k12 grants · $30k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $79k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $400k
$5,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$2.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Ameden$200,000
Greater Grand Rapids Cham$100,000
Th Mcm Am Jimmy$50,000
Individual grant recipient$50,000
Pensole Lewis Colege Of B$49,000
Individual grant recipient$20,000
Parent Project Muscular D$10,000
Calvin University$8,000
Individual grant recipient$5,000
American Cancer Society$5,000
Daniella Haf Association$5,000
Horizons For Homeless Chi$3,500
Kids Food Basket$2,165
Thompsonhine College$500
Grand Valley State University$500
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 (FY20–23, $189k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 96% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Horizons For Homeless Children: $4k → 16%Covenant House Michigan: $20k → 21%COVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN: $10k → 21%Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy: $5k → 14%Waltham Partnership For Youth: $3k → 8%Waltham Partnership For Youth: $3k → 8%WALTHAM PARTHERSHIP FOR YOUTH: $3k → 8%HOSPICE OF MICHIGAN: $3k → 11%NORTH KENT CONNECT: $80k → 11%North Kent Connect: $20k → 11%Arbor Circle: $5k → 11%North Kent Connect: $20k → 11%North Kent Connect: $15k → 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

VT
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
IN
OH
CA
CO
SC
DC
GA
TX
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.

65%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.3M · 51 repeat orgs$1.8M to everyone else

51 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2024, 45 since wound down; 12 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

51
64

Total granted

$3.3M
$1.3M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+11%
+22%

Still filing today

63%
39%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 3% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $493k 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 ServicesPhilanthropyHealthEnvironmentOther
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

  • TT
    TWO TEN FOOTWEAR FOUNDATION INC
    4× · 2020–2023 · $803k · revenue +4%
  • RP
    RIGHT PLACE FOUNDATION
    4× · 2020–2023 · $250k · revenue +90%
  • GG
    Greater Grand Rapids Chamber Foundation
    2× · 2021–2022 · $200k · revenue +70%

Funded once

  • GR
    GRAND RAPIDS WHITEWATER INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $200k · revenue +78%
  • MF
    MICHIGAN FOR ALL
    one grant, 2020 · $100k
  • GG
    GREATER GR CHAMBER FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2020 · $100k
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
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
2
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
3
Michigan Chamber of Commerce

To promote conditions favorable to job creation and business success in michigan.

—
4
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
5
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The minnesota chamber of commerce proactively leads the business community statewide to: advance pro-business, responsible minnesota public policy that creates jobs and grows the econony; provde member services to address evolving business…

—
6
Grand View University

Engages, equips and empowers learners to explore their vocations, fulfill their potential and serve the world.

Education
7
Kalamazoo College

The mission of kalamazoo college is to prepare its graduates to better understand, live sucessfully within, and provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world. as a highly selective, nationally renowened…

Education
8
Michigan Enviromental Council

Informing and educating the public and decision makers about environmental issues.

Environment
9
Boston Architectural College

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

—
10
Midwest Dairy Association

Midwest dairy works with others to give consumers an excellent dairy experience increasing sales, fostering innovation, and inspiring consumer confidence of dairy products and practices.

—
11
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
12
Association of Washington Cities

The association of washington cities builds connections between our state's diverse cities and towns, while providing our members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Kids' Food Basket Inc; 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

60 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. 60 of the 129 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.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
12
Early backer (in before they grew)
59/60
Grantees still filing
41/60
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Greater Grand Rapids Chamber Foundation: $200,000 · OtherGreater Grand Rapids Chamber FoundationAmeden: $200,000 · OtherAmedenUnited Way Kent County: $160,000 · OtherUnited Way Kent CountyGrand Rapids Symphony: $150,000 · OtherGrand Rapids SymphonyGreater Grand Rapids Cham: $100,000 · OtherMICHIGAN FOR ALL: $100,000 · OtherGREATER GR CHAMBER FOUNDATION: $100,000 · OtherOutdoor Industry Associat: $97,000 · OtherUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $100,000 · Other+84 more: $1,436,958 · Other+84 moreTWO TEN FOOTWEAR FOUNDATION INC: $802,500 · Community ImprovementTWO TEN FOOTWEAR FOUNDA…RIGHT PLACE FOUNDATION: $250,000 · Community ImprovementRIGHT PLACE FOUNDATIONTHE OUTDOOR FOUNDATION: $200,000 · EducationTHE OUTDOO…BLANDFORD NATURE CENTER: $120,000 · EducationBLANDFORD …ROCKFORD EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $100,000 · EducationROCKFORD E…CALVIN UNIVERSITY: $24,000 · EducationDAVENPORT UNIVERSITY: $17,500 · Education+8 more: $30,175 · Education+8 moreARTPRIZE GRAND RAPIDS: $235,000 · Arts & CultureGRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM: $80,000 · Arts & CultureGRAND RAPIDS CIVIC THEATRE INC: $15,000 · Arts & CultureOpera Grand Rapids: $15,000 · Arts & CultureST CECILIA MUSIC CENTER: $15,000 · Arts & Culture+3 more: $15,000 · Arts & CultureGRAND RAPIDS WHITEWATER INC: $200,000 · Recreation & SportsTHE KELLY S BRUSH FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 · Recreation & SportsROCKFORD COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER: $135,000 · Human ServicesCOVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN: $30,000 · Human ServicesWALTHAM PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUTH INC: $7,500 · Human Services+4 more: $16,500 · Human ServicesTHE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE: $150,000 · PhilanthropyVAN ANDEL INSTITUTE: $22,500 · PhilanthropyCOASTAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA INC: $10,000 · Philanthropy+1 more: $6,000 · Philanthropy
Other$2,643,958Community Improvement$1,052,500Education$491,675Arts & Culture$375,000Recreation & Sports$215,000Human Services$189,000Philanthropy$188,500

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 budgetTWO TEN FOOTWEAR FOUNDATION INC: $802,500 over 4y, 4.7% of budgetRIGHT PLACE FOUNDATION: $250,000 over 4y, 10% of budgetARTPRIZE GRAND RAPIDS: $235,000 over 3y, 5.6% of budgetGreater Grand Rapids Chamber Foundation: $200,000 over 2y, 11% of budgetTHE OUTDOOR FOUNDATION: $200,000 over 2y, 7.0% of budgetTHE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE: $150,000 over 3y, 2.6% of budgetROCKFORD COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER: $135,000 over 4y, 3.4% of budgetBLANDFORD NATURE CENTER: $120,000 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetROCKFORD EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $100,000 over 4y, 14% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOUTDOOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION: $80,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetGRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM: $80,000 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetODC NETWORK: $75,000 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetWORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF WESTERN MI: $71,000 over 3y, 9.4% of budgetKIDS' FOOD BASKET INC: $67,165 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetCOVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN: $30,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetLand Conservancy of West Michigan: $25,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetFOOTWEAR DISTRIBUTORS AND RETAILERS OF AMERICA INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetCALVIN UNIVERSITY: $24,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetVAN ANDEL INSTITUTE: $22,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetDAVENPORT UNIVERSITY: $17,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGRAND RAPIDS CIVIC THEATRE INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTHE KELLY S BRUSH FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetOpera Grand Rapids: $15,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetCHILDREN'S HEALING CENTER: $15,000 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetST CECILIA MUSIC CENTER: $15,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetEXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL: $13,333 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCOASTAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMichigan Colleges Alliance: $8,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetAquinas College: $8,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $8,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetWALTHAM PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUTH INC: $7,500 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetBranch Interfaith Hospitality Network: $7,500 over 3y, 4.6% of budgetBISSELL Pet Foundation: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ARBOR CIRCLE CORPORATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKENT COUNTY PARKS FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetGRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE PARENT PROJECT FOR MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY RESEARCH INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGRAND RAPIDS CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTHE MOSAIC FILM EXPERIENCE: $5,000 over 1y, 5.2% of budgetBROADWAY GRAND RAPIDS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES WESTERN MICHIGAN: $4,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCROHN'S & COLITIS FOUNDATION INC: $4,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWEST MICHIGAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY INC DBA FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS: $3,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHORIZONS FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN: $3,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBUSINESS LEADERS FOR MICHIGAN: $3,000 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 TWO TEN FOOTWEAR FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds RIGHT PLACE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds ARTPRIZE GRAND RAPIDS ↗
  • Who funds Greater Grand Rapids Chamber Foundation ↗
  • Who funds THE OUTDOOR FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds GRAND RAPIDS WHITEWATER INC ↗
  • Who funds THE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE ↗
  • Who funds ROCKFORD COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER ↗
  • Who funds BLANDFORD NATURE CENTER ↗
  • Who funds ROCKFORD EDUCATION FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds UNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF ↗
  • Who funds OUTDOOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM ↗
  • Who funds ODC NETWORK ↗
  • Who funds WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF WESTERN MI ↗
  • Who funds KIDS' FOOD BASKET INC ↗
  • Who funds COREWELL HEALTH FOUNDATION WEST MICHIGAN ↗
  • Who funds COVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN ↗
  • Who funds Land Conservancy of West Michigan ↗
  • Who funds FOOTWEAR DISTRIBUTORS AND RETAILERS OF AMERICA 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.

Grand Rapids Communit…Frey FoundationThe Meijer FoundationPeter C & Emajean Coo…Douglas & Maria Devos…The Community Foundat…THE PETER and JOAN SE…Daniel & Pamella Devo…Dick and Betsy Devos …Cdv5 FoundationSteelcase FoundationThe Wege Foundation
Grand Rapids Community FoundationMI60.5× affinity28 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Grand Rapids Community Foundation · Frey Foundation · The Meijer Foundation · Peter C & Emajean Cook Foundation · Douglas & Maria Devos Foundation · The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area Inc · THE PETER and JOAN SECCHIA FAMILY INC · Daniel & Pamella Devos Foundation · Dick and Betsy Devos Family Foundation · Cdv5 Foundation · Steelcase Foundation · The Wege 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 Wolverine World Wide Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Wolverine World Wide Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →median 21%
  • Horizons for Homeless Children: 21% of income from government
  • Waltham Partnership for Youth Inc: 4% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
12report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
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 129 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 Wolverine World Wide’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