Michigan · Nonprofit
Northern Lakes Economic Alliance
Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (Michigan) receives grants from 3 organizations whose IRS filings report $465,500 to it, the largest being DTE ENERGY FOUNDATION ($420,500). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $696k
- Funders on record
- 3
- Grants received
- $466k
- Net assets
- $470k
What Northern Lakes Economic Alliance does
Mission
Conduct programs to foster development and retain and attract jobs in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2024 return the organization reported starting a significant new program.
Launch regional infrastructure for development to attract investment; Support talent attraction, inventory strategic sites for investment
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 2).
To support talent attraction activities and enhance economic competitiveness of the area. (MEDC Talent)
$46,987 spent$46,987 earned by the program32% of program spendingTo accelerate growth of entrepreneurs in the region by delivering essential start up services, providing community workspace, and connecting entrepreneurs with crucial resources that facilitate business growth. (SBSH)
$46,115 spent$46,115 earned by the program31% of program spendingTo conduct activities on or related to strategic sites to create an inventory of development ready sites. (SSRP)
$42,523 spent$42,523 earned by the program29% of program spendingLaunch regional infrastructure & development readiness to attract investment to strengthen local economy (ORP)
$12,660 spent$12,660 earned by the program9% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $148,285.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2022 to 2023, from $533k to $441k (−17%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 54% · 2020 10% · 2025 21%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
85% of Northern Lakes Economic Alliance’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (73% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 3 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Dave Cluley
Board Chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 2 funders, grant income fell $65k → $41k.
1 of 3 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 1% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
Left out of every figure on this page: $26k from one payer (the payer shares this organization's board, largest Traverse City Center of Entrepreneurship). These are real filings, and they are not money Northern Lakes Economic Alliance raised.
From the IRS filings of Northern Lakes Economic Alliance’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
Northern Lakes Economic Alliance leans on a few funders — its largest provides 90% of grant income and the top three 100%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2018 100% · 2019 100% · 2020 80% · 2021 91% · 2022 90% · 2023 86% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
100% of Northern Lakes Economic Alliance's grant income comes from Michigan funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $6k arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
Northern Lakes Economic Alliance runs a healthier operating margin than half of the 850 unclassified nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 850 unclassified nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2025
Government funding Northern Lakes Economic Alliance receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $400k on record.
- Department of Commerce$400k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like Northern Lakes Economic Alliance
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Michigan
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
86% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
99%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for Northern Lakes Economic Alliance: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds Northern Lakes Economic Alliance?
- Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (Michigan) receives grants from 3 organizations whose IRS filings report $465,500 to it, the largest being DTE ENERGY FOUNDATION ($420,500). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does Northern Lakes Economic Alliance have?
- IRS filings report 3 organizations giving $465,500 in grants to Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, 2 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of Northern Lakes Economic Alliance?
- DTE ENERGY FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $420,500 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like Northern Lakes Economic Alliance find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Michigan. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 3 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing