Americana Foundation
Novi, MI · EIN 38-2269431. Reported 141 grants totalling $2,717,338 to 90 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Americana Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $15,900. Half of everything it gave fell between $7,000 and $25,000; the smallest was $214 and the largest $130,360. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | $559,626 | 17 | 4 | 2024 |
| Thomas Jefferson Foundation Inc | Charlottesville, VA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Colonial Williamsburg Foundation | Williamsburg, VA | $99,184 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Make Food Not Waste | Detroit, MI | $63,514 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Earth University Foundation | Atlanta, GA | $60,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Huron Pines | Gaylord, MI | $53,500 | 4 | 2 | 2024 |
| Edsel and Eleanor Ford House | Grosse Pointe Shores, MI | $51,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Asbury Community Development Corporation | Flint, MI | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Historic New England | Saunderstown, RI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Museum of Fine Arts Boston | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| United Way of Northeast Michigan | Alpena, MI | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Diplomatic Reception Rooms | Washington, DC | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Growing Hope Inc | Ypsilanti, MI | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Micah 6 Community Coleman | Pontiac, MI | $45,000 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Legacy Land Conservancy | Ann Arbor, MI | $40,900 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Michigan Enviornmental Council | Lansing, MI | $38,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Six Rivers Land Conservancy | Rochester, MI | $36,599 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Keep Growing Detroit | Detroit, MI | $36,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Central Lake Superior Watershed Partners | Marquette, MI | $32,500 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Edison Institute | Washington, DC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Greening of Detroit | Detroit, MI | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Southwest Detroit Enviornmental Vision | Detroit, MI | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Washtenaw County Conservation District | Ann Arbor, MI | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Worcester Art Museum (wam) | Worcester, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Winterthur Museum Garden & Library | Winterthur, DE | $28,000 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ecology Center | Ann Arbor, MI | $27,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Black to the Land Coalition | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Citizens for a Safe and Clean Lake Superior | Marquette, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Clinton River Watershed Council | Rochester, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Concord Antiquarian Society | Concord, MA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Crooked Tree Arts Council | Traverse City, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Denver Art Museum | Denver, CO | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Eastern Market Corporation | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Edible Flint | Flint, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Fair Food Network | Ann Arbor, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Freshwater Future | Petoskey, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Historic Deerfield Inc | Deerfield, MA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Historic Locust Grove | Louisville, KY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation | Williamsburg, VA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Kalamazoo Nature Center | Kalamazoo, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Michigan History Foundation | Lansing, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Michigan Sustainable Business Forum | Grand Rapids, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Muskegon River Watershed Assembly | Big Rapids, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Old Sturbridge Village Inc | Sturbridge, MA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Regents of University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Soo Locks Childrens Museum | Sault Ste Marie, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| St James Episcopal Church | Birmingham, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Valley Forge Park Alliance | King of Prussia, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Little Traverse Conservancy | Harbor Springs, MI | $22,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Partridge Creek Compost | Ishpeming, MI | $21,840 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Stewardship Network | Ann Arbor, MI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Farmland Trust | Washington, DC | $18,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Detroit Hives | Detroit, MI | $18,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ser Metro- Detroit | Detroit, MI | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Wdet | Detroit, MI | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Henry Ford Estate | Dearborn, MI | $17,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch | Petoskey, MI | $16,975 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Headwaters Land Conservancy | Gaylord, MI | $16,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Environmental Law and Policy Center | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hessel School House Corporation | Hessel, MI | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Historical Society of Michigan | Lansing, MI | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Made By US | Atlanta, GA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Rada Foundation | Ashville, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy | Marquette, MI | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Alliance for Leadership Fellows | Houston, TX | $11,850 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Asheville Art Museum | Ashville, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Charter Township of Calumet | Calumet, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology | Bellaire, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Genesee County Agricultural Society | Mt Morris, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Health Unit on Davison Avenue | Detroit, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kid's Food Basket | Grand Rapids, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Leelanau Conservancy | Leland, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Live Zero Waste Inc | Ann Arbor, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Merrifield, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Village of Calumet | Calumet, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Slave Dwelling Project Inc | Ladson, SC | $8,100 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Scrap Soils | Detroit, MI | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Detroit Public Schools Foundation | Detroit, MI | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| For Love of Water (flow) | Traverse City, MI | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Metro Food Rescue | West Bloomfield, MI | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Allen Neighborhood Center | Lansing, MI | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bethany Housing Ministries Dba Community Encompass | Muskegon, MI | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Center for Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Tiny Seed Project | East Hardwick, VT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Exponent Philanthropy | Washington, DC | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Detroit Horse Power | Detroit, MI | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of the Animal Barn | Wixom, MI | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Calvary United Methodist Church | Flint, MI | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| First United General Baptist Church | Flint, MI | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hasselbring Senior Center | Flint, MI | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
20 of 90 (22%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 25%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Michigan State University
2022 MSU TOLLGATE FARM OPERATIONS & PROGRAMS GRANT - Thomas Jefferson Foundation Inc
MONTICELLO CURATORIAL INTERNSHIP - Historic New England
RECOVERING NEW ENGLAND'S VOICES - Museum of Fine Arts Boston
HEAR ME NOW: THE BLACK POTTERS OF OLD EDGEFIELD, SOUTH CAROLINA - Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
FROM AFRICAN AMERICAN HANDS - Keep Growing Detroit
ORGANIC FARMER TRAINING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 93 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | $683,939 | $15,000 |
| 2022 | 39 | $788,393 | $15,000 |
| 2023 | 35 | $598,332 | $15,000 |
| 2024 | 31 | $646,674 | $25,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 71% of this one's giving went to organizations in Michigan. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $15,900. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Michigan.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Americana Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 28115 Meadowbrook Road, Novi, MI, 48377. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 38-2269431 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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