Margaret Dunning Foundation
Traverse City, MI · EIN 38-3352930. Reported 119 grants totalling $4,711,500 to 63 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. Margaret Dunning 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 $32,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $25,000 and $50,000; the smallest was $5,500 and the largest $100,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI | $380,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | $315,000 | 12 | 4 | 2024 |
| South Redford School District | Redford, MI | $240,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Oakland Schools | Waterford, MI | $215,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Plymouth Parc | Plymouth, MI | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Redford Interfaith Relief | Redford Charter Twp, MI | $178,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Flint Cultural Center Corporation | Flint, MI | $175,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Plymouth Historical Society | Plymouth, MI | $155,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Community Opportunity Center | Livonia, MI | $135,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Ecorse Public Schools | Ecorse, MI | $120,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Living and Learning Enrichment Center | Northville, MI | $120,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Growth Works | Plymouth, MI | $106,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Gulf Coast Community Foundation | Venice, FL | $105,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation | Sarasota, FL | $105,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Arc of Northwest Wayne County | Redford Charter Twp, MI | $101,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Kettering University | Flint, MI | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Vista Maria | Dearborn Heights, MI | $76,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| New Hope Center for Grief Support | Northville, MI | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| New Haven Community Schools | New Haven, MI | $71,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Dearborn Public Schools | Dearborn, MI | $64,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Starfish Family Services | Inkster, MI | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wyandotte Public Schools | Wyandotte, MI | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Eastern Michigan University Foundation | Ypsilanti, MI | $58,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Educational Excellence Foundation | Lathrup Village, MI | $57,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Educational Excellence Foundation - Plymouth-Canton Community Schools | Plymouth, MI | $57,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Hegira Health Inc | Livonia, MI | $56,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Automotive Hall of Fame | Dearborn, MI | $55,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division | Southfield, MI | $55,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Model T Automotive Heritage Complex | Detroit, MI | $53,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Livonia Public Schools | Livonia, MI | $52,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| American Indian Health and Family Services of Southeastern Michigan | Detroit, MI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Oakwood Healthcare | Dearborn, MI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Plymouth District Library | Plymouth, MI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| St Vincent De Paul of Detroit | Detroit, MI | $50,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Vision to Learn | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Plymouth Community Arts Council | Plymouth, MI | $46,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Friends of the Rouge | Plymouth, MI | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Macomb Community College Foundation | Warren, MI | $44,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Plymouth-Canton Schools | Plymouth, MI | $43,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Henry Ford College Foundation | Dearborn, MI | $42,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wayne-Westland Community Schools | Westland, MI | $42,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hartland Consolidated Schools | Howell, MI | $41,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| South Lake Schools | St Clair Shores, MI | $41,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lenawee Intermediate School District | Adrian, MI | $37,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Chippewa Valley Schools | Clinton Township, MI | $36,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Farmington Public School District | Farmington, MI | $32,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Roots Montessori School | Plymouth, MI | $32,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Flint Institute of Science and History | Flint, MI | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lake Orion Public Schools | Lake Orion, MI | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lakeview Schools | Lakeview, MI | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mecosta-Osceola Intermediate School District | Big Rapids, MI | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Allen Park School District | Allen Park, MI | $29,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Oakland Community College | Bloomfield Hills, MI | $29,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Friends of the Penn | Plymouth, MI | $27,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Wayne County Community College District | Detroit, MI | $27,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Detroit Historical Society | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Techforce Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sanilac Intermediate School District | Sandusky, MI | $22,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Corewell Health Foundation | Southfield, MI | $21,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| First Step - the Western Wayne County Project on Domestic Assault | Plymouth, MI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan | Detroit, MI | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Canton Community Foundation | Canton, MI | $11,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Henry Ford | Dearborn, MI | $5,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
29 of 63 (46%) 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 46%, 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.
- Plymouth Parc
SWIMMING POOL HVAC SYSTEM REPLACEMENT - South Redford School District
EQUIPMENT FOR A NEW AUTOMOTIVE PROGRAM AT THURSTON HIGH SCHOOL - Plymouth Historical Society
FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS AND EXHIBIT RENOVATIONS - Oakland Schools
EQUIPMENT UPGRADES TO AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS IN 10 SCHOOLS - College for Creative Studies
ADVANCED SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAM IN AUTO DESIGN - Living and Learning Enrichment Center
KITCHEN RENOVATIONS AT ITS NORTHVILLE CAMPUS
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 72 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | $1,230,500 | $29,000 |
| 2022 | 28 | $1,228,000 | $35,000 |
| 2023 | 29 | $1,088,000 | $30,000 |
| 2024 | 30 | $1,165,000 | $38,500 |
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.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. Margaret Dunning Foundation has 16 of them, worth $860,000. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back -- and it also tells you how much of the next year's budget is already spoken for.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Parc | Plymouth, MI | $100,000 |
| South Redford School District | Redford, MI | $90,000 |
| College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI | $80,000 |
| College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI | $80,000 |
| College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI | $80,000 |
| Flint Cultural Center Corporation | Flint, MI | $65,000 |
| Kettering University | Flint, MI | $60,000 |
| Arc of Northwest Wayne County | Redford Charter Twp, MI | $50,000 |
| Living and Learning Enrichment Center | Northville, MI | $50,000 |
| Vision to Learn | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 |
| Community Opportunity Center | Livonia, MI | $40,000 |
| Lakeview Schools | Lakeview, MI | $30,000 |
| Flint Institute of Science and History | Flint, MI | $27,000 |
| New Hope Center for Grief Support | Northville, MI | $25,000 |
| St Vincent De Paul of Detroit | Detroit, MI | $17,000 |
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 94% 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 $32,000. 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 Margaret Dunning 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: 125 Park Street 375, Traverse City, MI, 49684. 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 38-3352930 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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