Margaret Dunning Foundation
Traverse City, MI · EIN 38-3352930. Reported 152 grants totalling $5,823,500 to 73 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. 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 $30,000. 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. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | $381,000 | 15 | 5 | 2025 |
| College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI | $380,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| South Redford School District | Redford, MI | $295,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Oakland Schools | Waterford, MI | $215,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Plymouth Parc | Plymouth, MI | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Plymouth Historical Society | Plymouth, MI | $185,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Redford Interfaith Relief | Redford Charter Twp, MI | $178,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Flint Cultural Center Corporation | Flint, MI | $175,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Living and Learning Enrichment Center | Northville, MI | $170,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Arc of Northwest Wayne County | Redford Charter Twp, MI | $151,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Community Opportunity Center | Livonia, MI | $135,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Gulf Coast Community Foundation | Venice, FL | $127,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation | Sarasota, FL | $127,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Ecorse Public Schools | Ecorse, MI | $120,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Hartland Consolidated Schools | Howell, MI | $111,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| New Haven Community Schools | New Haven, MI | $107,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Growth Works | Plymouth, MI | $106,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Vista Maria | Dearborn Heights, MI | $106,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| New Hope Center for Grief Support | Northville, MI | $105,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Kettering University | Flint, MI | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Vision to Learn | Los Angeles, CA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Friends of the Penn | Plymouth, MI | $72,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| South Lake Schools | St Clair Shores, MI | $71,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Wayne-Westland Community Schools | Westland, MI | $68,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Plymouth Community Arts Council | Plymouth, MI | $66,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Dearborn Public Schools | Dearborn, MI | $64,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Lakeview Schools | Lakeview, MI | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| 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 |
| Flint Institute of Science and History | Flint, MI | $57,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| The Educational Excellence Foundation - Plymouth-Canton Community Schools | Plymouth, MI | $57,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chippewa Valley Schools | Clinton Township, MI | $56,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| 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 |
| Detroit Historical Society | Detroit, MI | $52,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| 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 |
| First Step | Plymouth, MI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Methodist Children's Home Society | Redford Township, MI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Mi Work Matters | Livonia, MI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| 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 |
| Fitzgerald Public Schools | Warren, MI | $48,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Friends of the Rouge | Plymouth, MI | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Plymouth-Canton Community Schools | Plymouth, MI | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Macomb Community College Foundation | Warren, MI | $44,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Corewell Health Foundation | Southfield, MI | $43,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Plymouth-Canton Schools | Plymouth, MI | $43,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Utica Community Schools | Sterling Heights, MI | $43,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Henry Ford College Foundation | Dearborn, MI | $42,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lenawee Intermediate School District | Adrian, MI | $37,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Farmington Public School District | Farmington, MI | $32,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Roots Montessori School | Plymouth, MI | $32,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lake Orion Public Schools | Lake Orion, MI | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| 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 |
| Wayne County Community College District | Detroit, MI | $27,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Techforce Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Redford Brightmoor Initiative | Detroit, MI | $24,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund | Boston, MA | $22,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Sanilac Intermediate School District | Sandusky, MI | $22,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| 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 |
| Gilda's Club | Royal Oak, MI | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Canton Community Foundation | Canton, MI | $11,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Community Housing Network | Troy, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Henry Ford | Dearborn, MI | $5,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
38 of 73 (52%) received money in more than one year over the 5 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 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
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 activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 88 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
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 |
| 2025 | 33 | $1,112,000 | $30,000 |
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.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. Margaret Dunning Foundation has 22 of them, worth $1,184,000. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Parc | Plymouth, MI | $100,000 |
| Model T Automotive Heritage Complex | Detroit, 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 |
| Gilmore Car Museum | Hickory Corners, 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 |
| Living and Learning Enrichment Center | Northville, MI | $50,000 |
| Friends of the Penn | Plymouth, MI | $45,000 |
| Community Opportunity Center | Livonia, MI | $40,000 |
Where its money goes
93% of its giving went to organizations in Michigan. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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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 a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $30,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- 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 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
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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