Michigan Gateway Community Foundation
Buchanan, MI · EIN 38-2180730. Reported 158 grants totalling $2,853,661 to 82 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Michigan Gateway Community Foundation, the IRS classifies it as a community foundation (NTEE T31).
- How spread out its giving is. 82 distinct organizations, with 10% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 69% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is about the 57% median for grantmaking charities -- noticeably lower than the 67% private foundations manage. Organizations like this one rotate more of their list each year, which is where an opening for a newcomer tends to be.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $11,774. Half of what it reported fell between $7,500 and $21,915; the smallest was $5,200 and the largest $93,890. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | $287,355 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Southwestern Michigan College Foundation | Dowagiac, MI | $275,865 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI | $173,525 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $137,307 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lake Michigan College Foundation | Benton Harbor, MI | $126,671 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Young Mens Christian Association of Greater Michiana Inc | Niles, MI | $125,534 | 5 | 3 | 2024 |
| Redbud Area Ministries | Buchanan, MI | $83,509 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Buchanan Community Schools | Buchanan, MI | $76,186 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| City of Buchanan | Buchanan, MI | $71,008 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M D School of Medicine | Kalamazoo, MI | $68,784 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| City of Niles | Niles, MI | $64,263 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| United Way of Southwest Michigan | Saint Joseph, MI | $61,809 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Fernwood Inc | Niles, MI | $58,547 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| City of Buchanan | Buchanan, MI | $54,988 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Buchanan District Library | Buchanan, MI | $49,800 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| First Presbyterian Church of Buchanan | Buchanan, MI | $44,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Buchanan Art Center | Buchanan, MI | $42,368 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| YMCA of Greater Michiana | Grand Rapids, MI | $40,458 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ferris State University | Big Rapids, MI | $35,375 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lyons Mcbride LLC | Dowagiac, MI | $34,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Marcellus Area Emergency Services Association | Marcellus, MI | $30,344 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Cass County Council on Aging Inc | Cassopolis, MI | $30,331 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Michigan College Access Network | Lansing, MI | $30,300 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Salvation Army | Southfield, MI | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Buchanan Art Center Inc | Buchanan, MI | $29,382 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Charity Navigator | Union City, NJ | $28,333 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Corewell Health - Michigan State University Alliance Corporation | Grand Rapids, MI | $28,333 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Marcellus Twp Wood Memorial Library | Marcellus, MI | $27,866 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Board of Regents of Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti, MI | $26,656 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Alma College | Alma, MI | $26,625 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Michigan Tech Fund | Houghton, MI | $26,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Lake Michigan Steamworks | Buchanan, MI | $26,215 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Ferris State University | Big Rapids, MI | $25,750 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Newberg Fire & Ems Association | Jones, MI | $25,403 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Diamond Lake Yacht Club | Cassopolis, MI | $24,788 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Help for Homes | Niles, MI | $24,479 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hope College | Holland, MI | $24,200 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Hudson Memorial Bulding Village of Marcellus | Marcellus, MI | $21,534 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Corewell Health | Grand Rapids, MI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Oklahoma State University | Stillwater, OK | $19,200 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Cass County Council on Aging | Cassopolis, MI | $18,936 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kalamazoo Valley Community College Foundation | Kalamazoo, MI | $17,725 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Central Michigan University | Mt Pleasant, MI | $16,531 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Buchanan Area Senior Center | Buchanan, MI | $16,023 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Ferry Street Resource Center Inc | Niles, MI | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Missouri Welding Institute Inc | Nevada, MO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, IL | $13,750 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Cornerstone University | Grand Rapids, MI | $13,683 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Ber Refrigeration Heating Cooling & Plumbing Inc | St Jospeh, MI | $13,550 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Brandywine Community Schools | Niles, MI | $12,450 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wgu Corporation | Salt Lake Cty, UT | $12,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | $11,750 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Salvation Army | Niles, MI | $10,303 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters Slmr | South Bend, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chikaming Open Lands | Sawyer, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Discover Southwest Michigan | St Jospeh, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Weecho | Niles, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bethel University Inc | Mishawaka, IN | $8,125 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ivy Tech Community College | Indianapolis, IN | $8,121 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rising Kites | Bridgman, MI | $8,082 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Berrien County Health Department | Benton Harbor, MI | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cultural Arts Everywhere | Buchanan, MI | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Manchester University Inc | N Manchester, IN | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Glen Oaks Community College Foundation | Centreville, MI | $7,625 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Columbia College Chicago | Chicago, IL | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kalamazoo Valley Community College | Kalamazoo, MI | $7,373 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Saginaw Valley State University | University Center, MI | $7,250 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce | Niles, MI | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Trustees of Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Newberg Fire & Ems Partnership | Tigard, OR | $6,332 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Grace Schools | Winona Lake, IN | $6,250 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Northwestern-St Paul | Saint Paul, MN | $6,250 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Berrien County Cancer Service Inc | St Joseph, MI | $6,152 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Bethel College | North Newton, KS | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rated Next Barber Stylist School | Laporte, IN | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Notre Dame Du Lac | Notre Dame, IN | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Friends of Niles District Library | Niles, MI | $5,804 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pierce Audio LLC | Mishawaka, IN | $5,750 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Baker College Professional Services Inc | Owosso, MI | $5,555 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Heidelberg University | Tiffin, OH | $5,200 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
37 of 82 (45%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Buchanan Community Schools
MULTIPLE EDUCATION PURPOSES - United Way of Southwestern Michigan
GRANT FOR LOCAL UNDERGRADUATE
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 38 of 82 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | $590,799 | $13,693 |
| 2022 | 35 | $684,582 | $13,426 |
| 2023 | 40 | $718,222 | $11,774 |
| 2024 | 51 | $860,058 | $10,749 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
92% of its giving went to organizations in Michigan. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available 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 grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $11,774 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Michigan.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Michigan Gateway Community Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I 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: 111 Days Avenue, Buchanan, MI, 49017.
EIN 38-2180730 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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