Frey Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 23-7094777 · since 1974freyfdn.org·Charlevoix County, Emmet County, Kent County, Michigan·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$4.8M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$500 to $90,000

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$5,000

Typical grant (median)

195 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Frey Foundation funds work across Kent, Emmet, Charlevoix and the wider West/Northern Michigan regions, so only organisations working in those areas should approach it.
Its interests span Building Community, Children & Families, Community Arts and the Environment, with particular attention to mental health and wellness, so check your project sits within one of these pillars before applying.
Typical grants range from $500 to $90,000, with a median of $5,000, so pitch a modest, specific request rather than general running costs, since the foundation does not fund general operating support or programmes that require participants to practise or adhere to specific religious beliefs.
Applications begin with an inquiry through its online grant portal, which may lead to an invitation to submit a full application, and the foundation welcomes calls to the office with questions beforehand; it accepts inquiries on a rolling basis.
Around half of its grant dollars to organisations go to groups it has funded before, so while new applicants are welcomed, it is worth building a relationship and demonstrating fit with its stated priorities before seeking a larger award.

Overview

Frey Foundation is a US private foundation based in Grand Rapids, MI.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Frey Foundation invests collaboratively in West and Northern Michigan to strengthen communities, protect the natural environment, enhance the arts and transform the lives of individuals and families. Its four Pillars of Place are Building Community, Children & Families, Community Arts and the Environment. It accepts inquiries from charitable or tax-exempt organisations whose work impacts its areas of focus and involves one or more of those programme areas. Its community-building priorities include attainable housing, well-planned development that creates strong city centres and neighbourhoods, youth career readiness and opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs. It values public-private partnerships and inclusive practices that reflect community diversity, and prioritises mental health and wellness.

Themes

Building Community
Children & Families
Community Arts
Environment
Mental health and wellness

Geographic Focus

Kent; Emmet; Charlevoix; West/Northern Michigan regions.

What They Don't Fund

Requests for general operating support
Programs that require participants practice or adhere to specific religious beliefs

How to apply

Applicants submit an inquiry through the online grant portal; the foundation reviews inquiries and may invite an applicant to submit a full application.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 49% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 619 grants to organisations were $5,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

The foundation values public-private partnerships.
It values demonstrated inclusion in board recruitment, hiring and service delivery that reflects community diversity.
It prioritises mental health and wellness in its grantmaking.
Potential grantees are encouraged to read the programme areas and guidelines to assess fit and shape a strategic inquiry.
Potential grantees are welcome to call the office with questions.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Michigan94%

North Carolina2%

District of Columbia<1%

Illinois<1%

Florida<1%

Connecticut<1%

6 other states: 1%

The largest single recipient received 6% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 49% of grant dollars went to organisations Frey Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
13% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

195 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $5,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 195 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k12%

$1k–$2.5k24%

$2.5k–$5k8%

$5k–$10k19%

$10k–$25k19%

$25k–$50k6%

$50k–$100k5%

$100k–$250k4%

$250k–$500k2%

$500k–$1M1%

Median $5,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Grand Valley State University · Fully endow the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy
$500,0002024 tax year
Grand Action Foundation 20 · Acrisure Amphitheater in Downtown Grand Rapids
$500,0002024 tax year
Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Grand Rapids · The development of a childcare center in Rapid Central Station in downtown Grand Rapids and its first year of programming
$390,0002024 tax year
Mary Free Bed Hospital and Rehabilitation Center · A Shared Vision for Brighter Futures - Building a Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital
$300,0002024 tax year
Pine Rest Foundation · Pine Rest Pediatric Center for Behavioral Health
$300,0002024 tax year
Grand Rapids Public Museum Foundation · The riverfront and community archives portions of the Expanding Curiosity Capital Campaign
$200,0002024 tax year
Habitat for Humanity of Kent County · Imagine capital campaign to create 100 units of affordable housing
$200,0002024 tax year
West Michigan Trails & Greenways Coalition · Building Connections, Building Communities
$150,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

David G Frey Jr — Chair
Holly A Johnson — President
Laura D Frey — Treasurer
Campbell W Frey — Trustee
Sarah R Frey Rose — Trustee
Eleonora H Frey Zagel — Vice Chair
Mary Frey Bennett — Secretary

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$7,809,037	$6,114,864	$132,169,982	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$8,879,633	$5,522,441	$147,686,324	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$7,453,999	$4,780,950	$162,397,904	Filing for 2024 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.