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Bill & Julia Van Domelen Foundation

Annual Giving
$9.6M
Grant Range
$2500K - $10.0M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $9,595,480 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable (trustee discretion)
  • Grant Range: $2,500,000 - $10,000,000 (recent major gifts)
  • Geographic Focus: Michigan (Kalamazoo area) and Florida (Southwest Florida, particularly Collier County)

Contact Details

Foundation Address: Southfield, MI

Key Trustees:

  • Julia Van Domelen (President, Secretary, Director)
  • Arthur E. Albin (Treasurer & Director)
  • George H. Lennon (Director)

Note: This is a private foundation without a public website or application portal. Contact information is not publicly available.

Overview

The Bill & Julia Van Domelen Foundation was established in May 1991 by entrepreneur William F. Van Domelen and his wife Julia. Bill Van Domelen built his fortune through fast-food restaurant chains, including founding Hot 'n Now which he sold in 1990, after which he dedicated his time to philanthropy. The foundation holds substantial assets of approximately $122 million and distributed over $9.5 million in grants in 2023. While initially created to support Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries, the foundation has since expanded its grantmaking to multiple organizations, with a consistent focus on helping people impacted by poverty access basic needs including housing, healthcare, and education. The foundation is particularly active in Michigan and Southwest Florida, with recent transformative gifts supporting healthcare access for underserved populations and behavioral health services for children.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation makes large, transformative grants rather than numerous small awards. Recent grants include:

  • Healthcare Access: $5 million to Healthcare Network for the Van Domelen Community Health Center in Orangetree, Florida
  • Behavioral Health: $10 million to David Lawrence Centers for the Van Domelen Children's Center for Excellence
  • Women's & Children's Health: $5.7 million to NCH Healthcare System for specialized pediatric and maternal care
  • Faith-Based Services: Historic support to Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries, including $2.5 million for a women and children's shelter

Priority Areas

  • Healthcare access for medically underserved populations
  • Behavioral health and mental health services, particularly for children
  • Women's and children's healthcare services
  • Faith-based organizations serving people experiencing poverty and homelessness
  • Basic needs: housing, education, healthcare for vulnerable populations
  • Community health infrastructure in underserved areas

What They Don't Fund

Given the foundation's focused approach on large, transformative gifts, they likely do not fund:

  • Small grants or operational support
  • Organizations outside Michigan and Southwest Florida
  • Programs not aligned with healthcare, basic needs, or faith-based poverty services

Governance and Leadership

Julia Van Domelen serves as President, Secretary, and Director. She is a former president of Christ Child Society of Naples, Florida, demonstrating commitment to early childhood education and children's services. Julia continues Bill's philanthropic vision following his passing in 2015.

Bill Van Domelen (1929-2015) founded the foundation after selling his Hot 'n Now restaurant chain. According to his obituary, he was "passionate about helping people impacted by poverty" and believed "everyone deserves basic needs like housing, education and healthcare." He encouraged others to "find your passion on where you can help people that need it most." He was described as "humble and selfless," with strong Catholic faith influencing his charitable giving.

Quote from Julia Van Domelen: "We wanted to choose a healthcare partner who is committed to providing quality care to everyone in Collier County" (regarding NCH Healthcare System gift).

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation operates through trustee discretion, with grants awarded by invitation only or through relationships developed by the trustees. There is no application portal, guidelines, or public deadlines.

Based on the foundation's history, grants appear to be initiated through:

  • Direct trustee identification of projects aligned with the foundation's mission
  • Pre-existing relationships with organizations in Michigan and Southwest Florida
  • Board members' knowledge of community needs
  • Personal connections of Julia Van Domelen, particularly in the Naples/Collier County area where she has been active in the nonprofit sector

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are awarded at trustee discretion without a formal timeline.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation operates without a public application process, traditional application strategies do not apply. However, analysis of their grantmaking reveals clear patterns:

Geographic Focus: The foundation concentrates giving in two specific regions - Kalamazoo, Michigan (Bill's business roots) and Southwest Florida, particularly Collier County (where the Van Domelens maintained a residence in Naples). Organizations outside these regions are unlikely to receive consideration.

Transformative Scale: Recent gifts have been in the $2.5-10 million range. The foundation appears to prefer making fewer, larger grants that can transform an organization or create significant community impact rather than numerous smaller grants. Projects should be of substantial scale to align with their giving patterns.

Healthcare and Basic Needs: Every documented recent grant supports healthcare access, with emphasis on:

  • Medically underserved populations
  • Women's and children's health services
  • Behavioral health and mental health care
  • Faith-based organizations addressing poverty, housing, and basic needs

Naming Recognition: Three major recent gifts resulted in facilities named after the Van Domelens (Van Domelen Community Health Center, Van Domelen Children's Center for Excellence). This suggests the foundation may be open to naming recognition for transformative gifts.

Catholic Values Alignment: Bill Van Domelen's strong Catholic faith influenced his philanthropy, particularly evident in long-term support for Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries. Organizations with faith-based missions aligned with Catholic social teaching may resonate with the foundation.

Community Infrastructure: Rather than funding programs alone, recent grants have supported building or expanding healthcare infrastructure - physical facilities that will serve communities for decades.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists - this foundation operates entirely through trustee discretion and invitation
  • Focus on Naples/Collier County, Florida and Kalamazoo, Michigan - geographic connection is essential
  • Transformative giving only - think multi-million dollar capital projects, not program grants
  • Healthcare access for underserved populations is the dominant theme across recent grantmaking
  • Children's services appear particularly important, with major investments in pediatric care and children's behavioral health
  • Relationship-based philanthropy - Julia Van Domelen's personal connections in Naples nonprofit sector appear to drive many grants
  • Long-term infrastructure focus - the foundation invests in buildings and capacity that create lasting community change

References

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