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Herrick Foundation

Annual Giving
$7.5M
Grant Range
$7K - $1.0M

Herrick Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $7,463,088 (2024)
  • Grant Range: $7,000 - $1,000,000
  • Median Grant: $167,000
  • Total Assets: $179,053,825
  • Geographic Focus: Southeast Michigan (Washtenaw, Lenawee, Livingston, Jackson, Monroe, and Western Wayne counties, excluding Detroit and Ann Arbor)
  • Application Method: Invitation only

Contact Details

Address: 2010 Hogback Rd, Suite 5, Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Phone: 734-646-3281

Email: admin@herrickfdn.org

Website: www.herrickfdn.org

Overview

Established in 1949 by Ray W. Herrick, founder of Tecumseh Products Company (an early Fortune 500 enterprise), the Herrick Foundation has distributed over $500 million to charitable organizations over its 75+ year history. The foundation operates with a mission to "empower and support organizations that strengthen communities and help people flourish," guided by the motto "Vibrant Communities. Thriving People." Under CEO Wendy Brightman's leadership since early 2023, the foundation emphasizes trust-based philanthropy, innovative grant partnerships, and industry best practices. The foundation demonstrates a preference for challenge grants and, in most cases, anonymity so that communities clearly own the initiatives. Leadership has passed through successive generations of the Herrick family, who have maintained the founder's original values and stewardship principles.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Herrick Foundation awards approximately $7.2 million annually through 25-52 grants, with a typical range of $100,000 to $2 million and a median grant of $167,000. The most common grant amount is $50,000. The foundation makes multi-year grant commitments.

Priority Areas

Housing: Support for housing access and retention, including financial assistance to help target populations remain housed, and critical repairs and rehabilitations to ensure individuals and families can stay in their homes. The foundation works with Michigan nonprofits to increase access to safe and affordable housing.

Lifelong Learning: Generates experiential learning opportunities for people of all ages through:

  • Enrichment: Hands-on learning opportunities including outdoor, cultural, literacy, STEAM activities, and summer camps
  • Non-Traditional Education: Creative educational opportunities outside formal academic settings including vocational/trade school, career exploration, and alternative schools for students with learning and social differences
  • Higher Education: Research grants, scholarship programs (made through college and postgraduate educational institutions), and capital funding

Community Wellbeing: Support for organizations and projects that improve quality of life, including:

  • Community healthcare programs and medical debt relief
  • Domestic and sexual violence prevention and support
  • Food insecurity and healthy food access
  • Care and conservation of public spaces for community benefit

Capacity Building: Funds infrastructure needs and enables grant partners to develop skills for effectiveness and sustainability. Examples include fundraising training programs (such as the Certificate in FundRaising Management program for 36-40 individuals from local nonprofits) and organizational planning support for succession, re-accreditation, fundraising, staffing, and professional development.

Recent Grant Examples (2023)

  • University of Michigan: $1,000,000 for support of new medical facility
  • Interlochen Center for the Arts: $1,000,000 for Envision Interlochen at 100 Campaign
  • The Nature Conservancy: $1,000,000 for conservation of Keweenaw Peninsula
  • Great Lakes Center for the Arts: $750,000 for diminishing debt campaign
  • Great Lakes Center for the Arts: $750,000 for sustainability campaign
  • Gleaners Community Food Bank Inc: $500,000

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations focused on Detroit or Ann Arbor (despite these being in their geographic region)
  • Individual scholarships directly to students (scholarship programs must be administered through educational institutions)
  • Unsolicited proposals from any organization

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

  • Todd W. Herrick II: Chairman of the Board of Trustees, President and Treasurer (grandson of founder Ray W. Herrick)
  • Lisa H. Parker: Trustee
  • Linda J. Herrick: Trustee
  • Kent B. Herrick: Vice-President, Executive Director and Trustee (noted in earlier records)

Staff

  • Wendy Brightman, CEO (MML, CFRE, CFRM): Joined early 2023 with two decades of leadership, board governance, and donor relations experience. Focuses on trust-based philanthropy and innovative grant partnerships.
  • Helen Starman, Senior Program Officer (BA and MSW from University of Michigan): Nearly 30 years in fund development and nonprofit leadership. Joined 2025. Co-leads the Washtenaw Fundraising Initiative.
  • Jennifer Amormino, Administrative Services Manager: 20 years in operations, project management, and board administration. Joined September 2023.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Herrick Foundation does not have a public application process. This foundation accepts applications by invitation only and does not review unsolicited proposals, letters of inquiry, or requests for funding.

The foundation self-selects its grantees through its own research and network. Organizations cannot submit proposals unless specifically invited by the foundation.

Getting on Their Radar

The Herrick Foundation proactively identifies organizations through:

Capacity Building Initiatives: The foundation hosts and sponsors training programs for local nonprofit organizations. In 2024, they provided the Certificate in FundRaising Management (CFRM) program to 36 individuals from 19 local nonprofit organizations, and underwrote similar training for 40 individuals from 25 nonprofit organizations in Emmet and Charlevoix counties in 2025. Participating in such foundation-sponsored capacity building programs may increase visibility.

Geographic Focus: The foundation works primarily with organizations serving underserved areas of Southeast Michigan in Washtenaw, Lenawee, Livingston, Jackson, Monroe, and Western Wayne counties. Organizations working in these specific counties (excluding Detroit and Ann Arbor) are more likely to align with the foundation's geographic priorities.

Partnership Approach: The foundation emphasizes "innovative grant partnerships" and views grantees as "grant partners," suggesting they value collaborative relationships rather than transactional funding.

Multi-Year Commitments

The foundation makes multi-year grant commitments. As a result of many multi-year grant commitments and limited uncommitted funds, the foundation periodically pauses inviting new grant applications. Organizations should be aware that even invitation-only applications may be temporarily unavailable during such periods.

Application Success Factors

Foundation-Specific Approach

Challenge Grants Preference: The Herrick Foundation demonstrates a strong preference for challenge grants that promote community participation. Organizations that can structure requests to leverage community investment are likely more aligned with the foundation's approach.

Anonymity and Community Ownership: The foundation prefers anonymity in its giving "so that the community clearly owns the initiative." Grant seekers should understand that the foundation values community-led solutions where the community receives credit for success rather than the funder.

Trust-Based Philanthropy: Under CEO Wendy Brightman's leadership, the foundation operates using trust-based philanthropy principles. This suggests they value long-term relationships, unrestricted funding where appropriate, and treating grantees as partners rather than supplicants.

Capacity Building Investment: The foundation believes it is "a wise investment to fund the tools their grant partners need to help them achieve their missions now and support their long-term sustainability." Organizations seeking capacity building support alongside programmatic funding may find alignment.

Geographic Specificity: Organizations must serve underserved areas of Southeast Michigan in the specified six counties (Washtenaw, Lenawee, Livingston, Jackson, Monroe, and Western Wayne), but notably NOT Detroit or Ann Arbor. This specific exclusion is critical.

Focus Area Alignment: Successful grants clearly align with one or more of the three primary focus areas: Housing (access and retention), Lifelong Learning (experiential opportunities for all ages), or Community Wellbeing (healthcare, violence prevention, food access, public spaces).

Examples of Funded Work

Recent grants demonstrate the foundation funds:

  • Major capital campaigns for established institutions (Interlochen Center for the Arts, Great Lakes Center for the Arts)
  • Conservation and environmental protection (The Nature Conservancy)
  • Medical facilities and healthcare infrastructure (University of Michigan medical facility)
  • Food security programs (Gleaners Community Food Bank)
  • Organizational sustainability and debt reduction (Great Lakes Center for the Arts diminishing debt campaign)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation Only: This foundation cannot be approached directly. Organizations must wait to be invited to apply. Building visibility through other channels in Southeast Michigan philanthropy may help.

  • Geographic Precision Matters: Work must benefit underserved areas in Washtenaw, Lenawee, Livingston, Jackson, Monroe, or Western Wayne counties, but NOT Detroit or Ann Arbor specifically.

  • Challenge Grant Structure: If invited to apply, consider structuring requests as challenge grants that leverage community investment and promote community ownership.

  • Multi-Year Relationship: The foundation makes multi-year commitments, suggesting they prefer deeper relationships with fewer organizations rather than one-time grants to many.

  • Capacity Building Welcome: The foundation actively invests in organizational infrastructure, so capacity building requests alongside programmatic funding are valued.

  • Substantial Grant Sizes: With a median grant of $167,000 and typical range of $100,000 to $2 million, this foundation makes significant investments. Small grant requests may not align with their strategy.

  • Trust-Based Approach: The foundation values partnership, collaboration, and long-term sustainability over transactional relationships.

References

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