Cosgrove Foundation
Cosgrove Foundation is a private foundation based in Traverse City, Michigan. Its 2025 filing describes direct charitable activity supporting fire and rescue services, children’s programming and Old Town Playhouse, and homeless shelter and homeless initiatives; its listed 2025 grants also went to Michigan organizations.
Cosgrove Foundation at a glance
In short: Cosgrove Foundation gave $220K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in Michigan. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $219,507
- +183.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +54.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,912
- +83.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,563
- Total assets
- $6,774,885
- +19.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Michigan (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Cosgrove Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing lists Tom Cosgrove as the contact and says to submit a letter or grant application. It lists no restrictions on awards. The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- None listed.
- Deadline
- None listed.
- Contact
Application contact: Tom Cosgrove
Mailing address: 945 E 8Th Street, Traverse City, MI 49686
Phone: (231) 941-4447
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cosgrove Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Womens Resource Center ($35K). Together the top 10 received $209K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($2,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
47 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 47 grants of 47 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars in 2025 went to recipients in Michigan.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
How Cosgrove Foundation gives
- 57% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 794% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 78% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $6K (2020) to $220K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $220K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Womens Resource Center Traverse City, MI | Facility support | $35,000 |
| Traverse City Police Dept Traverse City, MI | Protective gear | $34,000 |
| Grand Traverse Metro Fire Dept Traverse City, MI | Support for purchase of rescue equipment | $24,706 |
| Child Family Services of NW MI Traverse City, MI | Program Support | $24,040 |
| TCAPS-Blair PTO Traverse City, MI | Classroom and event support | $19,450 |
| Whitewater Emergency Services Williamsburg, MI | Support purchase of fire & rescue equipment | $19,228 |
| Old Town Playhouse Traverse City, MI | Sponsor programming and update equipment | $17,320 |
| City of Traverse City Traverse City, MI | Firearms | $15,000 |
| First Congregational Church Central Lake, MI | Charitable fund | $10,563 |
| Safe Harbor Traverse City, MI | Facility improvements | $9,200 |
Ready to take the next step with Cosgrove Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6,774,885 | $2,191,475 | $267,360 | $219,507 | 17 | $224,012 | $1,210,194 | $288,058 |
| 2024 | $5,680,899 | $1,055,818 | $102,613 | $77,459 | 11 | $91,296 | $228,147 | $218,319 |
| 2023 | $2,606,026 | $691,312 | $51,283 | $49,417 | 8 | $51,283 | $288,552 | $89,759 |
| 2022 | $1,187,563 | $420,238 | $27,680 | $24,541 | 6 | $25,527 | $20,085 | $50,142 |
| 2021 | $1,211,725 | $527,675 | $17,043 | $15,213 | 5 | $26,855 | $1,151 | $32,837 |
| 2020 | $315,653 | $103,609 | $6,944 | $5,700 | 3 | — | $483 | $10,469 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cosgrove Foundation reported a distributable amount of $288K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its stated charitable activities include support for emergency services, fire departments and rescue; sponsorship of children’s programs and Old Town Playhouse; and support for an area homeless shelter and homeless initiatives.
Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied purposes. The Women’s Resource Center for the Grand Traverse Area describes its mission as protecting, sheltering and empowering people affected by domestic and sexual violence. Old Town Playhouse describes its mission as providing community theatre, education and entertainment in the theatrical arts. Michigan State University’s stated purpose for its $1,000 grant was to help students get college scholarships; an individual recipient State University describes its mission as cultivating donors who contribute to the development of the university.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $219,507 through 17 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $35,000, with a median grant of $10,563. Larger awards included $35,000 to the Women’s Resource Center for facility support; $34,000 to the Traverse City Police Department for protective gear; $24,706 to the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department for rescue equipment; and $24,040 to Child Family Services of Northwest Michigan for program support.
Other notable grants included $19,450 to TCAPS-Blair PTO for classroom and event support; $19,228 to Whitewater Emergency Services for fire and rescue equipment; $17,320 to Old Town Playhouse to sponsor programming and update equipment; and $15,000 to the City of Traverse City for firearms. All 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Thomas A. Cosgrove as Chair, Trevor Fetters as Co-Chair and David M. Cosgrove as Director.
Cosgrove Foundation is led by Thomas A Cosgrove, Chair on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Thomas A Cosgrove
Chair
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David M Cosgrove
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Trevor Fetters
Co-Chair
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Cosgrove Foundation
How much does Cosgrove Foundation give each year?
Cosgrove Foundation gave $220K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $77K across 11 grants.
What is Cosgrove Foundation's typical grant size?
Cosgrove Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,563, and its average grant was $12,912, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Cosgrove Foundation give grants?
Cosgrove Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Traverse City, MI (9 grants).
Does Cosgrove Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Cosgrove Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (4 grants).
Who are Cosgrove Foundation's largest grantees?
Cosgrove Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Womens Resource Center ($35,000), Traverse City Police Dept ($34,000) and Grand Traverse Metro Fire Dept ($24,706), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($2,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Cosgrove Foundation?
Cosgrove Foundation reported $6.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $224K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $288K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Cosgrove Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its stated charitable activities include support for emergency services, fire departments and rescue; sponsorship of children’s programs and Old Town Playhouse; and support for an area homeless shelter and homeless initiatives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cosgrove Foundation?
The 2025 filing lists Tom Cosgrove as the contact and says to submit a letter or grant application. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cosgrove Foundation's EIN?
Cosgrove Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-1848600. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Cosgrove Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Cosgrove Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cosgrove Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cosgrove-foundation-morg_28bf6ec0b6e7400db757e6ea4b9c337b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_821848600_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cosgrove Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cosgrove-foundation-morg_28bf6ec0b6e7400db757e6ea4b9c337b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Cosgrove Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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