Devos Urban Leadership Initiative
The DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative is a private foundation based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It identifies, trains, and connects youth ministry leaders working with at-risk youth in urban, inner-city communities. Its 2024 filing reports a 15-month program delivered through in-person workshops and conferences.
Devos Urban Leadership Initiative at a glance
In short: Devos Urban Leadership Initiative gave $270K across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $14K), top state California. 39% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $269,980
- -20.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- +5.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $14,209
- -24.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $101,936
- -26.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 39% first-time grantees (7 of 18, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (41% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Devos Urban Leadership Initiative
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Contact
Mailing address: 200 Monroe Avenue Nw, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: (616) 643-4700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Devos Urban Leadership Initiative funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Hispanic Ministry Center Inc ($79K). Together the top 10 received $227K.
Grant Size Distribution
76 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 64 grants of 76 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2024 program served participants from Boston, Indianapolis, Louisville, Memphis, and Phoenix, where 61 participants completed the 15-month program. Selection was completed for 57 participants from Columbus, Grand Rapids, Miami, Seattle-Tacoma, and St. Louis.
Its 2024 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in multiple states. California received 41% of grant dollars, Minnesota 22%, New York 10%, Colorado 7%, and Illinois 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Devos Urban Leadership Initiative open to new grantees?
39%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 7 of 18 grantees (39%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $21K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 61% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+13%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $211K (2022) to $354K (2020). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $270K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic Ministry Center Inc Santa Ana, CA | General Operating - Partnership Grant | $79,100 |
| Real Resources Inc Golden Valley, MN | General Operating - Partnership Grant | $60,000 |
| Thrive Collective Brooklyn, NY | General Operating - Partnership Grant | $20,000 |
| Global Service Office Superior, CO | Project/Program - Denver Leadership Initiative | $15,000 |
| Concrete and Canvas National City, CA | Project/Program - San Diego Leadership Summit | $8,000 |
| Inspire School Programs Cedar Hill, TX | Project/Program - Dallas Leadership Summit | $8,000 |
| Mama Jeans Create Hub Oakland, CA | Project/Program - Oakland Leadership Summit | $8,000 |
| New Lyfe International Ministries Inc Queens, NY | Project/Program - NYC Leadership Summit | $8,000 |
| Partners in Action Inc Gilbert, AZ | Project/Program - Youth Leader Training | $8,000 |
| Esperanza USA Philadelphia, PA | Project/Program - Xpand Series | $7,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $101,936 | $2,355,449 | $2,391,977 | $269,980 | 19 | $2,389,347 | $666 | $5,453 |
| 2023 | $138,464 | $3,540,521 | $3,362,700 | $340,198 | 18 | $3,124,753 | $1,154 | $6,452 |
| 2022 | $95,398 | $2,045,894 | $2,201,711 | $210,500 | 13 | $2,201,711 | $299 | $8,509 |
| 2021 | $120,666 | $3,220,005 | $3,208,024 | $239,000 | 10 | $3,207,928 | $53 | $5,384 |
| 2020 | $137,537 | $2,680,505 | $2,666,363 | $353,800 | 16 | — | $333 | $5,746 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Devos Urban Leadership Initiative reported a distributable amount of $5K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s 2024 filing describes its direct charitable activity as identifying, training, and connecting youth ministry leaders in urban, inner-city communities. Its 2024 grants included general operating partnership grants and project or program support for leadership initiatives, summits, and training.
Grantee missions offer examples of the organizations it supported. Hispanic Ministry Center describes its Urban Youth Workers Institute as developing urban youth workers so urban youth have leaders and role models to live transformed lives by the Gospel. Real Resources says it helps teenagers know and follow Jesus Christ and equips and encourages youth leaders. Grand Rapids Initiative for Leaders describes its mission as providing leadership training and ministry to the inner-city community.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $269,980. Grants ranged from $3,500 to $79,100, with a median of $7,500. The largest awards included $79,100 to Hispanic Ministry Center for general operating support as a partnership grant; $60,000 to Real Resources for the same purpose; and $20,000 to Thrive Collective for general operating support as a partnership grant. Project or program awards included $15,000 to Global Service Office for the Denver Leadership Initiative and $8,000 each to Concrete and Canvas for the San Diego Leadership Summit, Inspire School Programs for the Dallas Leadership Summit, and Mama Jeans Create Hub for the Oakland Leadership Summit.
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Douglas L. DeVos as president; Robert H. Schierbeek as COO/VP; Jeffrey S. Bowerman as VP of Tax; Susan E. Valcq as treasurer and secretary; and Jason L. Zylstra as VP/Foundation Manager. It also lists Richard M. DeVos Jr., Daniel G. DeVos, and Suzanne C. DeVos as directors, and Eileen Kooreman and Shannon Pothoven as foundation managers.
Devos Urban Leadership Initiative is led by Douglas L. Devos, President since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 10 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Douglas L. Devos
President
President & Director → President, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daniel G. Devos
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard M. Devos Jr.
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Suzanne C. Devos
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey S. Bowerman
Vice President of Tax
Vice President of Tax & Assistant Secretary → Vice President of Tax, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Robert H. Schierbeek
COO & Vice President
COO, Vice President, Treasurer & Secretary → COO & Vice President, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Susan E. Valcq
Treasurer & Secretary
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Eileen Kooreman
Foundation Manager
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jason L. Zylstra
Vice President & Foundation Manager
Foundation Manager → Vice President, 2023
Vice President → Vice President & Foundation Manager, 2024
On filings since 2022
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shannon Pothoven
Foundation Manager
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Nicholas J. Thole (2022) — Vice President
- Former: Virginia Vanderhart (2020–2021) — Vice President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Devos Urban Leadership Initiative
How much does Devos Urban Leadership Initiative give each year?
Devos Urban Leadership Initiative gave $270K across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $340K across 18 grants.
What is Devos Urban Leadership Initiative's typical grant size?
Devos Urban Leadership Initiative's median grant in 2024 was $7,500, and its average grant was $14,209, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Devos Urban Leadership Initiative that year got $6K on average.
Where does Devos Urban Leadership Initiative give grants?
Devos Urban Leadership Initiative's top state is California, with 41% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Minnesota (22%) and New York (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (2 grants) and San Diego, CA (2 grants).
Does Devos Urban Leadership Initiative give general operating support?
Yes: 26% of Devos Urban Leadership Initiative's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Devos Urban Leadership Initiative's largest grantees?
Devos Urban Leadership Initiative's largest 2024 grantees include Hispanic Ministry Center Inc ($79,100), Real Resources Inc ($60,000) and Thrive Collective ($20,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 59% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Devos Urban Leadership Initiative?
Devos Urban Leadership Initiative reported $102K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $5K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Devos Urban Leadership Initiative fund?
The foundation’s 2024 filing describes its direct charitable activity as identifying, training, and connecting youth ministry leaders in urban, inner-city communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Devos Urban Leadership Initiative?
Devos Urban Leadership Initiative does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines.
What is Devos Urban Leadership Initiative's EIN?
Devos Urban Leadership Initiative's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7066873. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Devos Urban Leadership Initiative accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Devos Urban Leadership Initiative funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/devos-urban-leadership-initiative-morg_c8c8d82a880549809e4a027e6a7cf82f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237066873_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Devos Urban Leadership Initiative funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/devos-urban-leadership-initiative-morg_c8c8d82a880549809e4a027e6a7cf82f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Devos Urban Leadership Initiative'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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