Dr Joe Foundation
Dr Joe Foundation is a private foundation based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Its 2025 filing lists grants to charitable organizations, primarily in Michigan, for purposes including education, social services, assistance to families, and support for people with disabilities.
Dr Joe Foundation at a glance
In short: Dr Joe Foundation gave $193K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Michigan. 12% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $193,300
- -5.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -5.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,371
- +0.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,879,772
- +5.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (2 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (87% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Dr Joe Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5759 Denali St, Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Phone: (269) 217-1570
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Dr Joe Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Walk Tall Foundation for Kids ($30K). Together the top 10 received $150K.
Grant Size Distribution
86 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 86 grants of 86 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 87% of grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan and 13% went to recipients in South Carolina. The listed grants include support for organizations in Kalamazoo County and elsewhere in Michigan, as well as The Wexford Foundation in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Dr Joe Foundation open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 17 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $11K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 105% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $186K (2020) to $209K (2022). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $193K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Walk Tall Foundation for Kids Mattawan, MI | Educational Programs & Scholarships | $30,000 |
| Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo Kalamazoo, MI | Provide Critical Social Services Across Nine Counties | $20,000 |
| The Wexford Foundation Hilton Head Island, SC | Assistance to Indigent Families | $17,500 |
| First Day Shoe Fund Kalamazoo, MI | Shoe fund for students in the Kalamazoo county public elementary school system | $15,000 |
| Kalamazoo County Ready 4S Kalamazoo, MI | Assistance for Early Childhood Education | $15,000 |
| Aacorn Farm Kalamazoo, MI | Life Enrichment for Adults with Developmental Disabilities | $12,000 |
| Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center Augusta, MI | Activities and Therapies to Special Needs Individuals | $10,000 |
| Community Healing Centers Kalamazoo, MI | Support for traumas of child abuse, addiction, and mental health disorders. | $10,000 |
| Family and Children Services Kalamazoo, MI | Assistance to Families with Immediate Crisis Needs | $10,000 |
| Hospital Hospitatlity House Kalamazoo, MI | Housing Families of Critically Ill | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Dr Joe 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 | $3,879,772 | $267,858 | $256,803 | $193,300 | 17 | $193,300 | $210,059 | $184,615 |
| 2024 | $3,663,900 | $240,225 | $265,363 | $204,500 | 18 | $204,500 | $182,542 | $180,363 |
| 2023 | $3,496,307 | $167,405 | $250,848 | $199,000 | 15 | $199,000 | $117,483 | $169,206 |
| 2022 | $3,338,188 | $53,548 | $257,756 | $208,800 | 19 | $208,800 | $28,526 | $179,064 |
| 2021 | $4,106,244 | $339,735 | $257,216 | $200,000 | 17 | $200,000 | $284,333 | $196,650 |
| 2020 | $3,886,348 | $49,772 | $232,939 | $186,000 | 14 | — | $30,521 | $174,164 |
| 2019 | $3,649,974 | $166,464 | $251,990 | $200,000 | 17 | — | $116,273 | $172,959 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Dr Joe Foundation reported a distributable amount of $185K 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 2025 grants show support for organizations working in several areas. For example, Kalamazoo County Ready 4s describes its mission as advancing accessible, high-quality pre-kindergarten education for 3- and 4-year-olds in Kalamazoo County. First Day Shoe Fund says it provides new athletic shoes at no cost to students at Kalamazoo County public elementary schools. AACORN says it provides life-enrichment opportunities and residential options for adults with developmental disabilities. Community Healing Centers says it helps children, families, and adults heal from trauma, addiction, and behavioral and mental health disorders. Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center describes its purpose as improving lives through the therapeutic use of horses.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 17 grants totaling $193,300. Grants ranged from $1,300 to $30,000, with a median grant of $10,000.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $30,000 to The Walk Tall Foundation for Kids for educational programs and scholarships; $20,000 to Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo for social services across nine counties; and $17,500 to The Wexford Foundation for assistance to indigent families. Other grants included $15,000 each to First Day Shoe Fund and Kalamazoo County Ready 4s, and $12,000 to AACORN Farm.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sarah Yetter as president, Tim Meeker as treasurer, and Dennis Yetter as secretary.
Dr Joe Foundation is led by Sarah Yetter, President since 2023 (on filings since 2019); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sarah Yetter
President
Secretary → Treasurer, 2022
Treasurer → President, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dennis Yetter
Secretary
President → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tim Meeker
Treasurer
Secretary → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Linda Drenth (2019–2021) — Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Dr Joe Foundation
How much does Dr Joe Foundation give each year?
Dr Joe Foundation gave $193K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $205K across 18 grants.
What is Dr Joe Foundation's typical grant size?
Dr Joe Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $11,371, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Dr Joe Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does Dr Joe Foundation give grants?
Dr Joe Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 87% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was South Carolina (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Kalamazoo, MI (10 grants), Mattawan, MI (3 grants) and Hilton Head Island, SC (2 grants).
Does Dr Joe Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Dr Joe Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Dr Joe Foundation's largest grantees?
Dr Joe Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Walk Tall Foundation for Kids ($30,000), Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo ($20,000) and The Wexford Foundation ($17,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Dr Joe Foundation?
Dr Joe Foundation reported $3.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $193K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $185K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Dr Joe Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in several areas. For example, Kalamazoo County Ready 4s describes its mission as advancing accessible, high-quality pre-kindergarten education for 3- and 4-year-olds in Kalamazoo County. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Dr Joe Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Dr Joe Foundation's EIN?
Dr Joe Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-5343138. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Dr Joe Foundation 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 3, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 1, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Dr Joe Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Dr Joe Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/dr-joe-foundation-morg_b0ff67a27ed245ce89a4d0a884774999
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_455343138_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Dr Joe Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/dr-joe-foundation-morg_b0ff67a27ed245ce89a4d0a884774999},
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 Dr Joe 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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