Green Brick Foundation Inc
Green Brick Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Traverse City, Michigan. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, most of them in Michigan, including organizations working in the arts, conservation, community services, and other areas.
Green Brick Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Green Brick Foundation Inc gave $457K across 70 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Michigan. 1% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $456,800
- +15.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 70
- -4.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,526
- +20.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $6,773,588
- -3.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 1% first-time grantees (1 of 70, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (93% 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 Green Brick Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 4450, Traverse City, MI 49685
Phone: (781) 354-2670
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Green Brick Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cranbrook CCR ($108K). Together the top 10 received $285K.
Grant Size Distribution
336 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 331 grants of 336 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan. The remaining shares went to recipients in the District of Columbia and Maryland (2% each), and Tennessee and Alabama (1% each).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 70 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Green Brick Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
1%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 70 grantees (1%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 97% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+14%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 129% 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 $205K (2019) to $457K (2025). In 2025 it made 70 grants totaling $457K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cranbrook CCR Bloomfield Hills, MI | General Operation | $107,500 |
| Interlochen Center for the Arts Interlochen, MI | General Operation | $30,000 |
| Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities Traverse City, MI | General Operation | $25,300 |
| Traverse City Film Festival Traverse City, MI | General Operation | $25,000 |
| Glen Arbor Art Center Glen Arbor, MI | General Operation | $20,000 |
| Leelanau Conservancy Leland, MI | General Operation | $20,000 |
| Northwest Writers Series Traverse City, MI | General Operation/Sponsorship | $20,000 |
| NMC Foundation Traverse City, MI | Scholarship/Dennos Center | $13,500 |
| Child and Family Services Traverse City, MI | General Operation | $12,000 |
| Womens Resource Center Traverse City, MI | General Operation | $12,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Green Brick Foundation Inc?
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 | $6,773,588 | $289,724 | $511,473 | $456,800 | 70 | $456,800 | $242,141 | $355,476 |
| 2024 | $6,995,440 | $372,697 | $445,104 | $395,000 | 73 | $395,000 | $325,928 | $357,504 |
| 2023 | $7,067,847 | $188,749 | $431,239 | $384,580 | 72 | $384,580 | $142,090 | $355,987 |
| 2022 | $7,309,337 | $100,186 | $502,087 | $401,990 | 65 | $401,990 | $45,524 | $377,359 |
| 2021 | $7,711,238 | $4,258,601 | $421,010 | $376,000 | 56 | $376,000 | $3,520,671 | $327,859 |
| 2020 | $3,873,647 | $80,479 | $267,557 | $247,900 | 42 | — | $61,716 | $195,493 |
| 2019 | $4,055,725 | $142,747 | $269,707 | $205,000 | 35 | — | $112,341 | $200,309 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Green Brick Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $355K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No formal mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with a range of missions. For example, Interlochen Center for the Arts says it engages people through educational, artistic, and cultural programs; Leelanau Conservancy says it works to conserve land, water, and scenic character in Leelanau County; and the Women’s Resource Center says it protects, shelters, and empowers people impacted by domestic and sexual violence.
Other 2025 grantees describe missions involving local environmental and community solutions, affordable housing, art and ecology, and protecting Michigan’s air, land, and water. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not a formal statement of the foundation’s own focus areas.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 70 grants totaling $456,800. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $107,500, with a median of $1,000. The largest listed grants included $107,500 to Cranbrook CCR for general operation; $30,000 to Interlochen Center for the Arts for general operation; $25,300 to Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities for general operation; and $25,000 to Traverse City Film Festival for general operation. Other listed grants included $20,000 each to Glen Arbor Art Center and Leelanau Conservancy, and $13,500 to NMC Foundation for a scholarship/Dennos Center.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James Kemler, Paula Jo Kemler, and David Rowe as trustees.
Green Brick Foundation Inc's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Rowe
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Kemler
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paula Jo Kemler
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Green Brick Foundation Inc
How much does Green Brick Foundation Inc give each year?
Green Brick Foundation Inc gave $457K across 70 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $395K across 73 grants.
What is Green Brick Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Green Brick Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $6,526, across 70 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Green Brick Foundation Inc that year got $1K on average.
Where does Green Brick Foundation Inc give grants?
Green Brick Foundation Inc gives mostly in Michigan: 93% 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 (29 grants), Suttons Bay, MI (5 grants), Glen Arbor, MI (4 grants) and Leland, MI (4 grants).
Does Green Brick Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 91% of Green Brick Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (64 of 70) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Green Brick Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Green Brick Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Cranbrook CCR ($107,500), Interlochen Center for the Arts ($30,000) and Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities ($25,300), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Green Brick Foundation Inc?
Green Brick Foundation Inc reported $6.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $457K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $355K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Green Brick Foundation Inc fund?
No formal mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with a range of missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Green Brick Foundation Inc?
The foundation 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 Green Brick Foundation Inc's EIN?
Green Brick Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-2552813. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Green Brick Foundation Inc 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 22, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Green Brick Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Green Brick Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/green-brick-foundation-inc-morg_1cda8ffa7de344bb8b53e3398af6a504
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_812552813_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Green Brick Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/green-brick-foundation-inc-morg_1cda8ffa7de344bb8b53e3398af6a504},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Green Brick Foundation Inc'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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