Michelle's Foundation Inc
Michelle's Foundation Inc is a Form 990-PF private foundation based in Key West, Florida. Its 2024 filing describes support for scholarship recipients’ tuition, textbooks, and other education-related expenses, as well as assistance to 501(c)(3) organizations in Key West.
Michelle's Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Michelle's Foundation Inc gave $413K across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $32K), mostly in Florida. 33% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $412,945
- +34.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- +18.2% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $31,765
- +13.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $8,317
- Total assets
- $639,763
- -7.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (4 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Florida (91% 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 Michelle's Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
The filing requests a typewritten application detailing the educational purpose for which funds will be used and the ultimate beneficiary of the funds. Awards to scholarship recipients are restricted to tuition, textbooks, and other educationally related expenses.
- Review Cycle
- No submission deadline.
- Deadline
- No submission deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Michelle'S Foundation Inc
Mailing address: PO Box 1736, Key West, FL 33041
Phone: (305) 296-5667
Website: https://www.michellesfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Michelle's Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Misc Grants ($257K). Together the top 10 received $410K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($1,476), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 61 grants of 69 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing’s grant distribution shows 91% of grant dollars going to Florida recipients, 5% to Arizona, 3% to Georgia, 1% to Puerto Rico, and less than 1% to California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Michelle's Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 12 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $48K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $11K repeat.
- 58% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 155% from 2021 to 2024. 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 $154K (2020) to $413K (2024). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $413K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Misc Grants Miami, FL | Education | $256,988 |
| Keys Learning Center Inc Key West, FL | Tuition Books and Education Expenses | $78,000 |
| Arizona State University Tempe, AZ | Tuition Books and Education Expenses | $19,756 |
| Colleg of the Florida Keys Key West, FL | Education | $13,802 |
| University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA | Tuition Books and Education Expenses | $12,111 |
| Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | Tuition Books and Education Expenses | $10,011 |
| University of South Florida Tampa, FL | Tuition Books and Education Expenses | $8,317 |
| Florida International University Miami, FL | Education | $5,079 |
| Interamerican University of Puerto Rico Bayamon, PR | Tuition Books and Education Expenses | $3,187 |
| University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Tuition Books and Education Expenses | $2,570 |
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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 | $639,763 | $372,529 | $422,452 | $412,945 | 13 | $412,945 | $11,784 | $24,752 |
| 2023 | $689,686 | $439,432 | $313,686 | $307,229 | 11 | $307,229 | — | $25,875 |
| 2022 | $564,120 | $538,379 | $223,870 | $219,923 | 12 | $219,923 | — | $20,042 |
| 2021 | $249,431 | $214,167 | $168,920 | $161,979 | 10 | $161,979 | — | $8,345 |
| 2020 | $204,184 | $247,640 | $159,415 | $154,413 | 23 | — | — | $5,972 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Michelle's Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $25K 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 2024 filing does not state a separate mission. It describes the foundation’s charitable activity as distributing funds for the educational expenses of scholarship recipients and assisting and distributing funds to various 501(c)(3) organizations in Key West.
Among the organizations receiving support in 2024, Keys Learning Center LLC describes its mission as operating and maintaining a Key West tutoring facility serving more than 300 students and community members through over 13 study programs. Arizona State University describes its mission as advancing the university and fostering lifelong connections among alumni, students, and friends while providing services and programs to alumni.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $412,945. Grant amounts ranged from $575 to $256,988, with a median grant of $8,317.
The largest reported grants included $256,988 to MISC GRANTS in Miami, Florida, for education; $78,000 to Keys Learning Center Inc in Key West for tuition, books, and education expenses; $19,756 to Arizona State University for tuition, books, and education expenses; and $13,802 to Colleg of the an individual recipient in Key West for education. Other reported grants included $12,111 to the University of North Georgia and $10,011 to Florida State University, both for tuition, books, and education expenses.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Michael Halpern as president; Brian C. Schmitt and Dona Merritt as directors; and Scott Sanders as treasurer.
Michelle's Foundation Inc is led by Michael Halpern, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Michael Halpern
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Brian C. Schmitt
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Dona Merritt
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Scott Sanders
Treasurer
New on the 2024 filing
No compensation reported
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 Michelle's Foundation Inc
How much does Michelle's Foundation Inc give each year?
Michelle's Foundation Inc gave $413K across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $307K across 11 grants.
What is Michelle's Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Michelle's Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $8,317, and its average grant was $31,765, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Michelle's Foundation Inc that year got $6K on average.
Where does Michelle's Foundation Inc give grants?
Michelle's Foundation Inc gives mostly in Florida: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Miami, FL (2 grants) and Key West, FL (2 grants).
Does Michelle's Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Michelle's Foundation Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Tuition Books and Education Expenses" (10 grants) and "Education" (3 grants).
Who are Michelle's Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Michelle's Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Misc Grants ($256,988), Keys Learning Center Inc ($78,000) and Arizona State University ($19,756), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($1,476), which are not listed by name. Together they received 86% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Michelle's Foundation Inc?
Michelle's Foundation Inc reported $640K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $413K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $25K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Michelle's Foundation Inc fund?
The 2024 filing does not state a separate mission. It describes the foundation’s charitable activity as distributing funds for the educational expenses of scholarship recipients and assisting and distributing funds to various 501(c)(3) organizations in Key West. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Michelle's Foundation Inc?
The filing requests a typewritten application detailing the educational purpose for which funds will be used and the ultimate beneficiary of the funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Michelle's Foundation Inc's EIN?
Michelle's Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-4024035. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 29, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Michelle's Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/michelle-s-foundation-inc-morg_5c52be1e107c4e2baadf8619e9a66f6f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_454024035_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Michelle's Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/michelle-s-foundation-inc-morg_5c52be1e107c4e2baadf8619e9a66f6f},
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 Michelle's 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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