Pathways Foundation
Pathways Foundation is a private foundation based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It says it supports visionary partners and leaders working to create equal access to opportunity for people in metro Detroit, with grantmaking focused on food justice, educational opportunities, and women’s equality.
Pathways Foundation at a glance
In short: Pathways Foundation gave $2.4M across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $126K), mostly in Michigan. 21% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,387,500
- -0.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $125,658
- -0.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $29,137,259
- +0.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (4 of 19, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (81% 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 Pathways 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: 26055 Northpointe, Farmington Hills, MI 48331-4249
Phone: (313) 591-2866
Website: https://pathwaysfoundationmi.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Pathways Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was We Shall Read ($300K). Together the top 10 received $1.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
90 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 33 grants of 90 (37%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it supports opportunity for people in metro Detroit and describes its work as largely focused on the Detroit area. In 2024, 81% of grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan; the filing also reports grants to recipients in Maine, New York, Georgia, and Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Pathways Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 19 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $95K; repeat grants $134K. How we count
Medians: $60K first-time, $120K repeat.
- 79% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 42% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 147% of 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 $1.5M (2020) to $2.4M (2023). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $2.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| We Shall Read Farmington Hills, MI | General Fund | $300,000 |
| Friends of Acadia Bar Harbor, ME | General Fund | $250,000 |
| Girls Group Ann Arbor, MI | General Fund | $250,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Ann Arbor, MI | General Fund, PP Fundraiser | $250,000 |
| Brilliant Detroit Detroit, MI | General Fund | $150,000 |
| Downtown Boxing Gym Detroit, MI | General Fund | $150,000 |
| Keep Growing Detroit Detroit, MI | General Fund | $150,000 |
| ACLU of Michigan New York, NY | General Fund | $125,000 |
| College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI | Cap Program | $120,000 |
| Black Leaders Detroit Detroit, MI | General Fund | $100,000 |
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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 | $29,137,259 | $2,939,741 | $2,842,729 | $2,387,500 | 19 | $2,518,099 | $2,525,345 | $1,712,972 |
| 2023 | $29,041,535 | $1,745,371 | $2,826,274 | $2,395,000 | 19 | $2,527,662 | $1,358,816 | $1,593,719 |
| 2022 | $30,122,763 | $750,688 | $2,332,289 | $1,905,000 | 18 | $2,008,075 | $580,799 | $1,066,645 |
| 2021 | $31,701,888 | $2,949,157 | $2,127,987 | $1,680,000 | 18 | $1,781,926 | $2,570,072 | $1,229,043 |
| 2020 | $30,880,390 | $1,429,362 | $1,975,169 | $1,521,094 | 16 | — | $1,091,095 | $1,203,021 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Pathways Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.7M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation identifies three focus areas:
- Food Justice: It seeks to challenge how communities think about food access and reimagine how local food systems function. Among its partners are Keep Growing Detroit and Forgotten Harvest. Keep Growing Detroit describes its mission as promoting a food-sovereign city where Detroit residents grow most of the fruits and vegetables they consume. Forgotten Harvest says it works to relieve hunger in metro Detroit and prevent nutritious food waste.
- Educational Opportunities: The foundation supports programs offering learning and skill-building opportunities. Its website lists We Shall Read and College for Creative Studies as partners. We Shall Read says it teaches, trains, and mentors adults in instructional strategies to improve children’s reading, spelling, and writing. College for Creative Studies says it educates visual artists and designers for creative professions.
- Women’s Equality: The foundation looks for programs and causes that support women and develop skills to help them make choices for themselves and their families. Its website lists Girls Group and Planned Parenthood as partners. Girls Group describes its work as empowering middle and high school women through year-round programming and mentoring.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 19 grants totaling $2,387,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $300,000, with a median of $100,000. The largest listed grants included $300,000 to We Shall Read; $250,000 each to Friends of Acadia and Girls Group; and $250,000 to Planned Parenthood. Other notable grants included $150,000 each to Brilliant Detroit, Downtown Boxing Gym, and Keep Growing Detroit, and $120,000 to College for Creative Studies. Filing purposes included “GENERAL FUND,” with some grants listing additional purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Todd R. Watson and Jill Watson as trustees.
Pathways Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Jill Watson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Todd R. Watson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
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 Pathways Foundation
How much does Pathways Foundation give each year?
Pathways Foundation gave $2.4M across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.4M across 19 grants.
What is Pathways Foundation's typical grant size?
Pathways Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $125,658, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Pathways Foundation that year got $95K on average.
Where does Pathways Foundation give grants?
Pathways Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Maine (10%) and New York (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Detroit, MI (5 grants) and Ann Arbor, MI (2 grants).
Does Pathways Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 95% of Pathways Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Pathways Foundation's largest grantees?
Pathways Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include We Shall Read ($300,000), Friends of Acadia ($250,000) and Girls Group ($250,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Pathways Foundation?
Pathways Foundation reported $29.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Pathways Foundation fund?
The foundation identifies three focus areas: See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Pathways 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 Pathways Foundation's EIN?
Pathways Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-6643839. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Pathways 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 7, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 4, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Pathways Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Pathways Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Pathways Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/pathways-foundation-morg_f87e925bc99e41ec810fb1464f0f78d4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_456643839_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Pathways Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/pathways-foundation-morg_f87e925bc99e41ec810fb1464f0f78d4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Pathways 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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