Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation
The Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation is a private foundation based in an individual recipient, Michigan. Its 2025 filing reports 15 grants totaling $214,500.
Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation at a glance
In short: Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation gave $215K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), mostly in Michigan. 7% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $214,500
- -2.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- -6.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,300
- +4.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $13,000
- Total assets
- $3,593,042
- +5.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 7% first-time grantees (1 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (81% 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 Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5300 Northland Dr Ne Ste G, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Phone: (616) 365-3907
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Grand Rapids Community Fnd ($30K). Together the top 10 received $175K.
Grant Size Distribution
75 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 72 grants of 75 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 81% of grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan, 9% to South Dakota, 6% to New York, and 3% to Arkansas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation open to new grantees?
7%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 15 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 93% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 88% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $164K (2020) to $226K (2022). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $215K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Community Fnd Grand Rapids, MI | designated fund | $30,000 |
| Luke Society Sioux Falls, SD | operating funds | $20,000 |
| Alpha GR Grand Rapids, MI | operating funds and building fund | $20,000 |
| World Renew Grand Rapids, MI | operating funds | $20,000 |
| Conductive Learning Center Grand Rapids, MI | operating funds | $20,000 |
| In the Image Grand Rapids, MI | operating funds | $13,000 |
| Salvation Army Grand Rapids, MI | operating funds | $13,000 |
| Mel Trotter Mission Grand Rapids, MI | operating funds | $13,000 |
| Guiding Light Mission Grand Rapids, MI | operating funds | $13,000 |
| Tunnel to Tower Foundation New York, NY | operating funds | $13,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,593,042 | $407,143 | $219,068 | $214,500 | 15 | $219,068 | $402,575 | $250,345 |
| 2024 | $3,404,967 | $324,577 | $230,157 | $220,000 | 16 | $230,157 | $314,420 | $228,516 |
| 2023 | $3,310,547 | $585,028 | $230,628 | $218,500 | 17 | $230,628 | $572,900 | $197,829 |
| 2022 | $2,956,147 | $274,344 | $230,972 | $225,500 | 16 | $225,500 | $268,872 | $213,861 |
| 2021 | $2,972,775 | $396,510 | $197,872 | $195,000 | 11 | $195,000 | $393,638 | $229,383 |
| 2020 | $2,748,137 | $223,120 | $166,961 | $164,000 | 11 | — | $180,725 | $191,000 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation reported a distributable amount of $250K 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 grantees include organizations with varied missions. World Renew describes its work as partnering with communities to renew hope, reconcile lives, and restore creation through programs including disaster response, community health, economic opportunity, food security, and peace and justice. Guiding Light Mission describes partnering with individuals through rescue, recovery, and re-engagement in community. Daffodil Ministries describes facilitating safe, sustainable housing and support for survivors of domestic abuse.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave 15 grants totaling $214,500. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $30,000, with a median grant of $13,000.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $30,000 to an individual recipient Community Fnd for a designated fund; $20,000 each to Luke Society for operating funds, Alpha GR for operating funds and a building fund, World Renew for operating funds, and Conductive Learning Center for operating funds. Other grants included $13,000 each to In the Image, Salvation Army, Mel Trotter Mission, Guiding Light Mission, and Tunnel to Tower Foundation, all for operating funds; $10,000 to Daffodil Ministries for operating funds; and $10,000 to Institute of Contextual Health for operating funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Janis Vander Kooy as president and Brian Vander Kooy, Susan Despres, and Debra Montgomery as directors.
Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation is led by Janis Vander Kooy, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Janis Vander Kooy
President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Vander Kooy
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Despres
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Debra Montgomery
Director
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation
How much does Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation give each year?
Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation gave $215K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $220K across 16 grants.
What is Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation's typical grant size?
Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $13,000, and its average grant was $14,300, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation give grants?
Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were South Dakota (9%) and New York (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Grand Rapids, MI (10 grants).
Does Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 87% of Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation's largest grantees?
Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Grand Rapids Community Fnd ($30,000), Luke Society ($20,000) and Alpha GR ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation?
Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation reported $3.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $219K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $250K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation's EIN?
Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3245131. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Simon and Mary Vanderkooy 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 1, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 25, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 25, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/simon-and-mary-vanderkooy-foundation-morg_2c8af5b353464bc4ac063994cfe3d9f0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_383245131_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Simon and Mary Vanderkooy Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/simon-and-mary-vanderkooy-foundation-morg_2c8af5b353464bc4ac063994cfe3d9f0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Simon and Mary Vanderkooy 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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