Start Garden Inc
Start Garden Inc is a public charity based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Its stated mission is to bring together financial, intellectual, and social capital for entrepreneurs and to empower the West Michigan startup ecosystem.
Start Garden Inc at a glance
In short: Start Garden Inc gave $402K across 17 grants in 2024 (avg $24K), mostly in Michigan. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $402,037
- +548.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 17
- +183.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $23,649
- +128.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $2,150,744
- +109.5% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Michigan (88% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Start Garden Inc
- Review Cycle
- The 2026 The 100 submission deadline was July 12, 2026, which has passed.
- Deadline
- The 2026 The 100 submission deadline was July 12, 2026, which has passed.
- Contact
Mailing address: 40 Pearl Street Nw Ste 200, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: (616) 669-4141
Website: https://startgarden.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Start Garden Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Captus Creative ($76K). Together the top 10 received $354K.
Grant Size Distribution
63 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 59 grants of 63 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Start Garden’s mission identifies the West Michigan startup ecosystem. Its website requires applicants to be based in Michigan or planning to register their business there. In 2024, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan and 12% to recipients in Washington, DC.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Start Garden Inc gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 $40K (2022) to $402K (2024). In 2024 it made 17 grants totaling $402K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Captus Creative Comstock Park, MI | — | $76,037 |
| Supreme Focus Entertainment Grand Rapids, MI | — | $50,500 |
| Peadbo Inc Washington, DC | — | $50,000 |
| Athlytic Inc Detroit, MI | — | $50,000 |
| Aurora International Foods LLC Grand Haven, MI | — | $26,000 |
| Reel Free LLC Lowell, MI | — | $21,000 |
| Rosefellows Collective LLC Grand Rapids, MI | — | $20,000 |
| A3STETICALLY Pleasing Grand Rapids, MI | — | $20,000 |
| Spirit Fire LLC Fennville, MI | — | $20,000 |
| Moodful Insights LLC Grand Rapids, MI | — | $20,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,150,744 | $4,456,215 | $3,063,330 | $402,037 | 17 | $17 |
| 2023 | $1,026,706 | $1,291,217 | $2,403,017 | $62,000 | 6 | $1,405 |
| 2022 | $2,309,768 | $1,857,506 | $2,415,491 | $40,000 | 4 | $483 |
| 2021 | $2,322,407 | $3,395,121 | $2,321,270 | $130,750 | 8 | $557 |
| 2020 | $1,184,501 | $2,747,194 | $3,147,607 | $147,500 | 28 | $855 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Start Garden’s stated mission is to bring together financial, intellectual, and social capital to empower the startup ecosystem of West Michigan. Its filing describes work to establish a culture of entrepreneurship through incubation infrastructure, entrepreneur services, events and programs, and support for organizations serving entrepreneurs.
The filing says the organization gives cash awards to winners of business-idea competitions and awards to startup entrepreneurs. Its website describes The 100 and 5×5 Night as programs that can provide funding to entrepreneurs and businesses. The website’s eligibility rules exclude nonprofits, events, and short-term projects.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, Start Garden reported 17 grants totaling $402,037. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $76,037, with a median of $20,000. Notable recipients included CAPTUS CREATIVE ($76,037), SUPREME FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT ($50,500), PEADBO INC ($50,000), ATHLYTIC INC ($50,000), and AURORA INTERNATIONAL FOODS LLC ($26,000).
The website describes The 100 as a competition for entrepreneurs with for-profit business ideas. The 2026 cycle called for a 100-second video and a milestone application; selected participants were required to attend a bootcamp, and finalists were to pursue milestones before presenting at Demo Day. Funding could include grants and other forms of capital. The site also describes 5×5 Night as a pitch competition with a $5,000 grant for the winner. These are program opportunities for entrepreneurs, not evidence that Start Garden accepts general grant applications.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Darel Ross as Executive Director/President; Jorge Gonzalez, Paul Moore, and Laurie Supinski as program directors; Kyama Kitavi, Renee Williams, Joe Jones, Rob Jandernoa, and Joe Lampen as directors; and Jeremy DeRoo as treasurer.
Start Garden Inc's 2024 filing lists 11 officers; 4 of 11 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Laurie Supinski
Program Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$83K (2020) → $142K (2024)
Paul Moore
Program Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$106K (2020) → $141K (2024)
Jorge Gonzalez
Program Director
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$113K (2021) → $143K (2024)
Joe Lampen
Director
Treasurer → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kyama Kitavi
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rob Jandernoa
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joe Jones
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Renee Williams
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Darel Ross
Executive Directorpresident
Co-Executive Director → Executive Director, 2021
Executive Director → Executive Directorpresident, 2022
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$132K (2020) → $169K (2024)
Mary Oneil
Secretary
Director → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeremy Deroo
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Luciano Hernandez (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Bill Lawrence (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Craig Hall (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Daniel Williams (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Hannah Naltner (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Larry Hines (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Michael Morin (2021) — Director
- Former: Matthew Benson (2020) — Program Director
- Former: Mike Morin (2020) — Co-Executive Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $169K, to Darel Ross (Executive Directorpresident). 4 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Start Garden Inc
How much does Start Garden Inc give each year?
Start Garden Inc gave $402K across 17 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $62K across 6 grants.
What is Start Garden Inc's typical grant size?
Start Garden Inc's median grant in 2024 was $20,000, and its average grant was $23,649, across 17 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Start Garden Inc give grants?
Start Garden Inc gives mostly in Michigan: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Grand Rapids, MI (10 grants).
Who are Start Garden Inc's largest grantees?
Start Garden Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Captus Creative ($76,037), Supreme Focus Entertainment ($50,500) and Peadbo Inc ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Start Garden Inc?
Start Garden Inc reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $4.5M.
What does Start Garden Inc fund?
Start Garden’s stated mission is to bring together financial, intellectual, and social capital to empower the startup ecosystem of West Michigan. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Start Garden Inc?
Start Garden Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check startgarden.com for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Start Garden Inc's EIN?
Start Garden Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-1987459. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 7, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Start Garden Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Start Garden Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/start-garden-inc-morg_1d29f1b392974294a4b27c23390281e3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_811987459_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Start Garden Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/start-garden-inc-morg_1d29f1b392974294a4b27c23390281e3},
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 Start Garden 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.
Start Garden Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?