The Block Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Northville, MI EIN: 20-5848397

The Block Foundation is a private foundation based in Northville, Michigan. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in education and scholarships, food assistance, social services, environmental stewardship, and cancer research.

The Block Foundation at a glance

In short: The Block Foundation gave $389K across 32 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in Michigan. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$388,500
+29.5% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
32
+10.3% vs 2024
Average grant
$12,141
+17.4% vs 2024
Median grant
$10,000
Total assets
$7,734,079
+25.2% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
10% first-time grantees (3 of 29, 2025)
Primary geography
Michigan (77% 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 The Block Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Contact

Mailing address: 508 Gardner St, Northville, MI 48167-5259
Phone: (248) 349-1949

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Block Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Aquinas College: $55KAquinas College$55KMasonry Institute of Michigan: $48KMasonry Institute of Michigan$48KAlternatives for Girls: $20KAlternatives for Girls$20KCapuchin Soup Kitchen: $10KCapuchin Soup Kitchen$10KCatholic Charities of Southeast Michigan: $10KCatholic Charities ofSoutheast Michigan$10KColorectal Cancer Alliance: $10KColorectal Cancer Alliance$10KForgotten Harvest: $10KForgotten Harvest$10KFriends of the Rouge: $10KFriends of the Rouge$10KGleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan: $10KGleaners Community Food Bankof Southeastern Michigan$10KKidney Cancer Association: $10KKidney Cancer Association$10K

The largest 2025 recipient was Aquinas College ($55K). Together the top 10 received $193K.

Organizations only. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($75,500), which are not listed by name.

Grant Size Distribution

132 grants across all recorded years

127<$50K5$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 127 grants of 132 (96%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Michigan recipients received 77% of 2025 grant dollars. Other recipient-state shares were an individual recipient, 6%; New York, 4%; Washington, DC, 3%; and Texas, 3%.

Grant Distribution by State

10states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.

Cities

DetroitNorthvilleSouthfieldPlymouthAlgonquinBrightonClinton TWPNew YorkWashingtonDearborn HeightsOak ParkAlbionCovingtonE Grand RapidsLansingHoustonSanta MonicaLongmontNew OrleansSeattle

Is The Block Foundation open to new grantees?

10%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 3 of 29 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $11K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • 90% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 28% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 115% 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

$0$100K$200K$300K$400K9 grants2019 14 grants2020 18 grants2021 24 grants2022 29 grants2023 29 grants2024 32 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $206K (2019) to $389K (2025). In 2025 it made 32 grants totaling $389K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Aquinas College E Grand Rapids, MITo fund the women's golf program & the dominican sisters matching fund raiser$55,000
2 individual scholarships Recipients not named —$75,500
Masonry Institute of Michigan Southfield, MITo Fund Masonry Scholarships$47,500
Alternatives for Girls Detroit, MIPromote the health, safety, and support of homeless and high-risk girls and young women$20,000
Capuchin Soup Kitchen Detroit, MIProvide Food and Clothing to the Poor.$10,000
Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan Clinton TWP, MITo provide people with food, place foster children with families and support individuals overcoming addiction$10,000
Colorectal Cancer Alliance Washington, DCColon Cancer Research$10,000
Forgotten Harvest Oak Park, MIProvide food to food-insecure families in the metro detroit area$10,000
Friends of the Rouge Plymouth, MITo restore, protect and enhance the rouge river watershed.$10,000
Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan Detroit, MITo achieve a healthy, hunger-free community by empowering the people we serve through education and advocacy$10,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

The foundation is identified as filing Form 990-PF.

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$7,734,079$1,953,506$448,331$388,50032$388,500$1,560,247$336,798
2024$6,176,674$770,006$355,938$300,00029$300,000$353,499$324,378
2023$5,765,461$526,934$329,874$281,00029$281,000$139,484$289,047
2022$5,558,105$99,787$377,791$304,00024$304,000$85,339$286,063
2021$5,899,006$1,321,755$267,480$219,00018$219,000$878,813$299,061
2020$4,844,731$385,109$362,018$322,00014—$42,509$246,564
2019$4,933,224$561,259$245,861$205,5009—$124,698$241,083

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Block Foundation reported a distributable amount of $337K 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 available in the provided information. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable activities. For example, grantee Friends of the Rouge describes its work as restoring, protecting, and enhancing the Rouge River watershed through stewardship, education, and collaboration. Forgotten Harvest says its mission is to relieve hunger in Metro Detroit and prevent nutritious food waste. Alternatives for Girls says it helps homeless and high-risk youth avoid violence, teen pregnancy, and exploitation while accessing support and resources.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 32 grants totaling $388,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $55,000, with a median award of $10,000. Among the largest were $55,000 to Aquinas College for its women’s golf program and a Dominican Sisters matching fundraiser; $50,500 to an individual recipient Central High School for the Snyder Family Scholarship Fund; $47,500 to the Masonry Institute of Michigan for masonry scholarships; and $25,000 to an individual recipient State University to establish an endowed scholarship for MBA students.

Other reported grants included $20,000 to Alternatives for Girls, and $10,000 each to Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, Forgotten Harvest, Friends of the Rouge, Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, and the Kidney Cancer Association.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Jeffrey T Snyder as president and treasurer; Theresa A Snyder as secretary; and Marie T McCormick and Susan E Young as board members.

The Block Foundation is led by Jeffrey T. Snyder, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2019; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Jeffrey T. Snyder

    President & Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Marie T. McCormick

    Board Member

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Susan E. Young

    Board Member

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Theresa A. Snyder

    Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    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 The Block Foundation

How much does The Block Foundation give each year?

The Block Foundation gave $389K across 32 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $300K across 29 grants.

What is The Block Foundation's typical grant size?

The Block Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $12,141, across 32 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Block Foundation that year got $4K on average.

Where does The Block Foundation give grants?

The Block Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 77% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New Mexico (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Detroit, MI (6 grants), Northville, MI (5 grants), Southfield, MI (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).

Does The Block Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 32 grants with a stated purpose on The Block Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

Who are The Block Foundation's largest grantees?

The Block Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Aquinas College ($55,000), Masonry Institute of Michigan ($47,500) and Alternatives for Girls ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($75,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Block Foundation?

The Block Foundation reported $7.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $389K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $337K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Block Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is available in the provided information. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable activities. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Block Foundation?

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Block Foundation's EIN?

The Block Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5848397. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Block 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

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 22, 2021)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 16, 2021)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Block Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-block-foundation-morg_e8c003218ecf49b2aee756a4fdc54d08

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205848397_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Block Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-block-foundation-morg_e8c003218ecf49b2aee756a4fdc54d08},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 The Block 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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