The Marzke Family Foundation
The Marzke Family Foundation is a private foundation based in St Joseph, Michigan. Its 2025 filing lists grant awards to organizations including a county trails group, schools, a YMCA, a children’s museum, and local human-services organizations.
The Marzke Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Marzke Family Foundation gave $73K across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in Michigan. 16% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $72,850
- +11.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,917
- +5.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $1,443,165
- +22.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (6 of 37, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (98% 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 Marzke Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. The filing says to submit application materials by mail and lists Kurt Marzke as the contact. Awards are restricted to the Greater St Joseph, Michigan / Benton Harbor, Michigan area.
- Contact
Application contact: Kurt Marzke
Mailing address: PO Box 123, St Joseph, MI 49085
Phone: (269) 983-3942
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Marzke Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Friends of Berrien County Trails ($10K). Together the top 10 received $43K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($1,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
183 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 183 grants of 183 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The filing states that awards are restricted to the Greater St Joseph and Benton Harbor, Michigan area. In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to Michigan recipients, with 1% each going to Florida and Minnesota recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Marzke Family Foundation open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 37 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $750 first-time, $1K repeat.
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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $41K (2020) to $73K (2025). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $73K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of Berrien County Trails Benton Harbor, MI | Lakeshore Trail Project | $10,000 |
| YMCA - Benton Harbor - St Joseph St Joseph, MI | YMCA Donation | $5,000 |
| Readiness Center Benton Harbor, MI | General Donation | $5,000 |
| Lake Michigan Catholic Schools St Joseph, MI | General Donation | $5,000 |
| Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School St Joseph, MI | Hole Sponsor | $3,500 |
| Curious Kids Museum St Joseph, MI | General Donation | $3,100 |
| Lory's Place St Joseph, MI | Reflections Dinner and Walk Sponsor | $3,000 |
| Catholic Community Center Benton Harbor, MI | Fellowship | $3,000 |
| Sacred Heart Serenity Hills Recovery & Wellness Center Berrien Center, MI | General Donation | $2,500 |
| The Soup Kitchen Benton Harbor, MI | Feed the Hungry | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with The Marzke Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,443,165 | $244,568 | $75,441 | $72,850 | 38 | $72,850 | $66,199 |
| 2024 | $1,180,168 | $21,383 | $68,478 | $65,200 | 36 | $65,200 | $20,575 |
| 2023 | $1,028,787 | $59,678 | $56,618 | $52,750 | 33 | $52,750 | $58,160 |
| 2022 | $990,131 | $59,611 | $56,866 | $54,000 | 35 | $54,000 | $58,820 |
| 2021 | $1,109,161 | $45,271 | $58,341 | $56,130 | 41 | $56,130 | $45,060 |
| 2020 | $952,400 | $15,464 | $43,263 | $41,000 | 37 | — | $15,205 |
| 2019 | $935,150 | $26,043 | $56,442 | $54,300 | 45 | — | $25,851 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants include support for organizations working in areas such as trails, education, youth activities, and human services. For example, Friends of Berrien County Trails says it supports trail construction, maintenance, and use in Berrien County and nearby counties. Readiness Center says its mission is to provide educational and self-esteem-building programs for low-income families. Curious Kids Museum describes its mission as encouraging discovery and learning for children through interactive exhibits and programs.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 38 grants totaling $72,850. Grants ranged from $200 to $10,000, with a median of $1,000. The largest listed award was $10,000 to Friends of Berrien County Trails for the Lakeshore Trail Project. Other awards included $5,000 each to the YMCA - Benton Harbor - St Joseph, Readiness Center, and Lake Michigan Catholic Schools.
In 2024, the foundation gave $4,000 to Readiness Center, $3,000 to Friends of Berrien County Trails, and $2,500 to Curious Kids Museum, among other grants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists L Richard Marzke as president; Nancy Ann Marzke as secretary/treasurer; and Lynn Ann Marzke, Kurt R Marzke, Craig S Marzke, Christopher J Marzke, and Kevin Marzke as vice presidents.
The Marzke Family Foundation is led by L. Richard Marzke, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
L. Richard Marzke
President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher J. Marzke
Vice President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Craig S. Marzke
Vice President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Marzke
Vice President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kurt R. Marzke
Vice President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lynn Ann Marzke
Vice President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Ann Marzke
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
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 Marzke Family Foundation
How much does The Marzke Family Foundation give each year?
The Marzke Family Foundation gave $73K across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $65K across 36 grants.
What is The Marzke Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Marzke Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,917, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Marzke Family Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Marzke Family Foundation give grants?
The Marzke Family Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were St Joseph, MI (13 grants), Benton Harbor, MI (12 grants), Grand Rapids, MI (2 grants) and Holland, MI (2 grants).
Does The Marzke Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 42% of The Marzke Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 38) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Hole Sponsor" (3 grants).
Who are The Marzke Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Marzke Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Friends of Berrien County Trails ($10,000), YMCA - Benton Harbor - St Joseph ($5,000) and Readiness Center ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($1,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Marzke Family Foundation?
The Marzke Family Foundation reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $245K.
What does The Marzke Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants include support for organizations working in areas such as trails, education, youth activities, and human services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Marzke Family Foundation?
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Marzke Family Foundation's EIN?
The Marzke Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3584852. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 1, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work The Marzke Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Marzke Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Funders that support many of the same organizations
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Marzke Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-marzke-family-foundation-morg_209941017d3a447f923ee2e657e4a8ad
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_383584852_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Marzke Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-marzke-family-foundation-morg_209941017d3a447f923ee2e657e4a8ad},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Marzke Family 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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