The Pokagon Fund Inc
The Pokagon Fund Inc is a private foundation based in New Buffalo, Michigan. It began grantmaking in 2007 and supports charitable projects benefiting specified communities and their residents in Michigan, as well as communities in Indiana and Michigan surrounding Pokagon Band trust land consolidation sites.
The Pokagon Fund Inc at a glance
In short: The Pokagon Fund Inc gave $1.4M across 101 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), mostly in Michigan. 40% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,388,564
- +25.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 101
- -27.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,748
- +73.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,500
- Total assets
- $8,548,812
- -10.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 40% first-time grantees (18 of 45, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (93% 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 Pokagon Fund Inc
- How to Apply
-
The Fund’s website directs applicants to submit applications online through its grantee portal. Discretionary Project and Band Grant applications are reviewed three times per year; the stated deadlines are March 1, July 1, and November 1, with a deadline extended to the next business day when it falls on a weekend or holiday. Municipal applications are reviewed as submitted. The Board usually decides at its meeting in the month following submission but may postpone a decision. The 2024 filing lists different grant application dates—January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15—which are filing-reported dates, not the deadlines currently stated on the website.
- Next open deadline
- November 1, 2026 (Pokagon Fund Discretionary Grants)
- Contact
Application contact: Dan Petersen
Mailing address: 821 E Buffalo Street, New Buffalo, MI 49117
Phone: (269) 469-9322
Email: dpetersen@pokagonfund.org
Website: https://pokagonfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from The Pokagon Fund Inc
Pokagon Band Grants
The Pokagon Fund Inc
Amount
Up to US $7,500
Deadline
Deadline not published
Pokagon Fund - Municipal Grants
The Pokagon Fund Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Pokagon Fund Discretionary Grants
The Pokagon Fund Inc
Amount
Up to US $10,000
Deadline
November 1, 2026
Listed date — confirm with the funder
Who The Pokagon Fund Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was New Buffalo Township ($624K across 4 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Organizations only. It also paid 48 grants to individuals ($149,523), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
569 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 547 grants of 569 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Fund’s Discretionary grants benefit the City of New Buffalo; the townships of New Buffalo, Three Oaks, and Chikaming; and the villages of Three Oaks, Grand Beach, and Michiana. Its Band Grants serve Hartford and Dowagiac, Michigan, and South Bend, Indiana. Its Municipal grant program includes specified local governments and school districts.
The Fund’s website says 90% of its distributions are made as grants and scholarships benefiting designated Michigan communities and residents, with the remaining 10% benefiting Hartford, Dowagiac, or South Bend. Separately, its 2024 filing states that, after operational costs and reasonable reserves, 10% of annual allocations are to benefit communities surrounding Pokagon Band trust land consolidation sites in Michigan and Indiana, and 45% are to be allocated to named local entities. In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to Michigan recipients, 4% to Indiana, and 1% each to Illinois and Florida; the filing also lists Georgia at 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 101 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Pokagon Fund Inc open to new grantees?
40%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 18 of 45 grantees (40%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $44K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $7K repeat.
- 38% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−9%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 423% 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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $743K (2021) to $1.5M (2022). In 2025 it made 101 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New Buffalo Township New Buffalo, MI | New Buffalo TWP Marquette Greenway- Discretionary Funds | $300,000 |
| New Buffalo Township New Buffalo, MI | Red Arrow Linear Park- Municipal Funds | $213,333 |
| City of New Buffalo New Buffalo, MI | Marquette Greenway -City Portion | $150,000 |
| Neighbor by Neighbor Bridgman, MI | Operations 2025-2027 | $150,000 |
| New Buffalo Township New Buffalo, MI | Red Arrow Linear Park- Discretionary Funds | $106,667 |
| City of New Buffalo New Buffalo, MI | Marquette Greenway Trailhead | $37,500 |
| River Valley School District Three Oaks, MI | Playground Enhancement Project | $22,605 |
| Harding's Market Three Oaks, MI | Mobile Food Pantries Protein Supplement Grant | $18,483 |
| Senior Nutrition Servicesmeals on Wheel SW MI Benton Harbor, MI | Beyond Five Meals per Week for Seniors | $18,000 |
| Caring Connection Benton Harbor, MI | Violence Prevention Outreach | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Pokagon Fund Inc?
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 | $8,548,812 | $2,045,923 | $1,850,610 | $1,388,564 | 101 | $1,673,949 | $677,583 | $395,510 |
| 2024 | $9,502,517 | $1,594,789 | $1,501,773 | $1,104,485 | 139 | $1,377,895 | $249,310 | $441,586 |
| 2023 | $9,059,039 | $1,439,646 | $1,385,498 | $1,038,529 | 111 | $1,284,378 | $47,553 | $448,817 |
| 2022 | $8,664,018 | $1,779,821 | $1,919,789 | $1,528,031 | 119 | $1,759,777 | $68,553 | $451,971 |
| 2021 | $9,606,512 | $1,882,145 | $1,071,662 | $742,624 | 99 | — | $210,625 | $483,355 |
| 2020 | $8,116,204 | $1,576,286 | $1,216,435 | $819,706 | 73 | — | $183,102 | $431,027 |
| 2019 | $7,705,434 | $1,720,198 | $1,388,294 | $984,939 | 81 | — | $53,741 | $356,907 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Pokagon Fund Inc reported a distributable amount of $396K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Fund’s stated vision is to support communities where residents can access resources to care for themselves and their families and have the freedom to shape their future. Its 2024 filing says distributions are to benefit areas including the arts, education, environment, recreation, health, and human services.
The Fund’s 2025 grants included support for local government and public-space projects, school activities, food assistance, senior meals, violence-prevention outreach, and nonprofit operations. Among its grantees, Neighbor by Neighbor describes its mission as providing financial help for basic needs and life-skills programming. The School of American Music describes its mission as providing music and related-arts education, performance, and audience opportunities in an individual recipient Life Treatment Centers describes its mission as improving the quality of life for people with substance use disorders through treatment services. Helping Hands of Cass County describes its mission as serving economically challenged residents of Cass County.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Fund reported 101 grants totaling $1,388,564. Awards ranged from $72 to $300,000, with a median grant of $3,500. Among the largest awards were $300,000 and $213,333 to New Buffalo Township for Marquette Greenway and Red Arrow Linear Park projects; $150,000 to the City of New Buffalo for its Marquette Greenway portion; and $150,000 to Neighbor by Neighbor for operations in 2025–2027. Other reported awards included $22,605 to River Valley School District for a playground enhancement project and $18,000 to Senior Nutrition Services for additional weekly meals for seniors.
The Fund’s website describes Discretionary grants for projects directly benefiting the City of New Buffalo; the townships of New Buffalo, Three Oaks, or Chikaming; or the villages of Three Oaks, Grand Beach, or Michiana. Discretionary Project grant requests are limited to $10,000; requests over that amount are considered Discretionary Impact Accelerator grants. The website says applicants generally must be IRS-classified 501(c)(3) organizations, demonstrate community need, and use funding for a charitable purpose. It also describes Band Grants for projects benefiting Hartford or Dowagiac, Michigan, or South Bend, Indiana; requests are limited to $7,500.
Municipal grants are for projects requested by the governing boards of listed jurisdictions, including the City of New Buffalo, specified townships and villages, River Valley School District, and New Buffalo Area Schools. Municipal applicants are advised to confirm available request amounts because they change. The website describes an initial questionnaire or letter of inquiry for some municipal requests, followed by a full application if invited. Staff conduct due diligence, and the Board of Directors decides whether to award a grant.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kevin Harrington as chair, Deborah Schmidt as treasurer, Sandra Sporleder as secretary, and Rich Knoll, Patty Iazzetto, Rhonda Keene, Mark Parrish, and Brian Flanagan as directors. Dan Petersen is listed as executive director.
The Pokagon Fund Inc is led by Dan Petersen, Executive Director since 2021 (on filings since 2020); all 9 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Dan Petersen
Executive Director
Executive Director - → Executive Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$58K (2020) → $155K (2025)
Kevin Harrington
Chair
Secretary → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
$2K (2023) → $2K (2025)
Brian Flanagan
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
$400 (2021) → $400 (2025)
Mark Parrish
Director
Director → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
$700 (2021) → $1K (2025)
Rhonda Keene
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
$1K (2023) → $900 (2025)
Patty Iazzetto
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
$1K (2025)
Rich Knoll
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
$800 (2025)
Deborah Schmidt
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$2K (2019) → $2K (2025)
Sandra Sporleder
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
$500 (2023) → $2K (2025)
Former officers (10)
- Former: Judy Zabicki (2019–2024) — Chair
- Former: Deborah Hall-Kayler (2019–2023) — Previous Board Vice Chair
- Former: Robert Gow (2019–2023) — Previous Director
- Former: Anita Morales (2022–2023) — Previous Director
- Former: Kelly Curran (2019–2022) — Previous Director
- Former: Andy Jackson (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Elizabeth Ennis (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: John Krsul (2019–2020) — Interim Executive Director
- Former: Janet Cocciarelli (2019) — Executive Director -
- Former: Roger Rader (2019) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $155K, to Dan Petersen (Executive Director). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Pokagon Fund Inc
How much does The Pokagon Fund Inc give each year?
The Pokagon Fund Inc gave $1.4M across 101 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.1M across 139 grants.
What is The Pokagon Fund Inc's typical grant size?
The Pokagon Fund Inc's median grant in 2025 was $3,500, and its average grant was $13,748, across 101 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Pokagon Fund Inc that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Pokagon Fund Inc give grants?
The Pokagon Fund Inc gives mostly in Michigan: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New Buffalo, MI (14 grants), Three Oaks, MI (7 grants), South Bend, IN (6 grants) and Benton Harbor, MI (4 grants).
Does The Pokagon Fund Inc give general operating support?
Occasionally: 1% of The Pokagon Fund Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 101) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Pokagon Fund Inc's largest grantees?
The Pokagon Fund Inc's largest 2025 grantees include New Buffalo Township ($624,423 across 4 grants), City of New Buffalo ($187,500 across 2 grants) and Neighbor by Neighbor ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 48 grants to individuals ($149,523), which are not listed by name. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Pokagon Fund Inc?
The Pokagon Fund Inc reported $8.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $396K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Pokagon Fund Inc fund?
The Fund’s stated vision is to support communities where residents can access resources to care for themselves and their families and have the freedom to shape their future. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Pokagon Fund Inc?
The Fund’s website directs applicants to submit applications online through its grantee portal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Pokagon Fund Inc's EIN?
The Pokagon Fund Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 30-0130499. 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 October 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 February 22, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 20, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS November 13, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work The Pokagon Fund Inc funds
Community Improvement & Capacity Building Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Pokagon Fund Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Pokagon Fund Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-pokagon-fund-inc-morg_1d9652187cae4586b0d3e6a9751175eb
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_300130499_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Pokagon Fund Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-pokagon-fund-inc-morg_1d9652187cae4586b0d3e6a9751175eb},
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 Pokagon Fund 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.
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