The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage
The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage is a private foundation based in Maple City, Michigan. It makes small grants to support underserved populations, with stated interests in literacy, healthcare, poverty reduction, and social and environmental justice.
The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage at a glance
In short: The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage gave $106K across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state Michigan. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $105,500
- +14.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- +19.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,220
- -3.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $1,824,249
- +4.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (8 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (42% 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 Richard L and Freda K Flerlage
- How to Apply
-
The website directs applicants to submit an application through its online form. It requires a completed Grant Application and Information Form and a copy of the IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt determination letter; a brief explanatory letter may also be included. The foundation does not make grants to individuals. Successful applicants must report how funds were used within one year of receiving a grant; organizations that do not submit a report will not be considered for further applications. The website says it gives strong preference to organizations with smaller budgets, and grants are not continued automatically; organizations must submit a new request annually.
- Review Cycle
- The website says applications must be submitted by February 1 for consideration in the previous calendar year’s cycle, with grants determined in February. The 2025 filing instead states that applications must be postmarked by October 1 for that calendar year, with distributions by March 15 of the following year. These dates refer to past cycles as of September 28, 2026.
- Deadline
- The website says applications must be submitted by February 1 for consideration in the previous calendar year’s cycle,…
- Contact
Application contact: Susan Flerlage
Mailing address: PO Box 43288, Cincinnati, OH 45243
Phone: (231) 334-3740
Email: prunie@centurytel.net
Website: https://flerlagefoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was 100 Friends ($10K). Together the top 10 received $72K.
Organizations only. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($6,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
114 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 114 grants of 114 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Michigan and made 2025 grants to recipients in multiple states. Michigan accounted for 42% of grant dollars, Ohio 38%, California 9%, and the District of Columbia and Kentucky 3% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 22 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 134% 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 $29K (2019) to $115K (2022). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $106K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Friends Newport Beach, CA | To help individuals and families in asia struggling to survive in refugee camps with basic necessities. | $10,000 |
| Flow (For Love of Water) Traverse City, MI | Developing a legal roadmap to shutting down line 5, providing crucial legal & scientific support to the effort to decommission the dual pipelines, located in open waters of the great lakes, by forcing compliance with environmental and public trust laws. | $10,000 |
| On the Ground Global Traverse City, MI | This funding will be used specifically for fees related to specialized instuctors to aid in training women in conflict zones of eastern congo. The program includes training in literacy, basic math, lending/loaning club, business training, life skills, family visioning sessions and sexual violence awareness. | $10,000 |
| Transform Cincinnati (Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati) Cincinnati, OH | To expand meeting groups to asslow for some families to meet outside on motnhly meetings and open the group up for separate meetings for different age groups. | $10,000 |
| Michigan League of Conservation Voters Education Fund Ann Arbor, MI | The #our water activist program (OWA) equips youth with the knowledge, skills, and mentoring they need to address these critical issues. This robust program teaches high school and college students how to become civically engaged and mobilize others through workshops on organizing methods, public speaking, the van (voter activation network) database, and key issues like pfas contamination, air quality (particularly in places like detroit's 48217 zip code), climate change, voting rights, and environmental justice. | $10,000 |
| Title Track Grand Rapids, MI | Healing ourselves is a community-centered program dedicated to fostering generational healing, resilience, and cultural reclamation within bipoc communities. The clean water campaign uses media, advocacy, storytelling & music to amplify the groundswell of public support for clean water issues & motivate people to step into advocacy and stewardship that will create lasting & meaningful change. | $8,000 |
| Soaring Unlimited Haiti Cincinnati, OH | Sustainable Women and Family Health Care in Haiti | $5,000 |
| 3 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $6,000 |
| Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH | Help to support a new book distribution program in the homes of low-income children. | $3,000 |
| The East End Adult Education Center Fairfax, OH | Purchase ged languarge, and math textbooks as well as ged practice and official ged testing. | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage?
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 | $1,824,249 | $224,984 | $141,450 | $105,500 | 25 | $141,450 | $190,834 | $105,925 |
| 2024 | $1,740,715 | $188,178 | $123,805 | $92,000 | 21 | $123,805 | $158,173 | $98,990 |
| 2023 | $1,676,342 | $16,036 | $121,318 | $92,000 | 23 | $310,718 | $1,923 | $90,344 |
| 2022 | $1,781,624 | $27,395 | $153,437 | $114,500 | 23 | $153,437 | — | $91,143 |
| 2021 | $1,907,117 | $238,066 | $142,109 | $106,500 | 22 | $142,109 | $204,257 | $107,892 |
| 2020 | $1,813,535 | $1,420,366 | $61,022 | $47,800 | 17 | — | $122,771 | $70,888 |
| 2019 | $449,909 | $29,101 | $34,005 | $28,700 | 11 | — | $25,596 | $30,215 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage reported a distributable amount of $106K 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
The foundation’s website says its mission is to empower underserved populations through small grants supporting literacy, healthcare, poverty reduction, and the promotion of social and environmental justice. Its 2025 filing lists principal interests in education, environment, health care, human relations, and quality of life.
Examples of grantees’ work include Literacy Network of an individual recipient, which says it promotes literacy through tutoring, outreach, and book access, and UpSpring, which says it supports children experiencing homelessness through education and enrichment. Title Track describes its work as engaging creative practice to build resilient social-ecological systems that support clean water, racial equity, and youth empowerment.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 25 grants totaling $105,500. Individual grants ranged from $500 to $10,000, with a median of $3,000. Notable awards included $10,000 each to 100 Friends for basic necessities for people in refugee camps, FLOW for legal and scientific support related to shutting down Line 5, and the Michigan League of Conservation Voters Education Fund for its youth activist program. Other 2025 grants included $8,000 to Title Track, $5,000 to Soaring Unlimited Haiti, and $3,000 each to Literacy Network of an individual recipient, UpSpring, and World Central Kitchen.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sue Flerlage as president and Molly Flerlage as secretary. Trustees listed are Daniel B Flerlage, S Thomas Flerlage, John N Seaman Jr, Maureen Doran, Shawn Young, Christine B Kauffmann, Ella Bushnell, and Alex Bennett.
The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage is led by Sue Flerlage, President since 2022 (on filings since 2019); 2 of 10 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sue Flerlage
President
Secretary → President, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$2K (2019) → $900 (2025)
Daniel B. Flerlage
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
John N. Seaman Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Maureen Doran
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
S. Thomas Flerlage
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Shawn Young
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Christine B. Kauffmann
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Alex Bennett
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Ella Bushnell
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Molly Flerlage
Secretary
Trustee → Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$900 (2021) → $900 (2025)
Former officers (2)
- Former: Kim Foote (2022) — Trustee
- Former: J. David Cummings (2019–2021) — President & Treasurer
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 $900, to Sue Flerlage (President). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage
How much does The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage give each year?
The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage gave $106K across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $92K across 21 grants.
What is The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage's typical grant size?
The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $4,220, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage that year got $4K on average.
Where does The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage give grants?
The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage's top state is Michigan, with 42% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Ohio (38%) and California (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cincinnati, OH (8 grants), Traverse City, MI (3 grants) and Newport, KY (2 grants).
Does The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage give general operating support?
Occasionally: 4% of The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 25) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage's largest grantees?
The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage's largest 2025 grantees include 100 Friends ($10,000), Flow (For Love of Water) ($10,000) and On the Ground Global ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($6,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage?
The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $141K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $106K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage fund?
The foundation’s website says its mission is to empower underserved populations through small grants supporting literacy, healthcare, poverty reduction, and the promotion of social and environmental justice. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage?
The website directs applicants to submit an application through its online form. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage's EIN?
The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1066269. 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 27, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 10, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-richard-l-and-freda-k-flerlage-morg_f98d3b16d5b64ef2b77dd104cbb21060
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311066269_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Richard L and Freda K Flerlage funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-richard-l-and-freda-k-flerlage-morg_f98d3b16d5b64ef2b77dd104cbb21060},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-07. 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 Richard L and Freda K Flerlage'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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