The Royal Little Family Foundation

DETROIT, MI EIN: 05-6016740 Website

The Royal Little Family Foundation is a private foundation located in Detroit, Michigan, established in 1966. It operates as a 501(c)(3) exempt private foundation with a staff of 2 employees. The foundation is also known as the Little Family Foundation and Little Royal-Family Foundation Trust.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$16.9M

+3.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$750K

-7.7% YoY

Grant Count

-11.8% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$12K

+4.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Royal Little Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation primarily funds support of daily operations for various organizations, with a focus on:

Arts and culture
Childcare scholarships
Scholarship funds
Rowhouse preservation
Public events and programming

Grantmaking

The foundation provides grants primarily for support of daily operations at grantee organizations. Grant sizes vary, with recent awards ranging from $30,000 to $120,000.

Grant Range

s vary, with recent awards ranging from $30,000 to $120,000.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

Massachusetts $1.3M (36%)

Rhode Island $633K (17%)

New York $532K (15%)

New Hampshire $503K (14%)

Washington $463K (13%)

Vermont $45K (1%)

Oregon $44K (1%)

California $42K (1%)

+9 more states

States

California District of Columbia Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Kentucky Massachusetts Maine North Carolina New Hampshire New Jersey New York Oregon Rhode Island Vermont Washington

Cities

AshevilleBabson ParkBandonBangorBickletonBoiseBostonBrooklineBrooklynBurnsCambridgeChocoruaCummingDurhamEast ProvidenceEffinghamFederal WayFreedomGlenrockKingston

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 2024:

Total assets: $16,941,800
Total revenues: $1,441,209
Total expenses: $1,152,042

As of December 2023:

Total assets: $16,329,389
Total revenues: $1,167,683
Total expenses: $1,198,140
Investment income and dividends: $485,885

The foundation's primary revenue source is investment income and dividends from its endowment.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$16,941,800	$16,329,389	$16,414,604
Revenue	$1,441,209	$1,167,683	$1,188,766
Expenses	$1,152,042	$1,198,140	$1,451,153
Qualifying Distributions	$900,914	$982,734	$1,155,065
Net Investment Income	$1,195,489	$940,948	$931,873
Distributable Amount	$1,096,639	$994,463	$1,036,963

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

250 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Celebrity Series of Boston ($120,000), Pine Street Inn ($50,000), Effingham Preservation Society ($30,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
FURKIDS INC CUMMING, GA	DESTINATION FURKIDS CAPITAL	$5,000
BARNSTORMERS INC TAMWORTH, NH	SUPPORT OF DAILY OPERATIONS	$15,000
CHOCORUA LAKE CONSERVACY CHOCORUA, NH	LEGAL FEES FOR OWLS FIGHT	$10,000
Wakefield Food Pantry SANBORNVILLE, NH	SUPPORT OF DAILY OPERATIONS	$5,000
Green Mountain Conservation Group EFFINGHAM, NH	GENERAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT	$20,000
EFFINGHAM PRESERVATION SOCIETY EFFINGHAM, NH	SUPPORT OF DAILY OPERATIONS	$30,000
Putney School PUTNEY, VT	FOR YOUTH TRAVEL ABROAD	$5,000
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL BOSTON, MA	CARDIOLOGY RESEARCH	$5,000
Shady Hill School CAMBRIDGE, MA	SUPPORT OF DAILY OPERATIONS	$1,000
SIMMONS UNIVERSITY BOSTON, MA	SUPPORT OF DAILY OPERATIONS	$4,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Matthew Grabowski serves as Vice President of the foundation (as of November 2024).

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
COMERICA BANK	TRUSTEE	4	$71,705

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Royal Little Family Foundation fund?

The foundation primarily funds support of daily operations for various organizations, with a focus on: • Arts and culture • Childcare scholarships • Scholarship funds • Rowhouse preservation • Public events and programming

How do I apply for a grant from The Royal Little Family Foundation?

**Grant Activity:** • Made 91 grants in 2023 and 53 grants in 2024 • Recent notable grants include: • The Celebrity Series of Boston: $120,000 (2024) • Pine Street Inn: $50,000 (2024) • Effingham Preservation Society: $30,000 (2024) • Shady Hill School: $50,000 (2023) **Grant Characteristics:** The foundation provides grants primarily for support of daily operations at grantee organizations. Grant sizes vary, with recent awards ranging from $30,000 to $120,000.

What size grants does The Royal Little Family Foundation award?

In 2024, The Royal Little Family Foundation awarded 60 grants totaling $750K — an average of about $12K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Royal Little Family Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Royal Little Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is The Royal Little Family Foundation's EIN?

The Royal Little Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 05-6016740. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.