The Royal Little Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Detroit, MI EIN: 05-6016740

The Royal Little Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Detroit, Michigan. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including arts, homelessness-services, conservation, education, community, and care organizations.

The Royal Little Family Foundation at a glance

In short: The Royal Little Family Foundation gave $750K across 60 grants in 2024 (avg $12K), top state Massachusetts. 17% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$749,700
-7.7% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
60
-11.8% vs 2023
Average grant
$12,495
+4.6% vs 2023
Median grant
$10,000
Total assets
$16,941,800
+3.8% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
17% first-time grantees (10 of 60, 2024)
Primary geography
Massachusetts (29% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to The Royal Little Family Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

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

Contact

Mailing address: PO Box 75000, Detroit, MI 48275-7874
Phone: (313) 222-9388

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

Who The Royal Little Family Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Celebrity Series of Boston: $120KCelebrity Series of Boston$120KPine Street Inn: $50KPine Street Inn$50KEffingham Preservation Society: $30KEffingham Preservation Society$30KBrookline Community Foundation Inc: $25KBrookline Community FoundationInc$25KLyford Cay Foundation Inc: $25KLyford Cay Foundation Inc$25KVashon Island Public Schools Foundation: $25KVashon Island Public SchoolsFoundation$25KPacific Bonsai Museum: $25KPacific Bonsai Museum$25KCascade Head Biosphere Collaborative: $22KCascade Head BiosphereCollaborative$22KGreen Mountain Conservation Group: $20KGreen Mountain ConservationGroup$20KDr Martin Luther King Jr Community CNTR: $20KDr Martin Luther King JrCommunity CNTR$20K

The largest 2024 recipient was Celebrity Series of Boston ($120K). Together the top 10 received $362K.

Grant Size Distribution

364 grants across all recorded years

351<$50K7$50–100K6$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 351 grants of 364 (96%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation is based in Detroit, Michigan. Its 2024 grant dollars went primarily to recipients in Massachusetts (29%), Washington (23%), Rhode Island (19%), New Hampshire (11%), and New York (8%). The listed 2024 grants also include an award to an organization in Oregon.

Grant Distribution by State

17states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 60 itemized grants.

Cities

VashonSeattleProvidenceNew YorkBostonNewportEffinghamMiddletownTampaCambridgeFederal WayLake ForestMontereyPortlandPutneyVashionBoiseKingstonLake PlacidTamworth

Is The Royal Little Family Foundation open to new grantees?

17%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 10 of 60 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $14K. How we count

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

  • 77% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving fell 23% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 82% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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$250K$500K$750K$1M79 grants2020 79 grants2021 78 grants2022 68 grants2023 60 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $750K (2024) to $988K (2020). In 2024 it made 60 grants totaling $750K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Celebrity Series of Boston Boston, MASupport of Daily Operations$120,000
Pine Street Inn Boston, MASupport of Daily Operations$50,000
Effingham Preservation Society Effingham, NHSupport of Daily Operations$30,000
Brookline Community Foundation Inc Brookline, MASupport of Daily Operations$25,000
Lyford Cay Foundation Inc New York, NYSupport of Daily Operations$25,000
Vashon Island Public Schools Foundation Vashon, WAGeneral Financial Support$25,000
Pacific Bonsai Museum Federal Way, WASupport of Daily Operations$25,000
Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative Otis, ORSupport of Daily Operations$21,500
Green Mountain Conservation Group Effingham, NHGeneral Financial Support$20,000
Dr Martin Luther King Jr Community CNTR Newport, RISupport for Daily$20,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2024$16,941,800$1,441,209$1,152,042$749,70060$900,914$1,195,489$1,096,639
2023$16,329,389$1,167,683$1,198,140$812,00068$982,734$940,948$994,463
2022$16,414,604$1,188,766$1,451,153$969,00078$1,155,065$931,873$1,036,963
2021$16,695,799$2,016,330$1,435,488$973,17579$1,162,718$1,730,197$1,189,258
2020$16,115,423$296,986$1,420,674$988,00079—$127,936$1,016,295

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 October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement is available in the provided information. The 2024 grants include support for organizations whose stated missions range from ending homelessness to sustaining educational programs, promoting equity, conserving natural resources, expanding opportunities for youth, presenting live theatre, and providing skilled and long-term care. These are the recipient organizations’ missions, not stated priorities of the foundation.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2024, the foundation made 60 grants totaling $749,700. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $120,000, with a median grant of $10,000. Many of the largest awards were designated for daily operations or general financial support.

Notable 2024 grants included $120,000 to Celebrity Series of Boston, $50,000 to Pine Street Inn, $30,000 to Effingham Preservation Society, $25,000 each to Brookline Community Foundation, Lyford Cay Foundation, Vashon Island Public Schools Foundation, and Pacific Bonsai Museum, and $20,000 each to Green Mountain Conservation Group and Creature Conserve. Pine Street Inn describes its mission as helping people move from homelessness to housing and supporting formerly homeless people in retaining housing. Vashon Island Public Schools Foundation says its primary purpose is to raise funds to sustain the school district’s educational programs. Green Mountain Conservation Group describes itself as dedicated to protecting and conserving natural resources in the Ossipee River Valley.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Comerica Bank is listed as trustee on the 2024 filing.

The Royal Little Family Foundation's only listed officer is Comerica Bank, Trustee on every filing since 2020 (compensated).

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Comerica Bank

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    4 hrs/week

    $63K (2020) → $72K (2024)

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Comerica Bank — Trustee: $72KComerica BankTrustee$72K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $72K, to Comerica Bank (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about The Royal Little Family Foundation

How much does The Royal Little Family Foundation give each year?

The Royal Little Family Foundation gave $750K across 60 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $812K across 68 grants.

What is The Royal Little Family Foundation's typical grant size?

The Royal Little Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $12,495, across 60 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Royal Little Family Foundation that year got $7K on average.

Where does The Royal Little Family Foundation give grants?

The Royal Little Family Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 29% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Washington (23%) and Rhode Island (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Vashon, WA (12 grants), Newport, RI (9 grants), Boston, MA (6 grants) and Providence, RI (6 grants).

Does The Royal Little Family Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 17% of The Royal Little Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 60) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Support of Daily Operations" (36 grants).

Who are The Royal Little Family Foundation's largest grantees?

The Royal Little Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Celebrity Series of Boston ($120,000), Pine Street Inn ($50,000) and Effingham Preservation Society ($30,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Royal Little Family Foundation?

The Royal Little Family Foundation reported $16.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $901K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.

What does The Royal Little Family Foundation fund?

No mission statement is available in the provided information. See mission & focus areas ↑

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

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

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.

Does The Royal Little Family 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 October 2026.

Data update history

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Royal Little Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-royal-little-family-foundation-morg_757690b4f89943d19b3ab094d3b6b3e6

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_056016740_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Royal Little Family Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-royal-little-family-foundation-morg_757690b4f89943d19b3ab094d3b6b3e6},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-24. 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 Royal Little 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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