The William R and Susan K Lewis

Private foundation · Grantmaker Grand Rapids, MI EIN: 20-4821581

The William R and Susan K Lewis is a private foundation based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It made 49 grants totaling $77,668 in 2024 to charitable organizations in Michigan and other states.

The William R and Susan K Lewis at a glance

In short: The William R and Susan K Lewis gave $78K across 49 grants in 2024 (avg $2K), mostly in Michigan. 55% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$77,668
+83.1% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
49
+88.5% vs 2023
Average grant
$1,585
-2.9% vs 2023
Median grant
$1,000
Total assets
$366,767
+43.4% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
55% first-time grantees (27 of 49, 2024)
Primary geography
Michigan (54% 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 William R and Susan K Lewis

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

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

Contact

Mailing address: 1144 Idema Drive Se, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Phone: (616) 437-4798

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

Who The William R and Susan K Lewis funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Planned Parenthood: $9KPlanned Parenthood$9KGuilda' Club: $5KGuilda' Club$5KEquest Center: $5KEquest Center$5KHuman Rights Watch: $5KHuman Rights Watch$5KLes Cheneaux Culinary School: $5KLes Cheneaux Culinary School$5KMercy Ships: $4KMercy Ships$4KBaxter Community Center: $3KBaxter Community Center$3KTechno Serve: $3KTechno Serve$3KEaster Seals: $3KEaster Seals$3KWGVU: $2KWGVU$2K

The largest 2024 recipient was Planned Parenthood ($9K). Together the top 10 received $43K.

Grant Size Distribution

135 grants across all recorded years

135<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 135 grants of 135 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, Michigan recipients received 54% of grant dollars. New York received 16%, Washington, DC, 7%, Virginia 7%, and Texas 6%.

Grant Distribution by State

15states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 49 itemized grants.

Cities

Grand RapidsNew YorkWashingtonArlingtonBostonDetroitHesselMemphisMontgomeryWashington DcAnn ArborAtlantaGarden VallyRestonSaddle BrookAlexandriaAllendaleBaltimoreBethesdaBuchanan

Is The William R and Susan K Lewis open to new grantees?

55%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 27 of 49 grantees (55%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $2K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 29% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−2%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 724% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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$20K$40K$60K$80K21 grants2020 17 grants2021 22 grants2022 26 grants2023 49 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $37K (2022) to $79K (2021). In 2024 it made 49 grants totaling $78K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Planned Parenthood Lansing, MIGeneral Fund$8,500
Guilda' Club Grand Rapids, MIGeneral Support$5,000
Equest Center Rockford, MIGeneral Fund$5,000
Human Rights Watch New York, NYGeneral Fund$5,000
Les Cheneaux Culinary School Hessel, MIGeneral Fund$5,000
Mercy Ships Garden Vally, TXGeneral Support$3,500
Baxter Community Center Grand Rapids, MIGeneral Support$3,000
Techno Serve Arlington, VAGeneral Fund$3,000
Easter Seals Grand Rapids, MIGeneral Support$2,500
WGVU Grand Rapids, MIGeneral Support$2,000
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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$366,767$15,644$78,864$77,66849$77,668$909$10,735
2023$255,812$136$43,677$42,42526$42,425$136$13,885
2022$260,022$3,277$37,777$36,64322$36,643$134$17,997
2021$542,816$67,127$80,903$78,88017$78,880$123$28,763
2020$648,802$196,471$44,489$43,51521—$1,669$26,666

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The William R and Susan K Lewis reported a distributable amount of $11K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied purposes. For example, Les Cheneaux Culinary School describes its work as providing educational programs and schooling for culinary students. Human Rights Watch says it investigates abuses and presses for respect for human rights. Baxter Community Center describes itself as a neighborhood hub offering child development, health, food and clothing assistance, and educational enrichment.

Other 2024 recipients include the International Rescue Committee, which says it responds to humanitarian crises and helps people affected by conflict and disaster; Heart of West Michigan United Way, which says it invests in solutions to reduce poverty in West Michigan; and Feeding America, whose stated mission is to advance equitable access to nutritious food.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation awarded 49 grants totaling $77,668. Grants ranged from $40 to $8,500, with a median grant of $1,000. The largest grants included Planned Parenthood in Lansing, Michigan ($8,500); Guilda’ Club in Grand Rapids, EQuest Center in Rockford, Human Rights Watch in New York, and Les Cheneaux Culinary School in Hessel ($5,000 each); and Mercy Ships in Garden Valley, Texas ($3,500). Other notable awards included $3,000 each to Baxter Community Center and Techno Serve, and $2,500 to Easter Seals, all listed in the filing as general support or general fund.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

William R Lewis is listed as a trustee on the 2024 filing.

The William R and Susan K Lewis is led by William R. Lewis, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • William R. Lewis

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

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.

Frequently asked questions about The William R and Susan K Lewis

How much does The William R and Susan K Lewis give each year?

The William R and Susan K Lewis gave $78K across 49 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $42K across 26 grants.

What is The William R and Susan K Lewis's typical grant size?

The William R and Susan K Lewis's median grant in 2024 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,585, across 49 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The William R and Susan K Lewis that year got $1K on average.

Where does The William R and Susan K Lewis give grants?

The William R and Susan K Lewis gives mostly in Michigan: 54% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (16%) and District of Columbia (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Grand Rapids, MI (11 grants), New York, NY (7 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants) and Arlington, VA (2 grants).

Does The William R and Susan K Lewis give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The William R and Susan K Lewis's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (49 of 49) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The William R and Susan K Lewis's largest grantees?

The William R and Susan K Lewis's largest 2024 grantees include Planned Parenthood ($8,500), Guilda' Club ($5,000) and Equest Center ($5,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The William R and Susan K Lewis?

The William R and Susan K Lewis reported $367K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $78K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $11K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The William R and Susan K Lewis fund?

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied purposes. For example, Les Cheneaux Culinary School describes its work as providing educational programs and schooling for culinary students. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The William R and Susan K Lewis?

The foundation states that it 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 William R and Susan K Lewis's EIN?

The William R and Susan K Lewis's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-4821581. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does The William R and Susan K Lewis 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 September 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 William R and Susan K Lewis funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-william-r-and-susan-k-lewis-morg_899510c2066446ae9ffc8304b3982162

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_204821581_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The William R and Susan K Lewis funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-william-r-and-susan-k-lewis-morg_899510c2066446ae9ffc8304b3982162},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 William R and Susan K Lewis'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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