Triford Foundation
Triford Foundation is a private foundation based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It supports charitable organizations through grants; its 2025 filing states that it carries out its exempt purposes only through indirect charitable expenditures and is not involved in direct charitable activities.
Triford Foundation at a glance
In short: Triford Foundation gave $340K across 69 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Michigan. 16% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $340,000
- +3.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 69
- +4.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,928
- -1.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $2,550,599
- -9.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (11 of 69, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (66% 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 Triford 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: 42609 Jason Court, Sterling Heights, MI 48313
Phone: (906) 370-0208
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Triford Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was National Christian Foundation ($68K). Together the top 10 received $186K.
Grant Size Distribution
329 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 327 grants of 329 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Michigan recipients received 66% of grant dollars. Colorado received 10%, Connecticut 6%, Hawaii 6%, and Illinois 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 69 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Triford Foundation open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 69 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 103% 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 $240K (2019) to $340K (2025). In 2025 it made 69 grants totaling $340K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Christian Foundation Ada, MI | Religious | $68,000 |
| Malama Kula Kula, HI | Charitable | $20,170 |
| Harbor Hall Foundation Harbor Springs, MI | Charitable | $19,500 |
| First Descents Denver, CO | Charitable | $15,000 |
| Rumsey Hall School Washington Depot, CT | Educational | $11,580 |
| Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Petoskey, MI | Charitable | $11,500 |
| Belle Isle Conservancy Detroit, MI | Charitable | $10,500 |
| High Point University High Point, NC | Educational | $10,000 |
| Litchfield Montessori School Northfield, CT | Educational | $10,000 |
| Vail Health Foundation Vail, CO | Scientific | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Triford Foundation?
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 | $2,550,599 | $125,984 | $379,194 | $340,000 | 69 | $345,396 | $130,283 | $334,517 |
| 2024 | $2,803,809 | $167,575 | $373,379 | $330,000 | 66 | $335,953 | $133,690 | $311,095 |
| 2023 | $3,009,613 | $122,401 | $337,731 | $300,000 | 60 | $304,463 | $143,971 | $289,480 |
| 2022 | $3,224,943 | $325,217 | $335,576 | $300,000 | 66 | $304,026 | $294,968 | $298,426 |
| 2021 | $3,235,302 | $144,312 | $318,509 | $285,000 | 68 | $288,847 | $124,008 | $305,727 |
| 2020 | $3,409,499 | $98,736 | $278,413 | $240,000 | 60 | — | $142,255 | $280,700 |
| 2019 | $3,589,176 | $235,611 | $272,289 | $240,000 | 60 | — | $209,882 | $251,385 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Triford Foundation reported a distributable amount of $335K 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 filing does not state a separate mission. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in charitable, educational, religious, and scientific areas.
Grantees describe their own work in varied ways. Harbor Hall Foundation says it supports addiction treatment and prevention programs. First Descents provides outdoor adventures to young adults affected by cancer and other serious health conditions. Rumsey Hall School describes a whole-child approach to education, while Belle Isle Conservancy works to protect and restore Belle Isle as a public park. These are grantees’ missions, not stated priorities of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 69 grants totaling $340,000. Grant amounts ranged from $480 to $68,000, with a median of $2,500.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $68,000 to National Christian Foundation for religious purposes; $20,170 to Malama Kula for charitable purposes; $19,500 to Harbor Hall Foundation for charitable purposes; $15,000 to First Descents for charitable purposes; and $11,580 to Rumsey Hall School for educational purposes. Other grants included $11,500 to Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area, $10,500 to Belle Isle Conservancy, and $10,000 each to High Point University, Litchfield Montessori School, and Vail Health Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Frederick B Ford as president and trustee; Susan S Ford as secretary and trustee; James W Ford as vice president and trustee; and Esther Lee Ford as treasurer and trustee.
Triford Foundation is led by Frederick B. Ford, President since 2023 (on filings since 2019); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Frederick B. Ford
President
Vice President, Treasurer & Trustee → President, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James W. Ford
Vice President & Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan S. Ford
Secretary
Trustee → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Esther Lee Ford
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Horace C. Ford (2019–2022) — President, Secretary & Trustee
- Former: Esther Lee Walsh (2021–2022) — Trustee
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.
Frequently asked questions about Triford Foundation
How much does Triford Foundation give each year?
Triford Foundation gave $340K across 69 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $330K across 66 grants.
What is Triford Foundation's typical grant size?
Triford Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $4,928, across 69 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Triford Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Triford Foundation give grants?
Triford Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Colorado (10%) and Connecticut (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Harbor Springs, MI (17 grants), Petoskey, MI (14 grants), Traverse City, MI (4 grants) and Detroit, MI (2 grants).
Does Triford Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 69 grants with a stated purpose on Triford Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (40 grants), "Scientific" (9 grants) and "Educational" (9 grants).
Who are Triford Foundation's largest grantees?
Triford Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include National Christian Foundation ($68,000), Malama Kula ($20,170) and Harbor Hall Foundation ($19,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Triford Foundation?
Triford Foundation reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $345K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $335K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Triford Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing does not state a separate mission. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in charitable, educational, religious, and scientific areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Triford 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 Triford Foundation's EIN?
Triford Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7003478. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Triford 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 9, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 25, 2024)
Live grants for the work Triford Foundation funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Triford Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Triford Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/triford-foundation-morg_393edb46aa6649299321ddddd085201a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237003478_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Triford Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/triford-foundation-morg_393edb46aa6649299321ddddd085201a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Triford 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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