West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens logo

West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens

Public charity · Grantmaker Grand Rapids, MI EIN: 38-2394044 Website

To promote the enjoyment, understanding and appreciation of gardens, sculpture, the natural environment and the arts. The most significant activity is to allow guests to experience horticulture and the arts.

Key facts about West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens

EIN
38-2394044
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025
Total assets
$424,536,178

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing

Total Assets

$424.5M

+2.0% YoY

Revenue

$38.1M

+15.9% YoY

Net Investment Income

$1.9M

+20.0% YoY

Expenses

$39.4M

+18.1% YoY

How West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens gives

  • Giving held roughly steady from 2020 to 2023 (−1%). Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.

About West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens

Based on IRS filings

West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens is a public charity focused on Environment & Animals, based in Grand Rapids, MI. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $424.5M in total assets. Net investment income was $1.9M.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

1state

States

Cities

Grand Rapids

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$5M$10M$15M0 grants2019 1 grant2020 1 grant2021 1 grant2022 1 grant2023 0 grants2024 0 grants2025

From 2020 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $273K (2021) to $11.0M (2022). In 2023 it made 1 grant totaling $5.7M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Grant Size Distribution

3 grants across all recorded years

<$50K$50–100K$100–250K1$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M2$5M+

The most common grant size was $5M or more: 2 grants of 3 (67%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for 2025.

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$20M$40M$60M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$424,536,178$416,075,576$388,640,351
Revenue$38,055,994$32,827,742$30,097,127
Expenses$39,445,916$33,393,037$34,944,101
Net Investment Income$1,941,361$1,617,200$831,394

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 9, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 20, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 21, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 8, 2024)
  5. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 18, 2020)
  6. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 3, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens is led by Charles Burke, President & CEO since 2024 (on filings since 2023); 9 of 47 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Charles Burke

    President & CEO

    President & CEO Starting February → President & CEO, 2024

    On filings since 2023

    40 hrs/week

    $473K (2024) → $418K (2025)

  • Candace Matthews

    Chairperson

    Director → Vice Chairperson, 2021

    Vice Chairperson → Chairperson, 2023

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sarah Zevalkink

    Senior Director of Talent

    Senior Director of Talent & Culture → Senior Director of Talent, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    40 hrs/week

    $138K (2024) → $160K (2025)

  • Alex Winn

    Senior Director of Guest Relations Ending July

    New on the 2025 filing

    40 hrs/week

    $137K (2025)

  • Jill Walcott

    Director

    Former Director → Director, 2020

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Joy Fossel

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Chuck Christmas

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Joanne Perkins

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mary McLoughlin

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Duane Shields Davis

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Michael Toth

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Susan Vogel-Vanderson

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Amy Assenmacher

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Brad Doan

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Guillermo Cisneros

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Hanna Tuzzolino

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jackie Del Raso

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kevin Jeakle

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Paul Goulet

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Peter Baldwin

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Trevor Wolfe

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Daniel Persinger

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • James Peacock III

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ryan Podvin

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Shannon Wilson

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Beth Snyder

    Director

    Director Starting July → Director, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Thomas Merchant

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • William Padnos

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Al Vanderberg

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Joe Jones

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mark Gurney

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Nicole Dandridge

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Randy Thelen

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Richard Winn

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Rosalynn Bliss

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Terri Gaskey

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Dawn Kibben

    Former Executive Vice President & CFO Ending Jan

    Executive Vice President → Executive Vice President & CFO, 2024

    Executive Vice President & CFO → Former Executive Vice President & CFO Ending Jan, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    40 hrs/week

    $195K (2019) → $314K (2025)

  • Steve Lawarre

    Senior Vice President of Horticulture

    Vice President of Horticul → Senior Vice President of Horticulture & Facilities, 2024

    Senior Vice President of Horticulture & Facilities → Senior Vice President of Horticulture, 2025

    On filings since 2022

    40 hrs/week

    $121K (2022) → $226K (2025)

  • Pete Crawford

    Vice President of Strategic Initiative

    Vice President of Architecture, Environment & Tech → Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Tech, 2024

    Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Tech → Vice President of Strategic Initiative, 2025

    On filings since 2023

    40 hrs/week

    $141K (2023) → $168K (2025)

  • Carol Kendra

    Chief Operating Officer

    COO → Chief Operating Officer, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    40 hrs/week

    $260K (2025)

  • Julia Van Fleet

    Vice President of Advancement Ending Apr

    Vice President of Advancement → Vice President of Advancement Ending Apr, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    40 hrs/week

    $128K (2024) → $151K (2025)

  • Suzanne Ramljak

    Vice President of Collections & Curato

    Vice President of Collections & Curatorial Affairs → Vice President of Collections & Curato, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    40 hrs/week

    $166K (2024) → $166K (2025)

  • Linda Chamberlain

    Secretary

    Chairperson → Director, 2022

    Director → Secretary, 2024

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tim Liang

    Vice Chairperson

    Director → Vice Chairperson, 2023

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Alison Blair Mast

    Treasurer & Vice Chairperson Starting Feb

    Director → Treasurer, 2024

    Treasurer → Treasurer & Vice Chairperson Starting Feb, 2025

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Colin Seegmiller

    Vice Chair Starting Feb

    Director → Vice Chair Starting Feb, 2025

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Heather Zak

    Executive Vice President & CFO Starting Jan

    New on the 2025 filing

    40 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (58)
  • Former: Charyn Hain (2019–2024) — Director
  • Former: David Hooker (2019–2024) — President & CEO
  • Former: Mark Mossing (2019–2024) — Director
  • Former: Maryln Walton (2019–2024) — Director
  • Former: Robert Wolford (2019–2024) — Director
  • Former: Stacie Niedzwiecki (2019–2024) — Director of Culinary Arts
  • Former: Todd Harvey (2019–2024) — Director
  • Former: Hannah Naltner (2020–2024) — Director
  • Former: Jeff Lambert (2021–2024) — Treasuer
  • Former: Kristina Martinez-Precious (2021–2024) — Director
  • Former: Dan Persinger (2024) — Director
  • Former: Bill Padnos (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Carlos Sanchez (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Doriane Parker-Sims (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Elisa Lintemuth (2019–2023) — Secretary
  • Former: Jim Preston (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Jocelyn Dettloff (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Jon March (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Laina Mills (2019–2023) — Secretary
  • Former: Mike Jeppesen (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Shane Hansen (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Suzanne Eberle (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Marlyn Walton (2020–2023) — Director
  • Former: Rhae-Ann Booker (2021–2023) — Director
  • Former: Tim Irelan (2022–2023) — Director of Technology
  • Former: Tom Merchant (2022–2023) — Director
  • Former: Keith Mitchell (2023) — Director of Facility Management & Security
  • Former: Laurene Grunewald (2023) — Director of Sculpture, Art Collections & Exhibition
  • Former: Bonnie Nawara (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Debbye Turner Bell (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Gloria Lara (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Janet Mason (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Joe Taber (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Meg Goebel (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Ronald Hofman (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Scott Devecht (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Tamara Hibbitts (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Tina Wheeler (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Michael Julien (2022) — Director
  • Former: Anne Benson (2019–2021) — Director of Philanthropy A
  • Former: Daniel Williams (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Kathleen Vogelsang (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Mark Miller (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Nancy Hickey (2019–2021) — Secretary
  • Former: Ryan Anderson (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Tasha Blackmon (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Bill Schoonveld (2019–2020) — Former Director
  • Former: Edward Vandam (2019–2020) — Former Director
  • Former: Jeffrey Lambert (2019–2020) — Former Director
  • Former: Matthew Heynen (2019–2020) — Former Director
  • Former: Michael Gaudino (2019–2020) — Former Director
  • Former: Yang Kim (2019–2020) — Former Director
  • Former: Kc Mitchell (2020) — Director of Maintenance
  • Former: Hannah Naltar (2019) — Director
  • Former: John Baab (2019) — Former Director
  • Former: John Zimmerman (2019) — Former Director
  • Former: Joseph Becherer (2019) — Vice President Collections
  • Former: Vicky Weller (2019) — Former Director

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

Charles Burke — President/CEO: $418KCharles BurkePresident/CEO$418KDawn Kibben — Former Exec VP & CFO Ending Jan 2025: $314KDawn KibbenFormer Exec VP & CFO Ending Jan…$314KCarol Kendra — Chief Operating Officer: $260KCarol KendraChief Operating Officer$260KSteve Lawarre — Senior VP of Horticulture: $226KSteve LawarreSenior VP of Horticulture$226KPete Crawford — VP of Strategic Initiative: $168KPete CrawfordVP of Strategic Initiative$168KSuzanne Ramljak — VP of Collections & Curato: $166KSuzanne RamljakVP of Collections & Curato$166KSarah Zevalkink — Senior Director of Talent: $160KSarah ZevalkinkSenior Director of Talent$160KJulia Van Fleet — Vice President of Advancement Ending APR 2025: $151KJulia Van FleetVice President of Advancement…$151KAlex Winn — Senior Director of Guest Relations Ending July 202: $137KAlex WinnSenior Director of Guest…$137K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $418K, to Charles Burke (President/CEO). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Frequently asked questions about West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens

How large is West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens?

West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens reported $424.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $38.1M.

What is West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens?

West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens is a public charity focused on Environment & Animals, based in Grand Rapids, MI. It holds $424.5M in total assets as of 2025.

Where does West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens operate?

West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens has awarded grants in Michigan.

What is West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens's EIN?

West Michigan Horticultural Society Inc DBA Frederik Meijer Gardens's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-2394044. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.

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