Wheeler Family Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Troy, MI EIN: 38-3392912

Wheeler Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Troy, Michigan. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations working in areas including disaster relief, community support, animal welfare, education, and hunger assistance.

Wheeler Family Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: Wheeler Family Foundation Inc gave $231K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Michigan. 62% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$231,279
+104.7% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
21
+110.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$11,013
-2.5% vs 2024
Median grant
$5,000
Total assets
$12,437,763
+11.5% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
62% first-time grantees (13 of 21, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Michigan (58% 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 Wheeler Family Foundation Inc

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

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

Contact

Mailing address: 1111 W Long Lake Road, Troy, MI 48098
Phone: (248) 705-3508

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

Who Wheeler Family Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Oak Pointe Church: $40KOak Pointe Church$40KTeam Rubicon: $30KTeam Rubicon$30KSamaritan's Purse: $30KSamaritan's Purse$30KSay Detroit: $25KSay Detroit$25KPan Equus Animal Sanctuary: $20KPan Equus Animal Sanctuary$20KNechama: $15KNechama$15KGleaners Community Food Bank of Se Michigan: $11KGleaners Community Food Bankof Se Michigan$11KCapuchin Soup Kitchen: $10KCapuchin Soup Kitchen$10KVail Christian School Inc: $6KVail Christian School Inc$6KFellowship Matters Inc: $5KFellowship Matters Inc$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was Oak Pointe Church ($40K). Together the top 10 received $192K.

Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($20,000), which are not listed by name.

Grant Size Distribution

91 grants across all recorded years

80<$50K7$50–100K1$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M3$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 80 grants of 91 (88%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, recipients in Michigan received 58% of grant dollars. California received 14%, North Carolina 13%, Minnesota 6%, and Colorado 3%.

Grant Distribution by State

19states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.

Cities

SouthfieldWashingtonAlexandriaDetroitOxfordEdwardsFort WorthBooneGlenviewArlingtonBay CityHillsdaleKeego HarborLos AngelesPhoenixSherman OaksWaterfordAnn ArborBloomfieldBloomfield Hills

Is Wheeler Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

62%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 13 of 21 grantees (62%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $19K. How we count

Medians: $3K first-time, $20K repeat.

  • 24% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 96% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 44% 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 (2021–2025). 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

$0$2M$4M$6M30 grants2021 21 grants2022 9 grants2023 10 grants2024 21 grants2025

From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $113K (2024) to $5.4M (2022). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $231K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Oak Pointe Church Novi, MICapital Fund$40,000
Team Rubicon Los Angeles, CAHurricane Helene Relief$30,000
Samaritan's Purse Boone, NCHurricane Helene Relief$30,000
Say Detroit Southfield, MICommunity Supportcity of Detroit$25,000
Pan Equus Animal Sanctuary Oxford, MIAnimal Rescue$20,000
1 grant to individuals Recipients not named —$20,000
Nechama Saint Paul, MNHurricane Helene Relief$15,000
Gleaners Community Food Bank of Se Michigan Detroit, MIHunger Assistance$10,619
Capuchin Soup Kitchen Detroit, MISupport Services for the Needy$10,000
Vail Christian School Inc Edwards, COTeacher Awards$6,000
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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
2025$12,437,763$1,855,739$566,802$231,27921$372,558$1,676,495$844,366
2024$11,157,610$619,287$428,395$113,01010$265,124$456,016$773,135
2023$11,049,507$237,908$2,590,598$2,236,6059$2,398,450$122,403$717,157
2022$12,995,803$1,984,031$5,892,230$5,448,23421$5,624,765$1,634,983$1,062,990
2021$15,546,869$1,537,283$972,732$584,55030—$1,278,162$973,582

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wheeler Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $844K 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 available information does not state the foundation’s mission. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, TEAM RUBICON describes itself as a veteran-led humanitarian organization serving communities before, during, and after disasters and crises; SAY DETROIT says it provides pathways to success for Detroiters in need; and PAN EQUUS ANIMAL SANCTUARY says it works to prevent cruelty and neglect and support animal health and welfare.

Other examples include GLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SE MICHIGAN, which received a grant for hunger assistance, and an individual recipient REY HIGH SCHOOL, which received support for a college-preparatory education fund.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave $231,279 through 21 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $40,000, with a median of $5,000. Among the largest grants were $40,000 to OAK POINTE CHURCH for a capital fund; $30,000 each to TEAM RUBICON and SAMARITAN'S PURSE for Hurricane Helene relief; $25,000 to SAY DETROIT for community support in Detroit; and $20,000 each to PAN EQUUS ANIMAL SANCTUARY for animal rescue and an individual recipient REY HIGH SCHOOL for a college-preparatory education fund.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists ROBERT T HOWARD as vice president; DOUGLAS S SOIFER as vice president and treasurer; MARGARET M BARGARDI as secretary; and THOMAS R WHEELER, LISA HUZELLA, MORGAN A BATZ, THOMAS M HUZELLA, and GANNON WHEELER as directors.

Wheeler Family Foundation Inc's 2025 filing lists 8 officers; none of the 8 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Thomas R. Wheeler

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Gannon Wheeler

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lisa Huzella

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Morgan A. Batz

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Thomas M. Huzella

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Douglas S. Soifer

    Vice President & Treasurer

    Secretary → Vice President & Treasurer, 2025

    On filings since 2021

    3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Robert T. Howard

    Vice President

    Executive Vice President → Exe. Vice President, 2023

    Exe. Vice President → Vice President, 2025

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Margaret M. Bargardi

    Secretary

    New on the 2025 filing

    3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (6)
  • Former: Erin E. Wright (2021–2024) — Director
  • Former: Morgan A. Wright (2021–2024) — Director
  • Former: Paul Oster (2021–2022) — Treasurer
  • Former: Michaelon A. Olson (2022) — Director & President
  • Former: TMW Enterprises INC (2022) — N & A
  • Former: Michaelon A. Wright (2021) — Director & President

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Wheeler Family Foundation Inc

How much does Wheeler Family Foundation Inc give each year?

Wheeler Family Foundation Inc gave $231K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $113K across 10 grants.

What is Wheeler Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

Wheeler Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $11,013, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Wheeler Family Foundation Inc that year got $6K on average.

Where does Wheeler Family Foundation Inc give grants?

Wheeler Family Foundation Inc gives mostly in Michigan: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (14%) and North Carolina (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Southfield, MI (3 grants) and Detroit, MI (2 grants).

Does Wheeler Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Occasionally: 5% of Wheeler Family Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Hurricane Helene Relief" (3 grants).

Who are Wheeler Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

Wheeler Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Oak Pointe Church ($40,000), Team Rubicon ($30,000) and Samaritan's Purse ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($20,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Wheeler Family Foundation Inc?

Wheeler Family Foundation Inc reported $12.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $373K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $844K (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 Wheeler Family Foundation Inc fund?

The available information does not state the foundation’s mission. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Wheeler Family Foundation Inc?

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

What is Wheeler Family Foundation Inc's EIN?

Wheeler Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3392912. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.

Does Wheeler Family Foundation Inc 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

(6)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 24, 2023)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
  5. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
  6. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Wheeler Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wheeler-family-foundation-inc-morg_fddb82bf6cb4402a8aa39a11ecd64062

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_383392912_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Wheeler Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/wheeler-family-foundation-inc-morg_fddb82bf6cb4402a8aa39a11ecd64062},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Wheeler Family Foundation Inc'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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