Worthington Family Foundation
The Worthington Family Foundation is a family foundation based in Traverse City, Michigan. It is a private foundation that distributes funds annually to nonprofit institutions and supports arts and environmental-stewardship programs benefiting children through young adults.
Worthington Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Worthington Family Foundation gave $246K across 11 grants in 2024 (avg $22K), mostly in Michigan. 36% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $245,510
- +6.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 11
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $22,319
- +6.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $4,713,756
- +4.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (4 of 11, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (80% 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 Worthington Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing says requests are reviewed annually by the board and should be submitted through the foundation’s website. Its website describes a proposal format in PDF (preferred), Word, or Excel and requires use of its grant-reporting form. The 2026 proposal cycle has passed; the website lists submissions from April 13 through May 15, 2026, with board review in May and early June and awards in early July.
- Review Cycle
- The filing gives February 1–May 15 as the request period. The website’s dates for the 2026 cycle—April 13–May 15, 2026—are past; dates for the 2027 calendar year were to be posted in early January 2027.
- Deadline
- The filing gives February 1–May 15 as the request period.
- Contact
Application contact: Nan Worthington
Mailing address: PO Box 4311, Traverse City, MI 49685
Phone: (248) 267-3249
Website: https://www.worthington-family-foundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Worthington Family Foundation
Who Worthington Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Old Town Playhouse ($47K). Together the top 10 received $241K.
Grant Size Distribution
58 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 56 grants of 58 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s guidelines require programs, clientele, and spending to be based in Michigan. In 2024, 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan, with 10% to Tennessee, 8% to West Virginia, and 2% to Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Worthington Family Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 11 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $17K; repeat grants $25K. How we count
Medians: $17K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 64% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−18%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 108% 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
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $224K (2022) to $301K (2021). In 2024 it made 11 grants totaling $246K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Old Town Playhouse Traverse City, MI | Underwrite Current and New Programs | $46,615 |
| MSU Opera Theatre East Lansing, MI | Student Educational Opportunities | $33,500 |
| Pewabic Pottery Detroit, MI | Provide Art/Culture to Underserved | $29,000 |
| Inland Seas Education Association Suttons Bay, MI | Hands on School Programs | $25,000 |
| Scenic City Clay Arts Chattanooga, TN | Support for K-12 Education Effors | $25,000 |
| Au Sable Institute Mancelona, MI | Kids Program Reys | $20,000 |
| W Virginia Symphony Orchestra Charleston, WV | String Ed. - Uderserved W Va Youth | $20,000 |
| Ecology Center Ann Arbor, MI | Enviornmental Education Programs | $18,395 |
| Washtenaw International High School Ypsilanti, MI | Support Music Program Excellence | $14,000 |
| Seeds Traverse City, MI | Share Ecologic Knowledge in Schools | $9,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,713,756 | $491,934 | $284,039 | $245,510 | 11 | $245,510 | $457,804 | $228,126 |
| 2023 | $4,504,837 | $250,223 | $266,877 | $230,272 | 11 | $230,272 | $160,984 | $217,394 |
| 2022 | $4,517,097 | $439,777 | $263,059 | $224,075 | 12 | $224,075 | $175,615 | $230,020 |
| 2021 | $4,350,485 | $626,192 | $342,506 | $300,944 | 14 | $300,944 | $190,709 | $263,618 |
| 2020 | $4,061,885 | $238,353 | $291,474 | $253,813 | 10 | — | $147,031 | $228,783 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Worthington Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $228K 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
The foundation’s stated mission is to fund organizations that support the arts and environmental stewardship to benefit children through young adults. Its guidelines specify performing and visual arts and environmental-stewardship programs, with Michigan-based programs, clientele, and spending required. Applicants must be Michigan-based nonprofits with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, strong board involvement, competent leadership, and a record of relationships with other organizations and the community.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate these areas. Old Town Playhouse describes its mission as promoting community theatre through educational opportunities and entertainment. Inland Seas Education Association says it aims to inspire Great Lakes curiosity, stewardship, and passion. The Ecology Center describes itself as a Michigan environmental nonprofit working toward healthy people and a healthy planet, while SEEDS says it works at the intersection of ecology, education, and design.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $245,510. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $46,615, with a median grant of $20,000. The largest awards included $46,615 to Old Town Playhouse for current and new programs; $33,500 to MSU Opera Theatre for student educational opportunities; $29,000 to Pewabic Pottery to provide art and culture to underserved communities; and $25,000 each to Inland Seas Education Association for hands-on school programs and Scenic City Clay Arts for K–12 education efforts.
The foundation’s guidelines call for project-specific requests, not general-fund support. They exclude operating and administrative expenses, sports programs, primarily therapeutic organizations, multi-year proposals, and most building or land costs. Instructor salaries may be considered individually, and reasonable marketing expenses may be funded. The guidelines say awarded funds must be spent within three years of disbursement and require annual progress reports.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Dr. Ruth Worthington as president, Nancy Worthington as secretary, and Douglas Worthington as treasurer.
Worthington Family Foundation is led by Ruth Worthington, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Ruth Worthington
President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Douglas Worthington
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Worthington
Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
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 Worthington Family Foundation
How much does Worthington Family Foundation give each year?
Worthington Family Foundation gave $246K across 11 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $230K across 11 grants.
What is Worthington Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Worthington Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $20,000, and its average grant was $22,319, across 11 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Worthington Family Foundation that year got $17K on average.
Where does Worthington Family Foundation give grants?
Worthington Family Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Tennessee (10%) and West Virginia (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Traverse City, MI (2 grants).
Does Worthington Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Worthington Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Worthington Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Worthington Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Old Town Playhouse ($46,615), MSU Opera Theatre ($33,500) and Pewabic Pottery ($29,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Worthington Family Foundation?
Worthington Family Foundation reported $4.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $246K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $228K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Worthington Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to fund organizations that support the arts and environmental stewardship to benefit children through young adults. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Worthington Family Foundation?
The foundation’s filing says requests are reviewed annually by the board and should be submitted through the foundation’s website. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Worthington Family Foundation's EIN?
Worthington Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-4445573. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Worthington Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Worthington Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/worthington-family-foundation-morg_879f2a22f2f24f0fb3494a4cb8855de2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_264445573_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Worthington Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/worthington-family-foundation-morg_879f2a22f2f24f0fb3494a4cb8855de2},
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 Worthington 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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