Provide aid, assistance and Christian counsel and comfort to surviving widows and families of men killed in religious and tribal conflicts in Africa; offer trauma counseling, caregiver training, economic empowerment, money management and academic support to widows and orphans in Nigeria.
African Widow and Orphan Support’s recent giving is defined by two large gifts to World Renew in Grand Rapids, Michigan: $200,000 in 2024 and $150,000 in 2023. Those grants account for the full recent grant set provided here and point to a focused pattern rather than a broad, dispersed portfolio. The foundation’s stated purpose centers on aid, assistance, and Christian counsel for surviving widows and families of men killed in religious and tribal conflicts in Africa, with a particular emphasis on widows and orphans in Nigeria. Its active programs show how that mission is translated into practice: trauma healing, caregiver training, money management, economic empowerment, and academic support. The grantmaking profile is narrow in geography and population, but broad in the kinds of support offered to conflict-affected households. Leadership is listed under Dr Marvin W. Heyboer, and the organization operates with annual grants of $350,000 and total assets of $315,704 on the latest filing year available.
The foundation supports trauma-informed and practical services for widows and orphaned children affected by conflict. Through its Trauma Healing program, it provides counseling and peer support groups for widows and orphaned children in Nigeria to process grief, encourage forgiveness, and support spiritual recovery. It also invests in household stability through Care-Giver Training, which prepares parents and caregivers to address children’s emotional, physical, and financial needs. Financial capability is another recurring theme: the Mini Banking and Money Management program teaches budgeting, savings, basic banking tools, and investment principles to help widows build security. Education appears in the Academic Support program, which offers scholarships, school supplies, mentorship, and fee assistance to help orphaned and fatherless children stay in formal education.
Typical grants cluster tightly around a narrow band: p25 is $162,500, median grant size is $175,000, and p75 is $187,500. The recent grants shown here are both to the same recipient in consecutive years, suggesting repeated support rather than one-off giving. African Widow and Orphan Support is a private foundation, and its grantmaking is local in the data provided. Application access varies by program: Care-Giver Training and Mini Banking and Money Management accept unsolicited requests, while Trauma Healing, Economic Empowerment, and Academic Support do not.
$200K
$316K
$254K
$202K
Most grants fall between $163K and $188K, with a median of $175K.
25th Percentile
$163K
Median
$175K
75th Percentile
$188K
DR MARVIN W HEYBOER
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The recent grant record shown here is entirely U.S.-based, with 2 grants and 100% to recipients in Michigan. Both recent awards went to Grand Rapids, which is the only recipient city named in the dataset. The broader program descriptions point to Nigeria and West Africa as the service geography for the foundation’s active programs, even though the recent grants table itself shows U.S. recipients.
Its active programs include trauma healing, caregiver training, mini banking and money management, economic empowerment, and academic support. The stated focus areas also include widow support, orphan support, humanitarian relief, education support, and Christian ministry or spiritual care.
The grant-size distribution is fairly tight. The 25th percentile is $162,500, the median is $175,000, and the 75th percentile is $187,500.
Yes. The recent grant list shows two grants to World Renew in Grand Rapids, Michigan: $200,000 in 2024 and $150,000 in 2023.
Care-Giver Training accepts unsolicited requests, and Mini Banking and Money Management also accepts unsolicited requests. Trauma Healing, Economic Empowerment, and Academic Support are marked as not accepting unsolicited requests.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WORLD RENEW | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $200,000 | 2024 | — |
| WORLD RENEW | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $150,000 | 2023 | — |
WORLD RENEW
$200,000WORLD RENEW
$150,000