The Hermelin Family Foundation concentrates its giving in the Detroit metro area, with large, targeted gifts to higher education and local civic institutions. Major support has gone to scholarship funding at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, significant annual support for the Jewish Federation of Detroit, and smaller gifts to local health and nonprofit infrastructure. Their grants emphasize community-focused institutions and flexible ‘charitable purposes’ funding rather than many small program-specific awards.
Concentrated, relatively large grants to a few local institutions (including repeat funding to the University of Michigan and Jewish Federation), favoring unrestricted or broadly purposed gifts rather than many small, program-specific awards.
Brian and Jennifer Hermelin Family Foundation’s most distinctive pattern is its repeated support for scholarship funding at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business. In the recent grants list, that commitment appears in two separate awards totaling $150,000, alongside a larger $135,000 gift to the Jewish Federation of Detroit for charitable purposes. The foundation’s giving is compact and targeted, with grants directed to a small set of Michigan institutions and a few out-of-state charities. Its recent activity points to a mix of education support, Jewish communal giving, health-related charitable support, and general-purpose institutional funding. The University of Michigan grants are specifically restricted to the Ross School of Business scholarship fund, indicating a clear education-focused priority rather than broad university support. Other recipients include Henry Ford Health Systems, the Holocaust Memorial Center, Nf Forward, Michigan Hillel, Ort America, and the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. The pattern suggests the foundation favors established organizations and often uses charitable-purpose language when making grants outside the scholarship line.
Education is a central theme in the foundation’s giving. Two grants to The Regents of the University of Michigan supported the Stephen M. Ross School of Business scholarship fund, with awards of $100,000 in 2024 and $50,000 in 2025. Jewish communal institutions also receive meaningful support: the Jewish Federation of Detroit was awarded $135,000 in 2025 for charitable purposes. Smaller grants went to Michigan Hillel in Ann Arbor and Ort America in New York, both also for charitable purposes, showing a broader connection to Jewish student and community organizations. Health-related support appears as well, with Henry Ford Health Systems receiving $20,000 for charitable purposes. The foundation also made grants to the Holocaust Memorial Center and Nf Forward, each designated for charitable purposes.
The foundation’s typical grant size is tightly clustered at $100,000, with the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile all at $100,000. That reflects a pattern of large, fixed awards rather than a wide spread of check sizes. The recent grants list also shows repeat support for the same university recipient across multiple years, suggesting recurring relationships rather than one-off giving alone. The foundation appears to function as a family foundation and also funds individuals, while making no program-related investments. Its grants are concentrated in Michigan, and all recent grants listed are in the United States.
$383K
$2K
$223K
$284K
Most grants fall between $100K and $100K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$100K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$100K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in MI.
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Notable grantees: The Regents of the University of Michigan (Ross School of Business scholarship fund), Jewish Federation of Detroit, NF Forward, Henry Ford Health System
Giving is highly concentrated in Michigan, which accounts for 100% of the recent grants listed. The largest share of activity is in Detroit-area institutions, including Bloomfield, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Farmington Hills. Ann Arbor appears multiple times through The Regents of the University of Michigan and Michigan Hillel, while Detroit and Bloomfield anchor support for Jewish Federation of Detroit and Henry Ford Health Systems. Outside Michigan, only two recipient locations appear in the list: New York, NY and Philadelphia, PA.
The foundation gives most visibly to business-school scholarship support, Jewish communal institutions, and local charitable-purpose funding. Recent grants supported the Stephen M. Ross School of Business scholarship fund, the Jewish Federation of Detroit, Henry Ford Health Systems, the Holocaust Memorial Center, Michigan Hillel, and Ort America.
Typical recent grants are $100,000, with the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile all at that level. The recent grants list also includes larger and smaller awards, ranging from $3,000 to $135,000.
Yes. The Regents of the University of Michigan received two recent grants for the Stephen M. Ross School of Business scholarship fund, one for $100,000 in 2024 and another for $50,000 in 2025. That points to recurring support for the same scholarship program.
Its recent grants are entirely in the United States, and 100% of the listed grants went to recipients in Michigan. Recipient locations in the data include Bloomfield, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Farmington Hills.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF DETROIT | BLOOMFIELD, MI | $135,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NF FORWARD | DETROIT, MI | $50,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ANN ARBOR, MI | $50,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE STEPHEN M ROSS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIP FUND |
| HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEMS | DETROIT, MI | $20,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER | FARMINGTON HILLS, MI | $12,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| ORT AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| MICHIGAN HILLEL | ANN ARBOR, MI | $3,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| TRUSTEES OF UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $3,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ANN ARBOR, MI | $100,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT THE STEPHEN M ROSS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIP FUND |
JEWISH FEDERATION OF DETROIT
$135,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES
NF FORWARD
$50,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
$50,000TO SUPPORT THE STEPHEN M ROSS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEMS
$20,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER
$12,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ORT AMERICA
$10,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES
MICHIGAN HILLEL
$3,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES
TRUSTEES OF UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
$3,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
$100,000TO SUPPORT THE STEPHEN M ROSS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIP FUND