The Diane S Robertson Charitable Foundation is a locally focused funder that prioritizes arts and cultural institutions in Kalamazoo, with an especially large, multi-year commitment to Farmers Alley Theatre (including an operating endowment). Secondary giving supports civic and safety-net organizations in the community (community foundation, Red Cross, Loaves & Fishes). Grants are few but substantive and clearly targeted to sustaining local cultural infrastructure.
Concentrated, local-focused giving with a small number of sizable grants; repeat, large support to core cultural grantees (notably Farmers Alley Theatre) alongside occasional smaller donations to community and emergency-service organizations.
The Diane S Robertson Charitable Foundation’s most distinctive recent pattern is a large, multi-year commitment to Farmers Alley Theatre through operating endowment support. In 2025, that relationship appeared twice, with grants of $244,735 and $37,714, signaling a sustained effort to strengthen a Kalamazoo arts institution rather than fund a one-off project. The foundation’s recent giving also shows clear support for other local cultural and community organizations, including a centennial celebration grant to Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and smaller operating and event gifts to neighborhood-serving nonprofits. The overall picture is of a funder using relatively concentrated grants to help organizations maintain capacity, celebrate milestones, and keep local services and performances in place. Its grantmaking is local and fully centered in Michigan, with all recent recipients located in Kalamazoo. The pattern is narrow in scope but consistent in purpose: support for institutions that anchor the city’s cultural life and community fabric.
A central theme in the foundation’s giving is arts infrastructure. Farmers Alley Theatre received two operating endowment grants in 2025, one for $244,735 and another for $37,714, showing a commitment to the theater’s long-term stability. In classical music, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra was awarded $25,000 in 2023 for a 100th-anniversary milestone, tying support to an organizational celebration. The foundation also backs community-facing philanthropy and event fundraising: Heritage Community Foundation received $5,000 for gala sponsorship, indicating support for fundraising events as part of local nonprofit sustainability. Beyond the arts and philanthropy sector, the foundation made operating gifts to American Red Cross and Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes, both in Kalamazoo, for general operations.
The foundation’s recent grants are concentrated in a small-to-moderate range, with a typical grant size of $1,625 at the 25th percentile, a median of $3,500, and a 75th percentile of $10,000. That distribution sits alongside a few much larger awards, including operating endowment support that stands apart from the smaller operating and sponsorship gifts. The pattern also suggests recurring support for key local institutions rather than broad one-time dispersion: Farmers Alley Theatre appears more than once in the recent grants list, with two grants in 2025. The foundation is a charitable foundation and does not make program-related investments or grants to individuals.
$282K
$0
$20K
$295K
Most grants fall between $2K and $10K, with a median of $4K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$4K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Notable grantees: Farmers Alley Theatre, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Heritage Community Foundation, American Red Cross, Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes
Giving is entirely centered in Michigan, with 100% of recent grants going to recipients in the state. The recipient city that appears throughout the grant list is Kalamazoo, including grants to Farmers Alley Theatre, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Heritage Community Foundation, American Red Cross, and Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes. The geographic pattern is therefore local rather than regional or national, with no recent grants outside the United States.
The recent grant list shows support for arts and cultural institutions, community philanthropy, and local human services. Examples include an operating endowment for Farmers Alley Theatre, a 100th-anniversary grant to Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, a gala sponsorship for Heritage Community Foundation, and general operating gifts to American Red Cross and Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes.
No. All recent grants in the data went to recipients in Michigan, and 100% of the grants were made to organizations in the United States.
The distribution is relatively small-to-mid sized: the 25th percentile is $1,625, the median is $3,500, and the 75th percentile is $10,000. A few grants are much larger, including operating endowment support in the six-figure range.
The pattern includes repeat support for the same organization. Farmers Alley Theatre received two grants in 2025, both for operating endowment support, suggesting an ongoing relationship rather than a single isolated gift.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FARMERS ALLEY THEATRE | KALAMAZOO, MI | $244,735 | 2025 | OPERATING ENDOWMENT |
| FARMERS ALLEY THEATRE | KALAMAZOO, MI | $37,714 | 2025 | OPERATING ENDOWMENT |
| KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | KALAMAZOO, MI | $25,000 | 2023 | 100 ANNIVERSARY |
| HERITAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION HERITAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | KALAMAZOO, MI | $5,000 | 2023 | GALA SPONSORSHIP |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS AMERICAN RED CROSS | KALAMAZOO, MI | $2,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| KALAMAZOO LOAVES & FISHES KALAMAZOO LOAVES & FISHES | KALAMAZOO, MI | $500 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
$25,000100 ANNIVERSARY
HERITAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION HERITAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$5,000GALA SPONSORSHIP
AMERICAN RED CROSS AMERICAN RED CROSS
$2,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
GENERAL OPERATIONS