The Esther & George Jaruga Charitable Foundation appears to concentrate its giving on supporting higher education through student scholarships, demonstrated by a single large grant to the University of Detroit Mercy. The foundation gives locally (Michigan) and favors direct scholarship support to a regional private university, indicating a priority on expanding access to college for area students.
Highly concentrated: a single large grant focused on scholarships to one regional university rather than many small or diversified awards.
A single scholarship grant dominates the Esther & George Jaruga Charitable Foundation’s recent giving: $194,000 to the University of Detroit Mercy for scholarships in 2023. That award is a strong signal that higher education access is a central part of the foundation’s work, especially for students connected to the Detroit area. Beyond that large scholarship commitment, the foundation also made multiple $20,000 grants in 2023 to a mix of charities, health-related causes, and community groups, showing that its giving is not limited to one institution. The foundation’s recent recipients include Michigan-based organizations such as St Anne Care and Share Fund in Beverly Hills, Michigan Humane Society in Bingham Farms, I Heart Dogs in Warren, and Mercy Education Project in Detroit. It also supported groups outside Michigan, including The Cure Starts Now in Cincinnati, Ohio, and several organizations in Pennsylvania and Indiana. The pattern points to a donor that combines a major scholarship relationship with a broader set of charitable gifts, mostly at modest-to-mid-level amounts.
Higher education is the clearest cause area in the foundation’s recent record. In 2023, it gave $194,000 to University of Detroit Mercy for scholarships, making student aid its largest recorded grant. Outside that flagship award, the foundation supported animal welfare and community charities. It gave $20,000 to Michigan Humane Society in Bingham Farms and another $20,000 to I Heart Dogs in Warren. It also made a $10,000 grant to Farmington YMCA, which points to support for local community programming. The foundation’s charitable donations also reached social-service and health-related groups. Recent examples include $20,000 to Mercy Education Project in Detroit, $5,000 to Love Inc of North Oakland County in Lake Orion, and $2,000 to Alzheimer's Association in Harrisburg. These gifts suggest a mix of education, animal care, and general charitable support.
Typical grants cluster around the middle range: p25 is $7,500, median is $20,000, and p75 is $20,000. That means most recent awards were at $20,000 or below, with one much larger scholarship grant pulling the average upward. The foundation’s giving appears to be grant-based and charitable rather than program-related, and it does not fund individuals directly. The recent record shows a mix of one-off gifts to multiple recipients rather than repeated awards to the same organizations within the 2023 data. Scholarship support and charitable donations both appear, with the scholarship grant standing apart in size from the rest.
$419K
$8K
$0
$419K
Most grants fall between $8K and $20K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$20K
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Notable grantees: University of Detroit Mercy
Giving is concentrated in Michigan: 60% of grants went to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and Michigan is also the top state by grant count. Recent Michigan recipients include Detroit, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Warren, Farmington Hills, Lake Orion, Galesburg, and Ortonville. Outside Michigan, grants went to recipients in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. All recorded grants in the data went to U.S. organizations.
Recent grants show three recurring areas: scholarships and higher education, animal welfare, and general charitable support. The largest award was $194,000 to University of Detroit Mercy for scholarships, while animal-related gifts included $20,000 each to Michigan Humane Society and I Heart Dogs.
The foundation’s recent grant sizes cluster at $20,000. Its p25 is $7,500, median is $20,000, and p75 is $20,000, which suggests many awards land at or near $20,000, with a few smaller grants and one much larger scholarship grant.
The foundation gives regionally, with 60% of grants going to recipients in Michigan. Michigan is also the top state by grant count. Recent Michigan recipients were located in Detroit, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Warren, Farmington Hills, Lake Orion, Galesburg, and Ortonville.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals directly. Its recent grants go to institutions and nonprofit organizations, including a university, animal welfare groups, community charities, and social-service organizations.
The 2023 record shows a set of separate grants to different organizations rather than repeated awards to the same recipient in the available data. The pattern includes one very large scholarship grant and several charitable gifts at $20,000 or below.
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY | DETROIT, MI | $194,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| SOUTH WEST MICHIGAN LAND CON | GALESBURG, MI | $40,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| MERIMANS PLAYHOUSE | SOUTHBEND, IN | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| I HEART DOGS | WARREN, MI | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| MERCY EDUCATION PROJECT | DETROIT, MI | $20,000 | 2023 | ANIMAL CARE |
| GREENSBURG WOMENS CLUB OF ITALIAN W | GREENSBURG, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| OCEF | ORTONVILLE, MI | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| ST ANNE CARE AND SHARE FUND | BEVERLY HILLS, MI | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| MICHIGAN HUMANE SOCIETY | BINGHAM FARMS, MI | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| THE CURE STARTS NOW | CINCINATI, OH | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| FARMINGTON YMCA | FARMINGTON HILLS, MI | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| LOVE INC OF NORTH OAKLAND COUNTY | LAKE ORION, MI | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| THINKING OF NIKKI | GREENSBURG, PA | $4,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| CRIBS FOR KIDS | PITTSBURGH, PA | $4,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION | HARRISBURG, PA | $2,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE GIVING |
MERIMANS PLAYHOUSE
$20,000CHARITABLE DONATION
I HEART DOGS
$20,000CHARITABLE DONATION
GREENSBURG WOMENS CLUB OF ITALIAN W
CHARITABLE DONATION
OCEF
$20,000CHARITABLE DONATION
ST ANNE CARE AND SHARE FUND
$20,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
FARMINGTON YMCA
$10,000CHARITABLE
LOVE INC OF NORTH OAKLAND COUNTY
$5,000CHARITABLE DONATION
THINKING OF NIKKI
$4,000CHARITABLE DONATION
CRIBS FOR KIDS
$4,000CHARITABLE DONATION