The Jay Van Andel Trust is essentially a single-purpose funder that directs virtually all of its resources to the Van Andel Institute for medical research. Its grants are large, mission-focused investments in biomedical research capacity and operations, including contributions of cash and complex assets. The foundation functions as the primary institutional funder supporting the Institute’s scientific work and long-term financial health.
Highly concentrated: nearly all dollars go to a single grantee (Van Andel Institute) through large, infrequent grants including contributed property and sizeable cash transfers to support research operations and institutional stability.
Jay Van Andel Trust Uad 82878 directs nearly all of its grantmaking to one institution: Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The recent record shows exceptionally large, designated support for medical research, including a $100,000,000 grant in 2023 reported as contributed property and several additional multi-million-dollar transfers tied to the benefit of Van Andel Research Institute. That concentration makes the trust less a diversified grantmaker than a dedicated financial backer for the institute’s scientific mission. The pattern also shows that the trust’s support is not limited to cash. It has contributed marketable securities and limited partnership interests, with fair market valuations recorded on multiple grants. In 2023 and 2024, grants at $59,012,252, $32,350,437, and $22,500,000 were all directed to the same recipient and framed around medical research. A 2025 grant of $14,200,000 continued that same line of support. Across the recent record, the trust functions as a major institutional funder for research operations and long-term financial strength tied to the Van Andel Institute.
In medical research, the trust’s giving is centered on Van Andel Institute and Van Andel Research Institute, with grants explicitly labeled for the benefit of the research institute. One 2024 grant of $22,500,000 was tied to LP interest in Adabelle Capital LP, showing that the support can come through complex assets rather than only cash. The trust also uses asset contributions to sustain research capacity. A 2023 grant of $32,350,437 was recorded as marketable securities, while another 2023 grant of $18,637,311 involved LP interest in Calamos Global Opportunities Fund LP. These gifts show a funding pattern that supports the institute’s financial base alongside its scientific work. A separate 2023 grant of $100,000,000, also for medical research, was documented as contributed property. Taken together, the named grants point to sustained institutional support rather than project-specific awards to multiple organizations.
The recent grant record shows a very large-gift profile: the 25th percentile is $22,500,000, the median is $32,350,437, and the 75th percentile is $59,012,252. One grant reached $100,000,000, well above the upper quartile. The pattern is highly repetitive rather than dispersed; the same recipient appears across multiple years, indicating ongoing support for a single institutional beneficiary. The trust is not a funder of individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its grants also include non-cash property, including marketable securities and LP interests, valued through book value or valuation methods.
$14.2M
$172.7M
$2.7M
$15.1M
Most grants fall between $22.5M and $59M, with a median of $32.4M.
25th Percentile
$22.5M
Median
$32.4M
75th Percentile
$59M
About 100% of grants go to recipients in MI.
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Notable grantees: Van Andel Institute
The trust’s giving is geographically concentrated in Michigan. All six recent grants went to recipients in the United States, and 100% were awarded in the HQ state of Michigan. The recipient city repeatedly appears as Grand Rapids, including Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, which anchors the trust’s local footprint. No other states or countries appear in the recent grants data, so the distribution is fully centered on a single Michigan recipient location.
It supports a single research institution: Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The recent grants are consistently labeled for medical research and for the benefit of Van Andel Research Institute, showing a tightly focused institutional funding relationship.
The recent grant sizes are very large. The 25th percentile is $22,500,000, the median is $32,350,437, and the 75th percentile is $59,012,252. A 2023 grant also reached $100,000,000.
No. The recent record includes contributed property such as marketable securities and limited partnership interests. Examples include marketable securities with a fair market value of $32,350,437 and LP interests valued at $22,500,000 and $18,637,311.
The recent grants are entirely local to Michigan. All six recent grants were made to recipients in the United States, and 100% were to recipients in the HQ state of Michigan, with Grand Rapids appearing as the recipient city.
The recent grants point to one main recipient: Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids. The same institution appears across multiple years, including 2023, 2024, and 2025, which indicates a recurring funding relationship rather than broad dispersed grantmaking.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $14,200,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTECONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: LP INTEREST IN ADABELLE CAPITAL LPFAIR MARKET VALUE: 14,200,000METHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: VALUATION BASED ON NET ASSET VALUEBOOK VALUE: 14,200,000METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTDATE OF GIFT: DECEMBER 31, 2024 |
| VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $22,500,000 | 2024 | MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTECONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: LP INTEREST IN ADABELLE CAPITAL LPFAIR MARKET VALUE: 22,500,000METHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: VALUATION BASED ON NET ASSET VALUEBOOK VALUE: 22,500,000METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTDATE OF GIFT: DECEMBER 31, 2023 |
| VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $100,000,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCHCONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: MARKETABLE SECURITIES BOOK VALUE: 95,553,260 - 12,385,253 OF WHICH IS THE CASH CONTRIBUTION.METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTMETHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: MEAN OF HIGH/LOW PRICES ON DATE OF CONTRIBUTIONDATE OF GIFT: VARIOUS |
| VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $59,012,252 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE |
| VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $32,350,437 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTECONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: MARKETABLE SECURITIESBOOK VALUE: 21,753,723METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTFAIR MARKET VALUE: 32,350,437METHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: MEAN OF HIGH/LOW PRICES ON DATE OF CONTRIBUTIONDATE OF GIFT: DECEMBER 19, 2022 |
| VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $18,637,311 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTECONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: LP INTEREST IN CALAMOS GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES FUND LPFAIR MARKET VALUE: 18,637,311METHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: VALUATION BASED ON NET ASSET VALUEBOOK VALUE: 18,637,311METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTDATE OF GIFT: DECEMBER 1, 2022 |
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE
$14,200,000MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTECONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: LP INTEREST IN ADABELLE CAPITAL LPFAIR MARKET VALUE: 14,200,000METHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: VALUATION BASED ON NET ASSET VALUEBOOK VALUE: 14,200,000METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTDATE OF GIFT: DECEMBER 31, 2024
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE
$22,500,000MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTECONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: LP INTEREST IN ADABELLE CAPITAL LPFAIR MARKET VALUE: 22,500,000METHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: VALUATION BASED ON NET ASSET VALUEBOOK VALUE: 22,500,000METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTDATE OF GIFT: DECEMBER 31, 2023
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE
$100,000,000MEDICAL RESEARCHCONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: MARKETABLE SECURITIES BOOK VALUE: 95,553,260 - 12,385,253 OF WHICH IS THE CASH CONTRIBUTION.METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTMETHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: MEAN OF HIGH/LOW PRICES ON DATE OF CONTRIBUTIONDATE OF GIFT: VARIOUS
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE
$59,012,252MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE
MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTECONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: MARKETABLE SECURITIESBOOK VALUE: 21,753,723METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTFAIR MARKET VALUE: 32,350,437METHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: MEAN OF HIGH/LOW PRICES ON DATE OF CONTRIBUTIONDATE OF GIFT: DECEMBER 19, 2022
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE
$18,637,311MEDICAL RESEARCH - FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTECONTRIBUTED PROPERTY: LP INTEREST IN CALAMOS GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES FUND LPFAIR MARKET VALUE: 18,637,311METHOD TO DETERMINE FAIR MARKET VALUE: VALUATION BASED ON NET ASSET VALUEBOOK VALUE: 18,637,311METHOD TO DETERMINE BOOK VALUE: COSTDATE OF GIFT: DECEMBER 1, 2022