The Nowak Family Foundation concentrates its support on education and pediatric/medical institutions, directing the largest share of its funding to a single college while also backing children's health and local health system philanthropy. Grants are few but sizable and often repeat gifts to the same organizations, indicating a preference for sustained relationships with a small set of beneficiaries, primarily in healthcare and higher education.
Concentrated giving with a small number of relatively large, repeat grants; funding is focused on a handful of institutional grantees rather than many small awards.
The Nowak Family Foundation’s clearest pattern is sustained, repeat support for Aquinas College, with three recent grants of $85,000 in 2023 and 2025 and $81,000 in 2024. That college relationship sits at the center of a broader portfolio that also includes pediatric care, local hospital philanthropy, and Catholic institutions. The foundation’s recent grants are few in number but often recur to the same organizations, which makes each recipient relationship easy to trace over time. Aquinas College in Grand Rapids appears as the largest beneficiary in the recent record, while DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation receives repeated support for medical purposes and NCH-related organizations in Naples show up on the community and health side. Religious recipients also appear across the recent grant list, including St Mary’s Catholic Church, the Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids, and Franciscan Friars. The result is a portfolio that mixes higher education, healthcare, and faith-linked community support rather than spreading funds broadly across many different issue areas.
In higher education, the foundation’s largest commitments go to Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, with grants of $85,000 in 2023 and 2025 and $81,000 in 2024. That repeated funding makes education the most visible part of the record. On the medical side, DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation in Grand Rapids received $26,000 in 2025, $25,000 in 2023, and $25,000 in 2024, showing a clear pediatric-health relationship. The foundation also supported local health infrastructure through NCH and NCH Center for Philanthropy in Naples, including a $25,000 grant to NCH Center for Philanthropy in 2024 and a $25,000 grant to NCH in 2025. Religious and community support appears as a smaller but recurring theme, with grants to St Mary’s Catholic Church, the Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids, and St Matthew’s House.
Typical grants cluster at the low thousands: p25 is $1,000, median grant size is $2,000, and p75 is $5,000. The recent record also includes a small number of much larger anchor grants, which pushes the annual total well above the typical check size. The pattern is repeat giving rather than one-off support, especially to the same college and health organizations across multiple years. The foundation is not structured to fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The grant list shows direct institutional support rather than an application-based or intermediary-led model.
$479K
$1.5M
$283K
$177K
Most grants fall between $1K and $5K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$5K
About 36% of grants go to recipients in FL.
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Notable grantees: Aquinas College, DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation, NCH Center for Philanthropy, NCH
Grants are national, but they land heavily in Florida and Michigan. Florida accounts for 36% of grants, with Naples appearing repeatedly through NCH Center for Philanthropy, NCH, Salvation Army, St Matthew’s House, Avow Hospice, and Air Force Enlisted Village. Grand Rapids is another frequent recipient city because of Aquinas College, DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation, and Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids. Outside the U.S., none of the recent grants go to non-U.S. recipients; all listed grants are domestic.
The recent record centers on Catholic higher education, pediatric healthcare, local hospital philanthropy, and religious or community organizations. Aquinas College, DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation, NCH and NCH Center for Philanthropy, St Mary’s Catholic Church, and St Matthew’s House all appear among recent recipients.
Typical grants are modest relative to the largest awards: p25 is $1,000, median grant size is $2,000, and p75 is $5,000. The recent list also includes larger anchor grants, including $85,000 awards to Aquinas College and $26,000 to DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Yes. The recent grants show repeated support to several recipients over multiple years, including Aquinas College, DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation, NCH Center for Philanthropy, St Matthew’s House, Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids, Hospice of Michigan, and Folds of Honor Foundation.
Florida is the top state by grant count, with 36% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Naples appears often through NCH-related organizations, St Matthew’s House, Salvation Army, Avow Hospice, and Air Force Enlisted Village, while Grand Rapids is another repeated location through college, hospital, and religious grantees.
No. The provided data indicates that the foundation funds organizations rather than individuals, and it does not make program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquinas College | Grand Rapids, MI | $85,000 | 2025 | Education |
| DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation | Grand Rapids, MI | $26,000 | 2025 | Medical |
| NCH | Naples, FL | $25,000 | 2025 | Medical |
| Operation Patriot | Bradenton, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | Community |
| Folds of Honor Foundation | Owasso, OK | $5,000 | 2025 | Community |
| St Mary's Catholic Church | Spring Lake, MI | $5,000 | 2025 | Religious |
| Avow Hospice | Naples, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | Medical |
| St Matthew's House | Naples, FL | $3,000 | 2025 | Community |
| Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids | Grand Rapids, MI | $2,000 | 2025 | Religious |
| Air Force Enlisted Village | Shalimar, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | Community |
| Tunnel to Towers Foundation | Staten Island, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | Community |
| Salvation Army | Naples, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | Religious |
| Disabled American Veterans | Grand Rapids, MI | $1,000 | 2025 | Community |
| South Florida PGA Foundation | Atlantis, FL | $300 | 2025 | Community |
| Aquinas College | Grand Rapids, MI | $81,000 | 2024 | Education |
| DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation | Grand Rapids, MI | $25,000 | 2024 | Medical |
| NCH Center for Philanthropy | Naples, FL | $25,000 | 2024 | Community |
| Folds of Honor Foundation | Owasso, OK | $5,000 | 2024 | Community |
| Salvation Army | Naples, FL | $3,300 | 2024 | Religious |
| St Matthew's House | Naples, FL | $3,000 | 2024 | Community |
| Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids | Grand Rapids, MI | $2,000 | 2024 | Religious |
| Franciscan Friars | Franklin, WI | $1,000 | 2024 | Religious |
| Hospice of Michigan | Ada, MI | $1,000 | 2024 | Medical |
| Air Force Enlisted Village | Shalimar, FL | $1,000 | 2024 | Community |
| Disabled American Veterans | Grand Rapids, MI | $1,000 | 2024 | Community |
| Aquinas College | Grand Rapids, MI | $85,000 | 2023 | Education |
| DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation | Grand Rapids, MI | $25,000 | 2023 | Medical |
| NCH Center for Philanthropy | Naples, FL | $20,000 | 2023 | Community |
| Folds of Honor Foundation | Owasso, OK | $5,000 | 2023 | Community |
| Hospice of Michigan | Ada, MI | $5,000 | 2023 | Medical |
| Special Operations Foundation | Smyrna, GA | $5,000 | 2023 | Community |
| St Mary's Catholic Church | Spring Lake, MI | $5,000 | 2023 | Religious |
| Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids | Grand Rapids, MI | $2,000 | 2023 | Religious |
| St Matthew's House | Naples, FL | $2,000 | 2023 | Community |
| Air Force Enlisted Village | Shalimar, FL | $1,000 | 2023 | Community |
| Salvation Army | Naples, FL | $1,000 | 2023 | Religious |
| Franciscan Friars | Franklin, WI | $1,000 | 2023 | Religious |
| Disabled American Veterans | Grand Rapids, MI | $1,000 | 2023 | Community |
| Literacy Volunteers of Collier County | Naples, FL | $1,000 | 2023 | Education |
| Rock Hill High School | Rock Hill, SC | $600 | 2023 | Community |
| West Catholic High School | Grand Rapids, MI | $500 | 2023 | Education |
| South Florida PGA Foundation | Atlantis, FL | $200 | 2023 | Community |
Aquinas College
$85,000Education
DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation
$26,000Medical
NCH
$25,000Medical
Operation Patriot
$10,000Community
Folds of Honor Foundation
$5,000Community
St Mary's Catholic Church
$5,000Religious
Avow Hospice
Medical
St Matthew's House
$3,000Community
Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids
$2,000Religious
Air Force Enlisted Village
$1,000Community
Tunnel to Towers Foundation
$1,000Community
Salvation Army
$1,000Religious
Disabled American Veterans
$1,000Community
South Florida PGA Foundation
$300Community
Aquinas College
$81,000Education
DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation
$25,000Medical
NCH Center for Philanthropy
$25,000Community
Folds of Honor Foundation
$5,000Community
Salvation Army
$3,300Religious
St Matthew's House
$3,000Community
Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids
$2,000Religious
Franciscan Friars
$1,000Religious
Hospice of Michigan
$1,000Medical
Air Force Enlisted Village
$1,000Community
Disabled American Veterans
$1,000Community
Aquinas College
$85,000Education
DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation
$25,000Medical
NCH Center for Philanthropy
$20,000Community
Folds of Honor Foundation
$5,000Community
Hospice of Michigan
$5,000Medical
Special Operations Foundation
$5,000Community
St Mary's Catholic Church
$5,000Religious
Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids
$2,000Religious
St Matthew's House
$2,000Community
Air Force Enlisted Village
$1,000Community
Salvation Army
$1,000Religious
Franciscan Friars
$1,000Religious
Disabled American Veterans
$1,000Community
Literacy Volunteers of Collier County
$1,000Education
Rock Hill High School
$600Community
West Catholic High School
$500Education
South Florida PGA Foundation
$200Community