The Nusbaum Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on the Jewish community in Metro Detroit, prioritizing long-term sustainability through endowments and legacy initiatives. Its grants support communal infrastructure and direct social services for Jewish families, signaling a preference for local, institution-building investments rather than broad or diversified giving.
Highly concentrated: a very small number of large gifts focused locally on Jewish communal institutions and endowment/legacy purposes rather than many small or geographically diverse grants.
A $430,000 grant to the Jewish Federation of Detroit for the Detroit Legacy Fund is the clearest window into the Nusbaum Family Foundation’s priorities: building long-term Jewish communal strength in Metro Detroit. The foundation’s giving centers on local institutions that can carry endowments, legacy assets, and social services forward over time. A second major gift, $100,000 to Jewish Family Services for the Nusbaum Endowment Fund, reinforces that pattern of support for permanent resources rather than short-term funding alone. Recent grants also show that the foundation’s interests extend beyond institutional capital to direct community support. It funded The Friendship Circle for help individuals with special needs, and it backed a portable ultrasound initiative through American Friend of Bar-Ilan University. Together, these grants point to a funder that combines legacy-building with targeted practical aid. The overall profile is local, Jewish-community-focused, and oriented toward strengthening organizations and services that serve Detroit-area families and residents.
In Jewish communal infrastructure, the foundation’s largest recent grant was $430,000 to the Jewish Federation of Detroit for the Detroit Legacy Fund. That gift aligns with its emphasis on endowment and legacy support for Metro Detroit institutions. Its giving also includes endowment-building for service organizations: it awarded $100,000 to Jewish Family Services for the Nusbaum Endowment Fund. Beyond institutional support, the foundation made a $10,000 grant to The Friendship Circle to help individuals with special needs, showing a direct-service component tied to local Jewish community life. The portfolio reaches into health access as well. A $18,000 grant to American Friend of Bar-Ilan University was for handheld, portable ultrasound machines, indicating interest in medical technology and equipment provision as a form of targeted aid.
Typical grants cluster in a wide range, with a 25th percentile of $18,000, a median of $39,000, and a 75th percentile of $100,000. The recent record includes both large endowment-oriented awards and smaller direct-service gifts, suggesting a mix of capital-style support and targeted project funding. The foundation appears consistent over multiple years, with grants listed in both 2024 and 2025. It is a private family foundation, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments.
$597K
$95K
$15K
$549K
Most grants fall between $18K and $100K, with a median of $39K.
25th Percentile
$18K
Median
$39K
75th Percentile
$100K
About 80% of grants go to recipients in MI.
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Notable grantees: Jewish Federation of Detroit, Jewish Family Services
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in Michigan: 80% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and Michigan is also the top state by grant count. The recent grants list shows a strong Metro Detroit pattern, including Bloomfield Hills, Oak Park, and West Bloomfield Township. Outside Michigan, the foundation made a grant to New York, NY, through American Friend of Bar-Ilan University. All recorded grants in the data went to U.S. recipients.
Its giving centers on Jewish communal endowment and legacy support, endowment-building for Jewish nonprofits in Metro Detroit, and Jewish family social services. Recent grants also show support for special-needs assistance and medical technology for community use.
Among recent grants, the size distribution runs from a 25th percentile of $18,000 to a median of $39,000, with a 75th percentile of $100,000. The recent list also includes a $430,000 grant tied to the Detroit Legacy Fund.
Yes. Its giving is local, and 80% of grants go to recipients in Michigan, which is also the top state by grant count. Recent gifts are concentrated in Metro Detroit communities such as Bloomfield Hills, Oak Park, and West Bloomfield Township.
The recent grants show activity in both 2024 and 2025, with support for endowments, legacy funds, direct services, and equipment. That suggests an ongoing pattern rather than a single isolated grant.
It does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The available record shows grants to organizations only.
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 HILLS, MI | $430,000 | 2025 | DETROIT LEGACY FUND |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES | OAK PARK, MI | $100,000 | 2025 | NUSBAUM ENDOWMENT FUND |
| THE FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE | WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSH, MI | $10,000 | 2025 | HELP INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS |
| BRUCE & DENISE SEYBURN FAMILY FOUNDATION | BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI | $39,000 | 2024 | HELP THOSE IN NEED AND HUNGER |
| AMERICAN FRIEND OF BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $18,000 | 2024 | TO PROVIDE HANDHELD, PORTABLE ULTRASOUND MACHINES. |
JEWISH FEDERATION OF DETROIT
$430,000DETROIT LEGACY FUND
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES
$100,000NUSBAUM ENDOWMENT FUND
THE FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE
$10,000HELP INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
BRUCE & DENISE SEYBURN FAMILY FOUNDATION
$39,000HELP THOSE IN NEED AND HUNGER
AMERICAN FRIEND OF BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY
$18,000TO PROVIDE HANDHELD, PORTABLE ULTRASOUND MACHINES.