About Van Andel Institute
Van Andel Institute transforms human health through groundbreaking biomedical research and cutting-edge science education to improve health and enhance lives for current and future generations.
Focus Areas
Cancer researchParkinson's disease researchMetabolic disordersEpigeneticsNeurodegenerationK-12 STEM educationGraduate biomedical education
Funding Style
general operating supportunrestricted/core supportadministrative/overhead funding
Topics
organizational operationsoperational expenses
About Van Andel Institute
Van Andel Institute’s recent giving is centered on operating support for its own research and education entities, with one 2024 grant to Van Andel Research Institute totaling $286,296,293. That pattern shows a funder that uses large, recurring internal grants to sustain biomedical research and science education rather than dispersing funds across many outside organizations. The institute’s stated mission is to transform human health through biomedical research and cutting-edge science education, and its focus areas include cancer research, Parkinson’s disease research, metabolic disorders, epigenetics, neurodegeneration, K-12 STEM education, and graduate biomedical education. In the recent-grants record, Van Andel Research Institute appears as the largest recipient, while Van Andel Education Institute also receives substantial support for operating expenses. The scale of those awards, paired with the narrow recipient base, points to a tightly integrated funding model built around the institute’s own organizational structure and programmatic priorities. For researchers, that means the foundation’s grantmaking is best understood as institutional support for science, education, and the infrastructure that connects them.
What Van Andel Institute Funds
The foundation’s cause areas cluster around biomedical research and education. In cancer research and related lab science, it gave $92,518,593 in 2023 to Van Andel Research Institute for operating expenses, and another $61,431,822 in 2025 for the same purpose. Its education work is similarly institutional: Van Andel Education Institute received $5,407,202 in 2025 for operating expenses, alongside a 2024 grant of $4,691,744 and a 2023 grant of $4,601,135. Those awards align with the institute’s K-12 STEM education and graduate biomedical education focus areas. The named research priorities also include Parkinson’s disease research, metabolic disorders, epigenetics, and neurodegeneration, indicating a science portfolio built around human health and translational research rather than a broad community grantmaking agenda.
How Van Andel Institute Gives
Typical grant sizes are large, with a p25 of $4,669,092, a median of $48,605,168, and a p75 of $140,963,018. The recent record shows repeated support to the same recipients across 2023, 2024, and 2025, indicating ongoing institutional funding rather than isolated awards. The foundation is a regular funder and does not fund individuals. Its recent grants are concentrated in general operating support, administrative support, staffing and payroll support, and facility and infrastructure costs, with no program-related investments reported.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$521.8M
Total Assets
$2.2B
Total Revenue
$139.3M
Total Expenses
$90.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $4.7M and $141M, with a median of $48.6M.
25th Percentile
$4.7M
Median
$48.6M
75th Percentile
$141M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in MI.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
TIMOTHY J MYERS
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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