The Vander Molen Family Foundation concentrates its giving on local health, rehabilitation and family-focused human services, providing program support to organizations that serve medical rehabilitation and family/child welfare needs. Grants are directed to a small number of repeat grantees, indicating a preference for sustained relationships with trusted local partners in Michigan. The foundation's support is practical and programmatic rather than capital or endowment-focused.
A repeat $30,000 program grant to Mary Free Bed Foundation in both 2024 and 2025 shows the Vander Molen Family Foundation’s core pattern: sustained support for a small set of Michigan-based health and family-service organizations. Across the recent grants on file, the foundation backs program work rather than capital projects, with giving centered on medical rehabilitation and family/child welfare needs. That approach is visible in its continued support for Mary Free Bed Foundation in Grand Rapids, a grantee that appears in multiple years and at multiple grant levels. Family & Children Services in Kalamazoo is another recurring recipient, suggesting the foundation values long-term relationships with local providers that serve behavioral health and social-service needs. The grant list also includes St Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, indicating that while the foundation is largely local, it does make occasional out-of-state support grants. The foundation’s profile is compact rather than broad: the recent record shows a small number of awards, all to U.S. organizations, with Michigan accounting for most recipient locations. Its pattern points to practical program support for organizations serving children, families, and people needing rehabilitation services.
Medical and pediatric rehabilitation is a clear focus. In 2024 and 2025, the foundation gave $30,000 each year to Mary Free Bed Foundation for programs, following a $20,000 program grant in 2023. That three-year pattern ties the foundation to rehabilitation-related service delivery over time. Family and children behavioral health is another recurring area. Family & Children Services received $10,000 for programs in 2023, 2024, and 2025, all from the same foundation. The repetition points to ongoing program support for a local agency serving families in the Kalamazoo area. The grant list also includes a $3,000 operating grant to St Jude's Children's Research Hospital in 2024. That award shows the foundation’s support can extend beyond its main Michigan relationships, while still staying within health-related giving.
Typical awards are modest and consistent: the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile are $10,000, $10,000, and $20,000. The recent record suggests recurring relationships rather than one-off gifts, especially with Mary Free Bed Foundation and Family & Children Services appearing across 2023, 2024, and 2025. Grants are program-focused, with one operating grant in the recent list. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$113K
$233K
$25K
$45K
Most grants fall between $10K and $20K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$20K
About 80% of grants go to recipients in MI.
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Concentrated and repeat-focused: a small number of mid-sized programmatic grants, with multiple grants to the same organizations rather than many one-off awards.
Notable grantees: Mary Free Bed Foundation, Family & Children Services
Giving is overwhelmingly Michigan-focused: 80% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and Michigan is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient locations include Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, both in Michigan, which account for most of the visible activity. The only non-Michigan recipient in the recent list is St Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. All recent grants shown are to U.S. organizations.
The recent grants point to medical rehabilitation and family-service organizations. Mary Free Bed Foundation received program support in 2023, 2024, and 2025, while Family & Children Services received program support in each of those same years. The foundation also made an operating grant to St Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
They are often recurring. Mary Free Bed Foundation appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Family & Children Services also appears in all three years. That pattern shows ongoing relationships with a small set of grantees rather than a large number of one-time awards.
The grant-size distribution is tightly clustered around smaller awards: p25 is $10,000, median is $10,000, and p75 is $20,000. Recent examples include $10,000 program grants and $30,000 program grants, plus a $3,000 operating grant.
Michigan receives most of the foundation’s giving. The data shows 80% of grants go to recipients in Michigan, with recent recipients in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. The foundation also made one recent grant to Memphis, Tennessee.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARY FREE BED FOUNDATION | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $30,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| FAMILY & CHILDREN SERVICES | KALAMAZOO, MI | $10,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| MARY FREE BED FOUNDATION | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $30,000 | 2024 | PROGRAMS |
| FAMILY & CHILDREN SERVICES | KALAMAZOO, MI | $10,000 | 2024 | PROGRAMS |
| ST JUDE'S CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $3,000 | 2024 | OPERATIONS |
| MARY FREE BED FOUNDATION | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $20,000 | 2023 | PROGRAMS |
| FAMILY & CHILDREN SERVICES | KALAMAZOO, MI | $10,000 | 2023 | PROGRAMS |
MARY FREE BED FOUNDATION
$30,000PROGRAMS
FAMILY & CHILDREN SERVICES
$10,000PROGRAMS
MARY FREE BED FOUNDATION
$30,000PROGRAMS
FAMILY & CHILDREN SERVICES
$10,000PROGRAMS
ST JUDE'S CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
$3,000OPERATIONS
MARY FREE BED FOUNDATION
$20,000PROGRAMS
FAMILY & CHILDREN SERVICES
PROGRAMS