Foundation Watch: The Edgar & Elsa Prince Foundation

In any case, the hidden hand of foundations can control the course of social change and deflect anger to targets other than elite power.” 

 – Joan Roelofs, author of the book, Foundations and Public Policy

For the past 10 years, GRIID has been monitoring foundations in West Michigan, particularly the large family foundations that those who are part of the Grand Rapids Power Structure have created. Our monitoring of local foundations has been part of our larger critique of the Non-Profit Industrial complex in Grand Rapids. 

Edgar & Elsa Prince Foundation

Edgar and Elsa Prince are the parents of Erik Prince and Betsy DeVos. Although Edgar has been dead for several years, the foundation that is in his wife and his name, continues the legacy of funding the Religious and Political Right. The Edgar & Elsa Prince Foundation began in 1979, and currently has $2,830,899 in assets. The information that follows is based on the 990 document for 2022, where the foundation distributed $1,650,650 to the five categories I have been using throughout the series on local foundations. You can find this information on GuideStar.org just by typing in the Edgar & Elsa Prince Foundation. 

Religious Right

• Christian Leadership Institute $25,000
• American Values $30,000
• Gateways to Better Education $30,000
• Women’s Rights Without Frontiers $20,000
• Pregnancy Resource Center $10,000
• Alliance Defending Freedom  $50,000
• Protect Life Michigan $73,400
• Wycliff Bible Translators $10,000 
• Focus on the Family $1,500 

The Alliance for Defending Freedom is a Conservative Christian group of lawyers that defends religious groups around anti-LGBT policies and other religious right issues. They are a far right version of what the ACLU is. American values is a group that was started by Gary Power, which put their emphasis on fighting against abortion and defending Israel.

Political Right and Think Tanks

• Freedom Alliance $30,000
• Media Research Center $20,000
• Council for National Policy $15,000
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy $10,000
• Rutherford Institute $25,000
• Mom’s for America $5,000

Freedom Alliance is an entity that was founded by convicted Iran Contra scandal participant Col. Oliver North. The Media Research Center is a right wing media “watchdog” group run by president and founder Brent Bozell. It is predominately funded by larger right-wing foundations. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a right-wing pressure group based in Michigan. Founded in 1987, it is the largest state-level “think tank” in the nation. It was established by right-wing activists to promote “free market,” pro-business policies.  Moms for America is a group of women that fights against Critical Race Theory in schools, opposes the Movement for Black Lives, was involved in the January 6th, 2021 insurrection, plus the Southern Poverty Law Center designates them as a Hate Group.

Education Institutions 

• Holland Christian Schools $110,000
• Potter’s House Christian School $12,500
• Zuni Christian Mission School $20,000
• Allendale Christian Schools $30,000
• Hope College $5,000

DeVos-owned, created or connected groups

• Christian Leadership Institute $25,000
• West Michigan Aviation Academy $122,500

Groups receiving Hush money

• Wedgewood Christian Youth and Family Services $20,000
• Family Promise $20,000

These groups all provide some sort of social service. There are root causes to all of these issues, but these groups are not likely to address root causes and larger systems of oppression. When the Prince family foundation makes contributions, this will increase the likelihood that systems of oppression will not be addressed by these organization, which is why we call it hush money. 

You can clearly see that the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation primarily funds the Religious Right and the Political Right, even though sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the two. The Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation is a perfect way for the family to hide some of their wealth from taxation, but allows them to use it just like direct political contributions, often working in tandem with campaign contributions.