West Michigan Foundation Watch: The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation

Philanthropy is just reputation laundering for the oligarchy. 

It is that time of the year again, when GRIID posts about the various West Michigan Foundations from families that make up the Grand Rapids Power Structure. I start with the DeVos family, which has 5 different foundations. 

The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation

GRIID has always begun our Foundation Watch work by looking at the foundations associated with the most powerful family in West Michigan, the DeVos family. The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation has been one of the largest in West Michigan, which was founded in 1989, the same time that Dick DeVos was the CEO of Amway. According to GuideStar, in 2023, the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation contributed $9,729,300.00 leaving them with $52,282,355.00 of funds left in their foundation account. 

The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation made contributions to dozens of entities in 2023, but there are some clear categories of groups they contributed to, such as the Religious Right, Think Tanks, Education-centered groups, and social service entities, to name a few. Below is a listing of each from these categories, with a dollar amount and a brief analysis. 

We also include groups that are DeVos owned or created, along with liberal non-profits. With the liberal non-profits, we believe that funding from foundations like the DeVos family foundations is a form of hush money. When we say hush money, we mean that these entities will not publicly challenge the system of Capitalism, the wealth gap, structural racism and other systems of oppression, which the DeVos family benefits from and perpetuates through their own political funding.

Religious Right

• Alpha USA – $100,000 
• Global Leadership Network – $600,000
• Help Pregnancy Crisis AID Inc. – $25,000
• Mars Hill Bible Church – $200,000
• Partners Worldwide – $25,000
• Pregnancy Resource Center – $20,000
• Embracing the Journey Inc. – $50,000 

These religious groups practice varying degrees of conservative politics, which fit into the ideological framework that the DeVos family is committed to. For instance, Global Leadership Network merges Christianity and Capitalism, plus the partner with far right groups like Prison Fellowship.

Far Right Think Tanks

• Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty – $20,000
• American Enterprise Institute – $375,000
• Center for Law and Policy Studies – $125,000
• Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies – $250,000 
• First Liberty Institute – $50,000
• Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression – $25,000
• Institute for Cultural Evolution – $66,000
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy – $125,000
• Manhattan Institute for Policy Research – $100,000
• Philanthropy Roundtable – $50,000 
• The Claremont Institute – $120,000 

These Think Tanks influence public policy in individual states, like the Acton Institute and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy does in Michigan. The American Enterprise Institute and the Philanthropy Roundtable do the same thing, but at the federal level, which is why they are based in DC. They also fund regional think tanks like the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and the Claremont Institute, both of which work with the State Policy Network and the Heritage Foundation.

Education-centered groups

• American Federation for Children’s Growth Fund – $500,000
• Hillsdale College – $75,000
• Holland Christian Schools. – $155,000
• Northwood University – $250,000
• Potters House – $201,000
• University of Maryland – $1,020,000

The American Federation for Children’s Growth Fund promotes School Voucher programs, corporate tax credit, and other school choice programs. Hillsdale College was founded on Far Right principles. Hillsdale College has developed their own curriculum to counter the 1619 Project. The Hillsdale project is called The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum, which is a very sanitized and whitewashed version of US history. Hillsdale College also played a major role in Project 2025. 

DeVos-owned, created or connected groups

• Chicago Cubs Charities – $10,000
• Grand Action Foundation 2.0 – $1,000,000
• West Michigan Aviation Academy Foundation – $515,050 

Of course all these entities that were created by DeVos family members, also promote their ideological religious and capitalist values. On top of that, it also means that DeVos family members are funding their own entities and using their foundation to fund their own pet projects, like Grand Action Foundation 2,0 – which promotes development projects in Grand Rapids that use public funds and expands their wealth – or the West Michigan Aviation Academy – because it promotes the privatization of education. 

Groups receiving Hush $ 

• Blandford Nature Center – $100,000
• Exalta Health – $10,000
• Degage Ministries – $5,000
• ICCF Community Homes – $25,000
• John Ball Zoo – $100,000
• Kent County Habitat for Humanity – $5,000
• Safe Haven Ministries – $10,000
• Women’s Resource Center – $10,000 

These groups all provide some sort of social service – nature preserve, those who are housing insecure, people with disabilities, and those fleeing domestic violence. 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 DeVos family foundations make contributions, this will increase the likelihood that systems of oppression will not be addressed by these groups. 

Foundations rarely make contributions without strings attached. The Dick and Betsy DeVos has a long history of funding far right and religious right groups, which GRIID documented 10 years ago when we started this project. Lastly, it is worth noting that the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, like all of the DeVos family foundations, compliments the campaign contributions they make to further impact public policy and promote their religious and capitalist ideologies.