West Michigan Foundation Watch: The DeVos Family Foundation

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

– Joan Roelofs, Foundations and Public Policy

DeVos Family 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. So far I have done posts on the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation and the Dan and Pamela DeVos Foundation and the Cheri DeVos Foundation.

The DeVos Family Foundation gave $9,645,232 in 2024, with only $2,950 left in total assets in that foundation, which suggest that they might be phasing out this foundation.

The DeVos Family Foundation made contributions to dozens of entities in 2024, but there are some clear categories of groups they contributed to, such as the Pro-Capitalist groups, Education-centered groups, but mostly entities that were either created by the DeVos family or has a DeVos family member or associate that sits on the Board of Directors.

However, what is different about the DeVos Family Foundation in relation to the other DeVos Foundations is that this foundation is what remains of the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation.

However, before I get to how they distributed their foundation funds for 2024, I think it is important that the DeVos Family Foundation paid one DeVos-owned entity to manage how their foundation money was used in 2024, along with three independent companies. The DeVos Family Foundation paid RDV Corporation $118,770.00, The Arts Manger $150,000.00, Flywheel CDS LLC $90,000.00, and WOTV $75,600.00.

Religious Groups

• Degage Ministries – $50,000

These religious groups practice varying degrees of conservative politics, which fit into the ideological framework that the DeVos family is committed to.

Pro-Capitalist Groups

• Greater Grand Rapids Chamber Foundation – $102,500 
• Philanthropy Roundtable – $300,000

In 1999, Philanthropy Roundtable spun off the Koch-funded DonorsTrust (DT) and Donors Capital Fund (DCF), two “donor-advised funds” that create separate accounts for individual donors, who then recommend disbursements from the accounts to different non-profits.

Education-centered groups

• New York University Stern School of Business – $12,500
• University of Central Florida Foundation – $90,000

DeVos-owned, created or connected groups

• Alliance for Children Everywhere – $150,000 – Amway provides material support and several DeVos Foundations are partners
• Chicago Cubs Charities – $10,000
• Corewell Health Foundation – 21,005,000
• One Starfish Foundation – $60,000 (Board member is the President of DP Fox Ventures)
• Orlando Magic Youth Foundation – $360,000

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, and arts and culture institutions that cater primarily to members of the Capitalist Class.

Groups receiving Hush $

• CommunityRebuilders – $50,000
• Heart of West Michigan United Way – $60,000
• John Ball Zoo (run by Kent County)  – $1,000,000
• Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital – $5,000,000
• New Image Youth Center – $250,000
• Pine Rest Foundation – $5,000,000
• St. Cecilia Music Center – $20,000
• United Way of Florida – $500,000

These groups all provide some sort of social service – people fleeing domestic violence, those who are housing insecure, people with disabilities, adoption and immigration. 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 DeVos Family Foundation has a long history of funding far right and religious right groups, which GRIID began documenting over a decade ago when I started this project. Lastly, it is worth noting that the DeVos Family 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.