The Ralph C Wilson Jr Foundation
Type: Private foundation · EIN: 45-0921232 · Headquarters: Detroit, MI 48202-3183 · Website
NTEE code: T20 · Applications: Accepts applications
Total grants paid: $725,554,193.00 (2020–2024, all fiscal years on file). This total comes from the GetFunded foundation-years file (grants_paid), never from adding up the grants below.
Only 1373 of this foundation's grants on file were matched to a named recipient ($363,163,271.00); $362,390,922.00 across 1177 grants was not linked to a named recipient and is counted in the total above, not listed below. The 20 largest matched grants shown here total $85,713,181.00 — a subset of the total, not the total itself.
Foundation data: grants paid, latest complete year 2023 (2024 partial — included, each grant labelled by fiscal year). Each grant below shows its fiscal year plainly. 990-PF grant rows carry no recipient EIN — the recipient name shown is the organisation GetFunded matched the row to; matches can be wrong, so check the filing object ID against the source filing.
| Recipient | City / State | Amount | Fiscal year | Filing object ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | $15,000,000.00 | FY2021 | 202233199349108798 |
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | $7,500,000.00 | FY2022 | 202333199349107053 |
| Natural Heritage Trust | Albany, NY | $6,000,000.00 | FY2021 | 202233199349108798 |
| Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Inc. | Buffalo, NY | $5,250,000.00 | FY2022 | 202333199349107053 |
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | $5,000,000.00 | FY2022 | 202333199349107053 |
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | $5,000,000.00 | FY2023 | 202443209349100419 |
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | $5,000,000.00 | FY2024 | 202503219349108650 |
| Lakeshore Connections Inc. | Buffalo, NY | $4,268,181.00 | FY2021 | 202233199349108798 |
| Natural Heritage Trust | Albany, NY | $4,220,000.00 | FY2022 | 202333199349107053 |
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | $3,750,000.00 | FY2024 | 202503219349108650 |
| Natural Heritage Trust | Albany, NY | $3,100,000.00 | FY2021 | 202233199349108798 |
| Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum | Rochester, NY | $3,000,000.00 | FY2021 | 202233199349108798 |
| Invest Detroit Foundation | Detroit, MI | $3,000,000.00 | FY2020 | 202133139349102473 |
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | $3,000,000.00 | FY2021 | 202233199349108798 |
| Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Inc. | Buffalo, NY | $2,625,000.00 | FY2024 | 202503219349108650 |
| Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum | Rochester, NY | $2,000,000.00 | FY2022 | 202333199349107053 |
| Natural Heritage Trust | Albany, NY | $2,000,000.00 | FY2022 | 202333199349107053 |
| Buffalo Fine Arts Academy | Buffalo, NY | $2,000,000.00 | FY2021 | 202233199349108798 |
| Buffalo Fine Arts Academy | Buffalo, NY | $2,000,000.00 | FY2022 | 202333199349107053 |
| Invest Detroit Foundation | Detroit, MI | $2,000,000.00 | FY2024 | 202503219349108650 |
| Total of grants shown on this page (matched grants only) | $85,713,181.00 | |||
Grants paid by fiscal year
From the foundation-years file. "Not linked" grants are counted here and in the total above, but have no named recipient to list. "Basis" is which 990-PF line the grants-paid figure was read from — qualifying distributions or disbursements for charitable purposes; the two lines are not the same measure. Years after FY2024, where present, are totals only — the matched-grant files end at FY2024, so no named grants are shown for those years.
| Fiscal year | Grants paid | Basis | Grants on file | Linked | Not linked | Amount not linked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | $155,338,729.00 | qualifying_distributions | 413 | 231 | 182 | $81,640,938.00 |
| FY2023 | $152,178,785.00 | qualifying_distributions | 528 | 280 | 248 | $84,217,691.00 |
| FY2022 | $166,709,982.00 | qualifying_distributions | 533 | 273 | 260 | $76,551,375.00 |
| FY2021 | $138,364,704.00 | qualifying_distributions | 469 | 247 | 222 | $56,526,018.00 |
| FY2020 | $112,961,993.00 | qualifying_distributions | 607 | 342 | 265 | $63,454,900.00 |
| All years on file | $725,554,193.00 | 2550 | 1373 | 1177 | $362,390,922.00 |
Sources
Foundation profile on GetFunded: https://getfunded.ai/funder/0dae0822-39db-4d40-b022-c132ee842156
Foundation data: GetFunded Open Foundation List (release data-2026-10-08), CC BY 4.0 — Open Funder Database contributors (GetFunded), from IRS e-file data. Built from IRS Form 990-PF e-file data. Also listed on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: EIN 45-0921232.
Each grant above names its filing object ID so it can be checked against the source filing. No purpose text is published with these grants (the source withholds it pending a privacy review).