William Davidson Foundation
Invitation OnlyBirmingham, Michigan · EIN 20-3899187 · Private foundation · Website
Grants paid (2024)$59.6M
Organizations funded94
Typical grant$275,000
Total assets$1.6B
Half of its grants to organizations were between $100,000 and $850,000.
From the return
How to apply
On its return for tax year 2024 the foundation checked the box saying it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
What it funds
Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.
Where it gives
52% of grants went outside Michigan.
Grants paid in tax year 2024
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish Federation of Detroit | Bloomfield Hills, MI | To support the Israel Emergency Campaign and to support the emergency in Israel | $6,090,000 |
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | To support the Unified Greenway Endowment Fund | $5,000,000 |
| American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science Inc | New York, NY | To support the creation of a new campus for the Davidson Institute of Science Education and the Davidson Institute of Science Education… | $3,000,000 |
| AFSNC Inc | New York City, NY | For general operating support for Start Up Nation Central | $2,500,000 |
| Jewish Federation of Detroit | Bloomfield Hills, MI | To support the 2025 Annual Campaign, JLabs, and the Collective | $2,350,000 |
| Detroit Opera | Detroit, MI | To support opera seasons | $2,000,000 |
| Holocaust Memorial Center | Farmington Hills, MI | To support the renovation of the permanent exhibit | $2,000,000 |
| Jerusalem Botanical Gardens | Jerusalem, IS | To support the creation of a new gallery | $2,000,000 |
| Birthright Israel Foundation | New York, NY | General operating support and support for Onward Israel | $1,500,000 |
| OneTable | New York, NY | To support the implementation of the strategic plan | $1,500,000 |
| Sefaria Inc | New York, NY | To support Sefaria's Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l Legacy Project | $1,500,000 |
| Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | Detroit, MI | To support the New Economy Initiative | $1,250,000 |
| Foundation For Detroit's Future | Detroit, MI | For Support of the Grand Bargain for the Detroit Institute of Arts | $1,250,000 |
| The Jewish People Policy Institute | Jerusalem, IS | To support the William Davidson Distinguished Fellow and for general operating support | $1,200,000 |
| American Israel Education Foundation Inc | Washington, DC | General operating support | $1,000,000 |
| Momentum Unlimited Inc | Rockville, MD | General operating support | $1,000,000 |
| Momentum Unlimited Inc | Rockville, MD | General operating support | $1,000,000 |
| The Schechter Institutes Inc | Philadelphia, PA | To support the TALI Education Fund, the Schechter Institute Graduate School of Jewish Studies, and for general operating support | $1,000,000 |
| Wexner Foundation | New Albany, OH | To support the Wexner Davidson Fellowship, completion of Davidson Scholars program, and the alumni program for Davidson Scholars | $1,000,000 |
| Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Washington, DC | To support the William Davidson Distinguished Fellow and the Young Scholars Program | $950,000 |
| Detroit Symphony Orchestra Inc | Detroit, MI | To support the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series and for general operating support | $900,000 |
| The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America | New York, NY | To support Hartman Digital and Shalom Hartman Institute of North America's work in metro Detroit | $900,000 |
| Gesher Foundation Inc | New York, NY | To support the AMI Initiative | $850,000 |
| Hillel The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life (Hillel International) | Washington, DC | To support the Israel Action and Antisemitism Program, the Israel Leadership Network, The Center for Jewish and Israel Education, and the… | $850,000 |
| Jewish Theological Seminary of America | New York, NY | For general operating support for the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education | $750,000 |
| Midtown Detroit Inc | Detroit, MI | To support Phase 1 of the Cultural Center Planning Initiative | $750,000 |
| The IDI Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | To support the William Davidson Senior Fellow and the IDI's Center for Governance and the Economy | $707,449 |
| Shalem College | Jerusalem, IS | To support the creation of two new majors focused on diplomacy, strategy, and economics | $600,000 |
| United Jewish Foundation | Bloomfield Hills, MI | To fund the WDF Director Discretionary Philanthropic Fund | $600,000 |
| Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue | Detroit, MI | For general operating support, capacity building, and construction | $550,000 |
| Adamah Inc | Reisterstown, MD | To support Adamah Detroit and planning efforts for a Metro Detroit Jewish retreat center | $500,000 |
| Chabad on Campus International | Brooklyn, NY | To support the Chazak initiative | $500,000 |
| MAOZ-SEAL Inc | Lod, IS | To support the 2080 Leadership Program | $500,000 |
| Mechon Hadar | New York, NY | To support the Pedagogy of Partnership's Midwest Fellowship and the Children and Family Division | $500,000 |
| Micah 6 Community | Pontiac, MI | To support the renovation of the vacant Webster Elementary School in Pontiac into a neighborhood community center | $500,000 |
| The Jewish Federations of North America Inc | New York, NY | To support the LiveSecure program | $500,000 |
| The Jewish Federations of North America Inc | New York, NY | To sponsor the JFNA Unity Event and the 2024 General Assembly | $500,000 |
| Wayne State University Research and Technology Park in the City of Detroit | Detroit, MI | To provide technical and other assistance for Detroit-based tech and growth-focused entrepreneurs and to conduct a benchmark analysis on… | $475,000 |
| Downtown Detroit Partnership Inc | Detroit, MI | To support Campus Martius Park upgrades and to support DDP's coordination efforts for major events in 2024 | $450,000 |
| Friends of ELNET | New York, NY | For general operating support and delegations to Israel | $450,000 |
| Venture for America Inc | New York, NY | General operating support | $400,000 |
| Sefaria Inc | New York, NY | To support maintenance and improvements to the William Davidson Talmud and capacity building | $350,000 |
| Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Inc | Washington, DC | To support the Senior International Fellow | $315,000 |
| Congregation B'nai B'rith Hillel | East Lansing, MI | To support education and leadership development efforts of the Hillels of Michigan - U of M Hillel, MSU Hillel, and Hillel of Metro Detroit | $300,000 |
| Farber Hebrew Day School - Yeshivat Akiva | Southfield, MI | For general operating support and development capacity building | $300,000 |
| Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center | Detroit, MI | To support the HUB Capital Campaign | $300,000 |
| Mabua - Israeli Beit Midrash | Alon, IS | General operating support | $300,000 |
| FJC - A Foundation of Donor Advised Funds | New York, NY | To support Natan's Jewish Connections, Confronting Antisemitism, and Reimagining Israel Education committees and for Natan to serve as a… | $275,000 |
| Jewish Federation of Detroit | Bloomfield Hills, MI | To support the Lauder Impact Initiative in Detroit | $275,000 |
| UpStart Bay Area | Oakland, CA | To support UpSpark, UpLift, and UpSpring and to serve as a partner | $275,000 |
| Endeavor Detroit | Detroit, MI | For general operating support and for a matching grant to support fundraising efforts | $252,773 |
| Congregation Shaarey Zedek | Southfield, MI | General operating support | $250,000 |
| Detroit Regional Partnership Foundation | Detroit, MI | General operating support | $250,000 |
| Israel on Campus Coalition | Washington, DC | For general operating support of Academic Engagement Network's educational programs | $250,000 |
| Louis D Brandeis Center Inc | Washington, DC | General operating support | $250,000 |
| Reboot | Longmeadow, MA | To support the Rebooter Network, the Arts Lab, and to serve as a partner | $250,000 |
| The Detroit Institute of Arts | Detroit, MI | To support the Gargaro Directors Endowment | $250,000 |
| Jewish Federation of Detroit | Bloomfield Hills, MI | To support a new director position at JLive and for general operating support for JLive | $225,000 |
| Central Fund of Israel | Cedarhurst, NY | To support Cyberwell's Artificial Intelligence Initiative | $200,000 |
| Joe Louis Greenway Partnership | Detroit, MI | To support start-up staffing and organizational infrastructure costs | $200,000 |
Showing the 60 largest of 94 grants to organizations.
Grants approved for future payment
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFSNC Inc | New York City, NY | For general operating support for Start Up Nation Central | $2,500,000 |
| Wexner Foundation | New Albany, OH | To support the Wexner Davidson Fellowship, completion of Davidson Scholars program, and the alumni program for Davidson Scholars | $2,225,000 |
| The Schechter Institutes Inc | Philadelphia, PA | To support the TALI Education Fund, the Schechter Institute Graduate School of Jewish Studies, and for general operating support | $1,250,000 |
| The Jewish People Policy Institute | Jerusalem, | To support the William Davidson Distinguished Fellow and for general operating support | $1,200,000 |
| Momentum Unlimited Inc | Rockville, MD | General operating support | $1,000,000 |
| Detroit Symphony Orchestra Inc | Detroit, MI | To support the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series and for general operating support | $850,000 |
| Adamah Inc | Reisterstown, MD | To support Adamah Detroit and Adamah on Campus | $550,000 |
| Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center | Detroit, MI | To support the HUB Capital Campaign | $250,000 |
| Jewish Federation of Detroit | Bloomfield Hills, MI | To support the Lauder Impact Initiative in Detroit | $250,000 |
| Jewish Theological Seminary of America | New York, NY | For general operating support for the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education | $250,000 |
| Institute for Curriculum Services | Berkeley, CA | General operating support | $100,000 |
| Sixpoint Inc | New York, NY | General operating support | $100,000 |
| Jewish Federations of North America | New York, NY | To support research into current patterns in the surge of Jewish life, attitudes and behaviors of the Jewish community due to antisemitism… | $75,000 |
| Jewish Funders Network | New York, NY | To support 2025 International Conference | $30,000 |
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Grant lines |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $59,609,722 | 108 |
| 2023 | $60,000,409 | 109 |
Sources
- IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 17, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202513219349105786
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 20-3899187
- Profile updated Nov 5, 2026
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.