Herrick Foundation

The Herrick Foundation is a grantmaking foundation run by Michigan’s Herrick family, the former owners of the Tecumseh Products Company. It played a central role in the company’s late 2000’s corporate power struggle, which, despite fierce opposition from the Foundation and its ownership shares, culminated in the eventual ousting of the Herrick family from the corporation. 1 2

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3), Private Foundation
Formation:

1949

President:

Todd Herrick

Location: Detroit, MI View on map
Tax ID: 38-6041517
Most Recent Filing: 2025
Budget (2025): Assets: $184,250,328 Revenue: $8,710,959 Expenses: $10,323,117

Contents

    According to the University of Michigan, the Herrick Foundation is one of the largest charitable foundations in the state of Michigan. 3 The Foundation gives to a wide arrangement of Michigan-based organizations, focusing primarily on Christian, higher education, and right-of-center advocacy causes.

    History

    The Herrick Foundation was founded in 1949 by Ray Herrick, the founder of the Tecumseh Products Company, and his wife, Hazel. 3

    At the time, the Tecumseh Products Company was the largest manufacturer of commercial refrigeration compressors in the world; the Herrick Foundation was the means by which Ray Herrick and his family sought to give his fortune back to southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio. 3 Tecumseh, then the site of the company’s main factory, is in southeast Michigan, 40 miles from the city of Toledo, Ohio.

    Some of its largest philanthropic efforts were the construction of the Herrick Memorial Hospital in Tecumseh, Michigan and the revitalization of Michigan’s Adrian College. 4

    After the death of Ray Herrick, his son Kenneth Herrick took over the company and the Herrick Foundation.

    In 2003, Kenneth Herrick retired and passed down the control of the two organizations to his son, Todd Herrick, who, as of October 2019, still runs the Herrick Foundation. 5

    Tecumseh Products Company Power Struggle

    Due to foreign currency troubles and regulatory issues with their manufactured products, the Tecumseh Products Company lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue in the mid-2000s. Eventually, the company was forced to close and sell off its original Tecumseh, Michigan, manufacturing plant in 2007 to avoid bankruptcy. 6

    In exchange for a $100 million outside loan, CEO Todd Herrick was forced to resign by the company’s board. But through the Herrick Foundation, he still held a supermajority of shares and retained chairmanship of the board of directors. From this position—which Todd later passed to his son, Kent Herrick—and a series of court challenges, the Herrick Foundation jockeyed for control of the board for years. 7

    In 2013, however, Kent Herrick resigned from the chairmanship over a disagreement regarding the potential sale of the company’s Brazilian assets with shareholder James Roumell. Roumell, President of Roumell Asset Management, had become the new majority shareholder, superseding the Herrick Foundation. This effectively ended the decades of control that the Herrick family had over the Tecumseh Products Company. 2

    Grantmaking

    The Herrick Foundation gives millions each year to a variety of organizations, mostly in the state of Michigan. It is a frequent donor to community institutions like Detroit’s Henry Ford Health System and local environmental and arts organizations. 8

    Aside from those groups, it focuses the majority of its grantmaking on Christian, higher education, and right-of-center causes. In recent years, large donations have gone to such organizations, including: the United Methodist Retirement Communities, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University, the right-of-center Mackinac Center for Public Policy, and the right-of-center Heritage Foundation. 8

    Leadership

    The Herrick Foundation is run by Todd Herrick, the grandson of its founder, Ray Herrick. He draws no salary from the Foundation.

    Funding

    The Herrick Foundation’s 2018 filings show total revenues of $10,800,413 and total expenses of $7,873,103. Its assets of $131,031,389 make it one of the largest charitable foundations in the state of Michigan.

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2025 $184,250,328 $8,710,959 $10,323,117 View
    2024 $183,762,532 $7,183,854 $8,956,937 View
    2023 $159,457,593 $1,487,894 $8,505,948 View
    2022 $151,121,457 $63,633,098 $11,554,508 View
    2021 $190,624,502 $10,836,296 $9,440,225 View
    2020 $170,019,275 $10,441,615 $9,261,615 View

    Prior year filings: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Wendy BrightmanCEO/SECRETAR$254,315
    Lisa Herrick ParkerPRESIDENT/TR$110,000
    Linda J HerrickTRUSTEE$11,000
    Rachel ParkerTRUSTEE$10,000
    Eric R ParkerTRUSTEE$7,500
    Shelby HerrickTRUSTEE$7,500
    Todd Herrick IITRUSTEE$2,500

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $142,211,978
    • Number of Grants: 878
    • Number of Recipients: 430

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $1,075,0002020 Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual ViolenceSupport for programs during covid-19
    $1,000,0002024 University of Michigan – University of Michigan DepartmentSUPPORT FOR NEW MEDICAL FACILITY
    $1,000,0002022 Interlochen Center for the ArtsENVISION INTERLOCHEN AT 100 CAMPAIGN
    $1,000,0002020 MACKINAC CENTERSupport for public ed. & Research
    $750,0002024 Great Lakes Center for the ArtsSUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN
    $750,0002023 Great Lakes Center for the ArtsSUPPORT DIMINSHING DEBT CAMPAIGN
    $750,0002023 Great Lakes Center for the ArtsSUPPORT OF SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN
    $750,0002021 Ashland UniversitySUPPORT THE SPIRIT OF 76 INITIATIVE
    $750,0002021 Interlochen Center for the ArtsTHE HOUSING PROJECT
    $750,0002020 Packard Health IncSupport for new medical facility
    $500,0002024 Henry Ford Health System FoundationSUPPORT FOR PRECISION MED. RESEARCH
    $500,0002023 Henry Ford Health System FoundationSUPPORT FOR PRECISION MED. RESEARCH
    $500,0002022 Henry Ford Health SystemSUPPORT FOR PRECISION MED. RESEARCH
    $500,0002021 Henry Ford Health SystemSUPPORT FOR PRECISION MED. RESEARCH
    $500,0002020 Henry Ford Health SystemSupport for precision medicine prog.
    $500,0002020 Ozone House, Inc.Support front door campaign
    $440,0002022 McLaren Northern Michigan FoundationSUPPORT FOR NEW MEDICAL FACILITY
    $440,0002021 McLaren Northern Michigan FoundationSUPPORT FOR NEW MEDICAL FACILITY
    $440,0002020 McLaren Northern Michigan FoundationSupport for two new surgical suites
    $350,0002022 Hope Medical Clinic, Inc.SUPPORT OF HOPE FOR TOMORROW PROG.
    $350,0002022 Old Pueblo Community ServicesSUPPORT OPCS HOME FUND
    $300,0002020 UMRC-Porter Hills FOUNDATIONSupport growing to serve campaign
    $250,0002024 LACASALEAD THE WAY IMPROWERMENT CAMPAIGN
    $250,0002024 Lenawee Community FoundationSUPPORT HEALTH HAPPINESS HOPE FUND
    $250,0002024 Presbyterian Villages of Michigan Foundation Public CharityCAMPAIGN FOR THE AGES WESTLAND EXP.

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Tecumseh Products Ousts President; Kent Herrick Becomes Chairman of the Board.” The Daily Telegram – Adrian, MI. The Daily Telegram – Adrian, MI, October 8, 2009. https://www.lenconnect.com/article/20091008/NEWS/310089959.
    2. Halcom, Chad. “Tecumseh Products Founding Family out; Stock Price Soars.” Crain’s Detroit Business, January 27, 2013. https://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20130127/NEWS/301279980/tecumseh-products-founding-family-out-stock-price-soars.
    3. “Tecumseh Products Company Records.” Bentley Historical Library. University of Michigan. Accessed October 20, 2019. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhlead/umich-bhl-2016072?byte=177743093;focusrgn=bioghist;subview=standard;view=reslist.
    4. “RAY W. HERRICK, 82, WAS FORD ASSOCIATE.” The New York Times. The New York Times, April 15, 1973. https://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/15/archives/ray-w-herrick-82-was-ford-associate.html.
    5. “Herrick Son to Chair Tecumseh.” Toledo Blade, February 28, 2003. https://www.toledoblade.com/local/2003/02/28/Herrick-son-to-chair-Tecumseh/stories/200302280060.
    6. Murray, Stefanie. “Tecumseh Plant Closure Not a Surprise, Officials Say.” mlive, November 7, 2007. https://www.mlive.com/annarbornews/2007/11/tecumseh_plant_closure_not_a_s.html.
    7. “Family Feud – The Fight for Tecumseh Products.” Ann Arbor Observer, May 2009. https://annarborobserver.com/articles/family_feud.html#.XazByOhKjD4.
    8. Herrick Foundation 990. Return of Organization Exempt from Tax Income (Form 990). Accessed October 20, 2019.