Make-A-Wish Michigan
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation of America that grants life-changing wishes to Michigan children ages 2.5–18 with critical illnesses, funded by individual donors, corporate partners, foundation grants, and special events, and supported by Salesforce and Blackbaud technology infrastructure.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersSouthfield, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Make-A-Wish Michigan does
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan (d/b/a Make-A-Wish Michigan) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation (EIN 38-2505812) founded in 1986 as a regional chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, which was itself founded in 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. The chapter grants life-changing wishes to Michigan children ages 2.5 to under 18 who have been diagnosed with critical illnesses, with eligibility determined by medical condition rather than family income. Wishes are referred by medical professionals, parents, family members, or the children themselves, and historically the chapter has granted approximately 12,500 Michigan wishes; roughly 800 Michigan children are newly diagnosed with critical illnesses each year.
The chapter operates from two regional offices — Southfield (Southeast Michigan) and Grand Rapids (West Michigan) — and is supported by a national infrastructure of nearly 20,000 volunteers across 57 chapters. Its technology stack centers on Salesforce for wish-referral and case management (formalized as a national partnership in September 2025), Blackbaud Merchant Services for PCI-compliant donation processing, and a Make-A-Wish Fundraising mobile app that integrates with Apple Health, Android Health Connect, Garmin, Strava, and Fitbit to credit users for fitness-based peer-to-peer fundraising. Online donation tiers span $5 national minimums up to Michigan-specific presets of $19, $29, $49, $99, or $228 one-time, plus $19/$29/$50 monthly giving options.
Make-A-Wish Michigan generates revenue from seven streams: individual contributions (one-time and recurring), corporate donations and sponsorships, foundation grants, planned gifts, special events (Walk for Wishes being the flagship), in-kind donations, and chapter fees remitted to the national foundation. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by deep corporate partnerships (Walt Disney Company is involved in approximately half of all wishes granted nationally, and the chapter has active relationships with Subaru, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, ESPN, and Salesforce) and amplified through PR/earned media, social channels, and influencer collaborations including a 2026 Thankmas partnership with YouTuber Jacksepticeye.
Make-A-Wish Michigan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Make-A-Wish Michigan
- Legal name
- Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan
- Website
- https://michigan.wish.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation of America that grants life-changing wishes to Michigan children ages 2.5–18 with critical illnesses, funded by individual donors, corporate partners, foundation grants, and special events, and supported by Salesforce and Blackbaud technology infrastructure.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Make-A-Wish Michigan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Wish-Granting Charity Services
- NAICS
- Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Child and Youth Services (624110)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rare Disease & Special Needs Support Organizations (BPAGACAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)
Keywords
Where Make-A-Wish Michigan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Southfield
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Make-A-Wish Michigan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Contributions: Direct donations from individuals through online portals, mail, phone, and monthly giving programs. One-time and recurring gift options available.
- Corporate Donations: Corporate partners provide financial support, in-kind contributions, and sponsorship of wish-granting activities and events.
- Foundation Grants: Foundation grants provide funding support for wish-granting operations.
- Planned Gifts: Legacy giving programs including bequests and planned estate gifts.
- Special Events: Chapter-level fundraising events including Walk for Wishes and other community activities.
- In-Kind Donations: Product and service donations that help maximize resources dedicated to granting wishes and supporting fundraising events.
- Chapter Fees and Assessments: Fees from local chapters support national organization operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Michigan Monthly Giving Tiers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Michigan One-Time Donation Options |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | National Donation Options |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Make-A-Wish Michigan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Make-A-Wish Michigan grants life-changing wishes to children ages 2.5 to under 18 who have been diagnosed with a critical illness, fully covering all wish expenses including travel and spending money with no income qualifications required. The chapter funds wish granting through individual and corporate donations, foundation grants, planned gifts, special events (such as Walk for Wishes), and peer-to-peer fundraising supported by a mobile app with health-data integration. It also operates volunteer engagement, corporate partnership programs, and referral intake via a Salesforce-based system for medical professionals and families.
Product overview
Make-A-Wish Michigan is a chapter of the national Make-A-Wish Foundation that operates as a nonprofit wish-granting organization serving children with critical illnesses. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including core wish granting services, the Make-A-Wish Fundraising App for peer-to-peer fundraising with health tracking integration, donation processing through Blackbaud, and various fundraising event programs (Walk For Wishes, Jeans for Wishes, Kids for Wish Kids, Wishmakers On Campus). The chapter also operates volunteer programs and specialty initiatives like the Holiday Wish Line, all unified under the Wishmaker brand for donor engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wish Granting Services Core service that grants life-changing wishes to Michigan children ages 2.5 to under 18 who have been diagnosed with a critical illness. Wish types include travel experiences, meeting a favorite celebrity, receiving a special item (such as a puppy or tree house), or becoming something/someone (such as a cowgirl). All wish expenses are fully covered with no family income qualifications.
Quantifiable outcome
- Children who receive wishes are more likely to have fewer unplanned hospital and emergency department visits
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Make-A-Wish Michigan
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Make-A-Wish Michigan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature2 records
Make-A-Wish Michigan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.
- JacksepticeyeminorYouTuber and content creator announced partnership with Make-A-Wish for Thankmas campaign to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
- SalesforcecoreMake-A-Wish and Salesforce launched a national partnership in September 2025 to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. The partnership leverages Salesforce's platform capabilities to enhance wish referral and granting processes.
- ESPNcoreLong-standing partnership for the award-winning 'My Wish' series on SportsCenter. The partnership brings sports-related wishes to life, featuring wish kids meeting athletes and attending major sporting events.
- SubarumajorSubaru raised $3.1 million for children battling critical illnesses during the 2024 Share the Love Event, demonstrating significant corporate giving commitment to Make-A-Wish.
- Walt Disney CompanycoreDisney is involved in approximately half of all wishes Make-A-Wish grants. Many wish experiences involve travel to Disney parks and resorts, making it the organization's most significant wish destination partner.
- Bristol-Myers SquibbmajorPharmaceutical partner supporting Make-A-Wish wish granting for children with cancer, highlighted through wish kid John Martin's story.
- GenentechmajorPartnership featured through wish kid Owen's story, where he wished to go to Hawaii, demonstrating commitment to improving lives of children through wishes and medicine.
- BlackbaudcoreBlackbaud Merchant Services (BBMS) manages all financial transactions on Make-A-Wish's website, providing secure servers and payment processing for donations and purchases.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Make-A-Wish Michigan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- American Cancer Society: Large incumbent health nonprofit overlapping with Make-A-Wish on the cancer-patient beneficiary population and major corporate donor pool. Operates at much larger scale across research, patient support, and advocacy.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities: Major nonprofit supporting families of seriously ill children through housing and hospital-adjacent services. Comparable donor base, corporate partner ecosystem (including McDonald's), and family-of-critically-ill-child beneficiary population, though focused on housing rather than wish experiences.
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Larger pediatric medical nonprofit with substantially broader brand and fundraising reach. Comparable on pediatric critical-illness beneficiary population and corporate donor overlap, though focused on treatment rather than wish delivery.
Direct peers
- National Children's Cancer Society: National nonprofit providing direct financial and emotional support to children with cancer and their families. Comparable mission scope, donor base, and family-of-critically-ill-child beneficiary population.
- Starlight Children's Foundation: National nonprofit delivering programs — including wish-like experiences, hospital wear, and gaming — to seriously ill children and their families. Comparable target population (critically ill children), hospital-based referral model, and corporate partnership-driven funding approach.
- Make-A-Wish Foundation of America: National parent organization of Make-A-Wish Michigan. Operates the same wish-granting model across all 57 U.S. chapters, sharing brand, volunteer infrastructure, and corporate partnerships. Comparable because the Michigan chapter derives its mission, trademarks, and major partner relationships directly from the national entity.
- Children's Wish Foundation International: Wish-granting nonprofit for children with life-threatening illnesses. Directly competes for donor mindshare, corporate partnerships, and wish referrals in the same mission category as Make-A-Wish.
Emerging players
- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: Childhood cancer-focused nonprofit funding research and family support. Comparable pediatric-cancer beneficiary base, peer-to-peer fundraising model, and child/family support orientation.
- A Special Wish Foundation: Regional wish-granting organization serving critically ill children, with chapters in multiple states. Overlaps with Make-A-Wish on wish-granting mission but operates at smaller geographic and brand scale.
- Dream Foundation: Wish-granting organization serving adults with life-limiting illnesses. Comparable wish-delivery model and donor ecosystem, though focused on an adult rather than pediatric beneficiary population.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Make-A-Wish Michigan social profiles
Digital presenceMake-A-Wish Michigan compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Make-A-Wish Michigan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Make-A-Wish Michigan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Make-A-Wish Michigan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Make-A-Wish Michigan M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Make-A-Wish Michigan
What does Make-A-Wish Michigan do?
Make-A-Wish Michigan grants life-changing wishes to children ages 2.5 to under 18 who have been diagnosed with a critical illness, fully covering all wish expenses including travel and spending money with no income qualifications required. The chapter funds wish granting through individual and corporate donations, foundation grants, planned gifts, special events (such as Walk for Wishes), and peer-to-peer fundraising supported by a mobile app with health-data integration. It also operates volunteer engagement, corporate partnership programs, and referral intake via a Salesforce-based system for medical professionals and families.
Is Make-A-Wish Michigan a public or private company?
Make-A-Wish Michigan is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Make-A-Wish Michigan founded?
Make-A-Wish Michigan was founded in 1986. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Make-A-Wish Michigan based?
Make-A-Wish Michigan is headquartered in Southfield, United States, in the North America region.
How does Make-A-Wish Michigan make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Individual Contributions are the primary driver. The others are corporate Donations, foundation Grants, planned Gifts, special Events, in-Kind Donations and chapter Fees and Assessments.
Who are Make-A-Wish Michigan's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House Charities and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Direct peers are National Children's Cancer Society, Starlight Children's Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and Children's Wish Foundation International. Emerging players are Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, A Special Wish Foundation and Dream Foundation.
Does Make-A-Wish Michigan have an API?
No public API is recorded for Make-A-Wish Michigan.
What industry is Make-A-Wish Michigan in?
Make-A-Wish Michigan's product category is Children's Wish-Granting Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGACAM, Rare Disease & Special Needs Support Organizations, with a secondary code of BPADAOAB, Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors). Its NAICS code is 813212 and its SIC code is 8300.