# Walsh College Foundation

Walsh College Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in Troy, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Troy, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Troy, MI, United States
- **Founded:** 1922
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** foundation.walshcollege.edu
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/walsh-college

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Walsh College Foundation was established as the philanthropic engine of Walsh College, a private business college in Troy, Michigan, specializing in undergraduate and graduate business and technology degrees. Its board draws operational talent from the regional private sector: Michael J. Plotzke, CFO of Plastipak Holdings, chairs the foundation, while David J. Petoskey, President of Wealthcare Management Services, serves as vice chair. Funding flows from corporate and foundation donors with deep Detroit-area roots, including the Kresge Foundation, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation, and Ford Motor Company. Unlike foundations that manage large, multi-asset-class endowments, the Walsh College Foundation directs its deployment almost exclusively toward institutional support for Walsh College. The primary vehicle is the Walsh College Forward Campaign, a targeted $7.5 million initiative to fund curriculum innovation, student access, and community engagement. Named scholarships — such as the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation Scholarship and Ford Motor Company's annual awards in tribute to Tom Walsh — form the bulk of its direct financial aid distribution. The foundation does not publicly disclose an endowment size or an external manager roster, consistent with a model where donated assets are quickly put to work on campus rather than stewarded as a long-term investment pool. The foundation is governed by a board that includes members from the Entrepreneurs' Organization and Crime Stoppers of Michigan, reflecting deep ties to the local business and civic ecosystem. Its only known physical asset is the Walsh College Troy Campus on Livernois Road. No separate investment committee, CIO, or public track record in venture, private equity, or real estate is documented. The structural differentiator here is the absence of a traditional endowment model. The foundation functions as a pass-through fundraising vehicle for a single institution's immediate priorities, not a perpetual capital steward.

## Sectors

- Education

## People

- Michael J. Plotzke — Board Chair
- David J. Petoskey — Vice Chair
- Suzanne Siegle — President & CEO

## Questions

### Does the Walsh College Foundation invest in venture capital, private equity, or hedge funds?

There is no public record of the foundation making commitments to venture capital, private equity, or hedge funds. Its known deployment is concentrated entirely on Walsh College's institutional needs: scholarships, curriculum development, and the Walsh College Forward Campaign. The foundation does not behave like an allocator to external managers.

### Who are the major donors to the Walsh College Foundation?

Named donors include The Kresge Foundation, which provided a $1 million matching grant in 2023; The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, which offers trustee matching grants; The DeRoy Testamentary Foundation, which funds specific named scholarships; and Ford Motor Company, which sponsors annual scholarships in tribute to Tom Walsh, the former Detroit business journalist and Walsh College supporter.

### What is the Walsh College Forward Campaign?

The Walsh College Forward Campaign is a $7.5 million fundraising initiative administered by the foundation. It directs capital toward student access and affordability, innovative business and technology curriculum, and community engagement. The campaign represents the foundation's primary deployment vehicle beyond annual scholarship distribution.

### How is the Walsh College Foundation related to Walsh College?

The foundation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walsh College, a private nonprofit business college in Troy, Michigan. This means the foundation's board ultimately answers to the college's governing body, and its fundraising outcomes flow directly into the college's operating budget and capital projects rather than into an independently managed perpetual endowment.

## Related profiles

- [Walrus Partners](https://altss.com/profile/walrus-partners)
- [Walsh Financial Consulting](https://altss.com/profile/walsh-financial-consulting)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z

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