Larry H Miller & Gail Miller Family Foundation

The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation operates as Utah's largest family-controlled philanthropic institution, with $773.9 million in assets and $33.2 million disbursed in FY2024. Established in 2007 to perpetuate the charitable legacy of the late Larry H. Miller — Utah Jazz owner, Jordan Commons developer, and one of the state's most prolific entrepreneurs — the foundation grew dramatically following the monetization of Miller family business interests, receiving over $628 million in new contributions between FY2020 and FY2021 alone.

The foundation structures its grantmaking around five pillars: health and medicine, shelter and food security, education and skill development, jobs and economic self-reliance, and cultural and spiritual enrichment. Alignment with at least one pillar is a non-negotiable threshold for any application.

Giving operates on two distinct tracks. The open track consists of GO Grants (up to $10,000, averaging $2,500-$7,500) and Community Support Grants (averaging $15,000-$20,000), both administered through an online portal at grantinterface.com (urlkey=lhm). These programs are deliberately accessible, requiring only 501(c)(3) status and mission alignment. The foundation explicitly prioritizes 'smaller, newer, or rural' Utah nonprofits — first-time applicants have genuine standing in this tier.

The closed track handles everything above $50,000 and represents the bulk of the foundation's capital. Grants in this range — a $15.25 million commitment to Salt Lake Community College, $9 million to Intermountain Healthcare, $7.3 million to Huntsman Mental Health — are not publicly solicited. Entry requires a one-page concept outline to Managing Director Julie Ramos (julie.ramos@lhm.com), historically due by April 1, followed by a multi-stage review and potential site visit.

Foundation President Don Stirling oversees operations alongside Secretary Julie Ramos and Treasurer Randy Wright. The board is entirely family-controlled: Gail Miller (Trustee/VP), Gregory S. Miller, Stephen F. Miller, Brilliant Miller, Carisa A. Miller, and Zane Miller all serve without compensation. Administrative ties to Utah Community Foundation (utahcf.org) suggest back-office services run through that institution, while programmatic decisions flow through LHM Company staff.

The largest awards emerge from multi-year relationships, not cold applications. Salt Lake Community College, the University of Utah, and Intermountain Healthcare each received repeated grants across three or more cycles. First-time applicants should calibrate expectations: the GO and Community programs are where new relationships begin and credibility is established before larger requests become realistic.

The Miller Foundation's financial trajectory is among the most dramatic in Utah philanthropy. Total assets grew from $23.9 million in 2015 to $773.9 million by FY2024 — a 32-fold expansion driven by two massive infusions: $303.7 million in contributions in FY2020 and an additional $325 million in FY2021, both linked to the Miller family's estate planning and business asset transfers following Larry Miller's 2009 death.

Annual grants paid have scaled with this capital base: $3.9 million in FY2019, $20.2 million in FY2021, $33.2 million in FY2022 and FY2024, and a peak of $42.5 million in total giving for FY2023. The FY2024 payout ratio (grants paid vs. total assets) is 4.3% — slightly below the 5% minimum distribution required of private foundations and worth monitoring for excise tax implications. FY2023 at 6.2% was comfortably above threshold.

Across 426 documented grants totaling $124.3 million, the arithmetic average is $291,785 per grant. This figure is pulled down by the large volume of GO and Community grants ($2,500-$20,000). Among the 12 large institutional-scale transactions tracked separately, the median is $1,000,000, the average $1,681,945, and the ceiling is $15.25 million (Salt Lake Community College Foundation, across 3 grants).

By program area, education commands approximately 35% of total dollars: Salt Lake Community College ($15.25M), University of Utah (~$11.8M combined), Weber State University ($7M), Waterford School ($5M), Ensign College ($3M), and Ogden-Weber Technical College ($1M). Healthcare and mental health capture roughly 20%: Intermountain Healthcare Foundation ($9M), Huntsman Mental Health Foundation ($7.3M), Neuroworx ($1M), JDRF ($600K). Arts and culture represent ~15%: Hale Centre Theatre ($6.25M), Utah Symphony ($800K+), St. George Musical Theater ($500K), Thanksgiving Point ($325K). Social services and housing account for ~15%: The Policy Project ($2.1M), The Other Side Academy ($2M), Make-A-Wish Utah ($2M), The Road Home ($405K). Civic and environmental causes share the remaining ~15%.

Geography is strikingly concentrated: 356 of 426 grants (83.6%) went to Utah recipients. California (17 grants), Washington DC (7), Hawaii (5), and Maryland (5) capture small tails, primarily via national organizations with Utah-connected missions such as the NBA Foundation ($1.6M) and national chapter affiliates.

Among foundations of comparable asset scale ($750M-$800M), the Miller Foundation stands apart in two critical respects. First, its geographic concentration in a single mid-size state gives Utah nonprofits outsized leverage: there is no competition from applicants in other regions, and the foundation's staff has deep knowledge of the local ecosystem. Second, the GO and Community Grant tracks represent a genuine open door that most peer foundations at this asset level do not offer — the Mabee Foundation is strictly invitation-only for capital projects, and the White and Crawford Taylor foundations similarly operate through invited relationships.

The October 2025 launch of the Gail Miller Impact Fund, a $25M seed into a blended philanthropy-plus-investment vehicle targeting $200M total, positions the Miller Foundation at the leading edge of impact finance among family foundations nationally — a structural move that none of the comparable-asset peers have publicly replicated.

The 12 months between March 2025 and March 2026 produced the most active public grant cycle in the foundation's history.

In March 2025, the foundation committed $1 million to the Museum of Utah, Utah's first dedicated state history museum slated to open in spring 2026. The 'Inspiring Utah' gallery will carry the Miller family name. Foundation chair Gail Miller described the gift as supporting 'a cornerstone for sharing our state's rich history and culture.'

In May 2025, the foundation deployed $500,000+ across 38 nonprofits serving Salt Lake City's west side in a coordinated geographic cohort, co-funded by Intermountain Health ($175,000 to 17 of the same organizations).

In October 2025, the foundation announced the Gail Miller Impact Fund — a $25 million seed commitment alongside Zions Bank and Intermountain Health — designed to blend philanthropic capital with $150-200 million in traditional investment toward community infrastructure. The fund's first $5 million targets Salt Lake City's Ballpark Next initiative, the neighborhood redevelopment surrounding the former home of the Miller-owned Salt Lake Bees.

In December 2025, foundation executive director Don Stirling acknowledged that 'exploratory conversations took place' regarding a proposed $1.5 million bridge to fund four Salt Lake County day care centers, though the offer was ultimately rejected by the Republican-controlled County Council.

January 2026 brought a groundbreaking for a $25 million regional arts center in South Jordan, with a projected opening in early 2028. No senior leadership transitions were announced during the research period.

The foundation's tiered structure means application strategy differs dramatically by grant size — and conflating the tiers is the most common mistake.

GO Grants (up to $10,000): Apply through the open portal at grantinterface.com/Process/Apply?urlkey=lhm. This program was designed to minimize barriers for small, new, and rural Utah nonprofits. Average awards run $2,500-$7,500. Fundraising event sponsorships are explicitly discouraged and must not be included. If your organization has a connection to an LHM Company employee, that employee can nominate you by contacting Karol Elkington at kelkington@lhm.com — this pathway can accelerate visibility without requiring a formal application.

Community Support Grants ($15,000-$20,000 average): Use the same grantinterface portal. These grants are unrestricted, so frame your ask around general operating strength rather than a single program. Emphasize community-level impact data: populations served, geographic reach within Utah, and sustainability plan.

Requests above $50,000: The portal is not the right entry point. Submit a one-page concept outline to Managing Director Julie Ramos at julie.ramos@lhm.com. Historically this has been due by April 1 — confirm the current cycle by checking lhm.com/doing-good/ or emailing Karol Elkington at kelkington@lhm.com. The outline should cover: your mission in one sentence, the specific Utah community need, the dollar amount requested, and the projected measurable outcome. Keep it to one page — attach a budget only if explicitly requested after initial screening.

Major institutional grants ($1M+): These are relationship-driven, not application-driven. The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests at this level. Work to secure a personal introduction through a current major grantee, a Utah Community Foundation contact, or an LHM business connection before any paperwork is submitted. Multi-year relationship cultivation precedes every seven-figure commitment.

Proposal language that lands: Use the foundation's five-pillar framework as your organizing vocabulary. Reference 'economic self-reliance,' 'shelter and food security,' or 'cultural and spiritual enrichment' by name. Lead with Utah-specific impact numbers. The foundation's LDS-adjacent institutional relationships (Ensign College, BYU, LDS Philanthropies appear among top grantees) suggest organizational values around family, community, and faith-based service resonate, but non-religious organizations are routinely funded.

Avoid: Generic national templates without Utah-specific data; event sponsorships; approaches that treat Utah as one market among many.