Mcmillen Foundation Inc.

Approach the Robert B. McMillen Foundation as a mid-sized family foundation ($29M in assets) with a deliberately narrow, high-conviction grantmaking philosophy. Though the IRS-of-record address lists Fort Wayne, IN, the foundation's actual giving mission (shaped by founder Bob McMillen's Pacific Northwest maritime career at SaltChuk/TOTE/Foss Maritime) is concentrated in Washington State and Alaska. The current board, led by next-generation trustees Mike and Erin McMillen, has explicitly signaled a shift to 'fewer grants worth larger amounts,' so your approach should emphasize transformational impact over incremental programming. Begin by confirming your organization fits exactly one of the three named buckets — (1) cardiology / lipid / organ-transplant medical research with a pediatric-intervention tilt, (2) university-level reverse scholarships for visual artists in WA or AK, or (3) social-enhancement work that uses the arts as a transformational tool. Do not attempt to stretch an unrelated program to fit. Reach out via the foundation's contact channel with a concise letter of inquiry (no more than two pages) that demonstrates clear alignment with the stated 50/25/25 allocation, and be prepared for a deliberate, relationship-driven review cycle rather than a rolling open competition.

The McMillen Foundation distributes approximately 5% of its $29M asset base annually (roughly $1.3M–$1.5M/year under IRS 4942 minimums), and has stated a preference for concentrating those dollars into fewer, larger grants. The fixed internal allocation is 50% medical research, 25% higher education, and 25% social enhancement. Medical grants flow primarily to academic medical centers and pediatric cardiology, lipid-metabolism, and transplantation research programs. Higher-education dollars go exclusively to WA and AK colleges/universities in the form of 'reverse scholarships' benefiting visual artists — a highly unusual structure where tuition support is tied to studio-practice outcomes. Social-enhancement grants favor well-established regional anchors (Goodwill, Salvation Army, United Way) and arts-as-equity nonprofits. Geographic concentration is Puget Sound / Seattle metro and Alaska; Fort Wayne, IN mailing address notwithstanding, the foundation does not fund Indiana organizations. With the exception of scholarships, the foundation will NOT make multi-year commitments, and it does not fund religious, fraternal, political, for-profit, or other private foundations.

The McMillen Foundation sits in a peer cluster of Pacific Northwest mid-sized family funders with narrow issue focus. Key comparables:

Relative to peers, McMillen is more prescriptive (50/25/25 split fixed), more research-focused on the medical side, and less willing to do multi-year general operating support. If your ask is multi-year general operating in social services, Satterberg or Norcliffe are better-fit targets; McMillen is strongest for single-year project grants tied to cardiology research or artist-scholarship pipelines.

A strong McMillen proposal does three things exceptionally well. First, demonstrate pinpoint alignment: open by naming which of the three buckets (medical / higher-ed / social) you fit and cite the specific McMillen preference language back to them (e.g., 'early-life detection and intervention' for cardiology; 'arts as a tool for equitable transformation' for social work). Generic 'we do good work' framing will be filtered out immediately. Second, respect the 'ripples become waves' philosophy — propose a single, concrete, catalytic use of funds (a named research line, a cohort of named scholarship recipients, an arts-based community initiative with a measurable outcome) rather than a budget line-item in a larger operating plan. Third, show geographic legitimacy: WA or AK organizations only, with local leadership and local beneficiaries. Explicitly state that you are NOT seeking naming rights or public recognition — the foundation says on its site 'We are not interested in naming opportunities or being included on public lists.' Finally, submit single-year requests unless you are applying for scholarships; multi-year asks will be rejected on the policy grounds stated publicly.