Millstone Fund Grants

Millstone Fund Grants is sponsored by Millstone Fund. Supports nonprofit organizations in Greater Cincinnati working to improve health, education, and the arts.

Overview - Millstone Fund Overview admin 2026-06-12T14:34:50+00:00 Millstone Fund awards grants two times per year: March and September .

Standard Grant Cycle Timelines Portal opens early August *No access code needed Portal opens early February *No access code needed Application invitations sent in Nov Application invitations sent in May Application Deadline Dec 15 Application Deadline June 15 Grants awarded in September Eligibility, Priorities, and Considerations Eligible organizations include non-profit organizations with active 501(c)(3) status and that directly benefit residents of greater Cincinnati in the areas of health, education, and/or arts.

Eligibility to apply for funding after award: Millstone Fund typically expects an organization to complete a full grant period, including an evaluation follow-up report, prior to submitting another LOI for the same need. Organizations typically will not receive funding for the same need at a frequency less than every two years.

One-year grant eligibility timeline: Requests should reflect the ways in which programming aligns with the Millstone Fund mission and priorities. Before submitting an LOI or reaching out to the Grants Director, please review our priorities in health , education , and arts . Currently, unsolicited grant requests, especially those for operating/program support, will, if awarded, average $20,000-$30,000.

Unsolicited grant requests, operating/program support requests (unless approved by board), and/or requests from organizations new to Millstone Fund should not exceed $50,000. Requests will generally not be considered for less than $10,000.

The Board of Directors takes many factors into consideration when determining whether to award grants and at what level, including: alignment with Millstone Fund strategies and priorities; the quality of the application and promise to address a problem or advance work integral to the mission; the full scope of need and commitments in the grant cycle including other requests received, Millstone Fund investments in collaborative initiatives, and any funds already committed to funder-initiated Request for Applications (RFA); the request amount relative to the organizational and program budgets; and additional funding resources outside the request.

We welcome innovative ideas! We encourage these written innovative ideas to be shared for feedback and/or discussion as time permits prior to LOI submissions for these projects. Our Standard Responsive grantmaking is only a portion of the entire Millstone Fund grantmaking portfolio.

These awards require a competitive review process. Due to limited grantmaking funds, some well-aligned requests may not be awarded. We recognize that indirect costs are important in keeping an organization strong and do allow for a percentage of overhead commensurate with the unique circumstances of the request, organization, and other support.

We strive to provide strategic funding. Millstone Fund continues to evolve as engaged funders by building strategic investments with well-aligned organizational partners, collaboration efforts and larger projects. Multi-year awards will be by invitation only or in response to a specific Request for Applications (RFA).

Please see Who We Support for additional details on funding priorities. Requests are not considered for: Organizations with a mission to advance a specific religion or specific religious practices. This includes operational support for schools with a religious affiliation.

Endowments ( larger campaign requests which include endowment funding in the proposal scope should specify that no funds will be used towards the creation or sustaining of endowment ). Organizations with a primary mission to support animal causes. Organizations outside the United States.

Reducing organizational debt Letter of Inquiry deadlines: October 1 / April 1 Millstone Fund Review Committee will review LOI to determine whether an application invitation will be offered. Organizations offered the opportunity to complete a full application will be notified of next steps.

Application deadlines: December 15 / June 15 If a grantee has questions regarding the application process, eligibility criteria or their organization’s alignment with Millstone Fund, please contact Elle Folger, Grants and Partnerships Lead, Millstone Fund, at efolger@millstonefund. org . For detailed information about eligibility and how to apply for a grant, please see our Grantmaking Guidelines and Application .