Grants Portal Access

Millstone Fund awards grants two times per year: March and September.

Standard Grant Cycle Timelines

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:

• Considerations:
• • Millstone Fund is committed to inclusion, equity, and a sense of belonging for all people in our community. Requests should reflect the ways in which programming aligns with these values.
  • 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.
  • Any request in excess of $50,000 requires communication and approval from Millstone Fund staff prior to LOI submission.
  • 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 responsive 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 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.
  • Political campaigns
  • Sponsorships
  • Loans to individuals
  • Reducing organizational debt

  Grant Process

  Letter of Inquiry deadlines: October 1 / April 1
  • Submit an LOI here.
  • 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.