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.

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.
• Millstone Fund typically expects an organization to complete a full grant cycle, including an evaluation follow-up report, prior to submitting a new LOI for the same need.
• Currently, unsolicited grant awards, especially those for operating/program support, will 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 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.

• 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

• 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.

• 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.