1. How to apply for a grant…
- Meet the qualifications
- Submit a Concept Letter to the Foundation via email
- If you receive a favorable response, submit a full proposal with required attachments
2. Qualifications:
- Be a 501 (c) (3) organization for five years
- Geographic Location: Located in and providing programs and services mainly within Fort Wayne and Allen County.
- Waiting Period: An organization that has received a McMillen Foundation grant is eligible to submit a new concept letter beginning one full calendar year after the end of the year in which the grant was awarded. For example, an organization awarded a grant in 2025 would be eligible to submit a new concept letter for the 2027 grant cycle.
Where a grant is paid over more than one year, the waiting period begins at the end of the calendar year in which the final payment is made.
All required final reports for prior grants must be submitted before a new concept letter will be considered. - The foundation does not provide funding to private foundations, churches, state funded colleges and universities, or individuals (including scholarships). We also rarely fund schools of any level.
3. Purpose:
Grants are made for capital expenditures (not annual support) which benefit the greatest number of individuals over the longest period of time. The Wildcat Athletic Association is an exception. The Foundation annually supports Wildcats since Dale W. McMillen established the League.
Capital expenditures include:
- Land & Buildings (Capital Campaign)
- Building Renovation
- Equipment
- Items having normal life expectancy of 3 yrs or more.
Upcoming Grant Application Deadlines
October 1, 2026
March 2027
June 2027