Mills Family Foundation
Mills Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Traverse City, Michigan. In its 2025 filing, it reported 14 grants totaling $72,000 to organizations in Ohio, Florida, Texas, and New York, with listed purposes including animal advocacy, community support, culture and education, family services, and first-responder support.
Mills Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Mills Family Foundation gave $72K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Ohio. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $72,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- Average grant
- $5,143
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,461,944
- -1.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Ohio (79% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Mills Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 880 Munson Avenue Suite B, Traverse City, MI 49686
Phone: (231) 929-4100
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mills Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was River City Kitty Cafe ($18K). Together the top 10 received $67K.
Grant Size Distribution
14 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 14 grants of 14 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio (79%), Florida (17%), Texas (3%), and New York (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
How Mills Family Foundation gives
- In 2025 it paid out 98% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $72K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| River City Kitty Cafe Marietta, OH | Animal Advocacy | $18,000 |
| Marietta Community Foundation Marietta, OH | Community Support | $15,000 |
| Betsey Mills Club Marietta, OH | Culture and Education | $10,000 |
| NWFL Gal Foundation Inc Pensacola, FL | Family Services | $6,000 |
| All Sports Association Inc Fort Walton Beach, FL | Culture and Education | $5,000 |
| Crosspoint Church Canton, OH | Culture and Education | $5,000 |
| Peoples Bank Theatre Marietta, OH | Culture | $2,000 |
| Washington County Historical Society of Ohio Marietta, OH | Education and Community Support | $2,000 |
| The Castle Museum Marietta, OH | Education and Community Support | $2,000 |
| Montgomery County First Responders Foundation Spring, TX | First Responders Support | $2,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,461,944 | $59,318 | $82,707 | $72,000 | 14 | $73,129 | $49,919 | $74,971 |
| 2024 | $1,485,333 | $1,486,312 | $979 | — | — | — | $12,858 | $71,546 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mills Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $75K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for animal advocacy, community support, culture and education, family services, and first responders.
Among the grantees, Marietta Community Foundation described its mission as distributing funds to qualifying charitable or nonprofit organizations and providing student awards. All Sports Association said its primary mission is raising money for local youth-oriented nonprofits, with an emphasis on sports programs. Wounded Warrior Project described its work as supporting the well-being of post-9/11 veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 14 grants totaling $72,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $18,000, with a median grant of $2,000. Notable grants included:
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Old Mission Trust Company as trustee, Christopher Lamb as CEO, Carey Tafelsky as CFO, and Susan Wipperman as trust officer.
Mills Family Foundation is led by Christopher Lamb, CEO on every filing since 2024; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christopher Lamb
CEO
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
OLD Mission Trust Company
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carey Tafelsky
CFO
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Wipperman
Trust Officer
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2024–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Mills Family Foundation
How much does Mills Family Foundation give each year?
Mills Family Foundation gave $72K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
What is Mills Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Mills Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $5,143, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Mills Family Foundation give grants?
Mills Family Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Florida (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were Marietta, OH (8 grants).
Does Mills Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Mills Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Culture and Education" (5 grants).
Who are Mills Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Mills Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include River City Kitty Cafe ($18,000), Marietta Community Foundation ($15,000) and Betsey Mills Club ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mills Family Foundation?
Mills Family Foundation reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $73K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $75K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Mills Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for animal advocacy, community support, culture and education, family services, and first responders. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mills Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Mills Family Foundation's EIN?
Mills Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 93-6587571. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2024–2025.
Does Mills Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal year 2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mills Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mills-family-foundation-morg_9593b8065cb140e59605b53caf085354
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_936587571_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mills Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mills-family-foundation-morg_9593b8065cb140e59605b53caf085354},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Mills Family Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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