Mills Foundation
Mills Foundation is a private foundation based in San Diego, California. In its 2025 filing, it reported 10 grants totaling $63,025 to charitable organizations, including organizations in California, Illinois, and North Carolina.
Mills Foundation at a glance
In short: Mills Foundation gave $63K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in California. 40% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $63,025
- +67.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,303
- +50.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,500
- Total assets
- $1,968,957
- +57.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 40% first-time grantees (4 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (56% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Mills 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: 4319 Trias St, San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: (619) 818-7771
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mills Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Carle Ctr for Philanthropy ($25K). Together the top 10 received $63K.
Grant Size Distribution
52 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 52 grants of 52 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grants went to recipients in California (56% of grant dollars), Illinois (40%), and North Carolina (4%). Listed recipients were located in San Diego-area communities, Urbana, Illinois, and Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Mills Foundation open to new grantees?
40%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 10 grantees (40%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $6K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $21K (2020) to $63K (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $63K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Carle Ctr for Philanthropy Urbana, IL | General | $25,000 |
| Reading Legacies San Diego, CA | General | $13,000 |
| San Diego Humane Society San Diego, CA | General | $6,500 |
| Access Youth Academy San Diego, CA | New Building & Site Visit | $5,000 |
| Transcendance National City, CA | General | $4,000 |
| Beau Trickey Memorial San Diego, CA | General | $3,000 |
| Grass Roots Aid Parnership Black Mountain, NC | General | $2,500 |
| Luv Works San Diego, CA | General | $2,500 |
| Helen Woodward Rfancho Santa Fe, CA | General | $1,000 |
| YMCA San Diego, CA | General | $525 |
Ready to take the next step with Mills Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,968,957 | $99,315 | $64,115 | $63,025 | 10 | $64,115 | $99,315 |
| 2024 | $1,249,877 | $1,183,368 | $38,669 | $37,630 | 9 | $38,669 | $72,845 |
| 2023 | $125,178 | $55,592 | $49,698 | $48,953 | 8 | $49,698 | $55,592 |
| 2022 | $39,374 | $8,912 | $42,780 | $42,050 | 11 | $42,780 | $30,517 |
| 2021 | $53,780 | $29,307 | $33,785 | $33,180 | 14 | $33,785 | $29,307 |
| 2020 | $35,883 | $16,677 | $21,518 | $21,000 | 9 | — | $13,964 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as reading and youth development. Reading Legacies describes its mission as empowering children as valued family and community members through intergenerational shared-reading experiences. Access Youth Academy describes its mission as transforming the lives of underserved youth through academic enrichment, health and wellness, social responsibility, and leadership through squash.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave 10 grants totaling $63,025. Grant amounts ranged from $525 to $25,000, with a median grant of $3,500. Its largest listed grants were $25,000 to Carle Center for Philanthropy, $13,000 to Reading Legacies, $6,500 to San Diego Humane Society, and $5,000 to Access Youth Academy. The filing lists the Access Youth Academy grant purpose as “New Building & Site Visit”; the other listed grant purposes were “General.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robert M. Mills as president, treasurer, and vice president; David D. Mills, Meredith M. Mills, and Cynthia S. Mills as directors; and Christen Mills as secretary.
Mills Foundation is led by Robert M. Mills, President, Treasurer & Vice President since 2024 (on filings since 2019); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert M. Mills
President, Treasurer & Vice President
President, Secretary & Treasurer → President & Treasurer, 2020
President & Treasurer → President, Treasurer & Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Cynthia S. Mills
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
David D. Mills
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Meredith M. Mills
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Christen Mills
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2020
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Douglas C. Mills (2019–2023) — Vice President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Foundation
How much does Mills Foundation give each year?
Mills Foundation gave $63K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $38K across 9 grants.
What is Mills Foundation's typical grant size?
Mills Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,500, and its average grant was $6,303, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mills Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Mills Foundation give grants?
Mills Foundation gives mostly in California: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (40%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Diego, CA (6 grants).
Does Mills Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 90% of Mills Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Mills Foundation's largest grantees?
Mills Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Carle Ctr for Philanthropy ($25,000), Reading Legacies ($13,000) and San Diego Humane Society ($6,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 71% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mills Foundation?
Mills Foundation reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $99K.
What does Mills Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as reading and youth development. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mills 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 Foundation's EIN?
Mills Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-2901235. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Mills 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 19, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 11, 2020)
Live grants for the work Mills Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Mills Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Peggy and Robert Matthews Foundation
San Diego, CA
The foundation funds qualified nonprofits in the arts, sciences, health, and human services, with grants required to benefit San Diego County and show measurable results. Recent grants ranged from $10,000 to $40,000, with a median of $20,000. It does not accept unsolicited requests; interested organizations should first contact the foundation to discuss eligibility.
Assets
$4.0M
Grants
16
Total Given
$315K
Mills Family Foundation
San Diego, CA
Assets
—
Grants
4
Total Given
$16K
Enterprise Holdings Foundation
Saint Louis, MO
The Enterprise Holdings Foundation supports charitable and educational nonprofits in communities where Enterprise Mobility operates, focusing on health, education, arts, and disaster relief; applicants must be actively supported by an Enterprise Mobility team member, spouse, or domestic partner. Giving varies widely: it reported 9,499 grants in 2024, but its 2025 filing showed one grant of $101.4 million, so that amount is not a typical award. Applications are accepted at any time through eligible Enterprise-affiliated applicants; the Foundation does not limit giving to preselected organizations.
Assets
$594.3M
Grants
1
Total Given
$101.4M
Price Philanthropies Foundation
La Jolla, CA
Price Philanthropies Foundation supports opportunities for underserved youth and families, including early education and childcare, youth mental health, and organizations that strengthen San Diego communities; it offers general operating, program, and capital grants. Its 2024 grants ranged from $1,000 to $19.1 million, with a median of $22,410, and funding is primarily focused on San Diego—especially City Heights—with additional stated interests in PriceSmart communities in Latin America and the Caribbean and Israel. The foundation says it does not accept unsolicited grant requests at this time.
Assets
$446.8M
Grants
246
Total Given
$33.8M
The Conrad Prebys Foundation
San Diego, CA
The Conrad Prebys Foundation funds visual and performing arts, youth success, healthcare, and medical research, primarily in San Diego County. Its 2024 grants ranged from $200 to $3 million, with a median of $100,000. It offers opportunities throughout the year, including open applications and requests for proposals, but may also use invitation-only or community-led processes.
Assets
$1.1B
Grants
392
Total Given
$54.9M
Girard Foundation
San Diego, CA
The Girard Foundation funds innovative education and career-readiness programs for young people, especially efforts that expand early learning, personalized learning, and job-training opportunities, primarily in San Diego County and beyond. Its 2025 grants ranged from $1,000 to $558,000, with a median of $7,500. It awards grants by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Assets
$14.5M
Grants
49
Total Given
$2.2M
More similar funders
More Funders in California
Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mills Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mills-foundation-morg_e7d4add686f8483b8baf882fc67ab004
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_842901235_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mills Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mills-foundation-morg_e7d4add686f8483b8baf882fc67ab004},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 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.
Mills Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?