Milne Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Hartford, WI EIN: 36-7317868

The Milne Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Hartford, Wisconsin. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Washington, D.C., Tennessee, and Missouri, supporting projects including nature preservation, education, job-skills training, and museum development.

Milne Family Foundation at a glance

In short: Milne Family Foundation gave $60K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Wisconsin. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$60,000
+33.3% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
11
+37.5% vs 2024
Average grant
$5,455
-3.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$5,000
Total assets
$921,926
-0.5% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
10% first-time grantees (1 of 10, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Wisconsin (50% 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 Milne 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: 5456 Shannon Road, Hartford, WI 53027
Phone: (262) 628-1859

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Milne Family Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Laudato Si' Project: $10KLaudato Si' Project$10KHistoric Haymarket Milwaukee: $5KHistoric Haymarket Milwaukee$5KConference on Asianpacific LDSP: $5KConference on AsianpacificLDSP$5KIllinois Prison Project: $5KIllinois Prison Project$5KUw School of Veterinary Medicine: $5KUw School of VeterinaryMedicine$5KBravehearts: $5KBravehearts$5KCommunity Warehouse: $5KCommunity Warehouse$5KVanderbilt University: $5KVanderbilt University$5KSharp Literacy: $5KSharp Literacy$5KAssociation of Midwest Museums: $5KAssociation of Midwest Museums$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was Laudato Si' Project ($10K). Together the top 10 received $55K.

Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name.

Grant Size Distribution

43 grants across all recorded years

43<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 43 grants of 43 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin (50%), Illinois (25%), Washington, D.C. (8%), Tennessee (8%), and Missouri (8%).

Grant Distribution by State

5states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

MilwaukeeChicagoWashingtonHartfordMadisonHarvardSt. LouisNashvilleWaukeshaWauwatosaLake Bluff

Is Milne Family Foundation open to new grantees?

10%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 1 of 10 grantees (10%) 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 $5K; repeat grants $6K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.

  • 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+4%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 104% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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

$0$20K$40K$60K9 grants2019 10 grants2020 7 grants2021 10 grants2022 7 grants2023 8 grants2024 11 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $36K (2023) to $60K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $60K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Laudato Si' Project Hartford, WISupport the Nature Preserve$10,000
Historic Haymarket Milwaukee Milwaukee, WIMuseum Building Development$5,000
Conference on Asianpacific LDSP Washington, DCTo Support the Scholarship Program$5,000
Illinois Prison Project Chicago, ILOutreach and Training$5,000
1 grant to individuals Recipients not named —$5,000
Uw School of Veterinary Medicine Madison, WISupport Educational Programs$5,000
Bravehearts Harvard, ILEquinetherapy$5,000
Community Warehouse Milwaukee, WIProvidejob Skills Training$5,000
Vanderbilt University Nashville, TNTo Support the Scholarship Program$5,000
Sharp Literacy Milwaukee, WITo Enhance Life Success$5,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$921,926$71,246$75,964$60,00011$63,691$33,598$60,979
2024$926,601$84,518$57,900$45,0008$47,707$64,256$55,480
2023$900,650$49,962$49,873$36,0007$39,649$18,631$49,622
2022$902,030$51,163$71,188$57,50010$60,516$39,577$50,937
2021$920,419$98,096$46,272$37,5007$38,976$90,995$55,810
2020$868,491$32,522$53,680$45,50010—$23,301$51,481
2019$894,487$41,545$58,268$47,5009—$27,411$45,779

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Milne Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $61K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for a nature preserve, scholarship programs, educational programs, literacy, equine-assisted therapy, job-skills training, prison outreach and training, and museum development and operations.

Grantee descriptions illustrate the kinds of organizations supported. Laudato Si’ Project says its mission is to restore humanity’s connection to the natural world through education, stewardship, and recreation. Sharp Literacy says it partners with educators to foster a love of learning through STEAM-based experiential programs. An individual recipient says it supplies children with free, high-quality books to build home libraries. Illinois Prison Project describes its work as advocacy, public education, and direct representation of incarcerated people. Historic Haymarket Milwaukee says it exists to develop and construct a permanent museum building.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $60,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $10,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable grants included $10,000 to Laudato Si’ Project for its nature preserve and $5,000 each to Historic Haymarket Milwaukee for museum building development, Conference on AsianPacific LDSP and Vanderbilt University for scholarship programs, Illinois Prison Project for outreach and training, an individual recipient to distribute books to children, UW School of Veterinary Medicine for educational programs, Bravehearts for equine therapy, Community Warehouse for job-skills training, Sharp Literacy to enhance life success, and the Association of Midwest Museums for museum programming and operations.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists W Bruce Milne and Rebecca J Milne as trustees.

Milne Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Rebecca J. Milne

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • W. Bruce Milne

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

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 Milne Family Foundation

How much does Milne Family Foundation give each year?

Milne Family Foundation gave $60K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $45K across 8 grants.

What is Milne Family Foundation's typical grant size?

Milne Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $5,455, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Milne Family Foundation that year got $5K on average.

Where does Milne Family Foundation give grants?

Milne Family Foundation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 50% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Illinois (25%) and District of Columbia (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (3 grants).

Does Milne Family Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Milne Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

Who are Milne Family Foundation's largest grantees?

Milne Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Laudato Si' Project ($10,000), Historic Haymarket Milwaukee ($5,000) and Conference on Asianpacific LDSP ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Milne Family Foundation?

Milne Family Foundation reported $922K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $64K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $61K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Milne Family Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for a nature preserve, scholarship programs, educational programs, literacy, equine-assisted therapy, job-skills training, prison outreach and training, and museum development and operations. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Milne 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 Milne Family Foundation's EIN?

Milne Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-7317868. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Milne 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

(8)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 9, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 15, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 14, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
  7. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Milne Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/milne-family-foundation-morg_baa063a7b8e8481c8f9edf8b4c852cfd

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_367317868_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Milne Family Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/milne-family-foundation-morg_baa063a7b8e8481c8f9edf8b4c852cfd},
  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 Milne 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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