The Cairn Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Fort Wayne, IN EIN: 47-2588759

The Cairn Foundation Inc is a private foundation focused on Human Services, based in Fort Wayne, IN. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $1.5M in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 4 grants totaling $1.1M. Net investment income was $109K.

The Cairn Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: The Cairn Foundation Inc gave $1.1M across 4 grants in 2024 (avg $273K), mostly in Wyoming. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$1,090,000
+464.8% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
4
-42.9% vs 2023
Average grant
$272,500
+888.3% vs 2023
Median grant
$37,500
Total assets
$1,540,970
-37.3% vs 2023
Primary geography
Wyoming (97% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.

Who The Cairn Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 4 recipients in 2024

Grand Teton National Park Foundatio: $1.0MGrand Teton National ParkFoundatio$1.0MCoombs Outdoors: $40KCoombs Outdoors$40KThe Nature Conservancy in Indiana: $35KThe Nature Conservancy inIndiana$35KTeton Adaptive Sports Inc: $15KTeton Adaptive Sports Inc$15K

The largest 2024 recipient was Grand Teton National Park Foundatio ($1.0M). Together the top 4 received $1.1M.

Grant Size Distribution

30 grants across all recorded years

26<$50K3$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 26 grants of 30 (87%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

5states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 4 itemized grants.

Cities

Fort WayneTeton VillageCarmelJacksonNew YorkArlingtonSan FranciscoAuburnHuntertownMoose

How The Cairn Foundation Inc gives

  • Giving grew 612% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 836% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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

$0$500K$1M$1.5M8 grants2019 6 grants2020 7 grants2021 6 grants2022 7 grants2023 4 grants2024

From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $103K (2020) to $1.1M (2024). In 2024 it made 4 grants totaling $1.1M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Grand Teton National Park Foundatio Moose, WYSupport Nature$1,000,000
Coombs Outdoors Jackson, WYOutdoor Recreation Opportunities$40,000
The Nature Conservancy in Indiana Arlington, VASupport Nature Conservation Programs$35,000
Teton Adaptive Sports Inc Teton Village, WYSports Opportunities for Disabled$15,000
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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
2024$1,540,970$189,211$1,105,006$1,090,0004$1,104,256$109,355$132,101
2023$2,458,302$117,498$205,742$193,0007$205,108$107,889$125,865
2022$2,547,250$1,381,416$149,170$143,0006$144,277$48,510$113,276
2021$1,315,448$295,618$159,174$153,0007$153,918$53,074$101,513
2020$1,221,864$47,716$108,062$103,0006—$43,201$69,113
2019$1,240,602$232,478$104,875$103,5008—$60,897$76,590

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Cairn Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $132K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

The Cairn Foundation Inc is led by Mark Millett, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Mark Millett

    President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Abigail Millett

    Treasurer & Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Drew Millett

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Jake Millett

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Kate Wienman

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 The Cairn Foundation Inc

How much does The Cairn Foundation Inc give each year?

The Cairn Foundation Inc gave $1.1M across 4 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $193K across 7 grants.

What is The Cairn Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

The Cairn Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $37,500, and its average grant was $272,500, across 4 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The Cairn Foundation Inc give grants?

The Cairn Foundation Inc gives mostly in Wyoming: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.

Does The Cairn Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 4 grants with a stated purpose on The Cairn Foundation Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

How large is The Cairn Foundation Inc?

The Cairn Foundation Inc reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $132K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What is The Cairn Foundation Inc?

The Cairn Foundation Inc is a private foundation focused on Human Services, based in Fort Wayne, IN. It holds $1.5M in total assets as of 2024.

What is The Cairn Foundation Inc's EIN?

The Cairn Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2588759. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 13, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 12, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 21, 2025)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024

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Edward M Wilson Foundation

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Cairn Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-cairn-foundation-inc-morg_ea353998f3b84607af742e478f7cc228

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_472588759_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Cairn Foundation Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-cairn-foundation-inc-morg_ea353998f3b84607af742e478f7cc228},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 The Cairn Foundation Inc'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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