The Milner Family Foundation
The Milner Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Sandy Spring, Maryland. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in several states, with most listed grant purposes described as operational support.
The Milner Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Milner Family Foundation gave $205K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), top state Maryland. 70% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $205,025
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +25.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $20,503
- -20.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $3,320,801
- +1.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 70% first-time grantees (7 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Maryland (29% 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 The Milner 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: 17108 Friends House Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860
Phone: (301) 854-0830
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Milner Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Fairplay for Kids ($35K). Together the top 10 received $205K.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 80 grants of 82 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were reported by recipient state as Maryland, 29%; New York, 27%; Massachusetts, 17%; Florida, 12%; and Virginia, 7%. The 2025 grant list also includes a recipient in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Milner Family Foundation open to new grantees?
70%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 10 grantees (70%) 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 $17K; repeat grants $28K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 10% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 84% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
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 $181K (2020) to $235K (2022). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $205K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fairplay for Kids Boston, MA | Operational Support | $35,000 |
| Catholic Relief Services Baltimore, MD | Operational Support | $30,000 |
| Chemin Neuf Community New York, NY | Operational Support | $30,000 |
| Grace Center Foundation Naples, FL | Operational Support | $25,025 |
| Parent Encouragement Program Kensington, MD | Operational Support | $25,000 |
| Nature Conservancy Arlington, VA | Voter Education | $15,000 |
| Razom Inc New York, NY | Operational Support | $15,000 |
| Seacology Berkeley, CA | Operational Support | $15,000 |
| Myriad USA New York, NY | Operational Support | $10,000 |
| Manna Food Center Silver Spring, MD | Operational Support | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Milner Family Foundation?
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 | $3,320,801 | $283,579 | $247,168 | $205,025 | 10 | $205,025 | $46,737 | $244,620 |
| 2024 | $3,284,390 | $224,832 | $242,885 | $205,000 | 8 | $205,000 | $45,747 | $216,186 |
| 2023 | $3,302,443 | $279,112 | $244,294 | $214,500 | 22 | $214,500 | $39,394 | — |
| 2022 | $3,267,625 | $31,415 | $264,275 | $235,000 | 24 | $235,000 | $24,713 | — |
| 2021 | $3,526,216 | $220,378 | $225,527 | $192,500 | 18 | — | $10,767 | — |
| 2020 | $3,505,634 | $270,531 | $207,285 | $181,000 | 23 | — | $29,856 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Milner Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $245K 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 included organizations whose stated missions span several areas. Grace Center Foundation says it seeks to save the lives of children and their families in Ethiopia through an integrated, holistic approach. Parent Encouragement Program says it helps children become confident, capable, and resilient by supporting their parents and caregivers. Seacology says it protects threatened island species and habitats while working with local people to conserve natural resources and improve quality of life. Manna Food Center says it strives to end hunger through education, advocacy, and food distribution.
Other 2025 grantees include Razom, which describes its work as supporting human rights and democracy in Ukraine through humanitarian aid, education, culture, and civic society; and Myriad USA, which says it facilitates thoughtful, effective giving across borders.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $205,025 through 10 grants. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $35,000, with a median of $20,000. The largest awards were $35,000 to Fairplay for Kids, $30,000 each to Catholic Relief Services and Chemin Neuf Community, $25,025 to Grace Center Foundation, and $25,000 to Parent Encouragement Program. Other grants were $15,000 each to Nature Conservancy, Razom, and Seacology; $10,000 to Myriad USA; and $5,000 to Manna Food Center. The listed purposes were operational support, except for Nature Conservancy’s grant, which was for voter education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Melanie Milner as president.
The Milner Family Foundation is led by Melanie Milner, President on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Melanie Milner
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 The Milner Family Foundation
How much does The Milner Family Foundation give each year?
The Milner Family Foundation gave $205K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $205K across 8 grants.
What is The Milner Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Milner Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $20,503, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Milner Family Foundation that year got $17K on average.
Where does The Milner Family Foundation give grants?
The Milner Family Foundation's top state is Maryland, with 29% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (27%) and Massachusetts (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Milner Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 90% of The Milner Family 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 The Milner Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Milner Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Fairplay for Kids ($35,000), Catholic Relief Services ($30,000) and Chemin Neuf Community ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Milner Family Foundation?
The Milner Family Foundation reported $3.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $205K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $245K (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 The Milner Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations whose stated missions span several areas. Grace Center Foundation says it seeks to save the lives of children and their families in Ethiopia through an integrated, holistic approach. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Milner 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 The Milner Family Foundation's EIN?
The Milner Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3837113. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Milner 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 July 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Milner Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Milner Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Milner Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-milner-family-foundation-morg_547461b9b22d491d8be36dcb2c555cb4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043837113_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Milner Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-milner-family-foundation-morg_547461b9b22d491d8be36dcb2c555cb4},
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 The Milner 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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