James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 03-0373895 · since 2003millerfound.org·Oregon·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$16.2M

Annual giving, 2023 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$3,600 to $100k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$21,400

Typical grant (median)

231 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

This foundation, based in Portland, Oregon, gives only within Oregon, and its two themes are the arts and K-12 education, so nonprofits working elsewhere or in other fields are not a fit.
Most grants to organisations fall between $3,600 and $100,000, with a median of about $22,500, so a modest request in that range is realistic, though its Arts (Large Org.) track allows requests up to $150,000 and the largest grant recorded was $2,000,000.
Applicants start with an Inquiry Form (LOI): Standard Arts inquiries are reviewed at three annual deadlines, while Fast Track Arts applications are accepted year-round with no deadline, giving arts applicants more flexibility on timing.
With 89% of its grant dollars going to organisations it had also funded the previous year, this looks like a relationship-led, fairly competitive funder, so new applicants should expect it to take time to build a track record with it.
It prioritises operating support, and applicants must have provided community programmes or services for at least three years; it does not fund things such as capital purchases, facilities construction, debt relief, endowment, scholarships, or requests from colleges, universities, school districts or school foundations.

Overview

James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation is a US private foundation based in Portland, OR.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The foundation funds Oregon organisations working in the arts and K-12 education. Its arts grants support artists, arts organisations and other organisations delivering ongoing arts or arts-education programming, spanning performance, literary, visual, media and interdisciplinary arts. Its education funding supports organisations working towards a holistic, equitable K-12 system, including community-based groups serving teachers, young people and families, and organisations focused on education policy, advocacy and systems change. Applicants include 501(c)(3) organisations, public entities, tribal or municipal governments, and schools; organisations must have provided community programmes or services for at least three years. It prioritises operating support. In arts education, it favours programmes reaching students who would otherwise lack access; in K-12 education, it prioritises organisations with strong school partnerships, demonstrated outcomes and a focus on students furthest from opportunity. Early-childhood practice, policy and advocacy is supported only by invitation or with other funders.

Themes

Arts
K-12 education

Geographic Focus

Oregon.

What They Don't Fund

Capital purchase and permanently installed (non-movable) equipment
Facilities construction
Debt relief and endowment
Religious institutions and programs significantly shaped by religious affiliation (with rare exceptions for religiously-affiliated schools providing tuition-free opportunities to specific student populations)
Libraries or library foundations
Colleges and universities
Requests for individual schools or classrooms for in-school projects or programs (arts education courses, assemblies, school trips to performances, school clubs, field trips, art materials, or musical instruments)
Adult education , including adult literacy programs and standalone adult arts education
Museums whose primary focus is not art (except for culturally specific museums)
Art therapy/arts programming in therapeutic settings
Arts programming in residential or correctional settings
Scholarships or tickets to performances
Historical societies
After-school arts enrichment programs
Recreational camps and summer programs
Festivals , either single-focus or culturally specific, with the exception of festivals where the primary focus is art (film, music, visual art, literary arts, etc.)
Independent filmmaking
Social service supports , including mental and behavioral health interventions, foster care and juvenile justice programs
Physical education , including sports programs
Environmental or ecology education , including gardening programs
STEM-focused education
Special Education programs or schools focused on a single diagnosis
After-school enrichment programs such as Boys & Girls Clubs
Scholarships or tuition assistance
Private schools with tuition-based, traditional models where most students pay tuition
Pre-K/Early Learning classroom supports (we fund these only by invited initiative)
Parenting or caregiver education (as distinct from school-based family engagement)
Food and housing assistance for families
Recreational camps and summer programs (except for programs addressing academic disparities or summer learning loss)
Museums (except regional institutions with extensive K-12 education programming)
Career pathways or workforce Development
Higher Education institutions
Permanent school personnel and activities that fall under public schools' core operating budgets
School Foundations and school districts
Debt repayment
Capital campaigns

How to apply

For Standard Grants, submit an Inquiry Form (LOI); the foundation reviews it at three annual deadlines and invites selected applicants to submit a full application.

Deadlines:

Standard Arts inquiry forms have three deadlines each year.
Fast Track Arts applications are accepted year-round, with no application deadline.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 89% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 443 grants to organisations were about $22,500 or less.

What the foundation says:

The foundation prioritises arts education programmes that reach students who would otherwise lack access to arts education.
It prioritises education organisations with strong school partnerships and demonstrated outcomes that serve students furthest from opportunity.
It prioritises operating support to give grantees flexibility in their work.
Fast Track Arts applications assess board leadership; the foundation encourages organisations to work towards good governance practice.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.

Grant dollars by state

Oregon100%

The largest single recipient received 12% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2023, 89% of grant dollars went to organisations James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

231 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $21,400

How much do they typically give?

Share of 231 grants in tax year 2023 by size

$1k–$2.5k4%

$2.5k–$5k13%

$5k–$10k14%

$10k–$25k20%

$25k–$50k20%

$50k–$100k16%

$100k–$250k6%

$250k–$500k2%

$500k–$1M3%

$1M and over1%

Median $21,400 (tax year 2023)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Oregon Shakespeare Festival · One year project support for large-scale repertory theatre company
$2,000,0002023 tax year
Portland Art Museum · Three year operating support for art museum
$1,250,0002023 tax year
Oregon Symphony · Three year operating support for professional orchestra
$1,166,6672023 tax year
Children's Institute · Five year project support for early childhood advocacy program through miller early childhood initiative
$750,0002023 tax year
Children's Institute · Five year project support for early childhood advocacy program through miller early childhood initiative
$750,0002023 tax year
Portland Opera · Three year operating support for opera company
$600,0002023 tax year
Oregon Shakespeare Festival · One year operating support for large-scale repertory theatre company
$500,0002023 tax year
Portland Center Stage · One year operating support for theatre company
$500,0002023 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Carolyn Hoops — Executive Director
Martha Richards — Executive Director
John Tapogna — Director
Giyen Kim — Director
Donald L Grotting — Director
Kali Ladd Thorne — Director
Subashini Ganesan-Forbes — Secretary
William Swindells — Treasurer
Peter Koehler — President
Charles H Putney — Chairman of the Board

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

2 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$13,140,061	$10,013,778	$204,197,603	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$19,254,333	$16,156,009	$214,237,709	Filing for 2023 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.