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Mithun Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$3.0M
Grant Range
$0K - $0.3M

Mithun Family Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,000,000 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $200 - $310,515
  • Median Grant: $15,000
  • Geographic Focus: National, with emphasis on California (33% of grants), Minnesota (32% of grants), and Florida (5% of grants)
  • Total Assets: $55,555,938 (2024)

Contact Details

Address: Wayzata, MN

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Contact information for general inquiries is not publicly available.

Overview

The Mithun Family Foundation was established in March 1987 as a private family foundation based in Wayzata, Minnesota. With total assets of $55.5 million as of 2024, the foundation distributed approximately $3 million in grants in 2023 across 79 awards. The foundation is connected to the legacy of the Mithun advertising agency (later Campbell-Mithun), co-founded by Ray Mithun in 1933. The foundation focuses its grantmaking on arts, education, and human services, with a strong emphasis on supporting organizations in California (particularly Santa Barbara), Minnesota (particularly Minneapolis and Wayzata), and to a lesser extent Florida and other states. The foundation maintains both long-term partnerships with established organizations and demonstrates openness to new grantees, with 38% of recipients in recent years being first-time awardees.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal, named grant programs. Instead, it makes discretionary grants across three primary areas:

  • Arts & Culture: Supporting museums, performing arts organizations, and cultural institutions
  • Education: Supporting educational institutions and programs from primary through higher education
  • Human Services: Supporting social service organizations, healthcare, and community development

Grant amounts range from $200 to over $310,000, with a median award of $15,000. The foundation made 79 grants in 2023, 83 grants in 2022, and 81 grants in 2021, demonstrating consistent annual grantmaking activity.

Priority Areas

Based on geographic giving patterns and historical data:

  • California organizations (33% of grants): Particularly concentrated in Santa Barbara (78% of California grants), Palm Desert (7%), and Goleta (4%)
  • Minnesota organizations (32% of grants): Particularly concentrated in Minneapolis (42% of Minnesota grants) and Wayzata (17%)
  • Florida organizations (5% of grants)
  • Organizations in 19+ other states and some international recipients

The foundation has demonstrated particular interest in:

  • Education at all levels
  • Voluntarism and grantmaking foundations
  • Human services and community support
  • Arts and cultural institutions

What They Don't Fund

The foundation's Form 990-PF filings and public records do not specify explicit exclusions. However, as a private family foundation that only makes contributions to preselected organizations, they effectively exclude:

  • Unsolicited applications from organizations not already on their radar
  • Organizations without established track records or connections to the foundation's interests

Governance and Leadership

The Mithun Family Foundation is governed by a three-member board of directors, all members of the Mithun family:

  • John C. Mithun, Director
  • Raymond O. Mithun Jr., Director
  • Lewis M. Mithun, Director

All directors serve without compensation. The foundation maintains a lean operational structure with no paid officers or staff, keeping administrative costs low and directing the majority of expenses (81.5% in 2024) toward charitable disbursements.

The foundation is connected to the legacy of Ray Mithun (1909-1998), co-founder of the Campbell-Mithun advertising agency, who was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame in 1989.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Mithun Family Foundation does not have a public application process. According to their official filings, the foundation "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

This means:

  • There is no application portal or application form
  • The foundation identifies and selects grantees through trustee discretion and family connections
  • Grants are awarded to organizations already known to or identified by the board of directors

Despite not accepting unsolicited applications, the foundation does support new organizations—in a recent filing year, 31 of 81 recipients (38%) were new grantees, indicating the foundation does expand its giving beyond a static list of repeat grantees.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly disclosed. As a private foundation with trustee discretion, grant decisions are likely made at board meetings throughout the year rather than following fixed review cycles.

Success Rates

Success rates cannot be calculated as the foundation does not accept open applications. The foundation made 79 grants in 2023 from total giving of $3 million.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Application Success Factors

Since the Mithun Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, analysis of the foundation's giving patterns reveals:

Geographic Connections: The foundation shows strong loyalty to regions with family connections—particularly Santa Barbara, California (58 grants historically, 26% of total giving) and the Minneapolis/Wayzata area of Minnesota (42 grants, 19% of total giving). Organizations in these regions appear to receive sustained support.

Repeat Grantees: While 38% of recipients in recent years were new grantees, the foundation also maintains long-term relationships with existing organizations, suggesting that once an organization receives support, continued funding is possible.

Focus Areas: Organizations working in arts and culture, education, and human services aligned with the foundation's stated priorities are most likely to receive support.

Established Organizations: As the foundation preselects grantees, they appear to favor established organizations with track records rather than startup initiatives.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, making it inaccessible to organizations without existing connections to the Mithun family or board members
  • Geographic Focus Matters: Strong preference for California (especially Santa Barbara) and Minnesota (especially Minneapolis/Wayzata area) organizations
  • Broad Grant Range: With grants ranging from $200 to over $310,000 and a median of $15,000, the foundation supports both small and large initiatives
  • Consistent Annual Giving: The foundation maintains steady grantmaking of approximately $3 million annually across 79-83 grants per year
  • Opens to New Grantees: Despite being invitation-only, 38% of recent recipients were first-time grantees, indicating some pathway for new organizations
  • Three Focus Areas: Arts, education, and human services are the foundation's primary areas of interest
  • Long-Term Relationships: The foundation appears to maintain ongoing relationships with grantees rather than making one-time awards

References

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