Arts (Large Org.)

Miller Foundation arts grants support those who put "art at the heart" of their work. We also fund other types of organizations that deliver ongoing arts or arts education programming. Together, we can help the arts play a key role in all our Oregon communities.

Most organizations requesting Arts or Arts Education funding through our Standard Process have minimum annual operating expenses of $500,000.

Please consult our Arts page for details on the types of activities we fund.

Please be sure to review the list of activities that are ineligible for funding.

K-12 Arts Education

Because the Miller Foundation believes that every child should have access to a well-rounded education that includes the arts, our Arts grants also support K-12 Arts Education programs. If you provide arts education programming, you have a greater chance of receiving Miller funding if your programs meet any of the criteria below:

• You provide non-school based sequential arts education specifically engaging youth who face economic, geographic, or other barriers to participation.
• You work in partnership with public schools to provide arts education where such programming would otherwise be unavailable.
• You connect young people with professional teaching artists.
• You provide culturally specific arts education.

We accept applications three times annually. The first step is to complete our Inquiry Form. Inquiry Forms are open 24/7 and have three deadlines each year. We will notify you three weeks after the deadline if a full application is invited.

Applicants may apply for one, two, or three years of support. However, please note that newer applicants are unlikely to receive multi-year support. We recommend first-time applicants request a one-year grant.

• If you have a 5-year history of grant funding with Miller, you are eligible to apply for up to 3 years of support.
• For those applicants with a grant history of between 2-4 years of funding, you are eligible to apply for up to 2 years of support.

Grant history can be non-sequential. (i.e. Past funding does not need to have been in 5 consecutive years.)

‍Our operating support grants typically represent between 3-5% of an organization’s annual operating expenses.
(We consider an average of the organization's expenses over recent years).

Here are typical examples of how our operating support grants are commonly funded:

• If an organization's annual expenses are under $1 million, then the grant amount would likely be up to 5% of those expenses.
• If an organization's annual expenses are between $1-2 million, then the grant amount would likely be up to 4% of those expenses.
• If an organization's annual expenses are over $2 million, then the grant amount would likely be up to 3% of those expenses. (Please note, our typical maximum for operating support grants is $150,000.)

‍A note to broader-missioned organizations:

‍For those broader organizations working beyond Arts activities: Our operating support grant amounts are based on the portion of your organization budget dedicated to Arts activities.

Please feel free to reach out to our program team at grants@millerfound.org if you have questions about how much to request. We are happy to discuss an appropriate amount. 

Our Operating Support grants typically support organizations with missions that are focused solely in the Arts and K-12 Arts Education. The Miller Foundation understands that funding general operations is the best way to help organizations thrive. Our Standard Application Process provides operating support to help organizations have maximum flexibility.

Miller Foundation operating support grants can be used for a grantee's operating expenses. Examples:

• Artist or Contractor fees
• Staff wages
• Rent/utilities
• Technology
• Programming, performance, presentation, or exhibit expenses
• Moveable equipment
• General business expenses
• Marketing, fundraising or technical support
• Addition of new paid staff

Expenses not considered operating support include:

• Debt repayment
• Capital campaigns

In rare cases, an organization may wish to apply for project support for a discrete opportunity, rather than operating support. While we strongly encourage applicants to apply for operating support, the Miller Foundation also provides project support. Please note: we are unlikely to fund the majority of a project’s costs.

Examples of discrete opportunities for project support grants:​

• Partnerships, mergers, acquisitions
• Special opportunities, change capital, re-structuring