The Katherine Wells MacMillan Foundation concentrates its funding on place-based community philanthropy and local human services, primarily by making large, multi-million-dollar grants to community foundations and regional funders. It also directs substantial support to frontline community organizations in southwest Florida (Florida Keys and Collier County) focused on children and basic social services. The foundation favors a small number of sizable, strategic gifts rather than many small awards, and it uses intermediary community foundations to channel its philanthropy.
Highly concentrated giving: very few, large grants (multiple $4M gifts and multi-hundred-thousand dollar awards), repeat grants to the same community foundations, and a mix of intermediary grants (to community foundations/United Way) plus direct support to local service providers.
The Katherine Wells Macmillan Foundation makes some of its largest recent gifts through community foundations and regional intermediaries, including a $3,000,000 unrestricted grant to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation in 2024 and a $3,000,000 unrestricted grant to Communities Foundation of Oklahoma in 2023. That pattern places place-based philanthropy at the center of its work: the foundation channels substantial resources to local funders, then also backs community organizations serving children, families, and older or low-income residents. In southwest Florida, its grants include support for the United Way of Collier and the Keys, the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, the Grace Jones Community Center, and the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter. The recent record shows a mix of very large strategic awards and smaller recurring grants, with unrestricted support appearing throughout. The foundation’s giving is regional rather than national, and its recent grants all went to U.S. recipients. Across the available record, it uses both intermediary philanthropy and direct grants to local service providers, with a clear emphasis on community-based infrastructure and safety-net services.
A central theme in the foundation’s giving is community foundation endowment and donor-fund support. It gave $3,000,000 to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation in 2024 for the Katherine Wells MacMillan Fund, and it also made a $3,000,000 unrestricted grant to Communities Foundation of Oklahoma in 2023. Another visible thread is broad local support in the Florida Keys and Collier County area. In 2025, the foundation awarded $1,487,500 unrestricted grants to both United Way of Collier and the Keys and the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys. Its direct-service grantmaking also reaches children and family services: the foundation gave $250,000 to Florida Keys Children’s Shelter in 2025, following earlier unrestricted grants to that organization and to Grace Jones Community Center. These grants point to a mix of intermediary giving and frontline community support.
The typical grant size is tightly clustered at the lower end for the portfolio’s recurring awards: p25 is $35,000 and the median is $35,000, while p75 rises to $2,258,750, showing a split between routine support and occasional large institutional gifts. The recent record includes repeated recipients across multiple years, including the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, Florida Keys Children’s Shelter, and Grace Jones Community Center. Grants shown are unrestricted when purpose text is provided, and the foundation does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The pattern suggests a family foundation-style approach with flexible support and a small set of recurring partners.
$5.7M
$131.8M
$28.2M
$7.2M
Most grants fall between $35K and $2.3M, with a median of $35K.
25th Percentile
$35K
Median
$35K
75th Percentile
$2.3M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in FL.
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Notable grantees: New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, United Way of Collier and the Keys, Grace Jones Community Center
Florida is the foundation’s most frequent grant destination, with the highest recipient count in the data, while 0% of grants went to Minnesota recipients despite the headquarters being in Minneapolis. Recent Florida grants reach Naples, Key West, Marathon, and Tavernier, concentrating especially in the Florida Keys and Collier County. Outside Florida, major awards went to Oklahoma City and Concord, showing a regional footprint centered on a few places rather than broad national dispersion. All recent grants in the sample went to U.S. recipients.
It most often supports community foundations, regional intermediaries, and local human-service organizations. The recent record includes large grants to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, along with direct support for organizations such as the United Way of Collier and the Keys, Florida Keys Children’s Shelter, and Grace Jones Community Center.
The grant-size distribution shows a median of $35,000, with p25 also at $35,000 and p75 at $2,258,750. That means many awards are relatively small recurring grants, but the portfolio also includes occasional multi-million-dollar gifts.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeat support for several recipients across 2023 to 2025, including the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, Florida Keys Children’s Shelter, and Grace Jones Community Center.
Its giving centers on place-based community philanthropy, local human services, and support for children and vulnerable residents. The data also shows sustained backing for community foundation endowments or donor funds, plus direct grants to organizations serving families, children, seniors, and low-income communities.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE FLORIDA KEYS | KEY WEST, FL | $1,487,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNITED WAY OF COLLIER AND THE KEYS | NAPLES, FL | $1,487,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| COMMUNITIES FOUNDATION OF OKLAHOMA | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | $1,000,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | CONCORD, NH | $1,000,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GRACE JONES COMMUNITY CENTER | MARATHON, FL | $500,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FLORIDA KEYS CHILDREN'S SHELTER | TAVERNIER, FL | $250,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | CONCORD, NH | $3,000,000 | 2024 | KATHERINE WELLS MACMILLAN FUND |
| GRACE JONES COMMUNITY CENTER | MARATHON, FL | $35,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FLORIDA KEYS CHILDREN'S SHELTER | TAVERNIER, FL | $35,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| COMMUNITIES FOUNDATION OF OKLAHOMA | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | $3,000,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GRACE JONES COMMUNITY CENTER | MARATHON, FL | $35,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FLORIDA KEYS CHILDREN'S SHELTER | TAVERNIER, FL | $35,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
UNRESTRICTED