About

The mission of the MacMillan Family Foundation is to support organizations that help strengthen and enrich our society in three major areas: cancer and medical research, education, and the arts. In addition, through our community grants program, we support local, grass-roots organizations and services that seek to maintain and enhance the health, education, and well-being of our communities.

The MacMillan Family Foundation was founded in January 2003 by Duncan and Nancy MacMillan. The MacMillans were early signers of the Giving Pledge. Duncan serves as Chairman of the Foundation, and Nancy serves as its President. In August 2022, Arlene Shuler was named the first Executive Director of the Foundation.

Areas of Interest

We provide medical research funding to educational and fellowship programs to help exceptional scientists to study causes and cures for devastating diseases. We believe that supporting basic science is fundamental to furthering discoveries that will result in treating and eliminating cancer and other diseases and that private funding is critical to this area where public funding is unavailable or insufficient.

Education is fundamental to a healthy civil society, and we seek to improve basic educational opportunities and outcomes for children in underserved communities through support of local, grass-roots organizations. Our current areas of focus include early childhood programs, improving conditions for the childcare workforce, and supporting innovative approaches to strengthening and supporting teachers, principals, and other education personnel. We are also interested in programs to expand literacy and to improve the overall education and well-being of children.

We see the arts as central to a flourishing and healthy society and seek to enhance opportunities for creativity and artistic expression which can enrich communities and the lives of individuals.  To assist arts and cultural organizations strengthen their operations and management capabilities, we invest in infrastructure and capacity-building projects with the long-term goal of increased organizational sustainability and a thriving arts community.  A limited number of general operating grants will be considered each year.

We believe that supporting innovative efforts in basic science, education, and the arts can contribute to the advancement of individuals, communities, and society as a whole.

Application Procedures

Proposals are by invitation only.