Welcome to Maihaugen Foundation

About Maihaugen Foundation

Maihaugen Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization which makes grants to 501(c) organizations.  Maihaugen Foundation is the legacy of Merrydelle and Howard May, who lived in Ephraim (Door County) Wisconsin.  They named their cottage "Maihaugen," which loosely translated means “May House.”  Maihaugen Foundation, Inc. was incorporated in April 1996 and granted tax-exempt status by the IRS in August 1996.  The Foundation historically has focused on providing grants to cultural and environmental organizations.  However, it has made grants to other type of organizations. Recipients of Maihaugen grants are organizations based in Door County, Wisconsin; Southeastern Wisconsin; and Colorado.  Past grant recipients include First Stage Children's Theater (Milwaukee, WI), Boulder Philharmonic (Boulder, CO), Urban Ecology Center (Milwaukee, WI), Crossroads at Big Creek (Door County, WI), Wild Bear Nature Center (Nederland, CO), Belgian Heritage Center (Door County, WI) and Old World Wisconsin (Eagle, WI).

How Do We Make Grants

The Board of Directors meets once a year - in late November - to consider proposals and determine the grants it will make. In extraordinary circumstances, e.g., a project that requires funding earlier in a calendar year, the Board will act on a proposal received in the first half of the year.  Proposals must be received by November 15 in order to be considered.  Proposals should be specific as to purpose, amount and how the funds would fit into the organization’s purpose.  A one to two page proposal will suffice.  Financials and/or budgets for the organization are suggested.  Grant recipients must be 501(c) organizations, so the organization's IRS determination letter must accompany the proposal.  Relevant timefames are provided in the "Timeframes" column.

Timeframes

1.  November 15 - deadline for receipt of grant proposals 

2.  Late November - Board of Directors meet

3.  Early December - grant recipients are notified

4.  Before December 31 - recipients receive checks 

The vast majority of all grants awarded fall within the $1,000 to $10,000 range.  Grant funds are to be used strictly for the specific purpose(s) indicated in the grant award letter.  Unless specifically stated in the grant award letter, a grant in a given year should not relied upon as a promise or indication of future funding.  Multi-year grants are rare.  Grant recipients are required to submit a report in the year following the award regarding the use of the funds awarded.

November 2021 Note

The Board of Directors of Maihaugen Foundation has awarded its 2021 grants.  Recipients will receive an e-mail by December 5, 2021.  If you do not receive one, your organization did not receive a grant.  Unfortunately, we lack the staff to individually notify each organization which did not receive a grant.  Over the past two years, due to Covid, we have shifted some of our focus to organizations that provide direct help to those affected by Covid, e.g., food banks.  This was much  more the case for 2020 grants than 2021 grants.