Donor Profile: McMillen Family Foundation

The McMillen Family Foundation funds charitable organizations that serve people who are affected by drug and alcohol dependency. Continually seeking new avenues for making a difference in the lives of substance abuse sufferers, the McMillen Foundation focuses its efforts on non-profit service providers that demonstrate sound fiscal management, efficient operation, and program integrity in their efforts to enhance the quality of life of those in need.

The McMillen Family Foundation was founded in 2008 by Karl and Carol McMillen. The Foundation is funded by proceeds from Todd Pipe & Supply, the McMillen family’s well-respected and notably successful wholesale plumbing supply business. Karl McMillen, the family’s patriarch and a Marine Corps veteran and graduate of USC, acquired fifty percent of Todd Pipe & Supply in 1968 and then purchased the entire company ten years later. Under Karl’s leadership and as a result of his tireless work, the business grew to include nine locations in Southern California and Nevada, with nearly 500 employees. Todd Pipe & Supply is known for its stellar performance in both customer service and employee development.

Prior to establishing the Foundation, Karl McMillen donated several million dollars to a number of causes, the most prominent of which was the 2002 construction of the $5.3 million Thelma McMillen Center, an outpatient facility for drug and alcohol addiction treatment at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center. The facility is named after Karl’s late first wife, to whom he was married for 48 years. The McMillen family history includes tragedy related to substance addiction, and as Karl has said in interviews, the family’s donations are intended to help other individuals and families who are affected by alcohol and drug abuse.

Since its 2008 founding, the McMillen Family Foundation has donated over $12 million to a variety of non-profit facilities that serve individuals affected by Substance Use Disorder. Heartland House has received vitally needed funding from the Foundation for key infrastructure projects at our facilities including interior improvements to a recently acquired apartment building that we converted to a sober living facility, along with major renovations to our main building to improve the safety and efficiency of our operations.

Heartland House is truly grateful for the support of the McMillen Family Foundation and proud to have achieved the level of financial management and service delivery that meets the lofty standards of the McMillen’s. Heartland House deeply values our partnership with this selfless benefactor that has donated so generously numerous organizations that combat Substance Abuse Disorder.