The Edgar P. & Nona B. McKinney Foundation aims to fund organizations that are charitable, religious, and educational in nature, reflecting the founders' intent to support meaningful causes within these spheres.
The grant program primarily focuses on funding research projects in the fields of mathematics, geography, climatology, meteorology, geology (including deep sea studies and tectonic plates), and astronomy, with a primary focus on research conducted at the University of Wisconsin Madison. There is a secondary priority for grants to other qualified educational institutions. The types of support provided include operating, program, and project funding.